Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

 PlayStation 3
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
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  1. mrnice
    Dec 25, 2013
    7
    I'm a mid-twenties man who just emerged from forty hours in Ni No Kuni. If I was ten years younger and it was my first JRPG, it might well have been the best game ever. But there is so much grinding, so many elements I've seen exactly like this before. The first two hours introduced the story magically, touchingly, worthwhile-y, but were also way too easy. The battles became hard duringI'm a mid-twenties man who just emerged from forty hours in Ni No Kuni. If I was ten years younger and it was my first JRPG, it might well have been the best game ever. But there is so much grinding, so many elements I've seen exactly like this before. The first two hours introduced the story magically, touchingly, worthwhile-y, but were also way too easy. The battles became hard during the game, and even on the easiest difficulty, I had plenty of challenge. The 'Pokemon' aspect seems like a gimmick for much of the game, but when you play quests that ask you to find specific monsters, it makes a whole lotta sense. The environments are not very lively, since apparently they were designed to fit on a Nintendo 3DS cartridge or something. So it's definitely not a system-stretcher. But I loved the story, I loved how it taught morales every few hours and contained a lot of (common) wisdom in the greater theme. I loved the translation work, where especially "flipping" has become my new favorite alternative to 'freaking', or 'f***ing'... The meow-ifications of the cats' vocabulary, and the extreme amount of puns (the skeletons that say "having the time of my death" etc) were absolutely wonderful. Scenery and places and characters are all Ghibli magic. The only thing that weighs the title down is the triviality of the grinding/travelling, and how many elements are lifted from earlier titles of the genre. Still, what a wonderful game, at places! It's a true adventure of rich imagination. Too bad the game mechanics aren't as imaginative.… Expand
  2. LilD
    Mar 1, 2014
    6
    By all appearances, I should love this game. It has an endearing personality, has elements of classic RPGs, and the combat is reminiscent of Pokemon. I really wanted to like this game. I rarely quit games, but after about 17 hours into the game, I cannot go further.

    I’ll begin with the obvious strength of Ni No Kuni. The overall presentation of the game is phenomenal. The menus are    By all appearances, I should love this game. It has an endearing personality, has elements of classic RPGs, and the combat is reminiscent of Pokemon. I really wanted to like this game. I rarely quit games, but after about 17 hours into the game, I cannot go further.

    I’ll begin with the obvious strength of Ni No Kuni. The overall presentation of the game is phenomenal. The menus are slick, the music is top-notch, and the writing is witty. The game does come off as childish, but I thought it added much to its own personality.

    However, once the smoke clears and the reality sets in, I started to realize many of the games shortcomings. First, the beginning of the game is excruciatingly boring. The beginning is riddled with cutscenes, hand-holding gameplay, basic combat, etc. It isn’t until about 6 hours in until the game begins to pick up.

    The game has two glaring flaws, the story and the combat. The story begins as a heartwarming tale of a son trying to save his mother. Aside from that, there isn’t much meat to the story. The characters aside from your trusty sidekick Drippy are extremely bland and one-dimensional. The combat borrows much from that of Pokemon, but lacks any of the fun strategy elements of the Pokemon games. There is a lot of just mashing the attack button during the wild battles. Many of the combat’s problems are more noticeable during boss battles. While it’s nice that not two boss battles are alike, about half of the boss battles are very difficult because the game randomly spikes the difficulty forcing you to level up your characters, which ruins much of the game’s continuity. The combat has too many menus, so you’ll find yourself getting pummeled while trying to find that one attack. Additionally, your party AI is unbelievably bad. They don’t defend. They always waste their MP immediately even after changing Tactics. This can make the battles incredibly frustrating.

    The game’s fun comes from sidequests. It is fun to explore and their Merit System is one of the best sidequest systems I’ve played. You can use your sidequest successes to purchase helpful aids that will help in the main storyline. While the sidequests are fun, the main story is incredibly shallow. There is a ton of handholding and a lot of unnecessary dialogue.

