5 important takeaways from our time with Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom’s creator

We’ll be returning to the world of Ni No Kuni this November as Level 5’s JRPG series makes its debut on PlayStation 4. Anyone who played its PS3 predecessor, Ni No Kuni: The Wrath of the White Witch will remember the obvious talking points; Studio Ghibli-inspired artwork and storyline, and a fantastical world to explore.

But whereas White Witch dealt (spoilers!) with a young boy coming to terms with the death of his mother, this next entry – set hundreds of years after the first with an all-new cast – takes on the more grandiose and potentially complex storyline as a young king strives to reclaim his country after an attempted coup.

To untangle the ramifications of this switch, as well the new mechanics being implemented by the studio, I sat down with writer and Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino. Here’s what you need to know.

1. You don’t need to have played the previous game

“The main storyline is completely unique and unrelated to the previous version,” Hino explains, saying that while there is no barrier to entry, there are “universal themes” that he hopes previous players will pick up on.

2. It’s a coming of age story, but with a regal twist

“The previous Ni No Kuni was mainly told a child’s perspective, and his quest to revive his mother’s soul. Here, we transition from a young adult into an adult, a coming of age story that you mentioned, and eventually into a leader and king. I think there are a lot of story elements that the more adult audience can resonate with and understand.”

3. As part of your quest, you’ll have to rebuild the kingdom

Alongside your traditional quest lines and combat is the need to rule as king, represented in-game as a separate mode unlocked roughly halfway through the game. The kingdom builder will require you to collect materials and talented people as you journey, placing the latter “in the right position” within your kingdom to increase its standing.

4. As a politically-charged story, lessons learnt from other rulers you meet won’t necessarily be black and white

“Each kingdom is going to have its own issues and problems,” says Hino. “[You’re] going to extract elements and learn from each kingdom and derive how [you] should run [your own].” It’s the usual life lessons taught during a JRPG, but scaled to fit the role of ruler. And when it comes to royalty, things aren’t clear cut.

“One instance that comes to mind is of course the idea of betrayal and what that means in the context of trying to build a kingdom,” the writer examples. “Is it justice at the expense of betrayal? Or how does that relationship work within the context of good of evil? So I think there is a lot of dramatic elements that people can expect to see throughout travelling the five kingdoms.”

5. If you think Wrath of the White Witch looked gorgeous, wait to you see Revenant Kingdom in action

“I feel there’s really no point in creating a sequel unless you improve upon a previous version. So having transitioned from the PS3 era to PS4 era I think that widens the scope of what we could achieve visually in addition to the gameplay style. I don’t have any specific examples, but I think that improving the visuals was a huge task and challenge.”