#ninokuni
If you like beautiful things, you're probably getting ready to sit down and play Level-5 and Studio Ghibli's Ni No Kuni. Before you fire that baby up for the first time, though, you have a very important thing to decide. More »
#ninokuni
You are perhaps wondering whether or not you should play Ni no Kuni, the RPG by Level-5 and Studio Ghibli that comes out today on PlayStation 3. More »
#showus
World maps in video games are usually pretty great. We love world maps! You can use them to track the results of your progression through some grand adventure as new locations become accesible and your control over the world grows. A well-crafted world map in any game is always a sign of high quality. More »
#snapjudgement
Sometimes the simplest, gut reactions are the truest expressions of how we feel about something. Having played a bunch of Level-5's Ni No Kuni, here are my impressions of the game in 14 words. More »
Ni no Kuni doesn't just have genuine Studio Ghibli visuals. With an original score by composer Joe Hisaishi, it also has genuine Studio Ghibli music. Here, Hisaishi discusses the "elegance" he tried to bring to its music, and goes into surprising depth about his process.
#ninokuni
If you've ever seen one of Hayao Miyazaki's animated films, you've encountered the work of composer Joe Hisaishi. His haunting, gorgeous compositions have accompanied films from Castle in the Sky to My Neighbor Totoro to Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. More »
This latest development diary for Ni No Kuni focuses on the game's art style, pioneered by world renowned Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli. As you might expect, literally every single thing about Ghibli's creative process is completely adorable, even the old dudes. Especially the old dudes.
The visual quality of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is so impressive, the upcoming PlayStation 3 role-playing game often resembles an interactive Studio Ghibli movie. No matter your angle, Ni No Kuni is bright, beguiling, and beautiful - even in the face of disparities between its animated cutscenes and in-game action.
Given the storytelling pedigree of co-developers Studio Ghibli and Level-5 - and the latter's prowess in the role-playing game genre - my hope was Ni No Kuni can be as enchanting as Spirited Away, yet underlined by the kind of design that makes Dark Cloud 2 so deep.
Based on my brief experience with the final build, there's legitimate cause for optimism; however, concerns remain. There are, at the very least, the seeds of curiosity in Ni No Kuni.
In this video, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino guides you through the company's Fukuoka headquarters, to show where and how Ni no Kuni acquired its beautiful look. At least part of that look comes from the motion capture studio, with the help of a fake book and wand.
You'll be able to take your first tentative steps into a new, animated world tomorrow. A demo for Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch will be released on PSN in North America tomorrow, along with the Mass Effect Trilogy, the PS2 classic Chulip and a lot of other assorted stuff. The demo arrives in Europe on Wednesday.
Ni no Kuni will be released in full on January 22.
Ni No Kuni is the first collaboration between Level-5 and Japan's famous Studio Ghibli, and Level 5 CEO Akihiro Hino hopes it won't be the last. Speaking during a group interview session at a pre-TGS event at Namco's headquarters in Tokyo, Hino noted that he'd like to work with Studio Ghibli again. "If there is a potential opportunity to work with them again," he said, through an interpreter, "yes, we'd like to work on some joint projects with them in the future - if there is, of course, a possibility."
Concerning exactly what sort of project he'd like to pursue, we asked if Level 5 has had any discussions about adapting existing Studio Ghibli properties into video games. Hino said that he would love to but, naturally, Ghibli would have to approve any such projects. Corporate approvals aren't a very entertaining topic of conversation though, so we just went ahead and asked which Studio Ghibli film he would like to adapt. Given the opportunity, he said, he would adapt Castle in the Sky.
That strange rustling you just heard was the sound of millions of fingers being crossed.
Level-5's mysterious "International America" branch is working on the localization for Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, CEO Akihiro Hino tells Siliconera. That kind of thing is the office's responsibility for the time being. "Our US office mainly works to efficiently release the Japanese titles that Level-5 has created overseas and they are involved in production and distribution in the overseas territories," Hino said.
However, there's more in mind than localization for Level-5 IA. "In the future, we would potentially like to develop title overseas where Level-5 International America is taking the lead on developing for the overseas market," he says. Of course, with games like the Layton series, Level-5 already seems to have a decent handle on the overseas market.
#ninokuni
Pickings are slim for JRPG fans this fall. Xenoblade and The Last Story have both come and gone, and while our handhelds are getting some Persona and Paper Mario action soon, there aren't a lot of big console JRPGs on the horizon in the near future. More »
The Gamescom demo of Ni no Kuni was hands-on and, as expected, full of adorable moments. GameSpot UK's editor supreme Guy Cocker narrates the proceedings alongside Namco's Hollie Bennett, which can be seen above.
The Gamescom demo of Ni no Kuni was hands-on and, as expected, full of adorable moments. GameSpot UK's editor supreme Guy Cocker narrates the proceedings alongside Namco's Hollie Bennett, which can be seen above.
A set of new Gamescom screens for Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch provides the perfect reason to check in on the "Ninostarter" pre-order campaign.
With 12 days left, enough fans have pre-ordered the special "Wizard's Edition" to unlock one bonus item, a set of five prints. The second item is a gold "Wizard's Coin," which has 24% of its allotted pre-order numbers. You have until August 31 to throw your pre-order in and get the game, the book, the prints, and possibly that coin.
