Errands are side quests given at the Swift Solutions vendor in settlements and towns. They involve fetch-questing and transferring various pieces of hearts (like Courage, Enthusiasm, Kindness, Restraint, Belief, Confidence, Love and Ambition.) from one person to another or locating different items, some of which can only be obtained once the errand has been accepted.
Upon completion, you will be awarded Merit Stamps, as well as guilders and useful items.
NPCs with errands may often be seen as a blue dot on the mini-map, and on your approach a blue speech bubble will hang above their head.
| Errand No. | Name | Description | Stamps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | The Procrastinator | A man in Ding Dong Dell has lost all enthusiasm for day-to-day life. | 2 |
| 002 | The Idle Wife | A woman in Ding Dong Dell has completely lost her enthusiasm for keeping her house in order. | 2 |
| 003 | The Sheikh of Spice | Al Mamoon’s Sheikh of Spice is suffering from a severe lack of enthusiasm. | 2 |
| 004 | An Overdue Loan | A Mamooni boy is unkindly refusing to return a book he borrowed from his friend. | 2 |
| 005 | Ice Cream Dreams | A Mamooni ice cream merchant is suddenly too scared to leave the city on his long-planned journey of discovery. | 2 |
| 006 | The Fisherman’s Woe | A Castaway Cove fisherman has suddenly become scared of the sea, and refuses to get into his boat. | 2 |
| 007 | Shop Till You Drop | A woman from Castaway Cove can’t help spending all her money on swimsuits, though she has quite enough already. | 2 |
| 008 | Service Without a Smile | A shopkeeper in the Fairygrounds is entirely incapable of being nice to his customers. | 2 |
| 009 | Tactless Timing | A Fairyground-dweller finds himself unable to stop cracking jokes at inopportune moments. | 2 |
| 010 | A Sister’s Savior | A young man from Hamelin is being uncharacteristically unkind to his little sister. | 3 |
| 011 | A Proposal Postponed | A Hamelin man has suddenly become terrified of the woman he wants to marry. | 3 |
| 012 | Asleep on the Job | A Hamelin shop worker is having trouble staying awake while working, and is in danger of losing his job. | 3 |
| 013 | Piggy Paranoia | A Hamelin guard has become suspicious of everyone he sees, and refuses to let anyone in or out of the town. | 3 |
| 014 | Research on the Rocks | A Hamelin researcher has lost all faith in his assistants, and is unable to continue his research. | 3 |
| 015 | School’s In | A young girl who lives in Ding Dong Dell can no longer be bothered to go to school. | 3 |
| 016 | Strength to Soldier On | A senior Ding Dong Dell soldier finds himself wholly unable to summon the courage to fight monsters. | 3 |
| 017 | A Suspicious Mind | A young Mamooni man has been driven to distraction by doubts over his beloved’s fidelity. | 3 |
| 018 | …Where the Heart Isn’t | A man from Castaway Cove has become suspicious of his fellow residents, and has decided to move away from the village. | 3 |
| 019 | With Friends Like These | A grimalkin girl from Ding Dong Dell is unable to show her friends the merest hint of kindness. | 3 |
| 020 | A Shivering Wreck | A man from Yule is refusing to leave the house, having given in to his dislike of the cold. | 3 |
| 021 | A Tail of Woe | A Ding Dong Dell grimalkin has lost confidence in his tug-o’tail ability, and is going to pull out of the forthcoming tourney. | 3 |
| 022 | Artist’s Block | An artist from Al Mamoon is suffering a crisis of confidence, and is seriously considering trading in his brushes. | 3 |
| 023 | Comedy Gold | A Teeheeti comedian has lost confidence in his material, and is reluctant to take to the stage as a result. | 3 |
| 024 | A Crisis of Confidence | A Hamelin researcher has lost faith in his abilities, and finds himself unable to proceed with his work. | 3 |
| 025 | Big Babana Love | A Mamooni farmer has suddenly lost his love for babanas, the crop to which he has devoted his life. | 5 |
| 026 | Unrequited Love | A young woman from Castaway Cove no longer feels any love for her husband-to-be. | 5 |
| 027 | A Woman’s Best Friend | A Hamelin woman is deeply concerned about her pet dog, who appears to be brokenhearted. | 5 |
| 028 | Cold as Ice | A Yule man suddenly finds himself unable to care about his family, even though his child is ill. | 5 |
| 029 | Mamooni Idol | A Mamooni woman has given up on her childhood dream of becoming a famous singer. | 5 |
| 030 | What Fishermen Want | A Castaway Cove fisherman has started to question his dream of owning a mighty fleet of fishing vessels. | 5 |
| 031 | The March of Progress | A Hamelin researcher has lost sight of the ideals that first inspired him, and has resolved to abandon his life’s work. | 5 |
