Ni no Kuni

[Pete for President]

It sort of flew under my radar, but after seeing a review I'm really intrigued! I mean, how could I miss that this game had Studio Ghibli involved?

I'm very curious about the story and gameplay. So tell me, what do you know about this?

[chionos]

The idea apparently really is to play a Studio Ghibli game, and that's enough for me.

It's about a kid (of course) whose mother dies, but not before giving him a doll that he turns into a fairy with his tears who then enables the boy to travel to another reality with a magical book. Or something like that. Beyond that I'm not sure. It's been awhile since I've gone looking for information on it, there may be a lot more out there than there was before.

The battle system is supposedly rather complex in contrast to the cartoon graphics, but from what I recall, the JP DS version used some kind of drawing mechanism for the magic, and I'm not sure how this will translate to PS3.

The music should be awesome, though, Ghibli used their in-house guy who scored Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away, et al.

[DMKA]

I was very interested in it until I saw the actual gameplay. The battles are apparently like Pokemon/Digimon/Jade Cocoon/etc. with little creatures.

[Flaming Ice]

Games are too expensive when they first come out but there is also a special edition of this game.

[Pete for President]

I was very interested in it until I saw the actual gameplay. The battles are apparently like Pokemon/Digimon/Jade Cocoon/etc. with little creatures.

If Studio Ghibli is behind the creature design, it still has potential. As for now I think I'll check out the demo first.

[NeoCracker]

Already have my copy paid off. ;P

[DMKA]

I was very interested in it until I saw the actual gameplay. The battles are apparently like Pokemon/Digimon/Jade Cocoon/etc. with little creatures.

If Studio Ghibli is behind the creature design, it still has potential. As for now I think I'll check out the demo first.

Oh, I'm not saying the game won't be wonderful for what it is, and for people who are comfortable playing with such a system. The game is gorgeous, to be sure.

That style of gameplay just isn't my cup of tea, personally.

[Edge7]

I'm giving the pokemon style of gameplay a pass, the real time approach keeps things intense enough to give it a slight edge over its predecessor.

[Loony BoB]

This is the kind of game I'd like to buy a few months down the line when it drops in price. I'm really interested, but I want to see how the game is received first. So, anyone who does get it... please let us know if you think it's worth the cash!

[NeoCracker]

Oh, you'll get an opinion from me.

You'll always get an opinion from me. ;P

[Bolivar]

Jim Sterling said it's another Dragon Quest VIII, in the best possible way imaginable. I don't always vibe with what he says, but every once in a while, he understands exactly how I think.

I really want this game now.

[black orb]

>>> I love Studio Ghibli but that game is just way too overly cute, even for Ghibli..

Sorry not my thing..:luca:

[Pete for President]

>>> I love Studio Ghibli but that game is just way too overly cute, even for Ghibli..

Sorry not my thing..:luca:

I find many of Ghibli's films cute in visuals, but mature in themes. I hope that's the case in this game.

Either way, to me it might be a good cheerful break from the dark world of Dark Souls I've drowned myself in for the last 8 months.

[ShinGundam]

>>> I love Studio Ghibli but that game is just way too overly cute, even for Ghibli..

Sorry not my thing..:luca:

I find many of Ghibli's films cute in visuals, but mature in themes. I hope that's the case in this game.

Either way, to me it might be a good cheerful break from the dark world of Dark Souls I've drowned myself in for the last 8 months.
Cute or not, Ni No kuni looks and feels different from most of Ghibli's films especially late 80s and early 90s stuff.

I don't know, this game feel like another old school wannabe JRPG than anything else.

[Rostum]

This game looks beautiful, and I really want it. But I'll have to wait. :)

[NeoCracker]

Well, current thoughts are as follows.

1) The animation and artwork are all really good. The exception is the two villians seen so far, who look absolutely amazing.
2) I'm a bit worried the game will try to be too 'kiddy' or 'cutesy'. So far it hasn't gone to far in that regard, though the worry is there.
3) The battle system is a mix of Pokemon on Quest 64 so far. Mind you, only minimal Quest 64, as that game was kind of rubbish. Lot of potential in this system though.

And those are my thoughts thus far.

[Pete for President]

Well, current thoughts are as follows.

