Off we go on another game!
I decided to play Ni no Kuni next since it's a stand alone game (no counting the untranslated DS game), unlike most of the other games I have being parts of series. Secondly, with the Studio Ghibli art work, the game will look pretty, if nothing else. Also, I'll be able to get it done for when the sequel comes out.
The game starts off en media res, with the protagonist and some creature called Drippy looking at the fast fantasy land, and then almost being stampeded by a herd of wildebeest like creatures. After that close call, they talk a look at my new header image.
Logic be damned, waterfalls for days!
Then the title card is show, followed by a very typical anime montage sequence, ending again at the title card. This is the fourth time the tile was shown, counting the pre-install splash screen.
Get on with it!
The game starts off proper with the main character, Oliver, getting groceries for his mom in Tutorial-town, I mean Motorville. This place really loves their 50's era cars.
It's a prety standard game play so far, but the Ghibli art makes it look like you could bump into Kiki or Porco Rosso at any moment.
The cel shading is a bit weird, but look at that environment!
On the way home, Oliver's friend Phil convinces him to sneak out that night to test out the secret project that he's been working on. Now, if this was a proper Ghibli anime, it would be some kind of flying machine, but unfortunately it's just a home made hot rod.
No way a 12 year old built this from scratch!
But their actions are being secretly observed by an evil presence, likely the titular White Which, and her parrot thing. Apparently they know that Oliver is going to undo their evil plans in the future, so they are trying to nip that in the bud. Her power seems to be limited to causing minor vehicle trouble.
Her colour changing tiger stripe leotard is cool though
While checking to make sure no one will spot them taking out their car, Oliver meets an odd girl with green hair. The girl says not to do what they are planning, but then disappears before explaining any more.
Meanwhile, Oliver's mother gets woken up by the sound of Oliver calling for help. Looking around, she find that he's not home and goes out looking for him.
Go Speed Racer Go~
Oliver and Phil decide to test out the car right along the river's edge, since when trying something for the first time you'll want a 50% of a watery death. Of course something does go wrong, and the White Witch's magic finally kicks in, causing one of the tires to come off. Lucky for her plan it was on the same side as the water, or else Oliver would have just safely drive into the grass.
You're saved from your perplexing negative buoyancy
But no sooner is Oliver ok, but his mom suddenly grabs her chest and collapses. One of the onlookers mentions that she always did have a weak heart. This would have been good to set up before!
"This is... your fault!"
The scene then cuts to the mom in bed telling Oliver to be strong and brave for her.
Well, at least she's not- Oh for crying out loud!
So Oliver's mom dies from a slightly less contrived version of what ever the hell killed Padmé Amidala. Meanwhile, the White Witch gloats how without a mom, Oliver will never have the guidance needed to become powerful enough to defeat their plan. Since, no tragically orphaned protagonisted ever rose up to greatness because of the death of their parent.
Try to plan better than Rita Repulsa and you may get results!
Then things start going really off the rails.
After three days of doing nothing but crying after his mom died, Oliver cries on the ugly string and cloth doll that his mother made for him to keep him company while she is at work. This some how brings it to life, and it says he's Drippy, the lord of the faeries, and it was cursed into that form. Which is odd since Oliver's mom said she made it.
Yeah, Oliver, I have no clue what the hell that is either...
Then comes a flood of batshit exposition that Oliver must be the pure hearted chosen one that will defeat the evil badness taking over the fantasy land. Not only that, but Oliver's mom shares a soul with a sage in the fantasy world that was trapped in a bubble. So, some how, if Oliver saves the sage it could bring his mom back to life. They don't mention the complication that she's 6 feet under by now.
Well ain't that just so convenient!
All this really sounds like some escapist fugue state brought on by extreme grief. Since it promises Oliver everything he wants regardless how it contradicts all things established in reality. But as things get even more over the top, I accept that this game is actually playing it straight. Mainly due to Oliver, like Jacob in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them, "ain't got the brains to make this up".
So in order to open up a portal to this magical world, they need a magic book that was hidden in the fire place by Drippy, while in doll form, some how.
"It's kinda like a digital copy of a video game instruction manual"
Or it could also be that Drippy has been talking out of his ass this whole time and just saying whatever he thinks Oliver wants to hear, since he openly admits that fairies like like a rug.
Unreliable narrator much?
So the next step is to find a wand, which in a world without magic shouldn't exist, and Drippy knows this but goes along with the charade any ways for some reason. Fortunately, that green hair girl shows up again and apologises for letting Oliver's mom die, and she as just trying to save him (likely she's the one who woke her up). Then she disappears again, leaving a wand behind.
"I'm the McGuffin Fairy. I just move the plot along wen it dead ends."
So, with a wand and a book, Oliver opens up a big door way to another world. He dose this in the town square, but normal people can't see magic, because reasons!
This is all very dumb, but looks pretty...
So this leads them right back to the cold open, and yet another shot of my new header image.
"Why do I feel we seen this already?"
With the very silly set up out of the way, the real meat of the JRPG starts! The game drops you down into a very nice open world map where you can see enemies wandering about, no random encounters!
Combat is kinda real time but not. you can run around freely like a Tales game, but actions are selected from a voice bubble menu and automatically play out for a set time. So if you pick "Attack" you are committed to attacking for the next 5 seconds. It's a serviceable mechanic, and likely will get more interesting as magic is introduced.
It's a flareon!
They go to a nearby town where they can get a proper wand, apparently this one is shit for magic, but no one is allowed inside for dumb plot reasons. One of the major game play elements is taking the extra emotions of some people and giving them to people lacking in those feelings due to a curse some how. Apparently, the big bad can just randomly curse any one any where for any reason, which is also why wands are so hard to come by, even though we plan to get one in town...
Yeah, I feel the same way.
Any ways! there are two guards, one is feeling bleah while the other is full of energy. For some reason the energetic one can't open the gate to let people in until the lethargic one snaps out of it. No further explanation is given.
Not the most original name for a wood that is dark and deep.
There's a save point at the start since this is a dungeon and you can only freely save on the world map, for reasons. So here's where I stopped for today, and tomorrow it will be more silly JRPG tropes and very pretty graphics!
Pretty and dumb, or just pretty dumb?
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