RPGCrazied
Member
Spent a good 60 hours on it. Didn't platinum it, don't know if I'm going to. The only thing that bothered me was there wasn't enough voice acting.
Anyone else sticking with Ni no Kuni because of its great production value?
- Thread starter Ghost_Protocol
- Start date
Paddington Bear
Member
I would say that Production Value hooked me on the game, but I'm sticking with it because I like the story/combat.
I agree though, I'm not absolutely in love with it haha
I agree though, I'm not absolutely in love with it haha
JustAnotherOtaku
Member
Went in looking for a fun RPG, stayed around for the charm and production values. Really enjoying it after 12 hours or so.
The first ten or so hours, I really enjoyed the game but felt it was really easy. Like, mash the X button and watch Mitey mow through the enemies mindlessly easy. I figured the game would fill out when the party did and the UI and controls just don't support the weight of the combat strategy.
What I mean by that is, trying to get the AI to do anything predictable is utterly maddening. I have a fantastic tank with a taunt ability but can't get the AI to cast it on their own no matter what Tactics I have. Instead I have to:
- Start a fight with the defensive familiar
- Taunt
- Switch to another character (which for some reason unsummons his familiar)
- Bring back out an offensive familiar
- Attack!
The way the game scales, the damage of abilities seem to go up much faster then the amount of hp/mp that the characters get per level. This causes fights to be relatively simple when you have a full mana bar, and really quite difficult when you are plowing through a grindy and semi-difficult dungeon. I believe this is why most reviewers think that it turns into a slog in the later hours. It makes you do things like pull off everything but heals on a familiar so that they don't waste mana on magical attacks. I feel like if I tell you to simply heal as a tactic, then you shouldn't be bombing heavy magic nukes and running out of mana almost instantly -- but again the AI just fights you every step of the way. So annoying. Why can't I change tactics from familiars? Why does All-In Offense/Defense not seem to do anything? Argh.
I love so much of the game. It reminds me of DQ8, with the sense of wonder, and some interesing alchemy pot action, and a bunch of side tasks and hunts to complete. Some of the towns and environments are unique and distinctly from the minds of Studio Ghibli - it's great, and refreshing. I just get so damn frustrated about that combat system and the UI and menus surrounding it.
What I mean by that is, trying to get the AI to do anything predictable is utterly maddening. I have a fantastic tank with a taunt ability but can't get the AI to cast it on their own no matter what Tactics I have. Instead I have to:
- Start a fight with the defensive familiar
- Taunt
- Switch to another character (which for some reason unsummons his familiar)
- Bring back out an offensive familiar
- Attack!
The way the game scales, the damage of abilities seem to go up much faster then the amount of hp/mp that the characters get per level. This causes fights to be relatively simple when you have a full mana bar, and really quite difficult when you are plowing through a grindy and semi-difficult dungeon. I believe this is why most reviewers think that it turns into a slog in the later hours. It makes you do things like pull off everything but heals on a familiar so that they don't waste mana on magical attacks. I feel like if I tell you to simply heal as a tactic, then you shouldn't be bombing heavy magic nukes and running out of mana almost instantly -- but again the AI just fights you every step of the way. So annoying. Why can't I change tactics from familiars? Why does All-In Offense/Defense not seem to do anything? Argh.
I love so much of the game. It reminds me of DQ8, with the sense of wonder, and some interesing alchemy pot action, and a bunch of side tasks and hunts to complete. Some of the towns and environments are unique and distinctly from the minds of Studio Ghibli - it's great, and refreshing. I just get so damn frustrated about that combat system and the UI and menus surrounding it.
PapaJustify
Member
Absolutely. The Production Value is under the Top 3 of this Gen in my eyes.
But fortunately this game is fantastic on all ends, so Production Value is not the only thing making me stick with it.
But fortunately this game is fantastic on all ends, so Production Value is not the only thing making me stick with it.
I don't understand the concept of playing a game I don't like just for its trophies.
Without opening the achievement debate again I'll just say you either get it or you don't.