| 032 | Llapacking It In | A young boy is about to give up on his dream of becoming the greatest llapaca herder in Perdida. | 5 |
| 033 | A Half-Hearted Hubby | A traveling merchant appears to have lost his appetite for the trade while in Al Mamoon, causing his wife no end of worry. | 2 |
| 034 | A Heartless Wife | Since arriving in Castaway Cove, one of the traveling merchants has been being unkind to her poor husband. | 2 |
| 035 | A Weak-Hearted Hubby | While in Teeheeti, one of the traveling merchants has developed a fear of traveling. His wife is at her wits’ end. | 2 |
| 036 | A Hearty Appetite | One of the traveling merchants is having trouble controlling her appetite. | 3 |
| 037 | A Mean-Hearted Hubby | One of the traveling merchants suddenly finds himself unable to trust anyone, much to his wife’s dismay. | 3 |
| 038 | A Down-Hearted Wife | Once of the traveling merchants is suffering a crisis of confidence in Perdida. As ever, her husband is at a loss. | 5 |
| 039 | A Cold-Hearted Hubby | Since returning to Ding Dong Dell, one of the traveling merchants no longer feels any love for his poor wife. | 5 |
| 040 | A Change of Heart | With their shop in Ding Dong Dell due to open, one of the traveling merchants has begun to doubt the whole venture. | 5 |
| 041 | A Safe Hiding Place | A young grimalkin from Ding Dong Dell remembers putting her red earring in a pot… but has forgotten which one. | 2 |
| 042 | A Splash of Color | A female grimalkin in Ding Dong Dell would like to brighten up her porch with some flowers. | 2 |
| 043 | Hide and Seek | A Ding Dong Dell mother is worried about her sons, who haven’t come home yet. | 3 |
| 044 | Forest Folk | A forest dweller tried to defeat the rhinobores that were threatening his home all by himself. | 4 |
| 045 | A Lover’s Lunch Basket | A Mamooni woman’s husband left his lunch behind when he went out to forage for mushrooms. | 3 |
| 046 | Bothersome Boneheads | An elderly merchant from Al Mamoon is worried because her supply lines are coming under attack. | 3 |
| 047 | A Boy and His Birds | A young Mamooni boy is worried because his pigeons are late returning to him. | 2 |
| 048 | The King of Curries | A curry stall holder in Al Mamoon lacks the ingredients required to make the famous tikka mahala curry. | 4 |
| 049 | A Snazzier Swimsuit | A Castaway Cove designer asked you to provide her with three rainbow leaves. | 3 |
| 050 | The Concerned Crab | A blue crab in Castaway Cove asked you to look for his missing friend. | 3 |
| 051 | A Comedy of Errors | A fairy in Teeheeti is panicking after misplacing some slapsticks he «borrowed» from a friend. | 3 |
| 052 | A Big Splash | A fairy in Teeheeti caught a cold after jumping into the river. | 4 |
| 053 | Boars in the Bushes | Some hyperboars have moved in to Golden Grove, making life very difficult for the fairies who live there. | 6 |
| 054 | A Flower in the Fug | A Hamelin lady wants to give her mother a flower for her birthday, but it doesn’t look like it will blossom in time! | 5 |
| 055 | Making Medicine | A Hamelin researcher is beside himself with worry, as he lacks the materials needed to make medicine for his ailing sister. | 5 |
| 056 | Pesky Pirates | A Hamelin researcher is anxious because he’s unable to deliver his sister’s medicine to her. | 6 |
| 057 | The Mechanic’s Lament | A troublesome broken booster has a mechanic in Skull Mountain at his wits’ end. | 4 |
| 058 | The Sky Pirate’s Charm | A sky pirate in Skull Mountain is in a terrible state after losing his lucky charm. | 4 |
| 059 | Moving On | A young girl is worried about how her pet jabberguppy is coping since she became a ghost. | 5 |
| 060 | A Hot New Look | A Yule woman would like nothing more than to get her hands on a snazzy swimsuit. | 5 |
| 061 | Yule Have to Search | A Tomte mother in Yule is worried about her son, whose whereabouts are unknown. | 5 |
| 062 | Out of This World | A young girl from Perdida wants a flower like those she saw in a dream. A dream about her soul mate in Motorville. | 6 |
| 063 | Beating a Bad Back | An old man in Perdida is suffering from a terrible backache. | 7 |
| 064 | The Hungry Llapaca | A llapaca in Perdida longs to taste something more refined than its customary diet of hay, hay, and more hay. | 6 |
| 065 | The Cat’s Whiskers | A Ding Dong Dell gatekeeper has had his precious Cat’s Whiskers stolen by a monster. | 8 |
| 066 | The Artist’s Muse | A Mamooni artist is looking for a model who can inspire him to complete his latest work. | 6 |
| 067 | Curry in a Hurry | The owner of the Raj Mahal curry stall is too busy to deliver all the orders he’s receiving. | 8 |
