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Pretty Debut Trailer For Level-5’s Ni no Kuni Surfaces

We were going to wait until we could locate more English information – and whether or not Level-5 intends to release it in North America – but everyone keeps talking about it, so you kinda forced our hand.

The White Knight Chronicles developer has announced a new PlayStation 3 title called Ni no Kuni , which is not simply a remake of the DS version of the game. This is actually an entirely separate role-playing adventure specifically designed for the PS3 and it'll carry the subtitle of "Queen of the Holy White Ash." Various sources have posted up the debut trailer and any baseline details they can find but for now, all we know is that it's set to release some time next year; the DS version of Ni no Kuni will be out in Japan on December 9, 2010.

It sure is pretty, isn't it? Even if it's not necessarily your cup of tea, you should still be able to appreciate the supreme level of artistry and animation evident in this presentation, and although definitely a little "kiddie," the combat could be surprisingly deep. This is supposed to be an RPG, after all. We'll let you know when Level-5 feels like releasing more information for this promising PS3 title; for now, many are watching the above video and coming away with smiles on their faces.

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sonic1899
sonic1899
14 years ago

This looks amazing. I hope it gets localized 😀

piratedrunk
piratedrunk
14 years ago

I really can't wait for this game I think Level-5 can be trusted to bring it to NA.

I love the look of the game and the gameplay. Studio Ghibli have simply done an amazing job with the animation.

sawao_yamanaka
sawao_yamanaka
14 years ago

I'm hoping it gets release here. Looks awesome and I agree Studio Ghibli did an amazing job with it.

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

I watched this earlier today. This game looks sweet. They could remake Chrono Trigger like this….and they should. 🙂

piratedrunk
piratedrunk
14 years ago

Great idea! the art style would work perfectly for Chrono Trigger. I would even love to see a new game in the series if not a remake.

sawao_yamanaka
sawao_yamanaka
14 years ago

The guy that made dragonball? Yea he probably would he always makes the characters for dragon quest. They all have their unique style of drawing and could tell who is doing it.

Macavity
Macavity
14 years ago

This is an amazing piece. Can't wait!

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
14 years ago

His little gumdrop buddy, sure has one hell of a serious nose ring going on, LOL

hellish_devil
hellish_devil
14 years ago

So level 5 has time to do this and not Dragon Quest XI??

=(

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

XI will probably go to the DS too. 🙁

Orvisman
Orvisman
14 years ago

Squeenix might have tapped some other dev for DQ XI.

just2skillf00l
just2skillf00l
14 years ago

The moment I saw this I knew it had something to do with Studio Ghibli, I mean Hayao Miyazaki's films are unmistakably unique. This game looks interesting. Now it would be really cool if you can capture all the monsters you can see. I know it's starting to sound a lot like "Pokemon" and one of my all time favorite games "Azure Dreams" but hey…I'm a sucker for monster battles…so sue me.

kraygen
kraygen
14 years ago

That would be ok with me, I still think the first 3 pokemon games were awesome rpgs, still are really.

frostface
frostface
14 years ago

Well it sure ain't Demon's Souls

mexgeo86
mexgeo86
14 years ago

Keep them coming Level 5!

bamf
bamf
14 years ago

in the video at 0:47 you see japanese writting and the word '3D' I wonder?

hellish_devil
hellish_devil
14 years ago

They mean the PS3 version will have 3D backrounds unlike the DS version

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

Amazing, I was waiting until the time came when we could "play a cartoon" and it looks like Level 5 is set to deliver. L5 never misses, unlike some developers. I don't know squat about Ghibli but they must be good.

Scarecrow
Scarecrow
14 years ago

A little too pretty…

kraygen
kraygen
14 years ago

I honestly have mixed feelings, there was a lot of things that really interested me about it and a few things that kinda weren't my favorite.

However the things I dislike I can easily get over as long as the combat and story are done well and coming from level 5, I expect they will be.

Just bring it to america and give me the chance to love it.

Kokushi
Kokushi
14 years ago

WorldEndsWithMe, try to watch Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, both (imo) the best work that Miyazaki have done.

Mr Bitey
Mr Bitey
14 years ago

Don't forget Howls Moving Castle, my personal Miyazaki favorite. 😉


Last edited by Mr Bitey on 6/24/2010 11:48:55 PM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

Never really watched em cuz while I don't mind saving the world with a kid in a game, I find them pretty annoying as main characters in movies.

Orvisman
Orvisman
14 years ago

I'm still very fond of Nausicaa because it was my first Miyazaki film, as well as one of the first anime films I watched (Akira, The Wings Of Honneamise, and Grave of The Fireflies were others) back when the only way to watch them in the U.S. was buying bootlegs that were in Japanese at comic conventions.

That sparked my love of anime; and when I was an editor for Genesis (a gent’s mag) magazine, I wrote an article extolling the greatness and uniqueness of anime.


