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NI NO KUNI: WRATH OF THE WHITE WITCH (PS3)
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Publisher: Namco Bandai.
Developer: Level-5. Released: February 2013 (Europe). Genre: JRPG. Posted 20th July 2014. By Shane Battams © 2014 |
It’s fair to say that the Japanese RPG has taken somewhat of a dive during the seventh gen. Gone are the golden days of Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy VII and Grandia, and instead we’re treated to generic stories, irritating characters and uninviting worlds (and that’s just Final Fantasy XIII). Perhaps that’s why Ni No Kuni is such a breath of fresh air. But it’d be a little unfair to dismiss its successes because the genre has become stale, as there are many wonderful things about this game. Whether it’s the engaging narrative, inviting world, or deep combat mechanics, playing Ni No Kuni is simply a joy.
Ni No Kuni follows the journey of a lad named Oliver, who lives in the whimsical town of Motorville. But things are turned upside down in an instant, as Ollie’s mother suffers a heart attack after saving her boy from death in a genuinely touching moment. But the adventure cheers up quickly, as Ollie’s tears bring to life Drippy, self-proclaimed High Lord of the Fairies. He informs Ollie that in another world, Oliver’s mother is twinned with a sage. Only through defeating the evil Shadar, who clasps control over the world, is there a possibility of saving her. But, as hinted throughout the game, there’s someone else pulling the strings, adding to the story a sprinkle of intrigue, and this all builds to a pretty cool reveal during the end sequence, avoiding convoluted JRPG tropes.
The Studio Ghibli influence is unmistakable: the visuals and the soundtrack are first-class. Ni No Kuni is a fan's dream come true.
It can’t be understated how enjoyable the story is here. Characteristics which are common to Studio Ghibli animations are in full force here: frequent moments of tender human emotion give life to these characters, cheeky wit often creates hilarious moments and Ni No Kuni’s cast of characters are great. Oliver himself can be a touch whiney in the beginning, but it’s great to watch him mature as both a wizard and a human being. The highlight of the game is definitely the mouthy fairy Drippy. He brings wit to many a situation, with an enigmatic Welsh accent that genuinely brightens the game. One particular story highlight comes when you visit Drippy’s home, packed with dozens of bizarre fairies who talk exactly like him. There’s so much laughter, you’ll bust a gut.
Like with most JRPGs, you travel between multiple towns and complete tasks aiding a bigger quest. Usually you are required to repair the broken heart of the town leader, entailing multiple objectives to do. Many a character become broken-hearted in Ni No Kuni, and the only solution is to borrow some emotion (be it Kindness, Enthusiasm or about four other emotions) from an NPC brimming with it. It never feels like Ni No Kuni is killing time, with each objective feeling natural to the conclusion. The fact that each locale is so varied also helps, as you never feel like you’re repeating your steps. The story builds nicely to an exciting conclusion, even if it suffers from a bloated, Return of the King-esque final act.
Like with most JRPGs, you travel between multiple towns and complete tasks aiding a bigger quest. Usually you are required to repair the broken heart of the town leader, entailing multiple objectives to do. Many a character become broken-hearted in Ni No Kuni, and the only solution is to borrow some emotion (be it Kindness, Enthusiasm or about four other emotions) from an NPC brimming with it. It never feels like Ni No Kuni is killing time, with each objective feeling natural to the conclusion. The fact that each locale is so varied also helps, as you never feel like you’re repeating your steps. The story builds nicely to an exciting conclusion, even if it suffers from a bloated, Return of the King-esque final act.
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The game benefits from a tremendous overworld to explore, which slowly opens up with multiple islands to sail and fly to. And eventually, you can even teleport, keeping walking to a minimum. Other elements, such as alchemising items, are slowly fed into the game, keeping everything digestible. There’s definitely incentive to explore though, such as earning rare items from fights and tiny pockets of dungeons not marked on your map. Cities are absolutely littered with Errands, and though they border on fetch-quests at times, the rewards outweigh the work, as stamp cards give you unlocks such as more XP from battles. Bounty Hunts are a fun way to test your skills in combat and similarly give stamp cards. Needless to say, Ni No Kuni’s world will have you hooked, and you could easily spend close to a hundred hours completing everything on offer.
