Nice Package! (Ni No Kuni, DS)

You know how in my last post--about Ni No Kuni II, which is being prepped for PS4 as we speak--I mentioned that I might publish a post about the original DS game's beautiful packaging soon?

Well, I decided to go ahead and publish it today rather than wait. Why? Because this Japanese title's packaging is beyond gorgeous, and I desperately want to spread the word about it, that's why.

Don't take my word for all of this blather. Check out the following photos and see for yourself.

This first snapshot, above, is of the front of Ni No Kuni's outer slip cover. This "slip cover" is a lot like those cardboard sleeves that so charmingly wrap around (and protect?) Japanese GameCube cases.

And here--again, above--we have the back of that same wrapper.

Beneath that slip cover is a rather large and sturdy cardboard box that is rather obscenely (I mean that in a good way) decorated.

Unsurprisingly, the backside of Ni No Kuni's box is as much of a looker as its front.

Why does this game's box need to be so darn big? Because it contains more than just a DS case and cartridge. Specifically, it contains this shockingly thick book:

This book has a hard cover, by the way. It also features some absolutely delicious illustrations, with the one below being a wonderful case in point.

Here's another noteworthy (not to mention drool-worthy) example:

The box also includes a copy of the Ni No Kuni DS game, of course.

Curiously, the ridiculously large book showcased in a few of the photos shared earlier doesn't offer up instructions on how to play this Japan-only DS title. That information is found in the manual that's tucked inside the case seen below.

If you'd like to catch a glimpse of one of that booklet's brilliantly illustrated pages, head over to my Flickr photostream at your earliest convenience. A few additional photos of Ni No Kuni's packaging can be found there, too, so you may want to check it out even if you're not all that interested in the game's instruction manual.

With all of that out of the way, have any of you played this particular version of Ni No Kuni (as opposed to the PS3 iteration, which was given a worldwide release)? If so, please share your thoughts about it in the comments section that follows.

See also: previous 'Nice Package!' posts