1) The animation and artwork are all really good. The exception is the two villians seen so far, who look absolutely amazing.
2) I'm a bit worried the game will try to be too 'kiddy' or 'cutesy'. So far it hasn't gone to far in that regard, though the worry is there.
3) The battle system is a mix of Pokemon on Quest 64 so far. Mind you, only minimal Quest 64, as that game was kind of rubbish. Lot of potential in this system though.

And those are my thoughts thus far.

Sounds pretty good. Please keep us posted (spoilerfree!)

[Rocket Edge]

I haven't played a good RPG in a while so I think i might pick this up. Will be interested to see how it's received when its released though.

[Pheesh]

IGN gave it an insanely glowing review. Not that their opinion holds too much water, but they reeaally kissed this game's ass so I'm at a little intrigued to play it.

[Yeargdribble]

I've been interested since its reveal some time ago. Though I was mostly interested because of Ghibli being attached and the beauty of the game. Ukrimately it just started to look like another JRPG, and I've sort of sworn those off, especially on consoles.

What really has me interested again are some of the reviews from particular sources. Jim Sterling is startlingly ascerbic generally. Nobody calls a game out for its BS faster than him. His tweets leading up to the review were pretty negative, hell, even the review itself had a lot of negativity. But the fact that it seemed to captivate even him despite I all really makes me want to go grab it.

Another noteworthy piece of info came from Giantbomb. Just hearing about how many things are tracked makes it sound like a wonderful dopamine punching set of completionist dreams. It sounds like it might share some of those aspects I loved in DQ IX, but much better.

So I've gone from yay to meh to yay again. Sadly, I've got a music convention in mid February and I've learned to never start an RPG so close to such a disruptive trip. I'm still tempted to try anyway, but wife is being he voice of reason, so I'll probably wait until late February to grab it.

[NeoCracker]

The more I get into this game, the more engrossing it gets.

I like the Idea of basically borrowing a person's excess emotions, such as enthusiasm, to share with others in the world who need it due to the curse of Broken Hearted Ness, as well as people having soul mates between the two worlds, people who are connected with each other.

It's pretty simple and basic, not really complex, but still holds a fun bit of Ghibli whimsy you'd see in some of their less serious movies. (So, the ones not like Mononoke). This game definately has Charm.

Edit: Also, Pokemon isn't the right game to compare it to. Due to the nature of how your Familiars work in this game, I'm much more inclined to say it's more reminiscent of Persona then Pokemon, as the Familiars you summon out can be out one at a time, and share your HP and MP while having varying stats and abilities. So much more like Persona and Quest 64 mixed then Pokemon and Quest 64.

[Loony BoB]

Does anyone know if it's supposed to be a long game?

Also, regarding the children vibe you worry about - I considered Grandia a good way of getting kids as leading characters while still being enjoyable for adults. How would you say this game compares?

[NeoCracker]

I haven't actually played the first Grandia (Only Grandia 2 which was enjoyable) so I can't comment on that, but I can say so far it's looking good. It doesn't really bother me that the child is a main character due to the VERY whimsical nature of this game. The more I play, the more enthralled I become. This game is a great way help roll in the new year of gaming. :p

[Pete for President]

Does anyone know if it's supposed to be a long game?


From what I've read: story: 30-40 hours. Including sidequests: 60-80.

[Loony BoB]

I haven't actually played the first Grandia (Only Grandia 2 which was enjoyable) so I can't comment on that, but I can say so far it's looking good. It doesn't really bother me that the child is a main character due to the VERY whimsical nature of this game. The more I play, the more enthralled I become. This game is a great way help roll in the new year of gaming. :p
Grandia 2, if I recall correctly, had a similar vibe to Grandia 1, so if you feel that this finds a balance between child characters and adult-enjoyable gameplay then that is a good thing.

[NeoCracker]

The only thing is I'm starting to think this game will be to easy, even on Normal. (There's only an easy and Normal Difficulty options. :p)

The only thing that seems silly is the fullness meter. You can basically feed your Familiars in order to strengthen them, but you can only feed them so much, then you have to wait until Fullness goes down. It goes down so fast though it seems irrelevant for it to even be there.

There's some other details about it I'm currently iffy on, though that could get lengthy, and I'm not really sure enough at this stage to say for sure anyway. :p

[Loony BoB]

I can't wait for the price to inevitably drop for pre-owned games for this, because I really want to play it but can't afford to pay £36 right now when I know SimCity and Tomb Raider are both right around the corner.