But I normally finish most of the games I play anyway even before trophies came around. That's just how I am. And to be fair the last 10-15 hours of the game have been a lot better than the first ~20 due to being able to go where I want on the world map now, which opens up side stuff a lot more.
I actually find the combat fun enough; albeit the complaints about difficulty were greatly exaggerated. If they upped the difficulty about three notches higher so that utilizing signs and different familiars were somewhat more meaningful (it's meaningful, but the game is sufficiently easy enough now that you can work around it if you want) it'd be lovely.
And for the love of God let the familiars clip through one another, don't make a game where they get stuck on one another as to go to attack. Fucking infuriating using some of the bigger familiars, I have to babysit them no matter how close they are sometimes
And for the love of God let the familiars clip through one another, don't make a game where they get stuck on one another as to go to attack. Fucking infuriating using some of the bigger familiars, I have to babysit them no matter how close they are sometimes
-Pyromaniac-
Member
I'm sticking with it because it's a fucking great game that harkens back to an era of RPGs that I love and miss, and throws in awesome graphics and fantastic music as bonus.
This game has also made me want pokemon full HD RPG for wiiU even more. It used to be this mythical thing I'd have to imagine, but with ni no kuni I can now visualize the idea.
This game has also made me want pokemon full HD RPG for wiiU even more. It used to be this mythical thing I'd have to imagine, but with ni no kuni I can now visualize the idea.
D
Deleted member 30609
Unconfirmed Member
This is only tangentially related, but I just found a used copy of Lost Odyssey for $6 at work. I've heard good things. I'm hoping it holds up!
TheFLYINGManga_Ka
Member
Visually, it is beautiful. But as a game, it met my expectations because I knew it was going to be a traditional JRPG. I guess that can be disappointing since it's a collabration with Studio Ghibli. But Level 5 said it themselves that they wanted to bring back the classic, traditional JRPG.
It's still an amazing game. Which is why I think XenoBlade is the better JRPG of the two even though Ni no Kuni obviously is more visually astounding.
It's still an amazing game. Which is why I think XenoBlade is the better JRPG of the two even though Ni no Kuni obviously is more visually astounding.
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
I just don't get why you buy things like this on day one, since you obviously have such specific tastes that a lot of stuff that most people dig would probably leave you cold.
I'm sticking with the game because it's an overall great game.
The story is simple, but it's also charming. The fact that the Wizard's Companion book references to, expands upon, and intertwines with the story alone makes Ni no Kuni's story better than most games. I'm glad I was lucky enough to have the limited hard copy. Outside of that, I find it enjoyable. Certain elements of the scenario feel fresh to me but I could see how somebody could disagree. I really don't care about voice acting so any lack thereof was never a problem with me. I felt that it had a fair amount.
I like the battle system. Yes, the ally AI is a bit lacking, but I've found it's easy to ignore. I just have them set at 'Do what you like' and I stopped caring about their MP. What makes it fun to me would be testing out different sets of familiars and balancing the party. I like juggling through familiars and using Oliver's long list of spells that are all actually quite useful. I never once had to grind, and I'm just about at the end of the game. (And yes, I played through on Normal the whole way.)
One thing that I found that was particularly excellent about the gameplay was the pacing. Dungeons were neither too short or too long. The towns were fun to explore, and there's plenty of hidden treasure chests for completionists and loot-whores like me. There was also an abundance of sidequests that weren't at all frustrating to me. If you didn't feel like doing them, you could easily come back to them later. As far as I know, there are no miss-able sidequests and that is nice to see for once.
I don't really get the gripes with this game, so I figure it's just a matter of taste. Do you like classic JRPGs? If yes, this game is great.
The story is simple, but it's also charming. The fact that the Wizard's Companion book references to, expands upon, and intertwines with the story alone makes Ni no Kuni's story better than most games. I'm glad I was lucky enough to have the limited hard copy. Outside of that, I find it enjoyable. Certain elements of the scenario feel fresh to me but I could see how somebody could disagree. I really don't care about voice acting so any lack thereof was never a problem with me. I felt that it had a fair amount.
