Almost eight years ago it was released on Nintendo DS Ni no Kuni. Then it was re-released on PS3, and only now a sequel has appeared that is rushing to PS4 and, what’s new, PC. I would say that this is a long-awaited sequel, but I didn’t expect anything. I joined the console fraternity quite recently, and Namco didn’t bother re-releasing the first part for current platforms. And if it weren’t for the opportunity to play the test version of the new product, I would have passed by without regret Revenant Kingdom: who is getting into the series from the second part?
Don’t repeat my mistake: Ni no Kuni II has nothing to do with the first part. Neither plot-wise, nor gameplay-wise, nor at the level of the topics raised. The only legacy of the original is the setting (with a difference of several hundred years) and the timeless visual style of the studio Ghibli. Here’s what you need to write in large letters on the cover: "There is no entry threshold"!
This is an interactive work by Miyazaki
In my opinion, in order to become interested in the game, the visual style alone is enough. Ghibli is always an unmistakable recommendation: such a drawing practically guarantees a magical world, living characters and a charming story. And although, strictly speaking, the studio itself is not involved in the development of the sequel, all the main team members who helped in the work on the first part are also involved in the second.
The sound, music, character and environment design are just a dream. In the demo, I managed to go through three different locations, each of which is well recognizable and unique – rocky peaks give way to wheat fields and a mystical purple forest.
We are waiting for a great story
We play as the treacherously deposed prince of a magical kingdom. The company includes the daughter of a pirate baron (pirates, by the way, are an excellent constituency) and a traveler between worlds, not local, but outstanding in strategic planning.
In the three hours I spent in the game, the plot unfolded beautifully: we chose a plain that would be suitable for establishing a capital, went into a magical forest for resources, learned about a fraudulent casino city and tried to uncover the deception. All this – among colorful characters who can talk decently. True, as usual in Japan, without nonlinearity – at least on the indicated segment there were no forks.
Everything around is the standard of cuteness and sincerity (just look at the crowds of little minions), and quite serious situations are hidden under the fairy-tale presentation – there are even cadastral frauds! According to the authors, they specifically added an adult character and adult themes so that everyone would be interested. I was.
Unique combat system
It is unique, at least https://duckyluckcasino.co.uk/ for the European market. You travel across a global map – jump over rocks, cross rivers, fly or swim, choose your own route and even look for secret chests in the bushes. But every time you meet a monster you find yourself in combat mode, and that’s where it gets interesting.
Monsters and party heroes (three) appear in the same arena. A fight breaks out where you control one character, like in some slasher movie. The battle stretches across the entire area: your party members distract some of the “mobs” towards you, you go around the flanks and look for a convenient angle to use the ability.
That is, firstly, I don’t remember such a large-scale slasher where you need to strategically calculate the position of your heroes. Secondly, each of your party members can be taken under your control in order to control the situation: if the life scale is empty, then you need to save the character “manually”. Or just cure from the menu.
Enemies several levels more powerful than you are fun and difficult to fight because you have to think. There is another aspect: little minions are running around the field – Higgledies. They create circles of influence, periodically forcing them to run towards themselves to activate an ability: call in artillery, heal everyone around them, or damage everything around them.
Accordingly, when you see the “boss” Manticore on the global map and enter into battle, a huge carcass begins to rush around the location, and you only have time to dodge attacks. And you yourself are waiting for the clouds of spirits to charge in order to inflict more damage on the enemy.
An unexpected strategic mode and a cool mixture of genres
Since in the new game we are the royal majesty, we have to fight wars. True, the console strategy mode is more like an arcade mini-game, but the mini-game is interesting and requires mastering.
A stab in the back does more damage, you need to remember the “timings” and many other nuances – this, if not quite a slasher, is an excellent beat ‘em up.
Top view. Around the hero are four pre-selected regiments. We walk on our own, and rotate the shelves around us clockwise or vice versa. Thus, we play the role of a moving death machine, attacking the enemy, turning to the most advantageous sides and using the personal abilities of the units. There were only two such battles in the demo, but at first I failed the second one miserably, and the second time I passed it perfectly and almost without losses – it’s a matter of skill and approach.
Add to the two modes described above the story mode, where you explore large cities from a third-person perspective, communicate with characters and move the narrative forward. In total, we get varied, rich gameplay, combined with an exciting and large-scale story.
As is customary with the Japanese, there is more than enough content in the game. The global map is full of monsters, as well as secrets. You can see the tails of optional fishing trips, third-party quests and, what the hell, several elements that have not yet been announced.
Thanks to the cool core mechanics, hunting “bosses” or simply “grinding” shouldn’t get boring: I don’t know how it will be after fifteen, but after three hours you’ll want to return to battles again and again. And strategic puzzle missions obviously cannot be solved quickly.
One thing can let you down – the role-playing system. It is based on several adaptive sliders, which you can change at least every ten minutes – you choose a bonus for killing either hard or amorphous opponents, receiving either money or rare resources, resistance to fire or magic.
This is not even a role-playing system, but a simple setting without any depth. You don’t have to choose the skills of your squad members either – they open automatically. Therefore, the only chance for the game not to get bored over the long haul is to regularly update the roster of characters, minions and units.
Otherwise on Ni no Kuni II Definitely worth a look for anyone who has positive associations with the visual style – this is an excellent game in every respect, which can only fail over long distances. But somehow I’m sure nothing bad will happen.