Find out more about the story and gameplay of #NinoKuni2 : Revenant Kingdom directly from general director Hino-San of Level-5! pic.twitter.com/F5EPivz1oi
— Bandai Namco US (@BandaiNamcoUS) June 15, 2017
In a new, official Bandai Namco interview with Ni no kuni 2 General Director Hino Akihiro, fans got to hear a little bit more about the upcoming game’s story, setting and gameplay.
Its protagonist, Evan, is a child who must unify the world by traveling to different countries and fighting a slew of different enemies. “At its core, Ni No Kuni is an RPG game where you traverse the world map and go on adventures,” Hino explained. “However, a large part of the mechanics of the game deal with the kingdom building. Throughout your adventures you collect things to help your kingdom grow and that is a big part of the gameplay as well.”
Hino focused on the five kings that Evan will encounter in the story. “As he travels to these different kingdoms he encounter different kings. Each of these kingdoms Evan travels to has their own respective issues and problems. Through helping the kingdoms resolve these issues Evan grows as a leader, as a king. There are important lessons that Evan learns from each kingdom which help him grow as a leader,” Hino said.
As far as the combat goes, Hino promises that it has been tweaked to be more visually appealing and more spectacular. “Even in the era of the first Ni No Kuni i could tell that there was a new trend in RPG combat. People really wanted something cool and flashy,” he said. “So we really put a lot of effort towards the effects and action sequences in our combat system. We also significantly improved the system mechanics behind switching characters.”
He also mentioned that the Higgledies “can be used to help stop a boss or to implement a special attack.” These little creatures establish an emotional bond with Evan and his party and fight with them, doing various things such as attacking, healing injured party members and even serving as a source of power for Evan’s abilities. There will be multiple levels of strategy in switching characters for different kinds of support.”
Hino was coy about revealing what characters from the first game might be back. “Although I can confirm that there will be all sorts of cool characters in this sequel, for now, the characters that are returning will remain secret,” he said. “I would love for our fans to play the game and enjoy the surprises.”
There will also be some kind of multiplayer in Ni no Kuni 2 , though Hino was not specific about what that multiplayer might entail. “Yes, there will be multiplayer. You will be able to play online with your friends in various capacities,” he said. Full-blown co-op mode, or just leaving messages behind for your buddies? Call your friends to help with a tough boss fight? Party up? We don’t know yet.
Hino also confirmed that those who have not played the first Ni no Kuni should still be able to enjoy “So this is a completely different story. Even those who have not yet played the original will enjoy immersing themselves in this game,” said Hino. “That being said, there are easter eggs that players familiar with the original will notice. And they might enjoy the game on a different level than those who have not played the original. But either way you will still be able to enjoy the game all the same.”
What are you most looking forward to seeing from the first Ni no Kuni ? What improvements do you think Ni no Kuni 2 can make on the original? Feel free to talk about Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom in our comments section below.