| 068 | Wakey, Wakey | A Hamelin man is having great difficulty staying awake, and has requested your help. | 7 |
| 069 | The Runaway Fairies | A fairy in Golden Grove is anxiously waiting for his friends to return after they fled the forest. | 10 |
| 070 | The Greatest Treasure | A young boy in Castaway Cove has found a pirate’s treasure map, and is keen to investigate the locations marked on it. | 10 |
| 071 | Desert Creatures | A man in Al Mamoon who goes by the name of Derwin asked you to bring him some creatures from the desert. | 4 |
| 072 | Mechanical Creatures | Derwin has moved on to Hamelin in search of more creature data. | 5 |
| 073 | Snow-Loving Creatures | Derwin has moved on to Yule in search of more creature data. | 6 |
| 074 | More Creatures | Derwin has moved on to Perdida in search of more creature data. | 7 |
| 075 | Fierce Creatures | Derwin has moved on to Ding Dong Dell in search of more creature data. | 8 |
| 076 | The Young Alchemist | A young girl in Castaway Cove asked you to create a candle cutter in your cauldron and show it to her. | 3 |
| 077 | The Forest Alchemists | The forest dwellers who live on the Shipwreck Shore say they can teach you how to make a royal spear. | 5 |
| 078 | The Master Alchemist | An old man who inhabits a cave atop the Genie’s Steps says he is willing to teach you some advanced alchemical techniques. | 7 |
| 079 | Notes from the Hills | A man visiting Ding Dong Dell is rather flustered after misplacing his diary. | 3 |
| 080 | Notes from a Volcano | A man visiting Al Mamoon is rather flustered after misplacing his diary again. | 3 |
| 081 | Notes from an Island | A man visiting the Fairyground is rather flustered after misplacing his diary once again. | 3 |
| 082 | Notes from the Tracks | A man visiting Hamelin is rather flustered after misplacing his diary yet again. | 5 |
| 083 | Notes from the Snow | A man visiting Yule is rather flustered after misplacing his diary for the umpteenth time. | 5 |
| 084 | Notes from the Fog | A man visiting Castaway Cove is rather flustered. Against all expectation, it would see he’s misplaced his diary. | 7 |
| 085 | Notes from the Center | A man visiting Ding Dong Dell is rather flustered after misplacing his bally diary. However could this have happened? | 10 |
| 131 | The Conductor | The Conductor is in a forest to the south of Ding Dong Dell, and has something important to tell you. | 0 |
| 132 | Totally Tidy Tools | Smiley and Surly need some ideas for new weapons to attract customers to their shop. | 0 |
| 134 | Order of Illusion | The knights who appeared in the Ivory Tower are ghosts who were once charged with protecting Queen Cassiopeia. | 0 |
| 136 | Great-Great-Grandsage | A sagely looking ghost has been waiting at the Ara Memoriae. It seems he has something important to say. | 0 |
The Ni No Kuni film is an anime sequel to the game Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom. It was first released in Japan on 8 August, 2019, and on Netflix worldwide on 16 January, 2020.
Synopsis[]
High schooler Yu and his friend Haru get involved in a case involving his childhood friend Kotona, which forces them to go back and forth between another world that is different but is somewhat similar to their world, Ni no Kuni. The real world and Ni no Kuni, when Kotona’s life is in danger, what’s the ultimate choice the three of them have to make in Ni no Kuni?
Plot[]
On the roof of a hospital, an Old Man practices spell casting with his cane while standing on top of a radiator. He does this until nurse Miki implores him to stop. The spell the Old Man was trying to cast, was called Gateway, a spell that opens a doorway to an alternate world.
The scene skips to a high school gymnasium where star basketball player, Haru scores a basket. As he does this his wheelchair-bound friend, Yu watches from the sidelines and keeps track of the score and statistics behind the in-progress gameplay. Afterschool, Yu meets up with Haru and the two talk about the basketball game. The two of them are soon joined by Kotona, Haru’s girlfriend and she joins the conversation. They all decide to go to a crepe shop that Kotona suggests, while unbeknownst to them they’re tailed by a Black Hooded Man. Yu separates from the group once it’s revealed the way to the Crepe shop is up a steep set of stairs. On his own, Yu returns home where he’s greeted by his sister, Saki who is seen watering the flowers to the florist shop attached to their house. Immediately, Yu rides his wheelchair into his room and settles himself in his bed. In his bed, Yu reflects on his interactions with Kotona and then also with Haru. He then realizes the frustration he feels is mainly due to his jealousy of Haru and Kotona’s relationship.