    Overall, I found its flaws too much to continue and Ni No Kuni is one of the most disappointing games I’ve played in awhile.    … Expand
  3. sivis
    Apr 14, 2018
    5
    I have started the game expecting 9/10 but it is actually 6/10 game AT BEST. **** and shallow battle system, **** of boring copypasted side quests, time wasting slow animations, story for kids 5+ and no character development. I am incredibly disappointed in this turd.
  4. TerrenceG
    May 2, 2013
    5
    I feel like this game has been grossly overrated by both fans and professionals alike. 100% of the game is hand-holding and unchallenging. Grind 4 or 5 levels at the start of the game and you'll breeze on through. Equipment is available, but the stat changes are so insignificant you can go without.
    Admittedly I haven't completed the game yet, but I've sunk about 20 hours into it, about 14    I feel like this game has been grossly overrated by both fans and professionals alike. 100% of the game is hand-holding and unchallenging. Grind 4 or 5 levels at the start of the game and you'll breeze on through. Equipment is available, but the stat changes are so insignificant you can go without.
    Admittedly I haven't completed the game yet, but I've sunk about 20 hours into it, about 14 of those hours being dull, repetitive fetch quests.
    Wouldn't recommend except to die-hard Studio Ghibli fans, the storyline is alright if you can deal with the boring gameplay.    … Expand
  5. Superwowzer
    Jul 20, 2014
    5
    I found this game remarkably tedious, even for a JRPG. Picture: running errands all day, only with Pokemon. Take my experience with a grain of salt, as I became too bored to finish the game. Many people love it, but I found the game lacking "wow" moments.
  6. okamimiyazaki
    Jun 21, 2013
    5
    Sadly, very disappointed by this game. It's just not the fusion between DQ VIII and Miyazaki that I thought it would be. The music and art are phenomenal, but the gameplay is bland and repetitive. It becomes extremely predictable go to a major city to do something, find out that ruler of city has issues, do some chores, fix his issues, move on to the next city. It's the same thing over,Sadly, very disappointed by this game. It's just not the fusion between DQ VIII and Miyazaki that I thought it would be. The music and art are phenomenal, but the gameplay is bland and repetitive. It becomes extremely predictable go to a major city to do something, find out that ruler of city has issues, do some chores, fix his issues, move on to the next city. It's the same thing over, and over, and over again. Horrible design. The combat also gets old with the horrific UI and ability to only control one character. It didn't work well in Rogue Galaxy (despite how much I loved that game) and it was even worse here. I just couldn't push myself to finish the game, even though the plot was cute and interesting.… Expand
  7. sias
    Jun 12, 2013
    7
    Good: Wonderful art style, animation and cute voice acting, with tons to see and do. Ni No Kuni is a wonderfully epic old-school JRPG that revives the overworld and elements of exploration that franchises like Final Fantasy have cast away. The story is simple, but heartfelt and the characters equally simple yet colourful. A wonderful game for children or anyone who's looking for a cutesyGood: Wonderful art style, animation and cute voice acting, with tons to see and do. Ni No Kuni is a wonderfully epic old-school JRPG that revives the overworld and elements of exploration that franchises like Final Fantasy have cast away. The story is simple, but heartfelt and the characters equally simple yet colourful. A wonderful game for children or anyone who's looking for a cutesy adventure devoid of cynicism and violence.

    Bad: However, Ni No Kuni is let down by a poorly designed combat system where party and enemy combat animations cancel each other out creating some very unfair battles; and a frustrating pokemon-like taming mechanic which cannot be actively influenced and so requires nothing but mindless grinding. In addition to these flaws, side quest design is underwhelming and requires an awful lot of tedious NPC hunting and party AI during battle is at times atrocious, artificially increasing the difficulty of the game.    … Expand
  8. skeith
    Jan 25, 2015
    6
    I have finished the game and I somehow do not get the hype of this game, I think this game is really mediocre.

    The story is boring for me, cliche. The battle system is boring, you just keep leveling up and then keep smashing the attack button. Uninteresting characters, except for Mr. Drippy, that is the only one I liked in the game. The game has its upside though, beautiful and peaceful    I have finished the game and I somehow do not get the hype of this game, I think this game is really mediocre.

