Ni No Kuni is an engaging, single player game for the PlaytStation 3 in 2011. It was developed by Level-5, and the animated cut scenes were done by Studio Ghibli, a company famous for movies such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. It is an all-around charming game with an underlying sense of joy.
The premise of the game is that a young boy named Oliver has lost his mother, and travels to another world parallel to his own to bring her back. Along the way, he explores the world and finds the people broken hearted (an in-game term that means a piece of their heart has been taken by the evil wizard Shadar), and learns magic to heal them. During the game you’ll have to go from one area in the magical world to another, and even venture back to Oliver’s own world of ‘Motorville’ to solve problems. This makes the game far more challenging and exciting, as the story becomes unpredictable.
Along the way he captures creatures called familiars (which can fight in place of the player) and meet new characters who will become allies. There is a unique battle system which depends on various different settings. There is a total of three party members allowed in a battle, and the player will get to switch what different characters are doing. This makes the game a lot more interactive, and more competitive, as you can switch from one to another very easily. Outside of battle, only some spells and magic can be done, as well as side-quests to earn stamps, an in-game currency that allows you to unlock certain abilities. You get money from fighting and winning battles, however you lose some of your money if you lose and die. There are also various objectives marked on a mini-map, with the main objective being a yellow star, which will always mark the place the player needs to go.
The style of the game is heavily cartoony, and the backgrounds and environments are painted to look much like Studio Ghibli’s animations. It makes the whole concept of the game much less overwhelming, because if the game had realistic graphics and the same story, it would all look a little out of place. The story and overall tone of Ni No Kuni are light-hearted and sweet, and with a realistic style, the whole game would be wrong. One of the most effective moments for the art style is in the animated cut scenes, where it’s easy to pick out which character is which, and where they are.
The soundtrack is one of the best parts of the game, as it was composed by one of my all-time favourite composers. Joe Hisaishi, who composed the soundtracks to a lot of Studio Ghibli’s films, created the beautiful soundtrack. He used traditional instruments to give the fantastical world its atmosphere, with a variety of violins and flutes. In a desert area in the game, there are cultural instruments used, which makes the area stand out far more. Another example of this can be found in Hamelin, a steampunk, underground city in the game. The soundtrack is highly militant and includes a crescendo of trumpets. This track was appropriately named the ‘Imperial March’.
In conclusion, this is one of the greatest games of all time in my eyes. I loved the heart-warming story, and the funny conversations the characters had, the world around them, and even the game mechanics. And with the style and music, it really is stunning to play.