Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch was released in 2011 in Japan and received generally positive reviews from critics. The game was developed by Level-5 in collaboration with Studio Ghibli, a renowned animation studio. It combines elements of role-playing and adventure games, with a unique visual style inspired by Studio Ghibli's films. Critics praised the game's engaging storyline, charming characters, and captivating world. The game follows the story of Oliver, a young boy who embarks on a journey to a parallel world in order to save his mother. Throughout his adventure, Oliver encounters various companions, solves puzzles, and battles enemies using a system known as "familiars.
Ni No Kuni’s core gameplay is most reminiscent of a Tales game running headlong into Pokemon, with Ni No Kuni taking equal amounts of both games’ battle systems and melding their features into something fun, coherent and rewarding. Ni No Kuni draws from Pokemon in an obvious way; it emphasizes fighting with creatures you capture in battle. These creatures are called Familiars, and you’ll randomly be able to capture any creature you fight. Familiars can level up, equip weapons and armor and even evolve into stronger forms. The beauty of the system, however, is that it also takes a page out of Pokemon’s book in terms of longterm execution. You don’t need to capture every creature and level it up to ungodly heights. You can capture a dozen of them through the course of the game and be just fine, but there’s more there to explore and take advantage of if you choose to spend the time necessary to do so.
He finds his adventure and stumbles upon the group of characters that ultimately accompany him not because he s hurt, but because he wants to fix what s wrong with him and those around him. A portion of the sale from items purchased through the Amazon, GamesPlanet, Best Buy, Walmart, GameStop, and other 3rd party retailer links on this page directly support OpenCritic.
Throughout his adventure, Oliver encounters various companions, solves puzzles, and battles enemies using a system known as "familiars." The game's visuals were particularly well-received, with critics praising the attention to detail and the beautiful hand-drawn animations. The world of Ni no Kuni feels alive and vibrant, thanks to the collaboration with Studio Ghibli.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Review
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch looks familiar, archetypical and even safe, but underneath the hood, it’s none of those things. While developer Level-5 has stayed the course with many conventions of the genre, it’s likewise bucked the disturbing trend in JRPGs of emphasizing all of the wrong things, instead focusing on what any game that demands dozens of hours should: roping you in with solid gameplay, complemented by a wonderful story told by characters you care about. As such, Ni No Kuni gets its hooks into you almost immediately, and it refuses to let go.
We’ve come a long way since the glory days of the Japanese role-playing game in the 1990s. Indeed, many would argue that perhaps we’ve come too far. Today, the genre is split between the heavily watered-down and the absurdly niche. This leaves many of us floating somewhere in the middle, in the well-worn ether that, for some reason, too few developers and publishers have dare tread in the 21st century. But with Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, Level-5 has delivered something special: a JRPG that feels like the games of yore, looks like the games of tomorrow, and draws heavy inspiration from the classics old-school JRPGs fans adore. Oliver and his friends.
Ni No Kuni’s story revolves around a young boy named Oliver. Oliver is a citizen of Motorville, a serene hamlet seemingly ripped out of a photograph of 1950s America. What stands out about Oliver is how good-natured and kind he is; he’s not the badass, sword-wielding Any Hero of many games, and this is one of Ni No Kuni’s strongest points. You’re not playing as a brutish warrior or a devilish rogue. You’re playing as a young boy with a pure – albeit broken – heart.
Oliver gets along swimmingly with his mother, is polite to adults, and is pleasant to be around. He’d rather do his homework and talk about cars than cause any problems. All of this is super important, because Oliver’s nature is the central pillar of Ni No Kuni’s plot, not his physical strength, mental fortitude or arcane abilities. When his world suddenly falls apart around him after an unfortunate event early in the game, Oliver is briefly stirred, but his true nature shines through.