Last edited by Orvisman on 6/25/2010 8:22:42 AM

Arvis
Arvis
14 years ago

Definitely a Howl fan, here. 🙂

The music… ohhh, the music!

-Arvis

Mr Bitey
Mr Bitey
14 years ago

World,

If you could stomach the characters from Star Ocean or Vanille, you should have no problem with a Miyazaki film.

They do typically involve younger main characters, but they're not the cliche anime ones you might expect.

The main characters are usually smart, self assured, and strong. As opposed to the bubbling young female, or the insurance male.

The films are fantastic. Disney handles the US versions, so the voice acting consists of a star studded cast, and is of the best possible quality. The stories, characters, and animation are all superb as well.

The movies are more Disney than Dragon Ball Z. There is more emphasis on plot and characters, as opposed to big action sequences.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

Alright, next time I run by them on cable I'll take a peek (I see them on a lot)

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
14 years ago

Interesting. It looks a little like Level 5 have been doing something logical. They have a good game/graphics engine that was created for White Knight, so why not re-use a lot of that work in other RPGs such as this? The characters and battle system are obviously very different, and the art style is very anime, but the landscapes looked very reminiscent of White Knight.

I hope that Level 5 continue to build on their base in this respect. More games like this and they will truly begin to show us that we should stop hearkening back to the 'glory days' of Square, and recognize that in the new age, SE is what it is, and we need to look to others to bring the Japanese flair to games, especially RPGs.

RockhounD
RockhounD
14 years ago

Hear hear! As usual, Mr Highlander, very well said. To me, the Level 5 of the present, feels like the Squaresoft of a very much missed past.

Lotusflow3r
Lotusflow3r
14 years ago

Well said!

I've always said i consider L5 the new Squaresoft.

Agreed RockhounD.

Temjin001
Temjin001
14 years ago

Interesting. I like the youthful adventurous spirit I feel from the game.

I'm also curious if all of the video was rendered in realtime, or if some of it was FMV.

Orvisman
Orvisman
14 years ago

If you read the articles on andriasang, you'll see Level 5 challenges you to tell the difference between the two.

Lotusflow3r
Lotusflow3r
14 years ago

Amazing!!

Looks like it could top WKC!

Right up my alley this. Love Gibily too.

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
14 years ago

Level 5 or Studio Ghibli is making this???

Well anyway, I may be exaggerating but for a moment I thought I was watching a high-budget animated film.

I'm 101% sure this game is gonna win the award for "Best Graphic – Artistic".

You heard it first here on PSXE from Snaaaake!!!!!

TheOldOne
TheOldOne
14 years ago

It looks interesting. Let's hope the game-play is at least as good as those animations and that the price is not too high for a PSN title.

piratedrunk
piratedrunk
14 years ago

Why do you think its a psn title?

FullmetalX10
FullmetalX10
14 years ago

Awesome Studio Ghibli is involved 🙂
This looks like an RPG the PS3 needs, to make it even more versatile, a colorful JRPG.

ro kurorai
ro kurorai
14 years ago

That's why I totally love smaller Japanese devs. They're not concerned with Microsoft's greens and rather make games they enjoy. They focus on one platform to deliver a high-quality product.
Sure they're probably aiming for the Japanese market primarily, but that's why L5 games are good.
They don't wanna cater to westerns, they make games that appeal to the Japanese and are enjoyable by us as well.
They don't complain about a "declining Japanese games market", they simply deliver.

I am certain Ni no Kuni's gonna rock.

Maybe I'm too young (23) but I really like that "kiddie" feel about the game.

It's basically an interactive Ghibli Anime with RPG mechanics.
So far not a single Ghibli production disappointed me, they always create rich stories with deep, amicable characters.

C'mon guys, admit it, you always wanted to play an interactive Ghibli Anime ^^.

Now we can finally be the hero of a Ghibli story and look exactly like said hero of a Ghibli story in a Ghibli world, that's awesome =)

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
14 years ago

To me the kiddie feel that you describe is what I call the sense of fun or whimsy that many JRPGs have. It's something that I have observed in many classic Japanese games and something that is almost entirely missing from western games. I love it, personally. I play games to have fun and feel better, I don't play to experience a war simulation or count the shades of brown or red on the screen. Bright, colorful, artsy, fun and whimsical… All are fine by me.

ro kurorai
ro kurorai
14 years ago

dito =)

I hope we can see more games like that in the future.

Underdog15
Underdog15
14 years ago

After watching the video, I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming amount of relief! Hooray, the style I love most is not gone! Did you guys see that open world map??!?!!!?

piratedrunk
piratedrunk
14 years ago

It really is a beautiful sight.

just2skillf00l
just2skillf00l
14 years ago

Well…after doing some online browsing I realized why this is getting recreated on the PS3. Two words…Playstation Move. From now on we might be seeing a lot more DS titles on the PS3. I'm so happy I just might cry ;`)