Ni No Kuni 2 inherits the name of one of the most successful Japanese RPG games in recent history, but does it live up to the name?
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The new game happens many years after the events of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. While it is still essentially the fate of the world thrust in the hands of a boy, the game is very different from its predecessor. The game starts with Roland, who after some sort of major disaster in his world, is transported in to the room of Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, a prince who is set to be king of Ding Dong Dell. In the minutes that follow, there is a coup and Roland helps Evan escape the castle. The young prince then decides that he will make a new kingdom, one that unites everyone in the world. So, begins the 45-hour odd journey through the game.
Ni No Kuni 2 still follows the very Ghibli-esque art style even in its 3D cel-shaded format, though the studio is not involved this time around. They did get Joe Hisaishi back to do the music and it is every bit as good as the last one. Level-5 studio has really taken care to make sure things that were good the first time remain part of the series.
The story this time though is a little flimsy. As mentioned, the kid is on a quest to build a kingdom that unites the world and that is pretty much all there is to it. Along the way you will do quests to add people to your troupe, most side missions also lack character. But, the game still feels like you are playing a good anime and that is a good thing. Side missions are more important this time around though, and playing these gives you access to people who can help build your kingdom.
The kingdom building part of the game is the biggest change to the gameplay, the ultimate quest is, of course, to build the best kingdom in the world and rather than just having things run on their own, the game expects you to get involved in staffing, money management and research.
The combat has improved significantly. While the previous game had a nice system seemingly influenced by older Pokemon games, where the user essentially caught and used familiars in combat to add a certain buffer, the new one moves in a completely opposite direction. This time, you have a team. Everything happens in real time and there are no complex combat menus. Instead you get fluid combat from the time you enter into a skirmish till you get out. It all works very nicely. The only negative we can think of is the difficulty level, most bosses, let alone their minions are super easy to defeat.
Ni No Kuni 2 is not perfect but the game is a fitting way forward or the series. The story is childish and the quests simple, but the new combat and kingdom building mode add an extra dimension to the game. If you are itching for a new JRPG (Japanese Role-Playing game) to fill up your time, this game is worth diving into.
Ni No Kuni 2
Rating: 4/5
Developer: Level 5
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Platform: PC, PS4
Price: Rs 4,299; PS4: Rs 3,999
Video link: https://youtu.be/2MJs869kavY
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