    The story is boring for me, cliche. The battle system is boring, you just keep leveling up and then keep smashing the attack button. Uninteresting characters, except for Mr. Drippy, that is the only one I liked in the game. The game has its upside though, beautiful and peaceful world, great soundtrack, alot of exploration and that is a must for JRPG. In conlcusion, I think this is a game for JRPG fans, if you are it is a must buy.    … Expand
  9. LumpyPotato23
    Feb 9, 2013
    7
    Bottom Line: If you are a JRPG or just an RPG fan, this game is worth owning and I can confidently say you will enjoy it, however there are some pacing issues which makes the game difficult to play through at times. The Good: Ni No Kuni is probably one of the most visually appealing games that I have played in a long time and I salute the developers for how they blended the story, musicBottom Line: If you are a JRPG or just an RPG fan, this game is worth owning and I can confidently say you will enjoy it, however there are some pacing issues which makes the game difficult to play through at times. The Good: Ni No Kuni is probably one of the most visually appealing games that I have played in a long time and I salute the developers for how they blended the story, music and visuals together to create beautiful synergy that is appealing to players. In addition, the story, while lacking some character development, is solid and constant with elements that compels you to continue playing. It is easy to lose hours of daylight playing Ni No Kuni so I recommend you keep a schedule just so you remember to eat. Ni No Kuni plays out a lot like a movie and I am glad they were able to incorporate some movie like aspects to this game because like most RPGs the story is what drives the game. On an individual level, battle is engaging because of the variety of options you have to command. You can use your main character who will specialize in particular skills or use your familiars for more specialized stats that better serve the battle field. There are a lot of side quests, exploration and a variety of different things that can consume your time in Ni No Kuni, which gives this all ready long game even more content for the player to enjoy. The Bad: Ni No Kuni defines for players what it truly means to grind. Normally grinding is not a thing that would bother me, but in Ni No Kuni compared to other RPGs makes grinding mandatory. This is because the battle difficultly grows exponentially whenever you travel to a new section and if your characters are under leveled then be prepared to get beat more than a punching bag. Thanks to this grinding it slows down the pace of the game and I safety compare the pacing of this game to being on a glacier moving aimlessly through the ocean. This means that it is possible to invest hours of game play and get only one suspenseful and/or engaging moment in the storyline. What makes matters worse is the AI lacks basic survival skills due to their nasty habit of charging the enemies only to get stomped to death. This is particularly troublesome during boss fights, which at times comes down to Oliver and the over-powered, over-sized baddie. While the game will give you basic commands like All-Out Attack and All-Out Defense the tactics involved in battle don't go deeper than that, but it will help you keep your AI allies alive longer. Perhaps the lack of tactics was a game mechanic choice to show the inexperience of Oliver's leadership capabilities, but I certainly wouldn't complain if they made the AI commands more specific. You could try micro-managing, but that will get frustrating quickly.… Expand
  10. BigDragon
    Feb 19, 2013
    7
    The Good This game attempts to combine the monsters of Pokemon, epic world and scope of Final Fantasy, gameplay of Secret of Mana, and story of a movie like Spirited Away. It does a great job of wrapping these things up and creating a beautiful and eye-catching package. Sometimes making a good game isn't about pushing polygons or competitiveness. I really enjoyed the characters,The Good This game attempts to combine the monsters of Pokemon, epic world and scope of Final Fantasy, gameplay of Secret of Mana, and story of a movie like Spirited Away. It does a great job of wrapping these things up and creating a beautiful and eye-catching package. Sometimes making a good game isn't about pushing polygons or competitiveness. I really enjoyed the characters, environments, and story development in this game. It's nice to play a modern JRPG. The inclusion of anime scenes and voice talent also added to the experience. Overall, a great game worthy of investing time into. There are so many characters and creatures to discover and environments to roam around in. We need more games like this one! I had to borrow a PS3 to play this title and do not regret it.

    The Bad Jack of all trades, master of none applies here. I found the familiar/monster designs to be rather lacking. It seems they took the good designs and played a DLC shell game with them across regions and retailers. The DLC creatures are much stronger than the ones in the normal game resulting in a major difficulty spike when you try to leave the first continent. This game could have really benefited from more appealing creatures to catch. Furthermore, the actual mechanics where you impress and tame creatures are unbelievably tedious. Metamorphosis resetting creature levels back to 1 is also very annoying. The combat seems to revolve around running away, restoring MP because it drains so quickly, and bumbling through switching to and from characters to keep the AI from failing to defend against attacks. Really tedious much of the time. The game also could have benefited from more voice acting rather than switching between anime, in-game animation, and wall of text mode. PS3-exclusivity also hurts this title by limiting its audience. They really should put together a Kickstarter campaign to get this game released on Steam for the PC.