Indeed, Oliver doesn’t have an axe to grind. He’s not out for personal glory. He finds his adventure and stumbles upon the group of characters that ultimately accompany him not because he’s hurt, but because he wants to fix what’s wrong with him and those around him. This drew me in and made me care about Oliver and his unusual quest. I didn’t care about his stat progression or equipment loadout nearly as much as I cared about him as a person, and his ability to do endless amounts of good for a world (or worlds) hell-bent on standing in his way.
Loading PlayNi No Kuni’s core gameplay is most reminiscent of a Tales game running headlong into Pokemon, with Ni No Kuni taking equal amounts of both games’ battle systems and melding their features into something fun, coherent and rewarding. Ni No Kuni draws from Pokemon in an obvious way; it emphasizes fighting with creatures you capture in battle. These creatures are called Familiars, and you’ll randomly be able to capture any creature you fight. Familiars can level up, equip weapons and armor and even evolve into stronger forms. The beauty of the system, however, is that it also takes a page out of Pokemon’s book in terms of longterm execution. You don’t need to capture every creature and level it up to ungodly heights. You can capture a dozen of them through the course of the game and be just fine, but there’s more there to explore and take advantage of if you choose to spend the time necessary to do so.
On the other side of the coin, the Tales influence comes from the battle system itself. While you’ll be using Familiars in battle (in addition to fighting in battles yourself, should you so choose), those battles take place in open spaces and occur in real-time. So Ni No Kuni instantly becomes about more than pressing the X button and hoping for (or simply expecting) the best. Instead, it’s about maneuvering around enemies, finding weak spots and openings, switching in and out Familiars on the fly and occasionally resorting to Oliver and his human friends so they can use items and special moves, from spellcasting to mid-battle thievery. This adds layers of much-welcome depth.
Battling certainly rests at the crux of Ni No Kuni, but there’s a flood of content that swirls around the mere act of fighting, and this content draws voluminous amounts of charm out of the game. While Ni No Kuni’s narrative progression is largely linear and easy enough to follow, the game’s side quests run the gamut from standard and peculiar to unique and heartwarming. These side quests – called Errands – follow the typical JRPG protocol of “do this, get this,” but then again, the approach is entirely different. Unspeakable evil.
Instead of simply fetching an item for someone – which admittedly does happen on occasion – you’ll instead be expected to cure a character’s broken heart. The broken-hearted masses rest at… well… the heart of Ni No Kuni, and it just so happens that Oliver’s magical prowess can help save them. Whether a character lacks courage or kindness or even love, Oliver can take those pieces of heart from people who have too much and deliver them to those who are wanting. By following through with these side quests – of which there are scores – you’ll see Oliver for who he is: an unusually kind person. (There’s another class of side quest called Hunts, which are your typical “kill this enemy for me” tasks, and those are fun and rewarding too. But not nearly as rewarding as helping those around you.)
The real beauty of this system, however, is that there’s a tangible reward for completing side quests – whether errand or hunt-based – beyond the mere earning of coins and provisions. Ni No Kuni cleverly places within the grander narrative a metagame that’s entirely contingent on completing side quests. For completing them, you get tangible rewards, but you also get stamps on Merit Cards. The harder the quest, the more stamps you get, and each card of 10 stamps can be turned in for special rewards. Rewards range from getting more experience in battle to capturing Familiars more easily, and just about everything in between. This metagame becomes addicting the longer you play the game, exponentially increasing the likelihood of finding solutions to even the most difficult (and at times obnoxious) tasks.
Loading PlayWhile Level-5 did a wonderful job of concocting a worthy game, Ni No Kuni’s most overt draw is in how it looks, and for that, you need to look outside of the game’s developer and into the firm actually responsible for the graphics: Studio Ghibli, perhaps the most famous anime producer in the world. Ni No Kuni is unquestionably gorgeous; its stellar aesthetic transcends each and every inch of the game. You’ll see a vista and think to yourself “this is the most beautiful scene in the game.” Then, you’ll see something an hour later and you’ll think the same thing. This happens over and over again, because Ni No Kuni looks that much better than a vast majority of games on the market.
