The magic of the Studio Ghibli films have always had the power to provoke emotion from both young and old, its charm radiating innocence from even the most mature themes – and it appears the apple does not fall far from the tree, with Ni no Kuni.

This is Ni no Kuni: Shiroki Seihai no Joou, which can be translated as Second Country: Queen of the White Sacred Ash.  The story covers the life of a young boy named Oliver, who travels into a parallel world in order to save his deceased mother. What might seem to be you’re atypical shounen JRPG is actually a deep and powerful tale, which really asks the question, whether this game is for children, adults, or both.

From the trailer, the world looks epic.  Ni no Kuni looks like a vibrant world with a large mix of different areas to explore. The classic world map is simply breathtaking, with the age old airship being replaced by a large purple dragon. Not only that, but the music sounds truly something great, as if it were ripped straight out of a Studio Ghibli movie.

This really looks like your run of the mill classic JRPG – world maps, instanced battle system, movie-like cutscenes, and a cast of young heroes. I believe that JRPGs have been forced to change themselves to benefit the international gaming community, with games like Mass Effect and The Elder Scrolls really trying to form the pattern of “what RPGs should be like”. I believe this game is a message: the traditional JRPG is far from dead.