    Final Word If you're a fan of Pokemon, Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana, Breath of Fire, Chrono Trigger, or other JRPGs then you should definitely pick up Ni No Kuni. The wall of text dialogue, tedious battles, and frustrating AI may (but not necessarily!) deter everyone else.    … Expand
  11. Cyber_Angel
    May 16, 2020
    6
    Beautiful, great music and art, interesting story, but dull, repetitive and challenging combat mar it for me. Such a shame.
  12. Kenmei
    Feb 3, 2013
    5
    I gotta say, this game had me fooled. After reading all the wonderful reviews, I felt like it was a no brainer for me to purchase. After playing it for awhile, I can't help but feel like this is Dora the Explorer in a fantasy world. Everything is far too cute and cuddly for me. I feel like this game's setting is meant for children and I've got zero interest in pretty much everything goingI gotta say, this game had me fooled. After reading all the wonderful reviews, I felt like it was a no brainer for me to purchase. After playing it for awhile, I can't help but feel like this is Dora the Explorer in a fantasy world. Everything is far too cute and cuddly for me. I feel like this game's setting is meant for children and I've got zero interest in pretty much everything going on in the game. The battle system is decent but I was hoping for something more engaging seeing as how it was compared to the Tales series in the reviews. In the end I just feel like this game was meant more for children than adult gamers. It's not the JRPG revolution that people made it seem like and I'm actually very disappointed that a game with this kind of content matter is being seen as a serious, mature game meant for the real gamers out there. Goes to show that people are so desperate for another classic JRPG that they will say anything is the next FF VII.… Expand
  13. Carlitoxic
    Jun 13, 2014
    6
    Ni no kuni es un buen RPG con unos valores altos de producción. Como en algunas películas del estudio Ghibli, peca de tener tramas sosas que son sólo un conducto para mostrar la belleza de la pincelada y el arte visual de este equipo. La trama se me antoja muy infantil, hasta el punto de perder el interés. Y lo mismo ocurre con los combates y los mini pokemons que usamos para pelear.Ni no kuni es un buen RPG con unos valores altos de producción. Como en algunas películas del estudio Ghibli, peca de tener tramas sosas que son sólo un conducto para mostrar la belleza de la pincelada y el arte visual de este equipo. La trama se me antoja muy infantil, hasta el punto de perder el interés. Y lo mismo ocurre con los combates y los mini pokemons que usamos para pelear. Termina siendo todo un poco ñoño. Es una pena que el estudio no haya elegido un estilo más parecido al de la Princesa Mononoke por ejemplo, porque estaríamos hablando seguramente de un RPG épico.… Expand
  14. wesker2012
    Jan 26, 2013
    7
    I'm a bit disappointed with this game. I was expecting for sure it would blow me away and would be a solid 10 game or def. at least a 9. The first problem with the game is although its supposed to be an emotional journey, you never really any emotional weight in the game. You are merely just going through the motions of what the game tells you to do. The game moves at a glacial paceI'm a bit disappointed with this game. I was expecting for sure it would blow me away and would be a solid 10 game or def. at least a 9. The first problem with the game is although its supposed to be an emotional journey, you never really any emotional weight in the game. You are merely just going through the motions of what the game tells you to do. The game moves at a glacial pace and I was expecting the pace, emotional weight, and gameplay to pick up and come together as a fun and emotional journey. But it never becomes that game. Instead most of the dialogue is needless and skippable. And you feel like you are going from one place to another just for the sake of it. You never really feel any urgency to your quest. The gameplay mechanics at first are creative and refreshing but get old after the umpteenth time in battle. The story and pacing becomes predictable and a bore while the only thing that keeps you playing is to see the next gorgeous locales and to see if there are any cool twists in the story. The sidequests aren't that fun either and are chores. The upsides of the game is its unique mix of warm, humorous, and dark themes and locales in the game. The voice acting is great but I wish there was more of it. Overall, if you a fan of tradional RPGs, you'll love this game otherwise if you are growing a bit tired of the formula, you might be a bit disappointed. All in all, it's a solid RPG.… Expand
  15. yesterdayatnoon
    Feb 9, 2013
    6
    This game is great fun and looks exceptional, but falls short on polish.

    The animated sequences are beautiful and the animation handled affectionately. Unfortunately, the frame rate is much too low to a point where it is noticeable even to those who don't normally care. The game play is interesting for a jrpg, they put in tons of puzzles and unique ways of interacting with the    This game is great fun and looks exceptional, but falls short on polish.

    The animated sequences are beautiful and the animation handled affectionately. Unfortunately, the frame rate is much too low to a point where it is noticeable even to those who don't normally care.

    The game play is interesting for a jrpg, they put in tons of puzzles and unique ways of interacting with the world. A host of spells give you seemingly limitless options for adventure. Unfortunately, you are prompted with the the problem, and the solution immediately each time. You aren't given the option to explore different solutions to a problem, when presented with a simple substitution code you are given the answer. The only exception to this so far seems to be a ghost boy who asks you to do what the rest of the game doesn't, think.

    The tutorial seems to go on for ever, but that is actually regular game play; twenty hours in and drippy is still double prompting for everything.

    There are also certain things that are just handled in an inefficient manner. You receive a prompt to chose what monster to summon at the beginning of each battle. Feeding your pets is time consuming and constant. Your wizard journal has information in it that is useful on another screen requiring a pen and paper rather than letting you save your spot in the book and flip back to it quickly. These are all generic usability concerns that weren't addressed. Having said all this mean stuff, the game is very similar in game play and visual style to Level 5's dragon warrior 8 and plays about as well. They adapt studio Ghibli's style as well as they did Akira Toriyama's. The dialogue and characters in the world are awkwardly funny and just the right amount of goofy and the hero being a nice kid rather than some sort of vile aberration is also a nice change.

