Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds is a mobile entry that mimics the traps and aesthetics of Studio Ghibli, like other Level 5-developed titles. The beautiful, animated intro immediately sets the tone and provides a brief introduction to the story elements that will propel the game forward. With some hypertext comments, Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds frankly about its identity as an MMORPG. Its players travel through a wonderful online world. The game shows an incredible promise. Alike NieR Re[in]Carnation or The Genshin effect, it represents the capabilities of this particular market. However, it is hindered by its powerful monetization and monotonous mechanics.
Players can choose from a number of different classes, each with a distinct specialization. I chose the Swordsman class, which is said to have an even distribution of attack and defense stats. But this is barely noticeable due to the “autoplay” function. This includes things like auto-run to target and auto-fight. Of course, you can turn it off. But in the end it doesn’t change too much about the original gameplay. While Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds has an instantly recognizable visual design that doesn’t really set it apart from other ilk mobile games. I find myself feeling exhausted just like playing Lineage Revolution IIanother “MMORPG” style mobile game from Netmarble.
While not quite the same, players can put down their phones and let the game do the job effectively. That’s not a bad thing for those who want to crush to get materials and levels while busy with more important quests. It just feels completely unresolved, with its visuals being inspired by Studio Ghibli and Joe Hisashi composing the point that makes it remarkable in that respect. And to be honest, those two things totally bring Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds.
The game looks particularly impressive on PC. The vast environment is really given a chance to shine, with wheat fields stretching across beautiful mountain ranges giving it that eerie feel. Densely populated areas, even if there aren’t many player characters running from one target to another. And it feels like Netmarble really nailed the level of feeling like you were a living character in a mostly organic online world.
However, lower-end mobile devices may have difficulty running Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds. I’ve run into some issues on both Android and iOS. On my Android device, I can’t get past the initial scripted tutorial area without intermittent crashes. While the PC version of the game is still in beta, I found it to be the most functional and the most fun to watch. While it’s clear the game is intended purely for mobile play, as the UI is primarily designed to accommodate mobile play. This can make dodging and rolling in combat a chore. Most of this is alleviated through the autoplay feature I mentioned before.
Character creator in Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds quite limited, the player can only change the hairstyle, eye color, hair color and skin color. All options are severely lacking, especially in regards to darker skin tones. There are only two options available, with the darkest skin tones looking unsaturated. There is also no Black hairstyle in the character creation. Additionally, the way players can express themselves in the game through costumes is rather limited, with certain outfits only available to obtain through gacha or by crafting. And Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds There are a lot of gacha elements.
There is a familiar gacha, which the player can use to acquire creatures to accompany them in battle. Each of these Acquaintances has unique skills and abilities, which can help the player progress through story missions or battling battlefield Bosses. I was lucky enough to have some three-star Familiars that got me through a lot of the nearly two-hour intro segments. There is also the costume gacha mentioned, which is purely cosmetic, and gacha weapons and armor.
The functionality of these features is mostly the same as the other games, with elemental attributes assigned to Acquaintances and weapons. Players will need to rotate between various elements to target the weak points of the enemy and the boss they are attacking. The currency is also relatively hard to come by, with a ten pull costing around $25. And Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds there are several store pages and tabs dedicated to “special offers” for advanced plans and payment currencies.
Probably one of the most confusing problems with Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds is the inclusion of cryptocurrencies and the implementation of NFT during the year. The game operates on a “play for money” model, with players earning crypto-coins earned through casual and PvP activities. This is a big deterrent for me. Even if Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds is a fun and more engaging game, this alone is enough to make me put it down. There are other games on the market that do exactly what it does mechanically, but without crypto and the promises of NFT looming in the future.
It’s a pity, because Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds is a beautiful game. It’s just interacting with it that seems to be the problem. The game is flooded with money warnings for premium currency and other packages. The implementation of crypto and NFT also left a sour taste in my mouth. In the end, it’s a game that shows a lot of promise, but is squandered by constant efforts at monetization and lacks a truly compelling system.
Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds available for PCAndroid devices and iOS devices.