I like the battle system. Yes, the ally AI is a bit lacking, but I've found it's easy to ignore. I just have them set at 'Do what you like' and I stopped caring about their MP. What makes it fun to me would be testing out different sets of familiars and balancing the party. I like juggling through familiars and using Oliver's long list of spells that are all actually quite useful. I never once had to grind, and I'm just about at the end of the game. (And yes, I played through on Normal the whole way.)
One thing that I found that was particularly excellent about the gameplay was the pacing. Dungeons were neither too short or too long. The towns were fun to explore, and there's plenty of hidden treasure chests for completionists and loot-whores like me. There was also an abundance of sidequests that weren't at all frustrating to me. If you didn't feel like doing them, you could easily come back to them later. As far as I know, there are no miss-able sidequests and that is nice to see for once.
I don't really get the gripes with this game, so I figure it's just a matter of taste. Do you like classic JRPGs? If yes, this game is great.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
I'm still getting my "Skies of Arcadia" buzz on. We'll see in 15 hours. Honest optimism is always worth my time.
semiconscious
Member
while most of everything the op said basically reassured me that my decision to pass on this was the correct one. no way i'm ready to play a game for 40+ hrs with the types of flaws that this one obviously has...
well, at full price, anyway
...I keep playing because of that and many other reasons.
I am enjoying the game, but it is not one of my favorite games ever (or even of this generation).
It almost makes me a little sad. Sad for what the genere could have been, and that all of us are enjoying a cheeseburger of an RPG when we should be eating steak, but we are starving and don't know the difference.
Obviously, the JRPG can still garner some support in the West as evidenced by this game.
What some great deveopers could have done (yeah, okay, MonilithSoft), if they really "went" for it with a great JRPG for the ps3 or Xbox...dropping the anime, dropping the usual JRPG tropes, and writing a good story. Its alot to ask coming from Japan.
I mean, eff, just re-make FFVI and we will have the best RPG story (okay, maybe Chrono Trigger) ever.
Oh well, this game relaxes me and Im enjoying playing it.
I am enjoying the game, but it is not one of my favorite games ever (or even of this generation).
It almost makes me a little sad. Sad for what the genere could have been, and that all of us are enjoying a cheeseburger of an RPG when we should be eating steak, but we are starving and don't know the difference.
Obviously, the JRPG can still garner some support in the West as evidenced by this game.
What some great deveopers could have done (yeah, okay, MonilithSoft), if they really "went" for it with a great JRPG for the ps3 or Xbox...dropping the anime, dropping the usual JRPG tropes, and writing a good story. Its alot to ask coming from Japan.
I mean, eff, just re-make FFVI and we will have the best RPG story (okay, maybe Chrono Trigger) ever.
Oh well, this game relaxes me and Im enjoying playing it.
Crash Station
Member
I'll add that the production values are actually probably one of the lesser reasons I love this game. Outside of Grave of the Fireflies and Iblard Jikan, I don't really care for Ghibli at all. I do think the game is damn beautiful and flying over a certain area is damn inspiring, but there's just so much else amazing about the game that it really isn't on my mind all the time.
I actually find the combat fun enough; albeit the complaints about difficulty were greatly exaggerated. If they upped the difficulty about three notches higher so that utilizing signs and different familiars were somewhat more meaningful (it's meaningful, but the game is sufficiently easy enough now that you can work around it if you want) it'd be lovely.
And for the love of God let the familiars clip through one another, don't make a game where they get stuck on one another as to go to attack. Fucking infuriating using some of the bigger familiars, I have to babysit them no matter how close they are sometimes
Stuff like that is why I'm glad they put the jump into the game. They call it useless in the game, but it turns out to be one of the most useful merit rewards, especially if you're using a slow-moving familiar.
Ollie Pooch
In a perfect world, we'd all be homersexual
I think it's fantastic.
