i know i have put 'do not recommend' but there is a reason. i have always loved the story, the aesthetic of this game, its one that i can always enjoy and gives me that heart warming feeling! its a game with beautiful Ghibli art style, and amazing graphics for 2013, and they hold up pretty well. its a game i would recommend if it were not for the battling system.
i need to start by saying i didn't go into this game blind, i had watched many a playthrough growing up of this game (shout out to stampy because i watched his playthrough so many times.)
i have played both games in the series (i actually played Nino Kuni 2 first on PlayStation 4) and THOROUGHLY enjoyed the gameplay. HOWEVER Nino Kuni ones gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. I can see what they were going for, but the constant battles with the familiars are almost frustrating, especially with no real way to avoid the battles, the 'run away' option BARLEY works and often you cannot escape fights or avoid them. i understand that you constantly need to be in these fights to level up. which brings me to the levelling system.
grinding takes FOREVER. now why am i fighting the creatures in the [spoiler]ivory tower[/spoiler] and only getting 600 EXP, the same amount when fighting in [spoiler]Yule[/spoiler] there are no ways to boost you levels unless you do 800 battles with enemies for HOURS on end with very little result. i spent one hour playing just fighting battles and levelled up from 50 to 52. in an HOUR. doing nothing but battles. including doing some bounties hoping to get more EXP. but no.
not only that, but it is CLUNKY. i said this out loud over and over again while playing. to me it was frustrating to control. i would often get stuck on certain corners and some invisible walls were frustrating. the speed of Oliver too was actually infuriating, and i understand they added fast travel and later [spoiler] Tengiri [/spoiler] but Oliver is SO SLOW, plus having a speed boost is something you have to unlock with merits just like the jump which is ENTIRELY USELESS.
BUT with all that being said, do play it. i think the story is magical and although intended for a younger audience, everyone of any age can connect to the story. (also play the second one its much better)
