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Ni no Kuni

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by FOXHOUNDER1014 (talk | contribs) at 01:04, 2 February 2013 (Fixed bolding of PS3 version. Changed Controversy section title. Updated soundtrack section with Western release.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"The Another World" redirects here. For the 1991 game, see Another World (video game).
Ni no Kuni
Japanese DS cover art of Ni no Kuni. The unusual scale is because the game came in a box set with a full size magic book like the one featured in the game.
Developer(s)Level-5
Studio Ghibli[5]
Director(s)Ken Motomura
Writer(s)Akihiro Hino
Composer(s)Joe Hisaishi Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra
Platform(s)Nintendo DS
PlayStation 3
ReleaseNintendo DS
PlayStation 3
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Ni no Kuni (二ノ国, literally Second Country, also called The Another World) is a role-playing video game, co-developed by Japanese developer Level-5 and anime company Studio Ghibli,[5] for the Nintendo DS and later PlayStation 3.[7] The Nintendo DS version, titled Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madōshi (二ノ国 漆黒の魔導士, literally "Second Country: The Jet-Black Mage"), was released on December 9, 2010, while the PlayStation 3 version, titled Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (二ノ国 白き聖灰の女王, Ni no Kuni: Shiroki Seihai no Joō, literally "Second Country: The Queen of White Sacred Ash"), was released in Japan on November 17, 2011, with a Western release on January 22, 2013.[8]

The Western PlayStation 3 version is published by Namco Bandai Games and includes both English and Japanese voice tracks. Due to problems in translation of the magic book, there are currently no plans to localize the Nintendo DS version.[9] Despite this, a collector's edition of the PlayStation 3 version that contains the translated book is scheduled for release alongside the standard edition.[10]

Plot

Ni no Kuni revolves around thirteen-year-old Oliver, a resident of Motorville, whose mother, Allie, suddenly dies after rescuing him from drowning.[11] As Oliver cries, his tears cause his doll, a gift from Allie, to reveal itself as a male fairy named Drippy (Shizuku, in Japanese).[12] He gives Oliver a book that allows him to use the power of magic and enter "Ni no Kuni," a world parallel to Oliver's reality. In Ni no Kuni, Drippy says Oliver may be able to find Allie.[11] Using the newfound power of magic, Oliver and Drippy venture into Ni no Kuni, where Oliver befriends Esther, Swaine, and other alternative versions of people (and animals) he knows.

Gameplay

As Oliver, the player takes part in battles using the magic book given to him by Drippy. The magic book contains various spells that are activated using drawings with the stylus. During battles, players will be able to arrange their characters anywhere on the bottom screen to implement various tactics. For example, a character that can block certain attacks can be placed in front of the others to shield them.[13] The game will also include a book that is supposed to represent the magic book from the game and is required to play the game.[5] In it players can find a bestiary, short stories that offer game hints, and other information to which the game will refer.

Development

Ni no Kuni was first announced in the Japanese publication Famitsu in September 2008.[14] Level-5 president and CEO Akihiro Hino and Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki revealed in an interview with the magazine that development on the animation aspects of the game had begun in July 2008.[11] In the July 2010 edition of Famitsu, Level-5 revealed that the game was in development for the PlayStation 3.[7][15]

Formerly subtitled Ni no Kuni: the Another World, Level-5 announced on June 24, 2010 that this title has been replaced with two separate subtitles for the DS and PlayStation 3 versions, with the subtitle of the DS version being Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madōshi and the PlayStation 3 version titled as Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.[16] Level-5 also revealed that both versions are being developed separately from scratch, and as such will feature different data, artwork, graphics, specifications and story developments, while only retaining the same "story axle".[16][17] The PlayStation 3 version will feature graphics and visuals replicating Ghibli's traditional animation style and its artwork for the game.[17][18]

Music

The game features an original soundtrack by Joe Hisaishi, known for composing the scores of several Studio Ghibli feature films. All in-game music was performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. The ending theme, Kokoro no Kakera ~ Fragments of Hearts is sung by Hisaishi's daughter Mai Fujisawa in the Japanese version while Chorister Archie Buchanan performed the English language version. For the orchestral music to fit onto the Nintendo DS at a high enough quality, the game was put onto a 4-gigabit game card.[19] An album titled Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madoushi Original Soundtrack was later released in Japan on February 9, 2011.[20] A complete two-disc soundtrack is slated for western release in March 2013. The first disc will be a re-release of the Japanese soundtrack and the second disc will contain additional tracks from the PS3 version. It will additionally come with a 20-page booklet featuring artwork, lyrics, and background information.[21] RPGFan wrote a positive review of the soundtrack, comparing it favorably to Koichi Sugiyama's work on the Dragon Quest series.[22] Squareenixmusic.com awarded the album a perfect score, calling Hisaishi's work "his best score since Spirited Away."[23]

Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madoushi Original Soundtrack
No.TitleLength
1."Ni no Kuni Main Theme"3:19
2."Morning of Beginning"2:35
3."Hotroit"2:11
4."Incident Occurrence!"2:23
5."Arie ~Recollection~"2:10
6."Shizuku"1:39
7."Mighty Magic"2:01
8."Field"3:36
9."Neko Kingdom's Castle Town"2:45
10."Desert Kingdom's Town"3:03
11."Imperial March"2:23
12."Crisis"1:12
13."Tension"1:18
14."Battle"2:22
15."Jabo, the Black Wizard"2:45
16."Imargen Battle"2:37
17."Labyrinth"2:33
18."To The Decisive Battle"3:21
19."Final Battle"3:22
20."Miracle ~Reunion~"2:50
21."Fragments of Hearts"4:12
Total length:54:37

Reception

The DS version of Ni no Kuni was given 38 out of 40 by Weekly Famitsu magazine. The review stated, "The animation, music, and story all combine together at a high level to keep the player constantly excited. The way the game links up with the book is innovative, and there's a lot of backdrop that allows you to understand the story on a deep level." However, the publication felt that although the Japanese advertisements feature young children playing it, the game may be too complex for such audiences.[33] RPG Land's import review was very positive, saying "Ni no Kuni is what happens when ordinary and simple pieces are put together by skilled people in wonderful ways. It sticks to simplicity, and does that better than almost any other game on the market right now."[34]

Japanese retailers ordered an initial shipment of 600,000 copies of the DS version of Ni no Kuni, more than any previous Level-5 game.[35] It was the second best-selling video game during its week of release in the region at 170,548 copies sold.[36] Hino stated in February 2011 that the game has sold over 500,000 units in Japan.[37]

The PlayStation 3 version of Ni no Kuni[38] was critically acclaimed as well. The game scored a 36 out of 40 from Famitsu.[25] The magazines PSM3 and Computer and Video Games gave the Japanese version of the game a 91% score,[39] as well as the Best RPG award of E3 2012.[40] RPGLand's review awarded Ni no Kuni's PS3 version the site's highest rating of "Legendary" and concluded, "Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch feels like the second coming of 16-bit RPG classics... It touches a deep vein of nostalgia and childlike wonder."[41] PlayStation LifeStyle awarded the game 10/10 and said, "Virtually every aspect of Ni no Kuni is a hit. If you have ever liked a Japanese RPG at all, you owe Ni no Kuni a shot."[42] In contrast to the DS version, its initial shipment was around 164,000, and in the first week an estimated 65,000 to 67,000 copies were sold.[43] IGN rated the game 9.4/10 describing it as "a beautiful mixture of the traditional makings of a JRPG combined with gorgeous graphics, a wonderful story, a great cast of characters and thoughtful gameplay."[30]

Wizard's Edition Controversy

Many orders of the special edition, The Wizard's Edition, in the US and Canada were cancelled due to Namco Bandai / Digital River overselling due to a glitch in their system. After mass cancellation, a backdoor link was given to a select few who called customer support so they could reorder their copy/copies giving them priority. The link was posted online, and many people who had orders and those who hadn't even placed orders to begin with were instantly placed and shipped, resulting in many long standing preorders to be cancelled. Those who had their orders cancelled are being compensated for their loss with a $20 clubNAMCO voucher with a two month expiration date, and hard cover strategy guide for the game.[44]

