Variety and Depth
Ni no Kuni II has a variety of game mechanics outside of core combat. One of the newest additions to the game is the ability for players to build their kingdom from the ground up. Making certain buildings and recruiting citizens with certain skills is important for gaining more skills and resources. To defend this kingdom and the citizens the player recruits, there is another mechanic that takes the form of skirmishes. Here, the player commands ranged and melee units to destroy and capture objectives. These skirmishes do not require deep strategy, but are enjoyable all the same. There are also dozens side quests for players to take up, but some of these can get a little bit boring or repetitive.
Ni no Kuni makes sure that the player is up to speed on all of its mechanics before it begins throwing more at the player. This can cause the first few hours to feel a bit lacking for more seasoned players, in terms of challenging content. However, partway through the game, challenges begin to spike in difficulty, and the mechanics steadily become more engaging as things start heating up.
For Sea of Thieves, there isn’t a much in the way of detailed game mechanics outside of combat. While the player is given a lot of freedom in acting out their pirate shenanigans, there isn’t much you need to learn to master the game. Other than the socializing aspect of the game discussed earlier, main mechanics boil down to sailing to an island and either finding a chest or item, or killing a couple of enemies before sailing back and claiming a reward.
The sailing mechanic requires teamwork, making it both fun and easy to do. However, gold earned from voyagers don’t really net a player any useful upgrades. Payoff tends to be cosmetic, more than anything. This can help to keep the playing field even for newcomers. However, since there is only a small variety of enemies and quest types, some players might not find the grind to be worth the effort, and lose interest in the game.
If you’re looking for more a game with a bit more variety and depth to its mechanics, Ni no Kuni II is far more up your alley.