If you're not buying the lavish Wizard's Edition of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, you still have the option to get some extra stuff with your purchase. Namco Bandai revealed two pre-order incentives today for different stores, one physical and one digital.
If you reserve Ni no Kuni at GameStop or (in Canada) EB Games, you can get a SteelBook case for the Level-5/Studio Ghibli RPG. If you opt for Amazon, you'll get a "griffy" familiar, exclusive to the Western release. We're just going to leave this sentence here: "With its fearsome Phantom Fangs and its potent Petrifying Puff, this creature is not to be trifled with, especially when it evolves into its most lethal forms, the griffurnace or the griffrigerator."
You can see the steelbook - and the griffy - in our gallery.
The "Wizard's Edition" of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is already pretty tempting for those already interested in the game, with its inclusion of a translated, physical "Wizard's Companion" spellbook, but Namco is hoping to tempt fans further with additional incentives that increase in number with additional Wizard's Edition preorders.
It's an adorable take on (part of) the Kickstarter concept called "Ninostarter," in which Namco will add more items to the Wizard's Edition as more people pre-order it from Club Namco. You can track the progress of each "goal" at the Ninostarter website. The promotion (and Wizard's Edition pre-orders) will end August 31.
#ninokuni
We live in an era where "collector's edition" usually means "$100 box of crap full of busted action figures, tiny art books and some DLC". So it's nice to see upcoming RPG Ni No Kuni go and actually make something worthwhile for collectors. More »
If your European copy of Ni no Kuni is bigger and more expensive than normal ... a wizard did it. Namco Bandai has announced a "Wizard's Edition" of the Level-5 RPG that includes a copy of The Wizard's Companion, the in-game spell-boo. It also comes with a plus doll of "Drippy," the lamp-nosed sidekick, and some DLC familiars for use in the game.
The Wizard's Edition will be out in EMEA and Australian regions concurrent with the game, on January 25. Now, with the book translated, there's nothing holding back a localization of Ni no Kuni for DS ... right?
Update: The Wizard's Edition is available in North America, exclusively from Namco's online shop for $99.99. [Thanks, Sepehr!]
If your European copy of Ni no Kuni is bigger and more expensive than normal ... a wizard did it. Namco Bandai has announced a "Wizard's Edition" of the Level-5 RPG that includes a copy of The Wizard's Companion, the in-game spell-boo. It also comes with a plus doll of "Drippy," the lamp-nosed sidekick, and some DLC familiars for use in the game.
The Wizard's Edition will be out in EMEA and Australian regions concurrent with the game, on January 25. Now, with the book translated, there's nothing holding back a localization of Ni no Kuni for DS ... right?
#ninokuni
To go along with the announcement that Ni No Kuni will be out on Janury 22 in the US and January 25 in Europe, publishers Namco Bandai passed along this new trailer. It's as lovely as just about everything else we've ever seen of the game. More »
The latest trailer for Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, posted by IGN, ends on the news that it'll be released in North America on January 22, 2012. Namco told Eurogamer that the UK date for the Level-5/Studio Ghibli PS3 game is January 25.
The trailer also provides additional exposure to the English voice acting, which we declare "not bad." Should you disagree, however, take comfort in the knowledge that the Japanese track will also be on the disc.
The latest trailer for Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, posted by IGN, ends on the news that it'll be released in North America on January 22, 2012. Namco told Eurogamer that the UK date for the Level-5/Studio Ghibli PS3 game is January 25.
The trailer also provides additional exposure to the English voice acting, which we declare "not bad." Should you disagree, however, take comfort in the knowledge that the Japanese track will also be on the disc.
It's still pretty early, and perhaps you've yet to drink that first cup of life-bringing java - believe us, we understand. Why not treat your eyes to these beautiful, vibrant screens of Level 5's Studio Ghibli RPG Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.
Not even a really goofy accent can diminish the spectacular beauty of Ni no Kuni. That's good news! The bad news is that this first English-language trailer for Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is all about a little boy being sad because his mother dies.
There's other stuff, like a magical companion and a potentially imaginary fantasy world opening up before his eyes, but you are going to see a little anime boy crying, and it's going to be kind of devastating. Be prepared.
#ninokuni
Ni No Kuni, a collaboration between RPG powerhouse Level-5 and animation wizards Studio Ghibli, is not only one of the prettiest video games I've ever seen, but also one of the more enjoyable. It's very sad news, then, that the game's Western release has been delayed. More »
Good news: Namco Bandai is still planning to localize Level-5 and Studio Ghibli's beautiful PS3 RPG Ni no Kuni. The bad news: the release date is already slipping. Originally announced for winter of 2012, Namco announced a new "Q1 2013" release date for both North America and Europe at a press event today.
Namco also reportedly showed off its localization progress, in the form of a trailer with English dialogue. Protagonist Oliver speaks with an American accent, while everyone else is British for some reason.
#ninokuni
Namco Bandai will be releasing Level-5/Studio Ghibli collaboration Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch in North America sometime during "Winter 2012". For Europe, it's early 2013. More »