    It would be nice if Level 5 could go through and iron out some kinks, but I doubt that will happen. Still a very nice game I'd recommend to anyone.    … Expand
  16. ShunOugarden
    Feb 19, 2020
    5
    Weird battle system : you choose action and let the character play... well, turn by turn will be more appropriate. Not a game for me after 15h finaly.
  17. Vzhik
    Aug 22, 2018
    6
    Нормально.

    История очень тащит. Эта тема с помощью вернуться в нормальное состояние людям замечательная. Очень хорошо, что сделали историю личной - спасение мамы, пытаться продолжать жить, восстановление целостности людей.. Потому что без историй которые будут цеплять за живое, я например не смогу долго играть в такое. Так как бои наинуднейшие. Очень часто жал "сбежать", хоть и нашел    Нормально.

    История очень тащит. Эта тема с помощью вернуться в нормальное состояние людям замечательная. Очень хорошо, что сделали историю личной - спасение мамы, пытаться продолжать жить, восстановление целостности людей.. Потому что без историй которые будут цеплять за живое, я например не смогу долго играть в такое.
    Так как бои наинуднейшие. Очень часто жал "сбежать", хоть и нашел эту функцию во второй половине игры :-) Благо гринда не много. Всего пару раз по десятку боев пришлось повоевать, что б на несколько уровней подняться. В ледяной пещере и на финальном боссе. Закончил на 51 лвл.

    С большими перерывами, не спеша, нормально играется. Но в целом играть или нет, я хз. Если важны душевные истории, то да стоит. Если происходящее не цепляет, то наверно и можно пропустить. .    … Expand
  18. MadOrange64
    Jul 8, 2015
    7
    I'll keep this review short and straight to the point. The combat and is awesome but the team AI are brain dead, so it will be a pain in the ass later on the game. The story is the weakest feature in the game, i hated Oliver (the main protagonist) he was a whining **** ( he's basically like Shinji from Evangelion with more whining) there is nothing interesting about him and the main plotI'll keep this review short and straight to the point. The combat and is awesome but the team AI are brain dead, so it will be a pain in the ass later on the game. The story is the weakest feature in the game, i hated Oliver (the main protagonist) he was a whining **** ( he's basically like Shinji from Evangelion with more whining) there is nothing interesting about him and the main plot is decent but it's hard to care about the main characters because they are so predictable. The familiars are awesome and unique but it's always a pain in the ass when you want to add a new one to the team because it requires a lot and i mean A LOT of grinding that i ended up editing my save file to the max level so i can actually progress in the plot. The lore is interesting and the world is so gorgeous there are a lot of fun side quests that are actually rewarding, completing side quest will add a new mechanic every time like jumping for example. The soundtrack is simply flawless. Overall this is one of the best JRPGs to date but it has a lot of issues that held it back from being in my top 10. This game is on sale most of the time in the PSN, for the price of $9 it's a steal.… Expand
  19. Rumtots
    Sep 7, 2013
    5
    As a big Ghibli and old Final Fantasy fan I thought this game was something I needed in my life. The visuals are really well done from a technical point of view, but beyond that everything starts to fall apart. Perhaps I'm just old and jaded, but I thought the story was horribly clichéd, and a lot of the plot points seem to be loosely veiled game mechanics. The combat starts of fun, butAs a big Ghibli and old Final Fantasy fan I thought this game was something I needed in my life. The visuals are really well done from a technical point of view, but beyond that everything starts to fall apart. Perhaps I'm just old and jaded, but I thought the story was horribly clichéd, and a lot of the plot points seem to be loosely veiled game mechanics. The combat starts of fun, but quickly became repetitive. Some battles were difficult, but only as the game requires the player to try and navigate menus at speed to attack and block at the correct times. I made it to the sand world and then ran out of steam. Not for me.… Expand
  20. Babaganoush
    Mar 2, 2013
    7
    I love Studio Ghibli art. The environment is great the story is for kids... but then again that fits the Ghibli frame so I don't really mind it. What KILLS this game is the terrible battle AI. When you play games with AI controlled party members from Xenoblade or Tales of Grace, they're competent. Ni no Kuni is UNACCEPTABLY TERRIBLE. Be prepared to have them drain all your MP on uselessI love Studio Ghibli art. The environment is great the story is for kids... but then again that fits the Ghibli frame so I don't really mind it. What KILLS this game is the terrible battle AI. When you play games with AI controlled party members from Xenoblade or Tales of Grace, they're competent. Ni no Kuni is UNACCEPTABLY TERRIBLE. Be prepared to have them drain all your MP on useless things, continue fighting when you tell them to defend, etc. Most of the difficulty in battle comes from the terrible TERRIBLE AI. It's also is a VERY handholding game. For example, around the Ni no Kuni world, there are NPCs that are heartbroken. Instead of letting you figure out what part of their heart needs mending, you are told which one you need to give. It gets a bit repetitive when you have to talk to the NPC then go to the spell list to cast, instead of just going up and using the spell shortcut to do it yourself.

