Soundtrack Review: Ni No Kuni

Studio Ghibli is quite the popular animation studio even in the West, with its lovely animated films such as Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke propelling it to near household-name status. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is the Ghibli's first foray into the world of video games, and fans of the studio will be happy to hear that its soundtrack is as lovely as that of any Ghibli film.

Table of Contents

• Game Information
• Creativity
• Implementation
• Replay Value
• Notable Tracks
• Final Score

Game Information

Release Date: January 22, 2013 (US)
Consoles: PS3
Developer: Studio Ghibli
Publisher: Level-5
Composers: Joe Hisaishi

Creativity

Just so we're clear, I'm only reviewing the music before the "White Witch" portion of Ni no Kuni, because as far as I'm concerned, the last bit of the game doesn't actually exist. So with that aside...

Ni no Kuni ~Main Theme~ -- Joe Hisaishi


Ni no Kuni's music is classic Ghibli music through and through, and the quality of the scoring is top-notch. Everything you've come to expect from a Joe Hisaishi anime score is present: the catchy melodies, delicate textures, creative harmonies, and beautiful orchestral performance. Ni no Kuni may in fact be my second-favorite Ghibli/Hisaishi score, topped only by Spirited Away.

Young protagonist: Check. Cute sidekick: Check. Beautiful scenery: Check.

There's no dispute about the quality of the music; what about its creativity? Admittedly, the soundtrack doesn't depart far from the standard Ghibli-Hisaishi formula, but the composer does take some creative approaches to his writing. Most striking to me was Hisaishi's numerous references to several of his own themes, which gives the entire soundtrack a more cohesive, unified feel. Apart from the main theme, the two most oft-referenced melodies are presented in the two clips below.

World Map ~Another World~ -- Joe Hisaishi


Drippy ~Shizuku~ -- Joe Hisaishi


The three themes are constantly referenced in various other pieces in the soundtrack. The main theme and overworld music act as themes that represent the game as a whole, with many tracks inserting or elaborating upon them. Drippy's theme, on the other hand, is a motif more specific to the fairies, playing either when Drippy plays an important role onscreen or in areas with many fairies.

Final boss themes are always my favorite parts of any soundtrack. The composers really go all-out in the composition, and Ni no Kuni's is no exception; there's a lot of clever writing in this theme. For instance, the motif introduced in the brass section at 0:26 is a deliberate nod to Shizuku's theme, first introduced as a melodic element and then later returning as a countermelody. At 1:11, an augmented version of the main theme is presented in all its glory. Both of these theme references work remarkably well even in the context of this dissonant, syncopated final boss theme.

The Decisive Battle -- Joe Hisaishi


Ni no Kuni's soundtrack isn't really anything we haven't heard before, but it is an exemplary Ghibli movie-style soundtrack. It's clear from the beautiful writing and clever thematic references that a lot of thought went into its composition, and the soundtrack is all the better for it.

Creativity Score: 9/10

Implementation

It's quite apparent through the music of Ni no Kuni that Joe Hisaishi is a film composer, and an absolutely brilliant one at that. Ni no Kuni has some of the finest cutscene music I've ever encountered in a video game, with quality on par with the best Studio Ghibli movies. Unlike many other games, which recycle in-game music for even its most dramatic mini-movies, many, if not all, of Ni no Kuni's prerendered cutscenes are individually scored. And just like in Spirited Away or Howl's Movie Castle, Hisaishi's music works wonders. In the clip below, for instance (minor, but very early, spoilers), Hisaishi's scoring masterfully captures the whimsical Ghibli feel, with a lingering hint of danger that steadily develops as the cutscene develops.



And just because I can't help myself, I'd like to share another piece of cutscene music, perhaps my favorite. It's toward the end so I won't show the movie alongside it, but the music contains so much depth and emotion that you can nearly picture what's happening on-screen. Not that there was ever any doubt, but Joe Hisaishi really is a master film composer.