Production values are top notch. I love the voice acting, the music is incredible (Ding Dong Dell especially), Drippy is really cool and the familiars are adorable. It's like they took what I wanted from an updated Pokémon and turned it into a game. I always enjoyed those games but it never felt like an adventure to me, just an endless grind, and was growing increasingly stale. I've been on a break from NNK for about a week due to the bf taking over my PS3 with a copy of the game (last time this happened was with Skyrim and he ended up buying his own...) and I'm still itching to get back to it.
I'm certainly no seasoned RPG/JRPG player - but this is one of the only games that's managed to hold my interest in the genre, even if it is simplistic as people claim here. On others I've played I've usually lost interst due to the overly angsty protagonist or some other terrible melodramatic story. This one is sweet, quite poignant at times, and with tongue nicely in cheek. It's fun.
The downsides - the partner AI leaves a little to be desired. The girl with her penguin goes in and gets smashed most of the time, requiring me to revive her a lot. I guess it's encouraging you to switch control between players as much as possible, but most of the time I'm trying not to die with Oliver and forget about her, only to find her collapsed in a heap. I also have a bit of trouble with the sun/moon/star/planet + elemental stuff - generally I'll just see a 'fire-ish' enemy and just smash it with ice or water spells and hope for the best. Then again, like I said I'm not much of a JRPG player
Production values are top notch. I love the voice acting, the music is incredible (Ding Dong Dell especially), Drippy is really cool and the familiars are adorable. It's like they took what I wanted from an updated Pokémon and turned it into a game. I always enjoyed those games but it never felt like an adventure to me, just an endless grind, and was growing increasingly stale. I've been on a break from NNK for about a week due to the bf taking over my PS3 with a copy of the game (last time this happened was with Skyrim and he ended up buying his own...) and I'm still itching to get back to it.
I'm certainly no seasoned RPG/JRPG player - but this is one of the only games that's managed to hold my interest in the genre, even if it is simplistic as people claim here. On others I've played I've usually lost interst due to the overly angsty protagonist or some other terrible melodramatic story. This one is sweet, quite poignant at times, and with tongue nicely in cheek. It's fun.
The downsides - the partner AI leaves a little to be desired. The girl with her penguin goes in and gets smashed most of the time, requiring me to revive her a lot. I guess it's encouraging you to switch control between players as much as possible, but most of the time I'm trying not to die with Oliver and forget about her, only to find her collapsed in a heap. I also have a bit of trouble with the sun/moon/star/planet + elemental stuff - generally I'll just see a 'fire-ish' enemy and just smash it with ice or water spells and hope for the best. Then again, like I said I'm not much of a JRPG player
Freezasaurus
Member
Jump is surprisingly useful. Especially for running down enemies on the world map when they try to run.
Extra Sauce
Member
I adore Ponyo, but I could see how a 30+ hours JRPG channeling that movie would be boring. It's too bad they didn't go for the more complex narratives of movies like Mononoké and Nausicaä.
I'm finding it hard to kind of sticking with Ni no Kuni but I'm trying. Game's plot moving at an astonishingly glacial pace despite being interesting, battle system isn't really something to write home about for me, the side quests are really boring, and I'm getting so sick and tired of looking for and finding stuff like "enthusiasm" and "belief" and shit.
It is really damn pretty to look at though and the soundtrack is pretty good. Characters are ok so far and I really like the interactions with each other and the story, which is why I'm hating the pacing of this game cause stuff is getting really interesting right now.
It is really damn pretty to look at though and the soundtrack is pretty good. Characters are ok so far and I really like the interactions with each other and the story, which is why I'm hating the pacing of this game cause stuff is getting really interesting right now.
Acrylic7
Member
It suffers from the same thing NinoKuni does. But I understand why people like NiNoKuni and not Rouge Galaxy.
Level 5 could be one of the best, but they always seem to fall short with their console rpg's.
Both have some weird flaws that should have been picked up on early in development but still like both titles.
Majmun
Member
Spent 63 hours with this game and I loved every second
I actually liked the simple story. It never tries to be pretentious. The characters aren't fleshed out and are kept simple, but they are still very charming. The fairies, especially Drippy, are really well done. And the humor in this game is great too.