Meanwhile, Haru and Kotona are walking home together after coming from the Crepe shop. As they walk, Kotona notes that she feels bad for taking a route that made them exclude Yu. Haru then chimes in and suggests they take him along next time. The two then separate from each other and as Kotona walks home down a back alley, she’s tailed by the Black Hooded Man. Fearful of her life, Kotona contacts Yu and begs him for help since Haru wouldn’t answer his phone. Enlisting help from his Sister Saki, Yu is driven to Kotona’s location, while Haru does a bit of shopping for Kotona’s birthday. En route to Kotona’s location, Yu tries to contact Haru, but to no avail and then fills Saki in of the situation. At Yu’s request, he’s dropped off at a book store and he asks Saki to continue trying to contact Haru. Tracing Kotona’s steps, Yu finds Kotona struggling against the Black Hooded Man, who stabs her in her abdomen. Yu manages to break Kotona’s fall as the Black Hooded Man escapes. It’s at that moment that Haru arrives at the scene and in an agitated state, takes Kotona away from Yu and declares he’ll take her to a hospital. Haru then takes the unconscious Kotona away from the scene and is soon chased after by Yu. They enter a busy street and Yu saves Haru and Kotona out of the way of a truck sacrificing his wheelchair in the process. Now stuck in between the street with fast-moving cars parallel to them, both Yu and Haru are transported to an alternate world.
Now in the city center of a completely different place. The two are astounded of not only their surroundings, but the outfits they’re now wearing. Immediately they then realize that Kotona is gone. Figuring they can contact her with their cell phones, they learn that it was replaced with compasses. Once the two starts attracting attention from the town’s people while sitting on the ground. So Yu then suggests they move; he then gets up and starts walking away. Haru calls Yu on out on this and the two become both astonished and then elated on the fact. As the two walks down the streets of the town, they both speculate where they are and what kind of town they’re in. Ultimately, Yu theorizes they’re in another world. Believing that Kotona might also be somewhere in that world and is healed due to Yu being able to use his legs, the two decide to find her.
They first start in a pub and immediately run into a Dogfolk person named Bauer Linden. The three of them sit at a table and Bauer without their consent brags a bit about a heroic tale of his. Yu cuts in mid-story and asks him if he’s heard of a woman named Kotona. Instantly, Bauer agrees to help them find Kotona and they’re soon joined by two other pub patrons. The barkeep lady chimes in after hearing Kotona’s age is the same as Princess Astrid and directs the boys’ attention to a poster of Astrid. Astonished the two claims that its Kotona. After learning of Astrid’s location, Yu and Haru quickly head to the castle, but are stopped by the castle guards stationed by the gate.
Inside the castle, Knight-Captain Bertha visits the princess Astrid’s room. In the room, King Fidelius, Chancellor Gnauss, Army leader Barton, and the princess’ fairy caretaker Danpa all stay by Astrid’s bedside. Bertha is briefed on Astrid’s condition by Barton. The King then notes how even the healers of the kingdom cannot dispel a curse laid on the unconscious and bedridden princess. Gnauss reassures the king that a master in dispelling curses than those of Master Zeelock’s Order who will soon arrive. Back outside the castle gates, Haru and Yu manage to infiltrate into the castle by hiding in a luggage wagon of Master Zeelock’s Order. When the wagon stops in front of the castle doors, Haru and Yu each hide in a couple of vases and are carried inside the castle.
Once inside the castle, the two boys quickly get out of the vases and secretly watch the Master Zeelock’s Order perform the curse exorcism. It, however, fails and kills the people of Master Zeelock’s Order. Shocked by this event, the king is escorted out of Astrid’s room, leaving both Yu and Haru alone in there. The two then check on Astrid’s and when they do, the translucent dagger that appeared from the princess’ chest after the failed ritual, fully manifests. Yu then grabs the dagger and tries to draw it from Astrid’s chest. At that moment, Bertha barges into the room and demands answers to what they’re doing. However, it’s then that Yu manages to fully draw the sword out of Astrid’s chest healing her.
