18 Games Like Ni no Kuni
This assembled list of games like Ni no Kuni features other role playing adventures that use a combination of Japanese and Western mechanics to create a world full of combat and puzzle mechanics.
Ni no Kuni is a unique series of role playing adventures originally available on the Nintendo DS and eventually expanding to platforms including PlayStation, Switch, Windows and mobile devices depending on the specific title. Known for their fantastic visual and world design the franchise explores the believable adventures of different characters on a journey against evil. With these worlds full of magic players will encounter and even use an array of magical abilities and creatures referred to as familiars.
While mechanics have evolved throughout the role playing series recurring themes include spell based combat assisted by familiars in either fixed or open battlefields. Alongside these battles players will make progress towards their linear main quest line although can generally free roam the broader game world to find various towns and dungeons for side content. A common element in the Ni No Kuni franchise is the freedom to explore these worlds without limitations although story progress generally provides new travel options.
The games like Ni no Kuni on this list focus on other games with strong RPG fundamentals that are designed for both JRPG and Western RPG audiences as you explore vast worlds, progress through combat challenges and utilise magic or monsters.
Xenoblade Chronicles
Xenoblade Chronicles mixes sci-fi with the Japanese RPG genre to create a streamlined adventure that does away with a number of unnecessary features that have plagued the genre in the past. With a vast open world for players to explore the zones, side quests and your party are all central to your own unique story. The game was released in North America in 2012 for the Nintendo Wii before being ported to the Nintendo 3DS in 2015 and lastly being remastered for the Nintendo Switch in 2020. The set...[Read Review]
Bravely Default
Bravely Default is a 3DS adventure set in the world of Luxendarc where players embark on a diverse role playing adventure as you take your party of adventurers from start to end of the fantasy storyline. Released in 2012 for the Nintendo 3DS a sequel to the franchise would not be seen until 2021 which also expanded the platform availability of this fan favourite turn based role playing title which takes elements from the exceeding popular Final Fantasy series. The result is a deeply satisfying s...[Read Review]
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 is the second game in the series for the Nintendo DS and was released in 2010 (Japan) with a US game release in September 2011. Marking the fifth game in the broader Dragon Quest Monsters series you’ll experience a blend of familiar and new mechanics which all revolve around exploring areas to tame wild monsters. An extended edition of the game titled Joker 2 Professional adds 100 more monsters along with new game locations although does not alter the story e...[Read Review]
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies changes up the standard formula of the series by focusing on some core improvements and multiplayer features. The game is still a great single player experience though for Dragon Quest fans. The game opens up in the Observatory which is home to an angelic race in charge of looking after the humans below. At the centre of your society is the World Tree which grows the vital fruit of Fyggs which allows your kind to pass onto the next world. One day a ...[Read Review]
Xenogears
Xenogears was one of the most popular games for the original PlayStation and now thanks to the PlayStation Store you can get your hands on this classic for your modern PlayStation devices. The game follows Fei Fong Wong and his party of adventurers as they unlock the mysteries of the game world. Xenogears tackles plenty of philosophies head on so if you enter the game with an open mind you might just spend a few minutes thinking about the real world that we live in. The core elements the game ta...[Read Review]
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker is part of the popular Dragon Quest Monsters series that started back on the Gameboy Color in 1999. The game is available on the Nintendo DS and added a number of new game features while also sticking to traditional gameplay. New features that Joker brings to the series include the shift to 3D graphics, online play and the removal of random encounters from the game (players can see all enemies on the map). In Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker you’ll take control of a yout...[Read Review]
Tales of Vesperia
Tales of Vesperia is part of the long running Tales series of role playing games and marks the 10th addition to this magical RPG franchise known for it’s unique combat elements. While originally only available for the Xbox 360 in English a Definitive Edition brought the popular series to a wider range of platforms. In Tales of Vesperia players will have the chance to explore the planet Terca Lumireis which features a similar theme and aesthetic to the past iterations of the franchise. On t...[Read Review]
Blue Dragon
Blue Dragon is part of the Japanese RPG genre and is similar in design to the Final Fantasy series partly due to Hironobu Sakaguchi overseeing production of the game and writing the story. In Blue Dragon you’ll get to explore a great open world as a group of five friends who take it upon themselves to deal with the increasing threat of Nene who rules over the Grand Kingdom. The story and its accompanying setting was so highly rated that it led to the introduction of an anime and manga spin off a...[Read Review]