I didn't have any trouble with the difficulty or the battle system. It's not perfect, but I still had a lot of fun with leveling and trying different familiars out.
The game also has great exploration. There's an arena and a casino. Typical jrpg stuff. Couple this all with the great visuals and terrific ost and you have a quality product in your hands.
I actually liked the simple story. It never tries to be pretentious. The characters aren't fleshed out and are kept simple, but they are still very charming. The fairies, especially Drippy, are really well done. And the humor in this game is great too.
I didn't have any trouble with the difficulty or the battle system. It's not perfect, but I still had a lot of fun with leveling and trying different familiars out.
The game also has great exploration. There's an arena and a casino. Typical jrpg stuff. Couple this all with the great visuals and terrific ost and you have a quality product in your hands.
Have you tried pulling up the map in towns? They're the green dots. It makes the whole process painless.
Yeah I do that. But now its getting to the point that I have to go back to a bunch of towns I've already been to so I can get this piece of heart to give it to this random dude in a city from another continent instead of just getting it from people in that same city.
Matchew
Member
Just got the game and only 2 hours in and like everyone has said its fantastic looking. The story is also very refreshing so far, I'm sorry but not every story has to be so complex and make you learn pointless crap like Final Fantasy XIII. But again I'm only 2 hours in but I love its charm so far and it really feels like I'm going on a great adventure to stop evil, doesn't need to be crazier than that.
It's not so bad with the warp spell. There was one point where I couldn't find the right one, and progressing a bit in the story remedied that.
You liked Ni No Kuni, but not DQVIII? I think they are rather similar in mood, level design and extra stuff to do.
Wait you can jump in battle!? Holy @#*(&
i just automatically assumed it was the cancel button!
DQVIII is in no way designed by Level-5. They only did the technical stuff
BobTheFork
Member
I think that's exactly why I stuck with it. I think it's a good game but it hasn't really drawn me in like many other RPG's.
DQVIII is in no way designed by Level-5. They only did the technical stuff
That might be, but I still get a pretty similar feel from both games. Same sense of wonder and exploration too. DQVIII is the closest comparison I can come up with.
I think Aeana liked DQVIII... (though not the bloat of US version menus/slowed down system), it's just it's not designed by Level-5. Thus the comment "first game designed by Level-5 I liked."
Could be wrong though, but I seemed to recall her saying something like that once
Well, alright. But I still noticed heavily that both games have the same developer, even though the story and character designers were obviously different.
Crash Station
Member
Yeah, the game really feels like DQVIII with a different battle system. There's just so many similarities.
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
I'm just going to finish it for the sake of finishing it despite not having a barrel of fun with it. I do guess the production values have something to do with it because that's the main feature of the game for me.
While it has a diverse amount of features that I want from the game (ex: casinos, transport methods, etc), I can't help but to feel that while I'm playing the rest of the game, I feel... bored. I feel like the game's too easy, or I really dislike that the AI options are really lacking. I just don't like how the combat isn't as cohesive or as tight as I want it to be. I have to wonder if it's either my general apathy towards larger RPGs from last year, or if it's because battles don't generally present much of a challenge for me.
It's really too bad because its presentation, English voice acting, the English localization, and music are really good. I'm just disappointed with the rest of it and I'm not having fun actively playing it. I ended up casting it aside in favour of starting Alpha Protocol.
I have committed to finishing it off in mid-February, so maybe my opinion might change when I do start playing it again? I'm halfway through the game right now, so I don't exactly want to be the farm on that. I didn't want to express how I felt about the game in the OT because... well, everyone seems to really like it, and I have to wonder if either I'm not as invested in the genre anymore, or if the game just isn't for me.
While it has a diverse amount of features that I want from the game (ex: casinos, transport methods, etc), I can't help but to feel that while I'm playing the rest of the game, I feel... bored. I feel like the game's too easy, or I really dislike that the AI options are really lacking. I just don't like how the combat isn't as cohesive or as tight as I want it to be. I have to wonder if it's either my general apathy towards larger RPGs from last year, or if it's because battles don't generally present much of a challenge for me.