Afterward, Yu and Haru are interrogated by Barton in the throne room. This continues until a languid Astrid arrives being escorted by Bertha and her two fairy servants and then greets her elated father. Bertha also corroborates the deed done by the two boys and Gnauss proposes to King Fidelius, the two be rewarded for their efforts. Fidelius agrees with the proposal and that evening the boys are escorted by to town by Bertha and her soldiers. Back at the pub, the boys are treated to dinner by Bauer and his two friends. They then discuss how princess Astrid wasn’t Kotona and other things that seem to correlate with Astrid and Kotona. Haru though brushes the whole situation they’re in as a dream and makes the best of it by having fun with the pole dancer. The barkeep lady then approaches Yu and allows the two to stay the night in the storeroom on the floor above the pub. When Yu leaves the pub and heads to the storeroom; instead of heading to bed, he heads back to the castle. He’s accompanied by a little pink dog creature that has been following the two since they arrived in the new world. On the castle compounds, Yu heads to Princess Astrid’s room.
At Princess Astrid’s room, Yu witnesses Astrid in an argument with her servant Danpa. Once Yu is spotted, he tries to run away, but is stopped by Astrid. The two then go for a stroll while talking with each other. They soon reach an airship that is ridden to a place known as the Lake of Purity. There, she’ll be able to expel any remaining impurities related to the curse from her body. Once they arrive there, Astrid prepares herself. When she’s dressed appropriately for the ritual, Astrid walks into the lake until the water nearly reaches her shoulders and performs the ritual dance. The dance allows her to walk on the lake water as the lake lights up with a shimmering presence. The ritual dance is a success and once Danpa goes to fetch some herbs, Yu and Astrid have a heart to heart with each other. They talk about Kotona, the world Yu and Haru are from, and about Kotona lamentations. After this, the two jump in the lake and have fun with each other.
Back at the castle, Gnauss discusses matters involving Yu and Haru with King Fidelius. Gnauss believes the two are associated with a group known as the Black Banner. The following day, Yu awakens on the bed in the storeroom and is greeted by Haru. Immediately, an envoy from the castle relays a message from the king about inviting them to a swordplay exhibition. Soon, they’re lead to a fully packed coliseum with King Fidelius, Barton, and Gnauss in attendance. Gnauss announces that the king wants to gauge their swordplay capabilities by having them face off against a group of swordsmen in a mock battle. As the two are encircled by their opponents, Princess Astrid arrives with Bertha and her soldiers. Astrid denounces the disrespect being shown to the heroes, but Gnauss claims that they’re just fighting in a mock battle. The princess, however, still is against it, as Yu and Haru continue to struggles against their opponents. It was after Yu saves Haru when he was in a pinch, the two overwhelm their opponents and win the mock battle. This gains the two an audience with the king and his subjects. Once they reach them they’re restrained under the accusation of being conspirators with the Black Banner. Figuring their only way out of the situation is returning to their original world, to which, the trigger is a being in a near-death experience. Haru and Yu jump toward the flame behind the king and are transported back to their world. From this scene, Gnauss deduces the two are «Wayfarers».
Finally, back in their own world, Kotona greets the two and an emotional Haru embraces her. They learn from her that a drowsy truck driver caused an accident that caused a bus to crash and killed several people in the process. The people that were killed, looked strangely like the men that performed the failed curse lifting ritual. A flashback involving Yu when he was 5 years old is shown where he talks with the old man at the hospital about another world and the rules that it’s bound to. The following day, Yu relays this to Haru who sounds skeptical and continues to brush it off as a dream. Even so, Yu believes the entire experience was real and when they saved Princess Astrid, they, in turn, saved Kotona. However, Haru continues to brush off the situation to focus on the, «here and now».
Later that day Yu visits the hospital where he once met the old man, to see him again. The nurse there informs him that he’s disappeared, but Yu believes he’s in the otherworld. The next day at school, Haru and Yu learn that Kotona will be absent from school due to health reasons. Afterschool, Kotona reveals that she has a malignant tumor and has 3 months to live. Once Kotona leaves the two to return to the hospital she’s staying at. Yu proposes Haru and he, return to the other world to save Princess Astrid again so that Kotona’s fate will be changed. Haru, however, believes contrary to what they accomplished and goes on an abrasive tirade towards Yu. As this goes on, the Black Hooded Man arrives at the scene and transports the two to the otherworld. Haru ends up in a dark and dismal wasteland where a ruined castle is at. Inside the castle are triceratops-like monsters and soon Haru is met by a man known as Galeroth. On the other hand, Yu ends up back in the royal castle throne room and is restrained by Barton. Yu tries to reason with the king and Gnauss about Princess Astrid’s well being is in danger, because his friend from another world Kotona is in danger again. Back to Haru who listens to Galeroth inform him about how the number of people in that world is predetermined. Furthermore, if one life that was destined to die in that world is spared the corresponding life in another will die. Returning to Yu who continues to beseech the king and his court about how Astrid’s life is still in danger. Bertha then arrives and warns that the Black Banner army is making a move. Also, Haru is a part of the uprising as well. This is proven true as now Haru, dressed in Black Banner clad armor and planning to kill Princess Astrid. Back to Yu, who denies that his tormented friend is really part of the Black Banner group, is given a chance by Gnauss. To prove himself, he must join the frontlines of the battle as the princess’ guardian and kill Haru. King Fidelius allows this and thus Yu is conscripted into the battle.