Eternal Sonata
Eternal Sonata is a role playing game from Japan with a focus on incorporating musical elements into its gameplay. The game is available for Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. A large portion of the game is set within the strange dream world of Chopon, a composer of music that is on his death bed. Chopin is based directly on Frederic Chopin a popular composer and pianist of his time (1810-1849). The game takes place over 8 different game chapters that are each based on one of his compositions. The ...[Read Review]
Fire Emblem Awakening
Ideal for long time fans and new faces to the Fire Emblem franchise is Fire Emblem Awakening another addition to the tactical role playing franchise. While it might be the unlucky 13th game in the main franchise this does not effect the game at all as the game achieves new heights, an impressive feat given the level of polish the franchise is known for. This story will carry players across the continents of Archanea and Valm through a group of soldiers that call the kingdom of Ylisse home. Your ...[Read Review]
Valkyria Chronicles
Valkyria Chronicles is a unique role playing game that blends shooting and strategy together into a single tactical role playing title. Serving as the first game in this tactical franchise Valkyria Chronicles has also expanded into the world of anime and magna with varying success. The stage for your Valkyria Chronicles experience is the fictional region of Europa which takes clear inspiration from a real world Europe during World War II as two powerful factions of equivalent strength battle aga...[Read Review]
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky originally launched in Japan, firmly falling into the JRPG genre. With it’s success in the Japanese market it was eventually brought to English audiences and serves as the very first Trials game in the trilogy. Typical of a JRPG The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky centres itself around impressive character development and a turn based combat system similar to that used heavily in Final Fantasy Tactics. In The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky y...[Read Review]
Radiant Historia
Radiant Historia is a RPG experience for your Nintendo DS with time travel elements making up the core of the experience. The game was developed by Atlus who worked on many other popular games in the genre including the highly received Nocturne and Persona 3. Radiant Historia is set on Vanqueur, which was the site for a once powerful empire that destroyed itself by using a powerful energy within the game world known as Flux. The current game world which players will have a chance to explore feat...[Read Review]
Enchanted Arms
Enchanted Arms is one of the few console games to offer Pokemon like features and it does so with a traditional JRPG core. The result is a RPG adventure that has elements of monster collection and training to help you conquer the game world that Enchanted Arms throws you into. If you’re primarily a console gamer (PS3, Xbox 360 and Xbox One) seeking your next JRPG but want a touch of Pokemon vibe you’ll find it within. With these JRPG foundations players can also expect an experience ...[Read Review]
Jeanne d’Arc
Drawing from history but adding countless fantasy elements is Jeanne d’Arc a game for the PSP in the tactical role playing genre. Choosing to focus on smaller combat engagements there is all the depth you need to stay invested from start to end in this 2006 (2007 in North America) released title. The heart of the story line is the 5 magical armlets that were created in the past by powerful heroes to help them in the great war that was fought against the demon army. Fast forward hundreds of years...[Read Review]
Lost Magic
Lost Magic offers a mixture of monster capture and real time strategy that is definitely unique and will appeal to fans of the Pokemon series looking for a game with a more active approach to gameplay. Lost Magic was published by Ubisoft and saw a release in 2006 (first in Japan and then other countries). The game has been marketed as a mixture of role playing and real time strategy (and definitely delivers on its promises). Lost Magic has mostly been an overlooked game despite countless positiv...[Read Review]
Yo-kai Watch 2
Released in mid 2014 to a Japanese audience and making its way the west a few years later Yo-kai Watch 2 builds on the original adventure to have you discovering Yo-kai, fusing and battling more than ever before. Starting the adventure soon after the events from the first Yo-kai Watch players will lead Nathan Adams or Katie Forester as they yield the powers of the Yo-kai Watch, a device that lets them communicate and see the Yo-kai of the world. Along the way players will adventure across the ga...[Read Review]
Tales of Grace f
Tales of Grace f is the PlayStation 3 port of the popular Japanese RPG that was originally released on the Nintendo Wii (only in Japan). The game is part of the long running Tales series with similar gameplay and story elements to the previous instalments in the franchise that have seen this JRPG rise the ranks amongst critics and genre fans alike. In Tales of Grace f players will have the opportunity to explore the fictional world known as Ephinea which is divided into three different countries...[Read Review]