One of my all-time favourite games is The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker on GameCube. A large part of its appeal is its use of cel-shaded graphics which lend it a unique, cartoonish charm.

I’ve often wondered how cel-shaded visuals would make the transition to the current generation of consoles, and have even played some titles like Tales of Vesperia on Xbox 360 which utilises a fairly subdued form of this technique.

Ni no Kuni on PlayStation 3 is one of the few games I know of which takes cel-shading to the next level in terms of detail, animation and overall artistic achievement.

Renowned animation company Studio Ghibli is responsible for Ni no Kuni’s stunning anime presentation, while Level-5 assumes the role of developer and publisher.

Ni no Kuni is sure to be a huge hit in Japan when it releases exclusively for PS3 on November 17th. Unfortunately there’s been no confirmation of a Western release, although in all likelihood the newly created American branch of Level-5 will localise and distribute it in the U.S. sometime next year.

Judging from the latest trailer for the game, Ni no Kuni will be an epic RPG with a lively cast of characters, satisfying exploration elements and a traditional JRPG battle system.

Are you a fan of Studio Ghibli’s films, and do you approve of Ni no Kuni’s cel-shaded graphics? We’d love to hear your views!