And just like in Spirited Away or Howl's Movie Castle, Hisaishi's music works wonders.
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.
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. 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. 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. Ni no Kuni's soundtrack isn't really anything we haven't heard before, but it is an exemplary Ghibli movie-style soundtrack. Both of these theme references work remarkably well even in the context of this dissonant, syncopated final boss theme. At 1:11, an augmented version of the main theme is presented in all its glory. 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. 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. 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.įinal boss themes are always my favorite parts of any 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. The three themes are constantly referenced in various other pieces in the soundtrack. Apart from the main theme, the two most oft-referenced melodies are presented in the two clips below. 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. 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.
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