The multitude of ways this game reflects that what you, as the player, are doing matters, never ceases to amaze. If you visit characters from towns in the past they will have learned of your adventures and grant you awards. A man who has lost his journal in the first town of Ding Dong Dell will remain their until you’ve found his journal by a nearby brook, even if you have progressed to towns further in the game. Unlike the countless other games which feature characters simultaneously in every place at once, the world truly revolves and reacts to player’s progression. A merchant couple is plagued by problems in each city you go to, but when you find them in a new town, they have left the old town. In the mechanical city of Hamlin, steam engines are not only appended to all the buildings but are chugging along. Every NPC is not just standing around waiting to talk to you, they are going about their lives and as far as they are concerned you are just another kid walking the streets. When walking into a town or city there is an overwhelming sense that the cities are alive. What makes this game stand out from countless other anime-inspired games it the attention to detail. However, just having that animation talent doesn’t necessarily equate to a great game, or even a visually pleasing game. The famed Japanese studio has become a brand of its own in the West for its titles dating back to Nausicaä, to it’s first western success, Spirited Away. A great part of the hype machine leading up to Ni No Kuni’s release was the attachment of Studio Ghibli to the project. Immediately apparent about Ni No Kuni from the time you load up the game is the art design and soundtrack. If you don’t get absorbed into the world, then you can be left feeling wanting.
However, the story and gameplay mechanics take a very long time to come into their own. The marriage between Level-5 and Studio Ghibli is bound to keep any fan of the genre enthralled for a long time. Ni No Kuni encompasses all the classic JRPG tropes for better or worse, but presented in the gorgeous wrappings that is Studio Ghibli. Ni No Kuni is an oasis in the desert that has been the JRPG landscape for western gamers over the past couple years.
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