Good Finds

Studio Ghibli animated one of the prettiest games ever, and it's 70% off right now

It's literally like playing an animated film by Hayao Miyazaki.

Studio Ghibli is best known for its animated masterpieces from legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki. But few people (including hardcore Ghibli fans) know that the animation studio worked with developer Level-5 on Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, one of the most visually stunning video games to ever come out.

We’re not kidding! Just look at these silky smooth animated graphics. It’s literally like you’re playing a Studio Ghibli movie. Originally released on the PlayStation 3 in 2013, the game was remastered in 2019 for the PlayStation 4 with all of its DLC and graphics that max out at 4K resolution.

It’s okay if you’ve never heard of Ni No Kuni. Most people haven’t. At $49.99, it’s hard to choose this over, say, Final Fantasy VII Remake. But at $14.99 — 70 percent off the full price — on the PlayStation Store, you have no reason not to download it.

Pokémon, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Quest are what most people think of when they hear “Japanese role-playing game.” Ni No Kuni is as good (if not better) than some of the games in these franchises. It borrows from the best of all of these games with you playing as a little boy named Oliver who fights and captures monsters called Familiars, and then summons these monsters to fight other enemies.

With rich worlds (1080p at 60 fps on a PS4; 4K/30 fps or 1,440p/60 fps on PS4 Pro), an engrossing story, an epic soundtrack, and gameplay that mixes turned-based commands and actions, Ni No Kuni is as much of a masterpiece as My Neighbor Totoro. When you're done with Ni No Kuni and begging for more, we have some good news: there's a sequel.

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