Music of Ni no Kuni

Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madoushi Original Soundtrack consists of music from Ni no Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn, composed by Joe Hisaishi and performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.[6] The soundtrack spans twenty-one tracks, covering a duration of 55 minutes. FRAME published the album on February 9, 2011.[8]

In the context of the game, the soundtrack was well received. Michael Baker of RPGamer found the game's music to be "top-notch", noting its appropriation for gameplay.[9] Patrick Gann of RPGFan called the soundtrack "beautiful", comparing it favorably to Koichi Sugiyama's work on the Dragon Quest series.[8] RPGLand's Janelle Hindman lauded the music as "gorgeously crafted", appreciating the lack of electronic or synthesized songs,[10] and Gigazine named it "magnificent".[11] Nintendo Gamer's Matthew Castle lauded the music, favorably comparing it to film soundtracks.[12]

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch ‒ The Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Joe Hisaishi
Released	March 29, 2013
Studio	Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	86:21
Label	Wayô Records WAYO-003~4

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch ‒ The Original Soundtrack consists of music from Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, composed by Hisaishi and performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.[6] The soundtrack spans two discs; the first disc is a re-release of the Japanese soundtrack, with twenty-one tracks, while the second disc contains twelve additional tracks from Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. Both discs cover a duration of 87 minutes. Wayô Records published the soundtrack on March 28, 2013.[13]

In the context of the game, the soundtrack was well received. Colin Moriarty of IGN felt that it was appropriate in every situation, praising its ability to create emotion and involve players in the experience.[3] GameTrailers found the soundtrack "powerful", commenting on its appropriate use during gameplay,[14] and GamesRadar's Brittany Vincent named it "breathtaking".[15] Jen Bosier of Forbes approved of the soundtrack's usage within the game, particularly praising the piano pieces.[16] Jim Sterling of Destructoid favorably compared the soundtrack to Dragon Quest VIII, praising the orchestral qualities and "sense of fun".[17] Chris Scullion of Computer and Video Games wrote that the music ensures the game "sounds as good as it looks".[18] Robert Steinman of RPGFan felt that the music perfectly sets the tone of the game, stating that it is among "some of the best work" of video game music,[13] and Jasmine Rea of VentureBeat found that the music "enhances the overall Ghibli quality" to the game.[19] Eurogamer's Oli Welsh called the music "a lush and romantic treat", though criticized the repetitiveness of the battle music.[20] Kirk Hamilton of Kotaku echoed similar remarks, heavily criticizing the battle music, but otherwise calling the music "uncommonly gorgeous".[21]

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch won Best Sound from Cheat Code Central,[22] and the soundtrack received nominations at the 2011 International Film Music Critics Association,[23] 2014 SXSW Gaming Awards[24] and Spike VGX 2013,[25] and from Destructoid[26] and GameTrailers.[27] The game's main theme, "Kokoro no Kakera", also won the award for Original/Adapted Song at the 13th National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards.[28]

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Original Soundtrack consists of music from Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, again composed by Hisaishi and performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. It was released by Avex Entertainment in Japan and worldwide by Wayô Records on June 6, 2018.[29][30][31]