Ni No Kuni did not mess around. Near the very start of its narrative, the plucky young Oliver has just witnessed the death of his mother after suffering a near death experience himself. While some of you may equate the Level-5 and Ghibli project with cute monsters and Pokemon aspects, the secret, subtle, and constant hurt of Oliver stuck with me.
I didn't have that same emotional reaction with Ni no Kuni II, but given that it's somewhat of a collective of what Level-5 has learned so far in their storied career, it works well enough as a follow-up.
via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/review-ni-no-kuni-ii-revenant-kingdom-494004.phtml