References

  1. ^ Fletcher, JC (2011-08-24). "Ni No Kuni PS3 finally dated in Japan, still not announced anywhere else". Joystiq. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
  2. ^ Stephany Nunneley (June 1, 2012). "Ni No Kuni heads west January 2013". VG247. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  3. ^ Sal Romano (June 1, 2012). "Ni no Kuni release date set: Due January in North America and Europe". Gematsu. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  4. ^ Wesley Yin-Poole (January 8, 2013). "Ni No Kuni delayed a week, Namco Bandai apologises with free downloadable Draggle familiar". Eurogamer. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  5. ^ a b c Nutt, Christian (March 25, 2009). "GDC: Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino's Keys To Success". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
  6. ^ Ishaan (2011-10-14). "Namco Bandai Will Publish Ni no Kuni! For PlayStation 3 In The U.S. And Europe". Siliconera. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  7. ^ a b Anoop Gantayat (June 23, 2010). "Studio Ghibli Tie-up Ni no Kuni Set for PlayStation 3". Andriasang. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  8. ^ "Ni No Kuni Website". Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  9. ^ Newton, James. ""Too Many Hurdles" to Ni No Kuni DS Translation". nintendolife.com. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  10. ^ Moriarty, Colin. "Namco Reveals the Wizard's Edition of Ni No Kuni". IGN. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  11. ^ a b c Tanaka, John (20 May 2009). "Ni no Kuni: The Another World Update". IGN.com. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
  12. ^ Apolide (6January 2013). "Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - Review". eyesinrome.it. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ http://kotaku.com/5369816/a-couple-of-ghiblilevel-5-rpg-clips
  14. ^ Grant, Christoper (September 24, 2008). "Famitsu: Level-5 and Studio Ghibli teaming up on DS game". Joystiq.com. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
  15. ^ "Ni No Kuni Is Also A PlayStation 3 Game". Siliconera. 2010-06-22. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  16. ^ a b Anoop Gantayat (June 23, 2010). "Level-5 Puts Ni no Kuni on Demo". Andriasang. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  17. ^ a b Anoop Gantayat (June 23, 2010). "Ni no Kuni PS3: Artwork Versus Realtime". Andriasang. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  18. ^ Ryan Winterhalter (2010-06-24). "A Japanese Kid's Dream Come True: Level-5 Shows off Ni no Kuni at Tokyo Press Conference". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
  19. ^ Epperson, Justin. "Ni no Kuni: The Another World First Look Preview". 1up.com. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  20. ^ "Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madoushi Original Soundtrack". vgmdb.net. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  21. ^ Greening, Chris. "Ni no Kuni Double Disc Soundtrack for the West". Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  22. ^ Gann, Patrick. "Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madoushi OST". Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  23. ^ Hammond, Joe. "Ni no Kuni -The Sorcerer of Darkness- Original Soundtrack". Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  24. ^ http://consolas.forumsee.com/a/m/s/p12-694-0587954--notas-edge-dmc-kuni.html
  25. ^ a b http://andriasang.com/comywj/
  26. ^ Gifford, Kevin (November 30, 2010). "Japan Review Check: Ni no Kuni, DKC Returns". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  27. ^ http://www.gamespot.com/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch/reviews/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch-review-6402702/
  28. ^ http://www.gamepodunk.com/topic/3705-game-informer-gives-ni-no-kuni-a-710/
  29. ^ Gamemasters: NiNo Kuni review ,95/100
  30. ^ a b http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/01/15/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch-review
  31. ^ http://n4g.com/news/1157770/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch-review-gametrailers
  32. ^ "Joystiq review". Joystiq. 2013-01-23. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
  33. ^ Gifford, Kevin (November 30, 2010). "Japan Review Check: Ni no Kuni, DKC Returns". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  34. ^ Hindman, Janelle (October 9, 2012). "Ni no KuniDS Version Review". RPGLand. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
  35. ^ Parkin, Simon (December 9, 2010). "Ni No Kuni, Level 5's Collaboration With Studio Ghibli, Secures 600k Initial Shipment". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  36. ^ Orland, Kyle (December 15, 2010). "Monster Hunter Holds Off Ni No Kuni's Premiere In Japanese Charts". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2010-02-22.
  37. ^ Ishaan (March 21, 2011). "Ni no Kuni Over 500,000 In Sales, Says Level 5 CEO". Siliconera. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  38. ^ "Ni no Kuni". PlayStation. january 01, 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "Wrath of the White Witch" ignored (help)
  39. ^ PSM3 (17 June 2012). "Ni no Kuni: The JRPG returns to form - The makers of Spirited Away and Dragon Quest VIII are here to save RPGs from grey skies and icky scrubland". Computer and Video Games. ComputerAndVideoGames.com. Retrieved 26 June 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  40. ^ "E3 2012: CVG's E3 2012 Awards in full". Computer and Video Games. ComputerAndVideoGames.com. 17 June 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  41. ^ "Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch review". RPGLand. October 27, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-28.
  42. ^ "Ni no Kuni PS3 review". PlayStation LifeStyle. January 4, 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-04.
  43. ^ http://www.siliconera.com/2011/11/26/a-little-more-insight-into-ni-no-kunis-japanese-sales-on-playstation-3/
  44. ^ http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/01/26/the-ni-no-kuni-pre-order-fiasco-namco-speaks
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