AWARDED GAMES Games of the Year Division
年間作品部門 優秀賞
General description

Title NINOKUNI - DS Version
* English name TBD.
Release Dec 9, 2010
Price 6,800 yen (tax included)
※the package contains the Magic Master Book
Platform NintendoDS and DS Lite, DSi, LL
Distributor LEVEL-5 Inc.
Publisher LEVEL-5 Inc.
Developer LEVEL-5 Inc.
URL http://ninokuni.jp/
Copyright ©2010 LEVEL-5 Inc.
Reason for the Award for Excellence
The animation, sound, and scenarios are integrated at a high level to express a beautiful world and the subtle sentiment of the characters.
This award was given also taking into consideration the new playing style where a book is used while playing to solve the hints in the story.
 
Work Introdution
『NINOKUNI - DS Version * English name TBD.』 was planned
and created by Level Five, animation was done by Studio Ghibli,
and the music was supervised by Jo Hisaishi, so this is a fantasy RPG brought to us by a dream staff.
 
The Namida fairy Shizuku appears before the main character, Oliver, who has been saddened by the loss of his mother in an accident. Shizuku gives Oliver a book that leads him to the other world of Ni no Kuni, which has some subtle commonalities with the real world.
While hesitant, Oliver grows while trying to save his mother as he adventures with many companions.
 
The game software comes with a “Magic Master.” This book is the same one that is possessed by the main character, and using it to solve the hints in the story makes this a thrilling game. Players use the Magic Master to look up the runes, magical objects, and tools needed to use the magic, which makes the players feel like witch or wizard apprentices as they advance through the story.
 
Players also gather and raise over 350 types of heart warriors called “imagens” that become companions and hold the keys to advancing through the adventure. The game also features many excellent voice actors, such as Mikako Tabe, who plays the main character Oliver, Masami Nagasawa, who plays the heroine Maru, Arata Furuta, who plays Shizuku, and Yo Oizumi, who plays Gyro.
 
『NINOKUNI - DS Version * English name TBD.』 is filled with high quality animation and full orchestra music as well as many other devices that can be enjoyed by game players and people of many ages, making this one of the supreme works of Level Five.
 

Comment of the game producer
Thank you very much for this award.
I am so please to receive this Grand Award for the Games of the Year Division after receiving an award for the Future Division last year.
 
This game was made possible through the work of a dream staff that included Studio Ghibli producing the animation and Jo Hisaishi supervising the music, so this game has great significance for Level Five.
In addition, the project also presented the new challenge of combining game software with a book.
 
We were very fastidious about the specifications for the book as well as for the software and condensed the world view of the game into the book. Having players holding the book in one hand while playing the game that emerges them into the world of Ni no Kuni makes me very happy.
 
Of course, in addition to the new game style of using a book, this game also includes the ease of play and elements, such as the system for gathering and raising of “Imagens” are what you would expect from a Level Five product. I think this is a game that can be enjoyed by users of all ages from children to adults.
 
We are currently working on the PlayStation®3 version, “Ni no Kuni: Shiroki Seihai no Joou.”
There will be new characters and the story is different from the one used for this DS version.
In addition, the beautiful graphics makes it feel like you are actually adventuring through Ghibli animation.
 
Please keep an eye of Ni no Kuni.
 
List of Awarded Games
  経済産業大臣賞 年間作品部門 ゲームデザイナーズ大賞 フューチャー部門 アマチュア部門