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Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
PlayStation 3
Ni no Kuni: It's Magic
4/5 stars
When I first heard that Studio Ghibli (responsible for some of my favorite animated films including Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke) and LEVEL-5 (who worked on the the Professor Layton games) were working on a collaborative RPG, I was immediately hooked. Moreso when I saw how the game was shaping up. Although it's far from perfect, those looking for a decent RPG for this generation should be quite happy with the results. It's a genre that has been neglected (in terms of what would be considered "classic RPGS") and though this is no old-school turn-based game, the spirit is there and it won't leave you hanging.
Presentation: In a word: stunning. You can tell Studio Ghibli had a hand in this as the character design is spot-on and takes inspiration from many of their films from Howl's Moving Castle to My Neighbor Totoro to Kiki's Delivery Service, yet even if you've never seen any of their films, you can't help be entranced by the vibrant color - whether it's from the characters or background - everything is very crisp and, well, animated.
I also have to give credit to composer Joe Hisaishi (I looked him up - he has quite the resume in Japan - including may of Studio Ghibli films) who crafts a soundtrack that is as memorable as the design. Rarely does music and game design come together as perfectly as in Ni no Kuni.
The real treat for fans comes in the many cut-scenes that were animated by the studio - a feature post-game lets you rewatch any of the scenes in your personal movie theater - and it does form a nice mini-movie.
About the only downfall I can really think (and it's nitpicking really) is that the English localization could have been a little better. It's really the most apparent in battles where characters utter the same phrases over and over again. It's still good compared to most other endeavors - but like anything translations, in my opinion, are never as good as the original. I should go back and play it in Japanese just to see if I like it better.
Story: A mix of Harry Potter and your standard hero's journey myth - a young boy loses his mother and, after promising to find a way to bring her back, finds himself in a world parallel to his - and finds his is a budding wizard to boot. The main character, Oliver, is your typical young boy - he isn't so sure of himself though he has determination. He is joined by the comic relief for most of the game, the fairy (and for this game, the term is used loosely as he resembles a Mr. Saturn from Earthbound more than the annoying "Hey Listen" Navi from Zelda) Mr. Drippy (not the best name, but hey, that's what you get).
Soon Oliver learns that many people in this new world are suffering from broken hearts - literally, they are missing a piece of their heart and Oliver, wand in hand, finds he has the ability to borrow pieces of heart from other people (who have an abundance to give) and fix the brokenhearted. You will be doing quite a bit of running around doing this during the game. Soon you find that this world is in peril (but of course it is) from an evil sorcerer - but he's not the main problem as the White Witch is really behind the whole thing.
You'll meet quite a few characters along the way who will help you (and gain two additional party members - the monster tamer Esther and the thief Swaine) as well as meet the rulers of the three kingdoms (a giant cat, a bovine and pig-headed magician). Locations are nice and varied - a desert town, coastal city, volcano, haunted trails, frozen cave, plenty of forests and, I kid you not, a giant fairy (inside!). While the story may not be exactly original - and at times is a bit on the safe, younger side - it is still a very well-rounded and solid effort.
Gameplay: Things are quite varied here - battles are real time and while you can switch between each of your characters, most of the time you will stick with Oliver. While each character has their own abilities (Oliver has powerful spells, Swaine can steal items, Esther is a buffer/healer) most of the battles will be fought with familiars. Every (non-boss) monster in the game can be tamed by Esther and stored. You can choose to fight with these monsters and, much like Pokemon, they can be transformed into stronger versions as you gain experience. You can do this three times - the first upgrade is a single choice but the next two diverge usually depending on if you wan to focus on magic or physical (or sometimes healing vs. damaging magic).
One thing that anyone starting out should know is that characters and familiars have a sign (Sun Moon or Star) and that pairing a familiar with the same sign is tantamount to creating a powerful bond and a more powerful fighter (or healer) all around. I would suggest consulting the web before going out an just grabbing a familiar that looks cool. It will seriously help you out in the long run. These signs also determine how much damage creatures deal in battle - kind of like rock/paper/scissors certain signs "beat" other signs and cause more damage.
Otherwise, there are plenty of things found here that are common to RPGs - plenty of extra sidequests and bounties you can run (and unlock some helpful abilities), an alchemy pot you can use to make items, weapons, armor and the like (along with those wonderful super-powerful weapons you have to grind endlessly for if you like that kind of punishment) and even some good old-fashioned gambling (you can cheat and make a lot of money by exploiting a flaw in the game design - yes, I totally did that).
The main flaw in the game design, however is that the AI is not the most dependable. While there are a few different modes you can choose, for the most part, your two other characters tend to use magic way too often. Switching between characters is also a chore as when you switch, they immediately recall their familiar, wasting valuable time in battle . The game is generous in giving you save points that restore your MP/Health - but I would also have liked the option to use a "tent" to instantly restore those points. As it is, MP recovery, large health recovery and items that resurrect characters are actually pretty rare and should be saved for the end of the game if at all possible. The game isn't too harsh (though at certain points is is advisable to level up your characters a bit) but early on things can be hairy (especially if you decide to explore beyond the proscribed areas). Don't be afraid to save often and reload if you run into issues.
Aside from wonky AI - most of the rest of the game is pretty good. You can be knocked out of casting spells or using items - which can get quite annoying - and some high level spells take a long time to cast. Eventually you get access for "All-Out Attack" and "All-Out Defense" - unfortunately these commands only apply to your secondary characters. If you order an all-out defense, you have to remember to also choose the "defend" option with your own character. Certain enemy spells can be devastating - they can also be near immediate - and more than once my main character would be hit just because getting to defend on time is so darn awkward. Another minor thing - but also still annoying.
I could think of a few things I would change in this department for sure - but nothing was a game-breaker for me. Yet this is also the area that could have used the most help.
Replayability: Not much - there isn't a new game plus - but you can continue the game after beating it. There are plenty more side quests, new golden monsters that appear and new formulas to concoct if you so choose. So there is more, just not any incentive to start over again (unless you want to check out that English/Japanese comparisons) .
Overall: Considering how hard it is to find a proper RPG these days, Ni no Kuni provides some respite. The game is not without its flaws, but the presentation is so amazing, I have no issue overlooking some of the technical shortcomings. Overall, while I can't quite say this is a classic, it is a great titles and one that any fan of classic RPGS should pick up.
Presentation: 5/5
Story: 4/5
Gameplay: 3.5/5
Replayability:3/5
Overall (not an average): 4/5
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