Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 89 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 81 out of 89
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 89
  3. Negative: 0 out of 89
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  1. GamesBeat
    Feb 4, 2013
    72
    A video game that’s stunning to behold — one that can take players to unexpected emotional places and make them eager to push through the story to see the next brilliant cinematic. And we also get an experience that’s a bit too rooted in old Japanese role-playing traditions.
  2. RPGamer
    Feb 12, 2013
    70
    Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a very good game, but it features far too many easily-remedied design flaws to ignore. For players who can look past these flaws, however, a terrific adventure awaits. For all its faults, the game's charming story and loveable cast is one of the most memorable of this console generation. JRPG fans would be remiss to overlook it, but should also be aware that it's far from perfect.
  3. GRYOnline.pl
    Feb 7, 2013
    70
    Ni No Kuni is a game that conjures mixed emotions. Sometimes I got bored of chasing monsters, got tired of the fighting system that is hard to control, got irritated by some characters that like to repeat their dialogue over and over again, and I got saddened by plot twists - they were too obvious and stripped of symbolism that is present in Ghibli's movies. Despite that I wanted to play more, because almost every time something good happened at the exactly right moment, something that restored my faith in this universe. Ni No Kuni can surprise you till the end, but all in all - I wish it was something more.
  5. The Escapist
    Jan 24, 2013
    70
    What Ni no Kuni lacks in finesse it more than makes up for in quantity and packaging - there's tons to do and every single moment in the game is a visual delight. It can be extremely frustrating and makes some choices that don't quite work, but offers enough charm to ultimately win you over.
  6. Game Informer
    Jan 16, 2013
    70
    The journey can be fun; I liked collecting and growing familiars and watching the breathtaking world before me, but Ni No Kuni doesn't come without frustration. Enter for the beauty, but know it comes with a price. [Feb 2013, p.90]
  7. BigPond GameArena
    Jan 30, 2013
    65
    It's unfortunate that the story is so incredibly mundane, with a bad case of structural repetition for each main area. Oliver's grief is a valid emotion to ride, but it takes a back seat to so many hours of grinding.
  8. Polygon
    Jan 24, 2013
    65
    Level-5 hasn't created a bad game but an inconsistent one that doesn't seem to understand its own strengths and weaknesses. The flashy look and cheerful tone will pull some people through, but at its core, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is missing a chunk of its heart that's hard to ignore.
  9. GameCritics
    Mar 20, 2013
    50
    In a certain sense, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch seems to be exactly as advertised. The quality of the artwork is unimpeachable, just as one might expect from the studio that created it. Unfortunately, the beauty of Ghibli has been painted onto the unimaginative and poorly-executed design of Level-5. As a result, Ni No Kuni turns out as blandly as its name suggests.

Awards & Rankings

14
#14 Best PS3 Game of 2013
8
#8 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2013
4
#4 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2013

User Reviews

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User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1174 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,000 out of 1174
  2. Mixed: 99 out of 1174
  3. Negative: 75 out of 1174
  1. sirojasb
    Jan 22, 2013
    10
    I must say it is a wonderful storytelling with a nice gameplay never seen in a J-RPG from playstation 3, it makes rememeber the golden eraI must say it is a wonderful storytelling with a nice gameplay never seen in a J-RPG from playstation 3, it makes rememeber the golden era of the J-RPG from psone.… Full Review »
  2. leahcim
    Jan 22, 2013
    10
    I just want to say than you Studio Ghibli & Level 5 thanks for give us this masterpiece !!!
    The colors, the music, the battles, what a    I just want to say than you Studio Ghibli & Level 5 thanks for give us this masterpiece !!!
    The colors, the music, the battles, what a wonderful day am having.....    … Full Review »
  3. HunterzMoon
    Feb 18, 2013
    0
    An amazing game ruined by a horrific battle system.
    First off when you battle there are 2 computer controlled companions which help you out.    An amazing game ruined by a horrific battle system.
    First off when you battle there are 2 computer controlled companions which help you out. Now, you can control them individually by freely switching back and forth between them and your main character or just let them do their own thing. But seeing as the game isn't turn based and the A.I is terrible I have a few BIG issues which kill the game for me (I have now stopped playing after 15 hours). Fighting normal battles isn't really an issue as just spamming the attack button seems to work pretty well. There isn't the tactical aspect i was hoping for like with turn based battles.
    The final straw came was whilst fighting a certain boss. And the things which really drive me crazy is when a Boss does a special move you HAVE to defend or evade otherwise you take massive damage, its just how the game is, the tutorial teaches you all about defending and it is vital to all boss battles. So image my joy when I defend the bosses special attacks to find that the other 2 computer controlled players NEVER defend or evade. So i'm constantly having to keep healing them which soon depletes your magic. An even bigger problem is when Ester, the female AI, runs out of MP instead of using a captured Familiar (aka Pokemon) to fight, she just runs up to the boss and starts attacking with her harp doing a really useful 1 damage per attack, all the while getting smashed by the boss.
    Its a real big shame. The graphics, sound, and different things to do are brilliant, i was really enjoying this game. There's so much to do, tons of side quests, you can make you own items, weapons, armour etc. Apparently there's a casino and a battle arena and all sorts of other stuff to do and i was really looking forward to it. If this game had turn-based battles like Final Fantasy 7, it may have possibly become my favourite RPG to date. I just hope they fire whoever it was who decided to have computer controlled team mates, and make a sequel with turn-based battles because this real time idea was a massive FAIL. I'm certain alot of these reviews where written after just a few hours of gameplay, and if I had written a review after just a few hours I would have also given a 9 or 10, the battle system at first is fine because you don't have any stupid A.I team mates to ruin your day. But once you have the A.I on your team that all changes. I suggest you have a read through of the critic reviews, but don't read the paid for 90-100 scores. Read up on the fighting in the "mixed" reviews for more info on the poor battle system. Good luck, if you can see past the shocking battle system then you're in for a treat! Why, oh why, isn't there a proper Pokemon game in this style on a console! Oh and one more thing, when your captured familiars (aka Pokemon) take damage your character takes damage, that's right they share the same HP and MP which also sucks big time!    … Full Review »
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