Combat, a strange mix of Pokémon and tactical RPGs, is the highlight. Battles are very much rooted in the likes of Valkyria Chronicles, where you can issue commands to your fellow companions as well as gauge other aspects, such as how much magic they use, while letting you partake in the battle yourself. When it comes to fighting, you can strike, go into a defensive stance to reduce damage and perform screen-filling, MP draining specials. The other aspect of combat comes from Familiars. Ollie and his two companions start with a beginner Familiar, but eventually you can tame other creatures you run into. There’s more to training Familiars than simply levelling them up – you also breed them by feeding treats which increase specific stats. Eventually, you can feed your Familiar stones which evolve them, and though the first evolution is singular, the second evolution allows you to choose between two advanced familiars, each with different stats and bonuses.
Combat, a strange mix of Pokémon and tactical RPGs, is the highlight. Battles are very much rooted in the likes of Valkyria Chronicles, where you can issue commands to your fellow companions as well as gauge other aspects, such as how much magic they use, while letting you partake in the battle yourself. When it comes to fighting, you can strike, go into a defensive stance to reduce damage and perform screen-filling, MP draining specials. The other aspect of combat comes from Familiars. Ollie and his two companions start with a beginner Familiar, but eventually you can tame other creatures you run into. There’s more to training Familiars than simply levelling them up – you also breed them by feeding treats which increase specific stats. Eventually, you can feed your Familiar stones which evolve them, and though the first evolution is singular, the second evolution allows you to choose between two advanced familiars, each with different stats and bonuses.
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In other words, there is a lot of tactility to battles. Naturally, there’s some challenge in finding the best Familiars and levelling them up, as well as choosing the best treats to boost the right stats, and Familiars even have favourite foods which increase their growth quicker. During battles, tactical decisions, such as timing a defensive stance before a boss performs a devastating move can be the difference between success and getting a game over screen. It seems a lot to digest, but thankfully these different aspects are fed to you slowly, and it’s an incredibly fun combination of systems which makes battles great. But there are a couple of issues. Friendly AI can be a bit dumb at times, opting to use weaker attacks rather than use their stronger Familiars, and some tougher dungeons can lead to frustrating difficulty spikes, particularly if you have a weak crew of familiars against a boss. But it is never enough to make you give up on Ni No Kuni, and combat is deep, fun and refreshing.
Ni No Kuni also benefits from a tremendous production. A combination of Level-5’s typical cel-shading and Ghibli’s animation touches, such as great use of water colours and beautiful animated cut-scenes, much of Ni No Kuni is simply gorgeous. Towns bring great attention to detail, such as the individually crafted shops in Motorville, characters smoothly animate even outside of cutscenes, and creature designs are excellent. The audio feels as carefully crafted as the visuals. Each music composition feels natural to the many surroundings, such as the upbeat tumbas of the Fairy Village or the tender composition playing throughout a snow-covered island. The main theme is incredibly catchy, too. Voice acting is strong, with some excellent translation work here, and even the sound effects are a joy, such as the catchy little jingle when you find rare items.
Ni No Kuni is one of the best JRPGs to come around in years. Blending old with new to a satisfying degree, Level-5 still show their experience and skill with the genre. There’s just so much to enjoy: the engaging story, light-hearted humour, excellent world to explore and deep combat system. Everything is topped with care and love, whether it’s the beautiful visuals or the amazing music. Though some flaws can dampen the experience – particularly difficulty spikes and the draining final act – it is not nearly enough to prevent this from being amazing. Whether you’re a hardcore JRPG fan or not, there is no excuse not to buy Ni No Kuni. It is truly the honeymoon you’d want from a marriage of Level-5 and Studio Ghibli.
