Cozy Sim Bloomwalker Officially Joins the Ni No Kuni Universe

When Netmarble unveiled its adventure-crafting game, Bloomwalker, at Gamescom 2025, it was evident that the developers drew significant inspiration from Studio Ghibli films, particularly Howl’s Moving Castle. Fast forward to today, and that inspiration has been given a semi-official nod, as the latest trailer for Bloomwalker at Tokyo Game Show 2026 confirms that the game exists within the same universe as Level-5’s Ni no Kuni RPG series.

If you missed the initial trailer for Bloomwalker, previously known as Project Bloomwalker, the resemblance to Studio Ghibli’s animation style is striking.

The game not only captures the visual essence of Ghibli’s work but also incorporates various thematic elements. Think of a living, moving house and a tiny sentient fire assisting with cooking—echoes of Howl’s Moving Castle. There’s also a giant magical cat with an unsettling grin reminiscent of My Neighbor Totoro, and a narrative focused on environmental restoration akin to Princess Mononoke.

While the art style strongly reflects Level-5’s Ni no Kuni games, which featured Ghibli’s collaboration, there’s a solid reason for this connection. Netmarble was behind the controversial mobile spin-off, Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds, released in 2021.

Earlier today at TGS 2026, we got our first fresh glimpse of Bloomwalker since its debut, and a subtle detail at the end of the trailer hinted at an unexpected crossover: copyright information for both Ni no Kuni and Level-5.

This marks the first indication that Bloomwalker is officially linked to Ni no Kuni, with the last main entry in the series being 2018’s Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom. However, the specifics of how Bloomwalker ties into the franchise and the extent of Level-5’s involvement in its development remain unclear.

Given that Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds was developed without Level-5’s assistance, it wouldn’t be surprising if Level-5 simply licensed the Ni no Kuni IP to Netmarble for Bloomwalker.

This could be promising news for Ni no Kuni fans, especially since Level-5’s reputation has recently suffered due to backlash from a presentation featuring generative AI that aired on September 10. Nevertheless, Netmarble has a lot to prove, especially considering its previous Ni no Kuni title utilized blockchain elements that were only removed this year.