Platform: PS3
Session fun rating: 10/10
Well this is it, Ni No Kuni is out. I am a huge Studio Ghibli fan and I enjoy the occasional JRPG so this seemed like a good game for me. When I played the demo, I was really impressed by the visuals, style, characters and combat, so I pre-ordered soon after. I even got a nice Steelbook case out of it...
The game starts very slowly. Oliver, a young boy, is the hero. He lives in a small country town with his mother. Without spoiling too much, he gets into a bit of trouble with a friend that has terrible, non-magical consequences. This is where the game really starts. Oliver meets a funny magical creature named Drippy that claims to be from a parallel universe. This is where the typical "hero must save the world" plot starts. Oliver was given a Wizard's book and must look for a wand to make a portal to the other world and save it.
The thing is, I've barely played the game at all. My time has been consumed by the Wizard's book. It's basically an in-game database but it's presented in such a beautiful manner, I wasn't able to put it down. I read almost everything in there and it's HUGE. There are tons of beautiful hand drawn images and interesting text. Subjects include armor, weapons, alchemy, familiars (creatures), spells, world areas and most importantly, how to become a real wizard. I can't wait to actually play the game but I had a really good time reading the book.
