Beautiful, fun, and elegant. Those are the three words used to describe 2013's first must-have game.
-The graphics are exquisite. Fans of Studio Ghibli films will feel right at home, and work to absorb the player into the whimsical, colorful world.
-The soundtrack is amazing. The Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra did a wonderful job capturing the tone and essence throughout the game.
-The controls are responsive and fluid. Switching between characters during battle is easy, casting spells is a breeze, cancelling out of moves is a welcomed addition, and general navigation around the land is very simple.
-Level grinding doesn't feel like a chore with enough XP being gained after battles to level-up fairly quickly.
-The voice acting. It's a Studio Ghibli production, enough said.
-Character development. See above statement.
Cons:
-It's a pretty easy game. It gets harder later on, but the challenge is lacking in places.
-The hand-holding, constant tutorials in the early parts of the game can be annoying.
-The constant shifts between movie cutscenes, and game cutscenes are a little off-putting.
The negatives can mostly be ignored as minor annoyances, but Ni No Kuni is one of the best JRPGs that I've played in a long time, and is a game that is like a breath of fresh air in these times of sequels and remakes. Bravo Level 5.