A new MMO based on the JRPG series, Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds, is now live on PC outside of Japan. Created by Netmarble and published by Level-5, the free to play game has brought its Ghibli-inspired style outside Japan for the first time.
If you’re not familiar with the IP, the Ni No Kuni JRPG series began in 2010 to great success, eventually releasing several games in the series across mobile, console, and PC. You play as a beta tester for a virtual reality game called Soul Diver. When you play Soul Diver, the game really transports you into the world of Ni No Kuni. You meet a girl named Rania and the in-game virtual reality game crashes. Your adventure then really starts when you wake up in a burning city and have been given the task to rebuild your destroyed and ransacked kingdom and reunite the worlds.
Cross Worlds is based on several prior entries in the series, most notably Dominion of the Dark Djinn and Wrath of the White Witch. There are five classes and several game modes. Pick from Rogue, Engineer, Destroyer, Swordsman, and Witch for your class options. The co-op multiplayer mode known as Kingdom mode, and the competitive multiplayer Team Arena mode. When you’re exploring in Kingdom mode, you’re accompanied by a familiar, a cute creature that accompanies you, like the horned penguin, or Penguicorn. Netmarble plans dozens of these for the game over time.
Team Arena mode has six players competing in two teams to see who can get the most Higgledies, a small creature similar to the Kodama in Ghibli films. Fact, there's lots of intentional influence from Ghibli’s style, up to the music by frequent Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi. The franchise has even had Lineage 2 crossovers.
Other options in the game include customizing elements of your Kingdom, guilds , defending your kingdom from monsters, Relic Wars, where kingdoms compete over relics, and even the ability to have one kingdom become the capital on each server.
For more, or to check out the PC beta, head over to Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds.