    But then again, this is a E for Everyone game. It's a good RPG for the younger generation to start out with, but many experienced RPG players may find it a bit simplistic... and frustrating thanks to the AI. Especially from your second party member...    … Expand
  21. wildemu
    May 18, 2013
    7
    The game really sinks you into its world in the first 4-5 hours, but then there are certain aspects of the game that start to get exposed.

    PROS: Art/World: It's beautiful. Ghibli did a great job of designing the parallel worlds and getting you immersed into each unique environment. Soundtrack: The scores in this game are top notch, really catchy. Story: Touching, at times    The game really sinks you into its world in the first 4-5 hours, but then there are certain aspects of the game that start to get exposed.

    PROS:

    Art/World: It's beautiful. Ghibli did a great job of designing the parallel worlds and getting you immersed into each unique environment.

    Soundtrack: The scores in this game are top notch, really catchy.

    Story: Touching, at times mature, but trying to keep it on the kiddie level. You are motivated go on this journey to save Oliver's mom.

    CONS:

    1. Familiar leveling/zeroing. You are given familiars(pokemon) to be part of your party system, and I like the fact they have their unique abilities, but I don't understand why every familiar you catch has to start at level 1. It would save a lot of time and grinding for it to just to be scaled up to your level. Also, when you want to do metamorphosis on one of your fav. familiar, it also goes back to level 1 and work its way up again. I just find this mechanic unnecessary and wasting the gamer's time. You could be at level 50, and then you have to sideline your familiar for 40 something levels until it finally reaches your range again.

    2. Too linear. The game is beautiful, but it is suffering from the same aspect that Final Fantasy XIII suffered from, and that's the linearity of the levels. You just walk down one path in the dungeon, apart from chests on short sidepaths, and just run into monster after monster until you face the final boss of the dungeon. You want to explore this lush, huge world but most of the levels are railed.

    3. MP/HP conservation. Basically, this isn't xenoblade or FF where you can have health/magic regenerate after every fight. You need to conserve your health/magic points because there are quite a number of enemies to defeat before you reach a checkpoint that restores all your health/magic. Some may find this mechanic more fun, but I found it crippling in making me enjoy the combat. Too often I would just attack/defend/healing touch throughout the dungeon and not use the cool abilities of my familiars because they cost too much magic. The combat would have a lot more flow if you didn't have to worry about conserving your magic between enemies.

    4. Clunky ai. My partners stunk. You can arrange the familiars to their strengths, and you can change the tactics, but too often my partners would run out of magic too fast or use the wrong familiar for the situation. More often than not, they would drop mid-fight and it would just be up to Oliver. You can control the partner, but then Oliver would start stinking it up.

    I can see why this game received a lot of love, and I did give it a really fair shot, but the game designing choices just didn't agree with me.    … Expand
  22. alsec
    Nov 4, 2013
    5
    A strong heart felt introduction that wanes over time with it’s repetitious gameplay, lack of any challenge, and weak story telling left me dissatisfied.

    I came in excited about collecting, and creating a perfect monster team to battle my foes. I understood that there wasn’t any multiplayer, so I expected the real challenge to appear in the single player, that never came. I ended up    A strong heart felt introduction that wanes over time with it’s repetitious gameplay, lack of any challenge, and weak story telling left me dissatisfied.

    I came in excited about collecting, and creating a perfect monster team to battle my foes. I understood that there wasn’t any multiplayer, so I expected the real challenge to appear in the single player, that never came. I ended up putting little thought to my team as it was ridiculously easy to over level and wipe out anything in my path by sitting on my couch continuously hitting a single button while surfing on my iPhone.

    Well what about the story, it was co-developed by Studio Ghibli, the studio that delivered Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away just to name a couple. The start of the game kept me hooked with it’s heart-felt story telling. As the game progressed, there was a noticeable difference in the drop of production quality. The animation cut scenes went from fully developed story telling, to character introductions with grunts. Most of the games story is dialogue read while characters perform poor animations.

