The characters are uncontrollable
Ni no Kuni is a role-playing game developed by Level-5 and published by Bandai Namco. The game tells the story of Oliver, a young boy who tragically loses his mother following an accident.
He soon discovers the existence of magical creatures and realizes he possesses an innate gift for magic. This power will be essential to save the world from the darkness spread by the evil sorcerer Shadar, who gains power by stealing people's emotions.
Aside from the school-life theme, which is entirely absent here, the game heavily relies on typical shōnen (Japanese boys' comics) tropes to shape its plot and world.
A standout feature is the use of animations crafted by Studio Ghibli, which are of the highest quality and remain one of the main reasons to purchase the game.
Another major highlight is the meticulous care given to the sound design and soundtrack. This obsessive attention to the music is a huge plus: a boring, monotonous score would have severely hampered the gameplay and negatively impacted the review.
The combat system operates in real-time without random encounters. Ni no Kuni doesn't require excessive grinding, except perhaps for the powerful final boss. For those struggling, there's a difficulty modifier to make the game easier.
Creating a good Action JRPG requires precise technical balancing to make the gameplay enjoyable. Unfortunately, Ni no Kuni fails to implement this correctly, resulting in chaotic battles plagued by incompetent allied AI.
Even acknowledging its fairy-tale nature - aimed at a broad, younger audience - the game's plot feels flat and uninteresting. This is especially true for the side quests, which are mostly repetitive fetch quests.
Ni no Kuni managed to entertain me, but it wasn't a deeply engaging playthrough, and certain elements could have easily been cut. Except for the Studio Ghibli cutscenes - those are absolutely untouchable.