Play Ninokuni - Shikkoku No Madoushi (J) Online

Ninokuni: Shikkoku no Madoushi came out on the Nintendo DS in 2010, developed by Level-5. It was a late-era DS title that really tried to push what the hardware could do, especially with its presentation and use of the touch screen. The game stands out for its distinct visual style, which was handled by Studio Ghibli, giving it a very specific look and feel among other RPGs on the system.

You control a young boy named Oliver, who ventures into a parallel fantasy world to save his mother. Gameplay involves exploring towns and the overworld, engaging in real-time monster battles where you command familiars, and most uniquely, drawing specific symbols on the touch screen to cast spells both in and out of combat. The main objective is to restore balance to this other world by helping its inhabitants and confronting a spreading darkness. The pacing is deliberate, with a story that takes its time to unfold, and the difficulty can spike during some boss fights. It feels like being part of an interactive storybook where your direct actions, like drawing a rune to put out a fire or heal an ally, have immediate and tangible results.