Ni No Kuni is one of the best JRPGs to come around in years. Blending old with new to a satisfying degree, Level-5 still show their experience and skill with the genre. There’s just so much to enjoy: the engaging story, light-hearted humour, excellent world to explore and deep combat system. Everything is topped with care and love, whether it’s the beautiful visuals or the amazing music. Though some flaws can dampen the experience – particularly difficulty spikes and the draining final act – it is not nearly enough to prevent this from being amazing. Whether you’re a hardcore JRPG fan or not, there is no excuse not to buy Ni No Kuni. It is truly the honeymoon you’d want from a marriage of Level-5 and Studio Ghibli.
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VERDICT
Visual: 9/10
Audio: 9/10 Gameplay: 9/10 Longevity: 9/10 OVERALL: 9/10 |
PIXEL SECONDS: NI NO KUNI: WRATH OF THE WHITE WITCH (PS3)
A much-vaunted meeting of minds between RPG specialists Level-5 and anime legends Studio Ghibli, Ni No Kuni was never likely to disappoint. Among the game’s numerous successes, the presentation is inevitably the most eye-catching. Its gorgeous, Ghibli-inspired visuals are some of the finest to have graced the PS3, capturing the breathtaking vivacity of the animator’s films; the perfect, magical kingdom archetype of Ding Dong Dell, the exotic desert marketplace of Al Mamoon, and perhaps best of all, the inimitable Fairyground, a forest populated by small Welsh sprites, most of whom harbour aspirations to a career in stand-up comedy, help to maintain a genuine sense of anticipation in discovering new places. The Wizard’s Companion is similarly worthy of mention; this huge book ostensibly acts as a guide to everything in the game. As well as a litany of useful tidbits and lore concerning the world’s locations and inhabitants, the Companion even encourages you to decipher an ancient language, craftily hiding tips in plain view. Its usage is invaluable, and with several hundred gorgeously crafted pages, it’s a real treat to pore over. The story is fairly good, if not always economically told (the translation descends into characters repeating each other’s names back at one another for a go-to dose of ‘heartfelt emphasis’), with a compact, likeable cast of central protagonists. It’s Level-5’s contribution that’s most significant however, reiterating their mastery of the traditional action RPG through strong combat mechanics, formidable depth and huge freedom to explore, adventure and generally have fun. Ni No Kuni sits comfortably alongside Dark Chronicle and Rogue Galaxy as a further example of how role-playing games can succeed – big, beautiful and undiminished – in modern gaming without taking shortcuts. [9] – Tom Clare © 2016
A much-vaunted meeting of minds between RPG specialists Level-5 and anime legends Studio Ghibli, Ni No Kuni was never likely to disappoint. Among the game’s numerous successes, the presentation is inevitably the most eye-catching. Its gorgeous, Ghibli-inspired visuals are some of the finest to have graced the PS3, capturing the breathtaking vivacity of the animator’s films; the perfect, magical kingdom archetype of Ding Dong Dell, the exotic desert marketplace of Al Mamoon, and perhaps best of all, the inimitable Fairyground, a forest populated by small Welsh sprites, most of whom harbour aspirations to a career in stand-up comedy, help to maintain a genuine sense of anticipation in discovering new places. The Wizard’s Companion is similarly worthy of mention; this huge book ostensibly acts as a guide to everything in the game. As well as a litany of useful tidbits and lore concerning the world’s locations and inhabitants, the Companion even encourages you to decipher an ancient language, craftily hiding tips in plain view. Its usage is invaluable, and with several hundred gorgeously crafted pages, it’s a real treat to pore over. The story is fairly good, if not always economically told (the translation descends into characters repeating each other’s names back at one another for a go-to dose of ‘heartfelt emphasis’), with a compact, likeable cast of central protagonists. It’s Level-5’s contribution that’s most significant however, reiterating their mastery of the traditional action RPG through strong combat mechanics, formidable depth and huge freedom to explore, adventure and generally have fun. Ni No Kuni sits comfortably alongside Dark Chronicle and Rogue Galaxy as a further example of how role-playing games can succeed – big, beautiful and undiminished – in modern gaming without taking shortcuts. [9] – Tom Clare © 2016