[Yeargdribble]

From what I've been reading and hearing, the game starts very easy, but that's basically to very slowly drip feed you more mechanics and get you used to more tactical combat later. Some reviewers have said that even on easy it gets very punishing near the end of the game, especially if you weren't doing a lot of side content along the way.

[NeoCracker]

That's actually very relieving to here. :p

[Yeargdribble]

That's actually very relieving to here. :p

Well, crap. My wife went and bought the game for me anyway. I guess when I'm finished with my current time-sensitive project, I'll dive in.

[Pete for President]

I played the demo yesterday and was pleasantly surprised the Forest Guardian ended my life pretty quickly. It requires some dexterity to pick your moves and character efficiently, is seems.

I'll probably get it once it's released here in Europe.

[chionos]

From the demo, I can see how the difficulty could potentially ramp up as the game progresses. Definitely getting it after seeing the demo. My daughter wants to play it now, too.

[Croyles]

All you guys sitting on the fence, I think it's a shame. If you are a fan of Ghibli movies and RPGs, there really isn't any reason to let this one slip by. This game is simply amazing!
I have never enjoyed Pokemon in my life, yet I still love this.
It's just cutesy enough to be, umm, cute, yet the themes are adult enough as you would expect. English voice acting is good all around. Game looks stunning. The soundtrack is probably the best i've heard this generation.

Im about 8 hours into it. Since I started playing I have been getting that long forgotten feeling I got as a kid, playing early FF games on a Saturday morning, while snuggled up in bed.

[Pete for President]

It's just cutesy enough to be, umm, cute, yet the themes are adult enough as you would expect.

The adult themes is what I was hoping for. I'll be getting it as soon as I have the budget for it.

[Croyles]

It's just cutesy enough to be, umm, cute, yet the themes are adult enough as you would expect.

The adult themes is what I was hoping for. I'll be getting it as soon as I have the budget for it.

Well, about as adult as any Ghibli movie I guess. Which is enough for me.

[Yeargdribble]

I'll be another in the camp of loving Ni no Kuni despite never enjoying Pokemon.

I actually have tried multiple times to enjoy Pokemon since I feel like it's culturally significant, but I just can't stomach it. I missed it during my childhood despite being the perfect age for it to get me and I guess it's one of those that only works on nostalgia.

But yeah, I'm loving the way the combat works in Ni no Kuni. While it's similar in concept to Pokemon, it's completely different in execution.

And the game is a completionists dream. It's very similar to DQ IX in the respect that your quests are numbered and easily tracked with a journal. Also, the sidequests stamping your merit card is just a fantastic Skinner Box mechanic that keeps me addicted to doing extra stuff.

It's a game where you're making progress in several areas at one time which makes you feel like even fighting a lot of encounters is sort of fun. Your familiars get XP even without being in battle, which really helps that.

[Croyles]

I'll be another in the camp of loving Ni no Kuni despite never enjoying Pokemon.

I actually have tried multiple times to enjoy Pokemon since I feel like it's culturally significant, but I just can't stomach it. I missed it during my childhood despite being the perfect age for it to get me and I guess it's one of those that only works on nostalgia.

But yeah, I'm loving the way the combat works in Ni no Kuni. While it's similar in concept to Pokemon, it's completely different in execution.

And the game is a completionists dream. It's very similar to DQ IX in the respect that your quests are numbered and easily tracked with a journal. Also, the sidequests stamping your merit card is just a fantastic Skinner Box mechanic that keeps me addicted to doing extra stuff.

It's a game where you're making progress in several areas at one time which makes you feel like even fighting a lot of encounters is sort of fun. Your familiars get XP even without being in battle, which really helps that.

It was the same with me. I grew up with people around me playing the first pokemon game on gameboy (the japanese kids were playing it for quite a while). I tried it but while I enjoy some grindy games, pokemon never interested me that much.
The only true similarity this game has to Pokemon is the capture and use of creatures to fight for you. The actual battle mechanics remind me more of Final Fantasy XII or the Tales series.

Even with games that I enjoy, I usually find myself speeding through the game to finish it quickly, but with this game I find myself taking my sweet ass time with everything, because I feel like I WANT to see everything. I'm about 12 hours in now, in the second major "area" and still have plenty to do there. I reckon my game time will end up being quite a bit longer than the aforementioned 40 hours.

I also really enjoy the whole "Hearts" and "Parallel Worlds" concept and the way it smoothly ties the plot and game mechanics together.

There are plenty of excellent RPGs on the PS2, but I think I haven't enjoyed one so much since the SNES and PS1 eras.

