A new video of the upcoming PlayStation 3 game Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (also known as Second Country and The Another World) has been released online.
The game, a collaborative effort between developer Level-5 and Studio Ghibli, is the first of its kind for the animation studio and set for release in Japan on November 17, 2011. NAMCO Bandai Games will publish the title in North America in early 2012. Game play centers around main character Oliver, a 13 year-old boy, and follows his journey through a parallel world as he attempts revive his recently deceased mother.
A separate version of the game, Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madōshi (The Jet-Black Mage), was released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on December 9, 2010. Although the DS version and this upcoming title share a similar core story, the PlayStation 3 version will feature game play, graphics, and music unique to the release. Composer Joe Hisaishi, famous for his contributions to Studio Ghibli films including Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, is providing the musical score for the PlayStation 3 installment.
As seen in the video and various screenshots available online, Oliver and the supporting characters have that classic "Ghibli look" and the world in which they interact looks as if it was pulled straight out of one of the studio's films. Animated cutscenes are spliced together with interactive game play, and Level-5 has done an amazing job of cel-shading the characters to the point where it's hard to tell where the Ghibli animation stops and game play resumes.
Although I'm not a huge gamer, I own a PlayStation 3 and definitely plan to pick up this title once it is made available in North America. Each of Studio Ghibli’s films have their own unique “worlds,” so the thought of an interactive game from the studio where the “world” can be fully explored and experienced in a new way is very exciting!
The game, a collaborative effort between developer Level-5 and Studio Ghibli, is the first of its kind for the animation studio and set for release in Japan on November 17, 2011. NAMCO Bandai Games will publish the title in North America in early 2012. Game play centers around main character Oliver, a 13 year-old boy, and follows his journey through a parallel world as he attempts revive his recently deceased mother.
A separate version of the game, Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madōshi (The Jet-Black Mage), was released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on December 9, 2010. Although the DS version and this upcoming title share a similar core story, the PlayStation 3 version will feature game play, graphics, and music unique to the release. Composer Joe Hisaishi, famous for his contributions to Studio Ghibli films including Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, is providing the musical score for the PlayStation 3 installment.
Animated cut scenes showcase Ghibli's classic character style.
As seen in the video and various screenshots available online, Oliver and the supporting characters have that classic "Ghibli look" and the world in which they interact looks as if it was pulled straight out of one of the studio's films. Animated cutscenes are spliced together with interactive game play, and Level-5 has done an amazing job of cel-shading the characters to the point where it's hard to tell where the Ghibli animation stops and game play resumes.
Cel-shaded characters match the animated cutscenes. (source)
Although I'm not a huge gamer, I own a PlayStation 3 and definitely plan to pick up this title once it is made available in North America. Each of Studio Ghibli’s films have their own unique “worlds,” so the thought of an interactive game from the studio where the “world” can be fully explored and experienced in a new way is very exciting!
I'd love to buy this game but only if it comes out on the Wii or 360.
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