Now dressed in a suit of armor, Yu is approached by Astrid. She requests that Yu kill with a magical dagger that her mother forged herself, to relieve Yu of any regret he has. Yu though refuses to do so and is obstinate towards Astrid’s continued plea and thanks to Danpa joining in on the conversation is resolved to save them all.
Like a swarm, the Black Banner army arrives in Evermore’s lands and start their invasion. With the war started the Evermore army starts to fight back. Haru and Galeroth arrive in the town square and Haru heads toward the castle. Meanwhile, upon seeing Haru’s arrival at the castle, Yu goes to confront his former friend. The king is informed by Danpa of the dire situation, but is reassured that all is well from Gnauss. As the battle rages on in the town, Haru notices that his power has been greatly amplified due to the Black Banner Armor that he wears. Meanwhile, Astrid approaches her father and Gnauss to suggest they use the Mornstar. The weapon, however, was lost in the previous war and the one in the vault is a fake to maintain political power over the surrounding kingdoms.
Elsewhere, as Yu fends off the invading enemies, Haru arrives with the Black Banner army. Once they reach the castle gates, they’re met by Bertha and her soldiers. Haru easily beats Bertha but is then confronted by Yu who tries to dissuade Haru from his goal. He, however, remains adamant in killing Astrid and the two fight. During the fight, a flashback involving the two when they were friends is shown where Yu saves Haru from a mean dog and the two then become friends.
Yu awakens back in his world and sees on a news broadcast that a fire has broken out in the Grand Angel Hotel. Reconvening with Haru, Yu learns that Kotona was in immense pain so she was sedated. Outside, Yu tries to warn Haru about the situation back in Evermore is affecting their world, which is proven by the fire at the Grand Angel Hotel. Still, Haru remains obstinate to Yu’s pleas and elsewhere, Saki is confronted by the Black Hooded Man at her florist shop. The boys arrive just in time to save her and escape via her car and are pursued by the Black Hooded Man now transformed into a spider monster. As they’re pursued, Yu elaborates on how the correlating lives are linked with one another. After Saki reveals that the Black Hooded Man inquired if she was «Sis Saki», Yu has an epiphany of the culprit behind everything. The spider using its web latches onto the car and gets on top of it. So, Saki manages to release it from its grip on the car, but in the process crashes the car into the river. This causes Yu and Haru to be transported back to Evermore.
In the throne room, Yu confronts Gnauss and calls him out as the traitor of the kingdom. Being called out by Yu and his speculation accompanied by it. Furthermore, Astrid’s request to see Gnauss’ body as the magic used to create the dagger that cursed her would leave an imprint on the creator’s body. And Haru’s suspicion of Galeroth’s words, Gnauss then reveals his body, that’s heavily influenced by dark magic. With the arrival of Barton, Gnauss summons a Black Banner Armor and that he’s also Galeroth Felgrimm, leader of the Black Banner. But the revelations don’t stop there, Gnauss also confesses that he’s also Sedulus Astrum, Fidelius’ older brother. Although he was killed by his father, he revived himself using alchemy and demon’s blood. To top things off Gnauss reveals that he was surrendered to an enemy kingdom as a peace offering. Gnauss though found solace at the new kingdom, but was this was all crushed when his father invaded and destroyed the kingdom.
Now after the life of the princess, Astrid reminds Gnauss that if she dies he’ll die as well due to her Royal Egis. To remedy this problem, Gnauss changes into Galeroth and enchants Haru’s armor to his control. Manipulated by Galeroth Haru proceeds to kill Astrid, but is stopped and defeated by Yu. With the tides starting to turn on him, Galeroth takes Astrid hostage and escapes through a magic bubble out of the castle. Outside the castle and on its grounds, Galeroth attacks the castle making the rubble fall onto Astrid. This would circumvent the conditions of the Royal Egis on Astrid. Therefore, Yu uses his body to shield Astrid from the falling rubble and is impaled in the process. Yu is moved to the sidelines and is kissed on the forehead by Astrid. As Yu’s conscious starts to fade, he sees the Old Man again, meanwhile, Haru and Astrid confront Galeroth, but are unable to fight on par with him. Back to Yu who then receives the real Mornstar from the old man, who then returns the otherworld.