Miracle ~Reunion~ -- Joe Hisaishi


However, if we move out from beneath the comfort of pre-animated cutscenes to the much more uncertain realm of in-game music, Ni no Kuni's soundtrack begins to demonstrate less consistency. It's not any problem with the music itself -- the soundtrack is still incredibly well-orchestrated and -performed -- but some of the music just doesn't work quite so well with what's going on in the game.

The worst offender, in my opinion, is the music played in the random enemy encounters (below). Perhaps I'm a random-encounter-music snob, but it just doesn't excite like I think a good battle theme (Pokémon, Eternal Sonata, Jade Empire, etc.) should. Compounding the problem is the fact that we hear this music all the time -- it may have been bearable during my first few random encounters, but my the end of the game, I felt like smashing my head against my controller every time the chirpy strings popped up again. It's a shame, because later on the track actually gets quite a bit better, but the encounters rarely lasted long enough to run through the entire piece -- a clear design oversight.



There are other examples of music that I don't think quite fits the gameplay, but a related issue I'd like to mention is the lack of any form of dynamic music. Yes, yes, I'm biased in favor of creative uses of dynamic music, but Ni no Kuni barely even tries, using only discrete tracks and the simplest of transitions (fades). It's not really a deal-breaker, but it is disappointing -- I would have loved to see Joe Hisaishi fully embrace the video game medium by trying his hand at dynamism.

Despite all of the negatives I just pointed out, there are also some examples of in-game music that really, really worked for me. The examples dearest to my heart (ears?) are when the main character Oliver adopts an alternate form of travel -- by ship, for instance -- and the overworld theme changes accordingly. Of particular note is when Oliver rides on his dragon, as seen in the video clip below. The first time I took to the skies on dragonback was an incredible experience -- the beautiful overworld theme in conjunction with the breathtaking aerial view nearly brought me to tears.



I think implementation was Ni no Kuni's weakest point. While the cutscene music was beautifully apropos, the soundtrack definitely had a few hiccups during gameplay, and the lack of any form of dynamic music was unfortunate. I can't in good conscience score too low, because some of the music really worked -- but I don't think the soundtrack quite lived up to its potential.

Implementation Score: 7/10

Replay Value

I'll admit it -- I'm not a huge fan of listening to movie soundtracks out of context, no matter how much I may have enjoyed the music as I watched the film. Video game music is different for me precisely because it's not like movie music, and many tracks can stand alone -- but Ni no Kuni's soundtrack much more closely resembles a film score than a video game score.

That being said, however, I'd like to add that Joe Hisaishi's Ghibli soundtracks comprise some of the few film scores I do occasionally still listen to, and Ni no Kuni is no exception. Hisaishi's music is invariably very melodic, which makes it catchy and singable, but at the same time supported by beautiful, clever harmonies that excite my more analytical ear. I admit I'm more of a sucker for the catchy stuff, and there are certainly examples of catchy tunes from this game, not the least of which is the credits theme (another version of the main theme):

Fragments of Heart (feat. Mai) -- Joe Hisaishi


In the end, how much you'll end up revisiting Ni no Kuni's music will depend on how much you enjoy listening to (beautiful) film soundtracks out of context. Despite the fact that I struggle with that, Ni no Kuni's music is so well-written that I do still occasionally dig it out to listen and to marvel at the incredibleharmonies. If you're a fan of Joe Hisaishi's Ghibli work, you definitely won't be disappointed with this one. You can purchase the Ni no Kuni soundtrack from Amazon or iTunes.

Replay Value Score: 8/10

Notable Tracks

Morning of Beginning -- Joe Hisaishi


Boss Battle! -- Joe Hisaishi


Over the Waves -- Joe Hisaishi


Miracle ~Reunion~ -- Joe Hisaishi


Fragments of Heart (feat. Mai) -- Joe Hisaishi

Final Score

Ni no Kuni's soundtrack is an enjoyable listen through and through. I wish the music worked a bit better in the context of the gameplay, but in the end, there's simply no denying that Joe Hisaishi is a remarkably talented composer. There's no question that Ni no Kuni can hold its head proud in the long tradition of beautiful Studio Ghibli soundtracks.

Final Score: 8/10