Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (v4.00 & ALL DLC)

A young king’s struggle to rebuild his homeland gives this colorful action RPG more heart than its fairy-tale visuals initially suggest. Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum loses his throne in a coup and joins forces with Roland, a displaced leader from another world, to create a nation where people can live without fear. Their journey crosses sunlit plains, elaborate cities, haunted ruins, and battle-scarred kingdoms, all rendered with the warmth and expressiveness of a high-budget animated film. Despite its bright presentation, the story deals with war, grief, political conflict, and the difficult compromises behind uniting rival nations.

Combat replaces the first game’s creature-collecting structure with fast, direct real-time action. Players control Evan, Roland, and other party members while chaining light and heavy attacks, magic, ranged options, dodges, and special skills against groups of enemies and imposing bosses. Small elemental helpers called Higgledies assist during fights, providing healing, protection, cannons, and other tactical advantages when summoned at the right moment. Outside the main quest, Evan recruits citizens, develops Evermore through a surprisingly substantial kingdom-management system, gathers resources, completes errands, and leads simplified army clashes that play like compact real-time strategy battles.

LEVEL-5 gives the world a wonderfully readable sense of place, while Yoshiyuki Momose’s character work and Joe Hisaishi’s orchestral score make even routine travel feel grand. The game’s many interconnected systems—party upgrades, gear crafting, citizen recruitment, town construction, skirmishes, and side quests—create a generous adventure that regularly changes its rhythm rather than relying on combat alone. Its difficulty is approachable and its action is less demanding than a hardcore character-action game, though optional bosses and deeper management objectives give dedicated players more to chase. Fans of Dragon Quest, Tales, and classic Studio Ghibli-style fantasy who want a long, optimistic RPG with satisfying town-building will find plenty to enjoy here.