    Throwing in a difficulty setting choice, having the story telling production quality consistent throughout the game would’ve made Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch a memorable experience.    … Expand
  23. D-Traveler
    Mar 5, 2013
    6
    An exclusive PS3, I thought this is going to be great, I got it and I finished it and these are my conclussions: Sublime design with anime style, excellent story where you really get involved and a magic world to explore, the problems are the gameplay is repetitive after a while and there isnt much to do only those side quest that are the same only in different places example: find theAn exclusive PS3, I thought this is going to be great, I got it and I finished it and these are my conclussions: Sublime design with anime style, excellent story where you really get involved and a magic world to explore, the problems are the gameplay is repetitive after a while and there isnt much to do only those side quest that are the same only in different places example: find the journal in a volcano-passed and after that you must find a jpournal for the same man but now in a forest or a coast, the pokemon style is great but Level 5 could include morre variety in monsters, if you want to give it a try buy it at discount or used because Ni No Kuni isnt very replayable… Expand
  24. mforww
    Apr 18, 2013
    6
    A solid, but not outstanding game. Based on all of the reviews I had heard, I was expecting a lot when I picked this game up. Unfortunately, Ni no Kuni fails to compare favorably to any of the games referenced in other reviews like Final Fantasy, Pokemon, and Chrono Trigger. In fact, Ni no Kuni probably has more in common with RPG-lite games like Kingdom Hearts than it does with the JRPGA solid, but not outstanding game. Based on all of the reviews I had heard, I was expecting a lot when I picked this game up. Unfortunately, Ni no Kuni fails to compare favorably to any of the games referenced in other reviews like Final Fantasy, Pokemon, and Chrono Trigger. In fact, Ni no Kuni probably has more in common with RPG-lite games like Kingdom Hearts than it does with the JRPG genre that I've seen this game compared to, and that's been a major disappointment for me. I want to re-emphasize this point; THIS GAME IS NOT REALLY A JRPG. If you buy the game thinking it is, you WILL be disappointed. If you want a game that has a similar amount of charm, a better story, and just flat-out superior gameplay, I would recommend that you check out the oft-overlooked Skies of Arcadia. On the other hand, if you couldn't get enough of Kingdom Hearts, then I would say that you have to pick up this game.

    Here's what it all comes down to: if you thought Kingdom Hearts was the greatest thing since sliced bread, you're going to love this game. If real JRPG's like Final Fantasy, Skies of Arcadia, and Chrono Trigger are more your style, I would pass on this title.    … Expand
  25. barbaari
    Jul 2, 2013
    5
    After reading some reviews I was expecting an all new classic J-RPG in the vein of old Final Fantasy titles. At first it seemed that I was getting exactly that, but pretty soon the excitement faded away and left me disappointed.

    Music, world design, graphics etc. are all top notch Studio Ghibli quality. The battle system is pretty decent, although like with so many other RPGs, you    After reading some reviews I was expecting an all new classic J-RPG in the vein of old Final Fantasy titles. At first it seemed that I was getting exactly that, but pretty soon the excitement faded away and left me disappointed.

    Music, world design, graphics etc. are all top notch Studio Ghibli quality. The battle system is pretty decent, although like with so many other RPGs, you hardly ever have to do anything else than press X repeatedly (even in boss battles, but that might be just because I like level grinding a bit too much). Also the fact that you are able to catch practically every enemy in the game as your "familiar" (and then use them in battles) was too much for a perfectionist like me. There's simply way too much work in "catching them all".

    The main drawbacks for me were the story and the characters. Of course, with Studio Ghibli you are expected to dwell into the world of a child, but the childishness in this game just goes too far and doesn't offer any emotional depth back. The story is like a bad caricature of a typical RPG story, a boring stereotype at best. We have the young boy learning his magic, the evil wizard trying to destroy the world and even the collecting of crystals (this theme got old, if not with 1987's Final Fantasy I, at least with 1991's Final Fantasy IV). For me the story did not feel engaging, immersive or epic at all.

    The characters are also nothing but worn out stereotypes and as such, most of the time extremely irritating. The most annoying dude is this little fairy guy Drippy, whose job is to hang out with you throughout the game and give you the most basic, elementary advice that you can think of in situations where even a 5-year old child could easily figure out what to do without any fairy advice. I'm not sure if the game was designed for children who have never played an RPG before (that would explain it all), but I somehow doubt it, since I don't really see most of Studio Ghibli's products as something created for children, even if on the surface they seem childish.

    The whole game felt like one giant tutorial, where everything is constantly explained to me as if I was five.

