Co-founded by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki, Studio Ghibli has changed the landscape of Japanese anime since its creation in 1985. The animation studio's talent in beautiful storytelling with important messages has touched creative mediums globally, from film and television to gaming. For example, in 2010, Studio Ghibli collaborated with developer Level-5 for the RPG Ni no Kuni franchise by producing animated sequences in the games.
Even outside of directly collaborating with developers, Studio Ghibli's impact is clear to see in a number of games, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildand Soulframe. The Japanese animation studio's influence shows no signs of stopping soon and continues to inspire gaming developers to create some of the industry's most stunningly artistic games.
6 The Wandering Village: Inspired By Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind & Princess Mononoke
In The Wandering Village, society has been driven from their homes by toxic plants and spores. While looking for shelter, they come across a colossal, wandering creature that they call "Onbu." They settle on the creature’s back and develop a symbiotic relationship as they both look for a new home that isn’t contaminated.
Described as a “city-building game with a unique touch,” the main crux of The Wandering Villageis very reminiscent of Howl’s Moving Castle. But the developer Stray Fawn’s main inspirations for the game were actually Nausicaä of the Valley of the Windand Princess Mononoke, as mentioned in their Kickstarter campaign. “As for the rest of the visuals, we wanted to go with a detailed painterly style, which matches the Ghibli aesthetic,” Markus Rossé, animator and tech artist at Stray Fawn Studios, told 80 Level.
The Wandering Village is available to play on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, macOS, and Linux.
5 Hoa: Inspired By My Neighbor Totoro
Hoa is a game that takes players right into the hand-painted backgrounds of Studio Ghibli through the eyes of a little fairy. Developed by Scrollcat Studios, Hoa is a relaxing platformer that includes a variety of magical creatures that help Hoa on her journey through breathtaking forests and other Ghibli-esque landscapes.
The game’s art director Son Tra Le took her love for My Neighbor Totoroand inserted it into Hoa, giving players the same experience she had watching the film. “If you take any still from My Neighbor Totoro, you’ll want to spend the rest of your life in it,” she told The Los Angeles Times. As for how they tackled transferring the Ghibli art style to game form, Hoa’s lead Ryo told 80 Level that they “spent a lot of time watching all Ghibli movies, researching their background art, breaking down the techniques, then finding a way to recreate that.”
Hoa is available to play on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, and macOS.
4 Europa: Inspired By Ghibli In General
Set for release sometime in 2023, Europa takes place on the smallest of Jupiter’s four moons. Players take on the role of Zee, an android who traverses the terraformed landscape to discover the mysteries of the abandoned Utopia, including what happened to the last human to live in the colony. Zee takes on their journey by running, gliding, and flying via the Zephyr jetpack, which can be upgraded to reach a point where Zee can endlessly fly across Europa.
Europa’s developers Helder Pinto haven’t shared any direct influences from Studio Ghibli in their game. But by looking at the trailer and its concept art, it’s clear that Europa’s environments and world-building take major inspiration from the beautiful work of the Studio Ghibli artists. And its focus on telling an “intimate story about growing up and humanity’s relationship with nature” will be very familiar to Ghibli fans.
Europa is currently in development for PC.
3 Yokai Inn: Inspired By Spirited Away
Yokai Inn wouldn’t be in development if it wasn’t for Studio Ghibli. “The concept of [the game] was drafted while taking inspiration from many Studio Ghibli films, especially Spirited Away,” its developer Shiba Pixels told Game Rant, adding that Princess Mononoke and Whisper of the Heart were also influential in the design process. “The main places where this inspiration manifests are in the character designs and color palettes.” In addition, Shiba wanted to use the “sense of wonder and adventure” in these films to bring life to their game.
Players can look forward to welcoming spirits (yokai) to their inn, which they will progressively improve through foraging, farming, and crafting. Described by Shiba as a “blend of Animal Crossingand Harvest Moon” with a hint of Stardew Valley, Yokai Inn effortlessly blends the best of these games with a Ghibli-infused spirit.
Yokai Inn is currently in development for PC and Switch.
2 Spiritfarer: Inspired By Spirited Away
Developed by indie studio Thunder Lotus, Spiritfarer helps players explore the complex process of death and grief. The game follows Stella, a girl who takes over from Hades’ ferryman Charon as she guides souls to the afterlife. As she does so, Stella completes quests on their behalf so they can rest in peace.
Inspired by Greek mythology, Spiritfarer’s detailed inclusion of different spirits and their stories finds its roots in Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away. In a documentary presented by The Escapist, Thunder Lotus’ marketing director Rodrigue Duperron said that the game “was very inspired by Spirited Away and the idea of that hotel for spirits.” 2D artist Marie-Christine Levesque highlighted that the bathhouse provided a significant influence on their work, “with all its disorganized just living together. And having someone who runs around in this and trying to figure things out and do chores and take care of people,” as Stella does in Spiritfarer.
Spiritfarer is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
1 Rogue Spirit: Inspired By Studio Ghibli In General
In Rogue Spirit, players become the Ghost of the Prince of the Kingdom of Midra. The land he once called home is under attack by a demonic evil known as the armies of Chaos, and it’s down to the Prince to possess these enemies and absorb their skills to defeat them.
Developed by the indie studio Kids With Sticks, the game was inspired by the work of Studio Ghibli from the very beginning. However, there isn’t a specific film that the team used as a reference. Instead, they used the collective feel and aesthetic of Ghibli art to support the narrative in their game. “What we take from a handful of Miyazaki’s films is primarily colorwork and design,” Kids With Sticks told 80 Level. “Contrast and the right color space are the basis of our work. Thanks to the fact that Ghibli movies use traditional painting techniques (watercolor, gouache), the palettes are very distinct.”
Rogue Spirit is available on Steam Early Access.