[Yeargdribble]

Even with games that I enjoy, I usually find myself speeding through the game to finish it quickly, but with this game I find myself taking my sweet ass time with everything, because I feel like I WANT to see everything.


This. I just never feel in a rush to do anything and so I love taking my time to do everything which is really rarely the case these days.

[Croyles]

Right. Still really loving this game, but the first annoyances of the battle mechanics are starting to show themselves.

Either make the AI controlled characters more intelligent or give us a finer degree of control in their commands, because they tend to waste all of their MP in the first battle they come across.

The game has a "gambit" like system a la FFXII but is in no way as detailed or complex, meaning that any permanent commands you give them result in either them not using any abilities whatsoever or completely wasting their MP before it is actually needed, which causes a lot of sticky situations. The fact that you can't change these "gambits" outside of battle is also irritating.

Also, this problem is made worse by the fact that the MP of your allies aren't shown on the main battle screen. You have to either hover over them with a spell or otherwise to see it.

The battle system is probably already too tough for most kids (not because of it's complexity, its not that complex) so you might as well teach them a complex system like FFXII's gambit system so that they at least have a chance to survive.

It wouldn't need to be quite as complex but give us the options for sparse MP use and making them physically move away from attacks, because they just seem to stand there and take sucker punches to the face.

It's unfortunate because everything else about this game is stellar (and absolutely still worth playing and completing, don't get me wrong!).

[NeoCracker]

You know, I'm kind of happy I managed to not fall for the 'I Smell' Trap. :p

[Rocket Edge]

Bought it on release date and I'm totally hooked.

Right. Still really loving this game, but the first annoyances of the battle mechanics are starting to show themselves.

Either make the AI controlled characters more intelligent or give us a finer degree of control in their commands, because they tend to waste all of their MP in the first battle they come across.

Just make good use of all out defense and attack. See an opponents move coming? Go all out defense, block it, then revert back to all out attack. Simples. I agree it's annoying that you can't see their MP though. I just allow Esthar and so on to use familiars with tricks that contain low MP (Water Bomb :monster:) so they don't run out after every battle.

Speaking of which, what are your guys familiars?

[Clo]

I'm pretty infuriated that this is just for PS3.

[Xannidel]

This is a game I have been expecting for quite a long time and it did not disappoint, the only con I have is that in fights the familiars can run into each other if they are attacking different enemies which is a silly little problem that I would have thought Level 5 would have fixed asap before the game came out. Am I the only one who encountered this?

[NeoCracker]

After having stopped playing for a bit, I think my opinion on this game has changed radically.

First and foremost, the games story is carried almost entirely on charm alone. Looking past that, there isn't a whole lot of substance to be had.

Secondly, the combat is pretty good, but god is the AI bad. Considering the AI controls 2/3 of your members at any given moment, that is a problem. AI only works as an ally when they aren't actively hindering you.

The only thing really holding my interest in the game was Shadar, so I went ahead did something I rarely do, and checked some spoilers. I was sad, because I'd guessed the games two Major Plot twists within the first hour or so of the game.
1. Your Mother was from the other world.
2. You were Shadar's Soul Mate.

Couple that with a rather generic villain back-story, which is also sad considering how awesome Shadar was, the game is left without much meat to it story wise, and either too easy or frustrating gameplay.

Still though, visuals are absolutely stunning for the games villains.

[Pete for President]

Picked it up today. Haven't seen much that wasn't in the demo yet, but I'm only hour and a half in. I immediately turned off the waypoint marker for an extra mindgame.

I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of (redundant) dialogue that might ruin the pace for me, but I can't wait to dive into the familiars and tame some creepy weird ones. I think I'll also really like the universe with all it's little puns and general weirdness.

[DMKA]

So are there any climactic action-oriented portions of the game? Like, does it have a compelling, game-driving story like the FF games or is it more ho-hum in terms of story and all about the gameplay?

I guess what I'm asking is, is it more like Spirited Away or My Neighbor Totoro? :p

[NeoCracker]

So are there any climactic action-oriented portions of the game? Like, does it have a compelling, game-driving story like the FF games or is it more ho-hum in terms of story and all about the gameplay?

I guess what I'm asking is, is it more like Spirited Away or My Neighbor Totoro? :p

The single biggest driving factor Plot wise is Shadar, who does a good job at being threatening.