Desiring to finally end it all, Galeroth transforms into a giant four-legged monster, grabs Astrid, and attacks Haru. Before Galeroth could land the finishing blow on Haru, Yu uses the Mornstar to parry the attack. Galeroth then escapes to the sky and proclaims that once Astrid and his power combine, he’ll be invincible. Just as Galeroth starts to drain Astrid of her power a giant black bird appears and using it, Yu rides it to Galeroth. Yu then severs Galeroth’s left arm freeing Astrid from his grasp, but causing her to free fall from the sky. However, Yu manages to catch and save her, while being able to land safely on the ground. Going on a rampage, Galeroth and Yu fight and once the monster has Yu at his mercy, he notices that the Mornstar is missing. It’s then that Haru leaps into action and uses the Mornstar to slay Galeroth.
Because Galeroth was defeated the Black Banner army retreats. In the place of where Galeroth was slain, a giant portal way to Yu and Haru’s world was set. Astrid explains that once it closes they’ll never be able to return to their world. So to prevent this from happening, Haru and Yu go through the portal, but Yu decides to stay behind in the otherworld.
Back in his own world, Haru awakens in the hospital. Haru then desperately searches for Yu, but in the process finds Saki instead of whom emotionally embraces him. Saki reveals to him that he was out for a month and furthermore Kotona got surgery to get her tumor removed. When Haru mentions Yu, instantly Saki and Kotana lose their memories of Yu. Haru then gets an epiphany as he realizes that Yu was his link in another world. He then walks by a couple of memorial places that involved him and Yu as he wonders how Yu is doing in the other world.
After the credits, Yu is crowned the new king of Evermore and marries Astrid. Together, they live happily ever after.
На смену классическим массовым ролевым играм приходит новое поколение проектов. Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds — один из них. Продолжение популярной серии должно было стать красивой сказкой про приключения в волшебном мире, а обернулось ужасом, от которого нужно бежать подальше и беречь от него окружающих.
При знакомстве с Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds первое, что бросается в глаза — художественный стиль, выдержанный в духе знаменитых фильмов Хаяо Миядзаки. Картинка выглядит хорошо даже на ПК, а по меркам смартфонов она великолепна.
Основные усилия художников и дизайнеров ушли на главных героев, боссов и неигровых персонажей (по крайней мере тех, что встречают героев в начале путешествия). Окружающий мир и монстры проработаны менее детально, но художникам удалось выдержать стилистику.
Визуальная составляющая приправлена хорошей музыкой и звуковым оформлением. Звуковой ряд не балует разнообразием, но погружаться в мир Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds приятно. Игроки ныряют в атмосферу героического приключения, в котором подвиги во имя справедливости соседствуют с путешествиями по красивым лугам и пляжам, дремучим лесам и древним таинственным замкам.
Следить за разворачивающейся историей интересно. Сценаристы красиво сломали «четвертую стену», смешивая нашу реальность и фентезийный мир Ni No Kuni. Завязка сюжета, его развитие грамотно поддерживают желание игрока узнать, что будет в конце. На это работают и хорошо прописанные диалоги. Есть забавные сцены, есть моменты противостояния со злом, полные драмы.
Персонажи, конечно, шаблонные, но и тут разработчики нашли, чем удивить. Нечасто в сказках встретишь, к примеру, джина в ящике. Характер джинов, обитающих в бутылках или лампах, нам знаком по сказкам. Оказывается, жизнь в деревянном ящике накладывает свой отпечаток. Джин — не единственный любопытный персонаж. По ходу повествования будут новые интересные встречи.
Повествование, окружающий мир, картинка, музыка чудесны. Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds обладает необычайной притягательностью при взгляде со стороны. Видно, что работа корейской студией Netmarble проделана огромная. Разработчики приложили серьезные усилия для того, чтобы игрокам было интересно «приключаться» в этом мире.
Половина игроков в восторге, другая половина топит рейтинг проекта в негативе. Дело вовсе не в техническом состоянии, характерном для многих релизов последнего времени.
Весь негатив, который изливают пользователи в отзывах, связан с геймплеем. Практически все действия персонажа полностью автоматизированы: бег от точки до точки, использование транспортных средств, удары и использование способностей, экипировка лучшего снаряжения. От игрока требуется лишь прокачиваться, выбирать квесты и побочные задания, периодически выбирать подходящее для конкретного боя оружие (впрочем, не обязательно) и, конечно, собирать награды.