Ni No Kuni also contains an exceptional soundtrack, which always seems to hit the right notes (pardon the pun) for every situation. The music is catchy and memorable, but it also stirs emotion and draws you into the experience in ways few gaming soundtracks do. The composition of each individual track is adeptly executed – the music was written by famous Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi, after all – but it’s brought to even greater heights by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.
The game’s voice acting is also good for the most part, though Oliver’s voice acting is perhaps the most disappointing, which is unfortunate considering he’s the main character. The good news is that you can keep Japanese voice acting on and read along with the game’s subtitles. Either way, you get to take advantage of Ni No Kuni’s extraordinary Western localization, expertly translated and delivered, and no doubt the reason the game took so long to leave Japan.
Then again, everything taken into consideration, it was well worth the wait.
Verdict
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is one of the best RPGs I’ve played in years. Moreover, it joins the elusive ranks of the best PlayStation 3 exclusives, a group very rarely encroached upon by any studio Sony doesn’t own. Ni No Kuni is just that good: a beautiful mixture of the traditional makings of a JRPG combined with gorgeous graphics, a wonderful story, a great cast of characters and thoughtful gameplay. Better yet, I truly believe there’s something here even for those that don’t necessarily enjoy random encounters, level grinding and stat building. The story, characters, aesthetics and gameplay really do mix to make something special well outside of the JRPG niche. It took me just north of 40 hours to beat Ni No Kuni, and there’s still more for me to do. I didn’t complete every last side quest and I didn’t cruise through the entirety of the game’s battle arena. Word out of Japan is that the game’s coveted Platinum Trophy could take 80 hours to get, but know this: 40 hours with Ni No Kuni won’t allow you to see nearly all the game has to offer. I didn’t want the game to end. It proved one of those special experiences – like I’ve had with Final Fantasy VI, Wild Arms or Tales of Destiny in the past – where I didn’t want to see the conclusion. I wanted it to keep going. That’s because Ni No Kuni is just that special, and every RPG fan owes it to him or herself to pick it up and see why.
The game's soundtrack, composed by Joe Hisaishi, also received great acclaim for enhancing the immersive experience. Despite the positive reviews, some critics felt that Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch fell short in a few areas. The game's combat system was seen as simplistic and repetitive by some, lacking the depth and complexity found in other RPGs. Additionally, the game's pacing was criticized, with some areas feeling too drawn out or tedious. Overall, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch received a solid critic score, with an average rating of 8 out of 10. The game's strengths, such as its captivating storyline and stunning visuals, outweighed its flaws. It remains a beloved title among fans of RPGs and Studio Ghibli's works, with a sequel, Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, released in 2018..
Reviews for "The Critic Score for Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Demonstrates its Gameplay Depth"
1. Jessica - 2/5
I found Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch to be incredibly tedious and repetitive. The combat system was clunky and the storyline was lackluster. The graphics may have been beautiful, but that was the only redeeming quality of the game. Overall, I was disappointed and would not recommend it to others.
2. John - 2/5
Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch had so much potential, but it failed to deliver. The gameplay felt like a chore and the characters were not compelling enough to keep me invested. Additionally, the dialogue was cheesy and the voice acting was subpar. I struggled to find motivation to continue playing and ultimately gave up before reaching the end.
3. Sarah - 3/5
While Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch had a charming art style and interesting world, the gameplay mechanics left much to be desired. The combat system was overly complex and difficult to master, which made battles frustrating. Additionally, the pacing of the game felt off, with certain sections dragging on for too long. While it had its moments, I couldn't fully enjoy the game due to these flaws.
4. Mike - 2/5
Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch received high praise from critics, but I found it to be underwhelming. The story was predictable and the characters lacked depth. The gameplay felt repetitive and the side quests were often uninteresting. Overall, I couldn't connect with the game and was left feeling disappointed.