But I'd say more Spirited Away then Totoro.

[DMKA]

The single biggest driving factor Plot wise is Shadar, who does a good job at being threatening.

But I'd say more Spirited Away then Totoro.
I may just have to check it out then. The reviews I've read have been stellar and I've been looking for a good JRPG to play for quite a while now.

[NeoCracker]

While I think the reviews are way to forgiving of the games flaws, I don't suspect most people going in will be as bothered about some things as I was.

[Pete for President]

Meowjesty. Hoot. I love those puns.

I do hope the Okami virus will back down soon tough, they don't exactly make you think for yourself in the first hour or 2.

[NeoCracker]

Really? I felt like puns were those that got rejected from Dragon Quest. :p

[Pete for President]

Hoot! Having a lot of fun with this game. I do have some gripes, but they don't spoil the fun yet. Gotta love the big fat bird familiar. :choc2:

I couldn't resist naming my bonehead Boner. :shifty:

[Pete for President]

The Purrloiner is one wicked familiar.

Time to list some gripes about this game;

The thing that's bothering me most is that I'm sometimes ahead of the solution to a quest but the game won't let me perform the solution until some event occurred. Like changing the Al Mamoon fountain milk into cheese; I was at the fountain. I cast the spell. The game says "nothing happens". It only works after pressing x at the fountain and rolling through the dialogue. I chose the same spell! I was in the same location! WHY DO YOU TROLL ME? That stuff is frustrating makes me feel like the game won't let me play it myself.

Closely related but equally flawed game design; the game deliberately hides some solutions from you and even cheats by altering game mechanics for no purpose at all. Like when you try to mend Cowlipha's broken heart. You start off next to the person you need an emotion from. WHY DOESN'T THE LOCKET GLOW? It should, but the game just denies it. Instead, they make you go through all the shops for a solution the locket should have shown straight up. That's just trolling.

That said, this only seems to happen for the main quest. Which is both a shame and lucky, cause I seem to enjoy the better riddled optional errands and hunts more than the storyline "puzzles".

Nevertheless I still enjoy strolling this happy world. Feels good after spending about 9 months straight in the frightful lands of Dark Souls.

Edit: bottom line; players should not be punished for thinking ahead or trying to be creative but the puzzles do just that.

[Pete for President]

The events at Hamelin. What the smurf just happened? I usually don't mind Ghibli's little explanation about weird happenings, but we travelled back in time because of.. mist?

[Mikztsu]

I have played this game a bit, only level 10 now and leaving the first city. So far I love it.

[Roogle]

I recently borrowed this game from a friend to play through. I have to say that it has a certain charm that the animations from Studio Ghibli is known for.

The gameplay is passable, to me, even though I dislike the battle system simply because of the story and its presentation.



If Studio Ghibli is behind the creature design, it still has potential. As for now I think I'll check out the demo first.

I am not a fan of creatures, normally, but the design of the first familiar that you receive was so simple and cute that I don't feel bad about using him at all.

[Pete for President]

Finished this yesterday. I have some gripes, but I must say the ending really picked up and made for a very interesting final stretch.

Some gripes:
Never did Shadar come across as particularly threatening. Sure, there are some brokenhearted lot, but excluding the nightmares the common folk were all easy to fix. I wouldn't think of him as a villain set out for mass destruction, but more of a thief or fraud who's making some people's lives a bit miserable. The villain-laziness is grand in this one; "yes I will finish you later" or "you linger a little longer" until of course it's too late. Shadar is one clumsy villain.

The puzzles; holy Kuni some of them are terribly designed. I hate the fact that the game does not let you think for yourself for just one bit. It suffers heavily from the Okami virus where redundant dialogue ruins every moment where you think you can figure something out by yourself.

And last but not least there is a lot of filler. It took me 45 hours to beat including doing quite a lot of sidequests, but all that redundant dialogue and fetch quests make some parts of the game a real chore. And that is also why the world doesn't feel like it's threatened; people go about their business like there's nothing going on. Someone is supposedly trying to destroy the world but here I am collecting feathers for some lass' swimsuit.

Some props: Final stretch is epic. Cool plottwists, a hidden villain rises to the stage, some mindgames and a bit of psychedelica make a grand finale. It might be a case of too little too late because some filler parts have little to none value to the story, but having a grand finale is at least something.

Micro managing familiairs and forging weapons is pretty fun. There are a lot of challenges and hidden battles which make exploring worth it.