We’ve been covering Level 5 and Studio Ghibli’s new RPG Ninokuni pretty heavily thanks to our man on the street in Japan, Steve, so we’ve all been craving a look at this quirky game in action. So far info on the game in the US has been scarce but the video does show off some great things, first and foremost of which are how much the DS graphics look like Ghibli’s animations. I’m really impressed, but can’t decide if it’s a compliment to the DS or an insult to the games currently on the Wii that I thought the gameplay might be from the Wii version of the game.

Also shown is how the book that comes with the game will interact with the game itself. I like the idea behind it and think it’s a cool, if not totally original, way to get the play more engrossed in the story. Hopefully it is more than just a way to look up symbols to draw. I think the thing I’m most excited about though is the fact that the magical creatures all have the same clever design that pervious Ghibli projects have had. The lantern-nosed sidekick might be one of my favorites.