Хотя разработчики при проектировании уделили внимание и классам персонажей и боевой системе, но в Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds это лишено всяческого смысла. Более того, ручное управление персонажем не доставляет никакого удовольствия, насколько неинтересно и неумело сделан этот элемент. Единственный элемент, реализованный плохо!
Игроку доступны несколько классов героев. Классы типичные для MMORPG — DD (Damage Dealer, персонаж, который наносит максимальный урон), танк (принимает урон от противника на себя), саппорт (поддержка) и т. д. И если в классических массовых ролевых играх подобное деление имеет значение и влияет на геймплей, то в Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds — это профанация. Нет никакой разницы, какой класс имеет персонаж, если все сводится к протапыванию списка заданий и кнопок по сбору наград.
Боевая система хороша только в описании задумки. Пять стихий оружия разделены на две группы, в рамках которых одни стихии чему-то противостоят лучше, чему-то хуже, а к остальным нейтральны. Персонаж использует только три вида оружия и, соответственно, стихии. Так что под конкретный бой необходимо выбирать либо оружие, наносящее бонусный урон, либо как минимум нейтральное.
На практике чаще всего этим заниматься некогда, да и не особо нужно. Выполняя дейлики (ежедневные задания) и побочные миссии перекачать окрестных мобов несложно. Если проблемы все-таки возникнут, то один-два дня гринда в «побочках» или донат ситуацию поправят. Пока персонаж самостоятельно сражается с монстрами, игрок, погрузившись в глубины меню, прокачивает снаряжение, а также собирает награды и трофеи, которое тоннами вываливается за выполнение заданий и достижений от каждого «чиха».
За часы проведенные в Ni No Kuni: Cross Words, игрока постоянно осыпают наградами и трофеями. Толку от них не много, т. к. все уходит на бесконечную прокачку всего и вся (оружия, брони, умений персонажа, транспортных средств, местных «покемонов», их умений и т. д. и т. п.), но устоять перед непрекращающимся восхвалением себя любимого многие не могут. И отсутствие геймплея уходит на второй план. Все затмевает рост общего показателя «мощи» персонажа.
Помимо основных и побочных сюжетных веток, в Ni No Kuni присутствуют и другие активности: лес, где обитают местные покемоны-фамильяры (каждый день дарят игроку подарки); поляна, где игрок обустраивает свое жилище и ферму; отдельный «стратегический» режим. Кроме того, в составе команд или в одиночку доступны подземелья с монстрами и богатыми трофеями. Доступен также отдельный режим PvP.
Разнообразие активностей лишь кажущееся. За всем стоит автобой, сбор наград, которые превращают Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds в красивый, атмосферный… кликер. Мощь персонажа должна расти.
Поэтому для многих игроков этот проект оказывается чрезвычайно аддиктивным (см. ящик Скиннера). Игрок тапает на экран и получает награду. Прямо как животное, помещенное в просторный ящик, получает «вкусняшку» при нажатии рычага. Выработанный рефлекс не позволяет животным прекратить нажимать рычаг даже тогда, когда «вкусняшку» начинают давать через раз, а со временем и еще реже. С людьми это также работает.
Над уже выработанным рефлексом, приправленным боязнью потерь, надстраивается манипулятивная монетизация этого условно-бесплатного проекта с лутбоксами, несколькими видами игровой валюты, «выгодными» пакетными предложениями и платным боевым пропуском. Как только у игрока возникают какие-то проблемы с ресурсами и прокачкой, соответственно, «вкусняшек» становится меньше, тогда рука сама тянется к кошельку.
Но и на этом разработчики из Netmarble не остановились и планируют добавить в свой проект NFT. Таким образом они пытаются заработать еще и на алчности некоторых игроков. Собственная криптовалюта уже имеется.
Diagnosis
Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds — это отвратительный ящик Скиннера для людей. Даже хуже, это Ящик Скиннера для детей, которые не имеют психологической защиты от мерзких приемов манипуляции. Не играть, не ставить на смартфон, беречь детей от этого проекта.
Ни разу за весь обзор проект Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds не назван игрой.
Pro
- Достоинства этого проекта не имеют никакого значения
Contra
- Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds не игра
- Полностью автоматический геймплей
- Манипулятивные методы монетизации
Сейчас на главной
История повествует о трёх друзьях: Котоне, Хару и Ю. Однажды Котона получает ножевое ранение от незнакомца. Когда Хару и Ю пытаются доставить девочку в больницу, их чуть не сбивает грузовик. Чудом выжив и сказав смерти «не сегодня», дети обнаруживают, что очутились в другом мире…