First released in 2013 to critical reception among the JRPG community, Ni no Kuni has been slowly making a name for itself in a niche filled with industry giants. Boasting a distinct Studio Ghibli-esque art style, well-developed characters, and an intriguing story, the game was set for a second instalment titled Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom.
Initially planned for a November 10 launch on the PlayStation 4 and PC, the game was pushed back to January 19, 2018 instead, with developer Level-5 citing the need for extra development time to ensure high quality standards.
Unfortunately for fans of the series, the title is seeing a second delay. In a statement by Level-5 president and CEO Hino Akihiro, it was announced that the expected worldwide release date for Kuni no Kuni II will now be on March 23. The reason? Same as before, apparently:
However with innovation and new ideas come the need to ensure everything works together in a fun and cohesive package. This means we’ll need a bit more time to make sure the entire Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom experience meets Level-5 and Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.’s high quality standards. So today I would like to ask for everyone’s patience as we move Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom’s worldwide release date to 23rd March, 2018 for the PlayStation 4 and PC. We will be sharing more news about Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom in the coming weeks and months as we move closer to our new launch date. On behalf of everyone at Level-5, I want to thank you all for your patience and continued support.
It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Upon release, players will be able to enjoy a few newly-implemented game modes, including the Skirmish and Kingdom Modes. The multiplayer feature previously mentioned during E3 2017 will be missing out on the lineup, though, upon correction from Hino himself.
Still, the addition of new elements is certainly a small cause for celebration, made even better by an updated trailer featuring the game’s Japanese voices.
And honestly? After a whole buffet spread of slick fighting scenes and beautiful visuals, delaying the release in exchange for such exceptional quality sounds like a more-than-reasonable compromise.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Trinity Sun
Joey Leong