It's really too bad because its presentation, English voice acting, the English localization, and music are really good. I'm just disappointed with the rest of it and I'm not having fun actively playing it. I ended up casting it aside in favour of starting Alpha Protocol.
I have committed to finishing it off in mid-February, so maybe my opinion might change when I do start playing it again? I'm halfway through the game right now, so I don't exactly want to be the farm on that. I didn't want to express how I felt about the game in the OT because... well, everyone seems to really like it, and I have to wonder if either I'm not as invested in the genre anymore, or if the game just isn't for me.
To me it was an all around great game. I honestly loved it. It was the type of RPG I had been waiting for since Dragon Quest 8. It had the style I liked, the story was straight forward and the music was down right magical at times. I never felt like it was a chore to finish. In fact, I took way longer than I had to (ended up finishing at around 64 hours) and now I'm enjoying the post game.
More voice acting would have been good and more Ghibli cutscenes too, especially at the end. There were a few things I wasn't fond of in the story, but they didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the game. There is a lot to enjoy in it besides the production values, but those are definitely awesome too.
Mind you, I enjoy a lot of games and I'm not a fan of making favorite lists or anything, but this is up there. When the game was over I felt like a journey had come to an end. You went on an adventure, not quite as powerfully as in DQ8, and that's what I'm looking for.
More voice acting would have been good and more Ghibli cutscenes too, especially at the end. There were a few things I wasn't fond of in the story, but they didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the game. There is a lot to enjoy in it besides the production values, but those are definitely awesome too.
Mind you, I enjoy a lot of games and I'm not a fan of making favorite lists or anything, but this is up there. When the game was over I felt like a journey had come to an end. You went on an adventure, not quite as powerfully as in DQ8, and that's what I'm looking for.
Riposte
Member
What is the verdict on the battle system? I'm the kind of guy who loves anti-grinding mechanics in games, so how would I feel about Ni no Kuni from a mechanical perspective? I get mixed messages on this.
*Cough*
*Cough*
Weltall Zero
Member
I was so turned off by the demo that I won't touch the retail game with a ten foot pole. Indeed, production values were the only thing that rose above "mediocre".
TheJollyCorner
Member
Same here.
Really excited for this game, but the demo ruined any good will I had going in.
Please tell me it's one of those 'Horrible Demo/Fantastic Game' games. :/
FreeMufasa
Junior Member
Sounds like da ps3s blue dragon. I loved dat.
For me its the modern interface and speediness (load times, skipping cutscenes etc.) in addition to the gameplay and game loop being so streamlined and "gamey". I like just being a completionist while playing this game. Have not felt that way with a JRPG in a while. The fairy stuff is the most charming in the game. The graphics are great but the animations kill the most of the charm.
I was very deliberate with my wording. It's already been covered by Amir0x, but DQ8 was designed by Armor Project, not Level-5.
Wait you can jump in battle!? Holy @#*(&
i just automatically assumed it was the cancel button!
DQVIII is in no way designed by Level-5. They only did the technical stuff
You can if you buy the first merit reward, which you have to do in order to unlock the second row anyway.
NinjaBoiX
Member
More than spending a full day and a half of your life playing a game you don't enjoy?
Seriously, just put it down. When you look at your trophy list, you can look at NNK, and either say:
"Oh, NNK. Yeah, that wasn't really for me, which is why it's only at 5%. Meh, who cares."
Or
"Oh, NNK. Yeah, I remember spending 40+ miserable hours with that game. Plugging away at a game I disliked, for ultimately meaningless digital accolades. But look! It says 100%! Totally worth it."
depths20XX
Member
I'm trying to stick with it but the battle system really is shit in this game. I don't have a problem with the story and the game looks beautiful or else I would be done with it. I really don't think I'll be able to get through it though as the battles are just fucking horrible.