    The game is also unnecessarily structured, lacking any "chaos". I might say that it's too player-friendly. This is obvious in regards to sidequests, which have been organized so that the player won't have any problems locating new sidequests. Every town has a board where the currently available sidequests are neatly listed. The sidequests themselves are too easy and linear and usually don't take any effort from the player. As a result, the world lacks mystery, when everything is laid out in front of you like this.

    In the end it's down to expectations, and in this case, mine didn't meet up with the game. A die-hard RPG fan will most certainly find this game enjoyable. A more casual player like me will have at best mixed feelings. The game is enjoyable, even very enjoyable, to some extent, but the dull story, the frustrating characters and dialogue, the never-ending tutorial-esque feeling and the fact that the game treats you like a five-year-old who has never played a video game or solved even the world's most obvious puzzle in his life are the big setbacks that turn this beautiful game into something very ordinary.

    I know some people have turned to Ni No Kuni expecting a comeback of the classic J-RPG. As such the game didn't work out for me at all, as the story lacked emotional depth that has been the best part of any J-RPG experience for me.

    Thumbs up to Studio Ghibli for a brace experiment, but Ni No Kuni is just too much of a stereotype to be truly enjoyable.    … Expand
  26. Anb
    May 4, 2014
    5
    After beating the game i have mixed feelings - on one hand this game is classic jrpg with beautiful world and gorgeous music. On the other hand - the plot is so dumb, too childish and unoriginal there is no single point in the game where player may feel any intrigue - it is all clear what will happen next.
    There is also a big problem in a gameplay balance. I've beaten final boss on lvl40    After beating the game i have mixed feelings - on one hand this game is classic jrpg with beautiful world and gorgeous music. On the other hand - the plot is so dumb, too childish and unoriginal there is no single point in the game where player may feel any intrigue - it is all clear what will happen next.
    There is also a big problem in a gameplay balance. I've beaten final boss on lvl40 and it was not hard, actually every boss in the game wasn't hard to beat at all, even though i spent zero time grinding levels BUT, the regular mobs at the same time can drain all your mana in single battle, leaving you exausted for upcoming mobs in the dungeons. So, 90% of the time i've just ignored all the regular mobs and rushed through the bosses. And it is not very fun, if you are not willing to grind. On the other hand again, if you grind on regular mobs - the bosses become so damn easy to beat that it breaks all the fun even more.    … Expand
  27. LucyJFer
    May 27, 2014
    6
    Played it for a long hours and I've finally realised what's the problem with this game. Two words: target audience. This game's themes can be a great story for a kid - you know - bright colours, soft language, possibility of raising your own pokemons. That's absolutely not a bad thing but I became tired of it eventually, the bad thing is a difficulty level/lots of difficult text which willPlayed it for a long hours and I've finally realised what's the problem with this game. Two words: target audience. This game's themes can be a great story for a kid - you know - bright colours, soft language, possibility of raising your own pokemons. That's absolutely not a bad thing but I became tired of it eventually, the bad thing is a difficulty level/lots of difficult text which will be too challenging for a kid. Basically it's a family game - I'm sure I'll give it a go when I'll have kids so I can help it on difficulty spikes but if you've no kids and you're older than 12 years old I don't think there will be much to hold you in front of a screen for long. If you ask why I played for long if I don't like the game I can answer that I've forced myself to play to give it a chance. One day I'll update this review after playing with kids and we'll see if I've changed my mind.… Expand
  28. rscl
    Oct 23, 2017
    6
    To begin with the game had an appealing cartoony feel to it with warm characters and a good story. It however gets quite slow and uninteresting after awhile - not to mention the combat mechanics which gave me a headache.
  29. tsakiym
    May 18, 2015
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I do not have to say anything. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it.................................… Expand
  30. egoBorder
    Feb 3, 2022
    6
    This game has a wonderful design and presentation, so it's easy to WANT to overlook its flaws. However, the sad truth is that those flaws do add up to an unbearable weight and all but the most patient of players will likely make it to the end credits. The problem has to do with a shifting tone between a simplistic story and a quite high difficulty early on, as well as a prolonguedThis game has a wonderful design and presentation, so it's easy to WANT to overlook its flaws. However, the sad truth is that those flaws do add up to an unbearable weight and all but the most patient of players will likely make it to the end credits. The problem has to do with a shifting tone between a simplistic story and a quite high difficulty early on, as well as a prolongued "tutorial" opening that will make the first dozen or so hours a bit awful to climb.

    It might be wise to search out a beginner's guide that leaves out story spoilers, that could be a smart way to get the most out of this game.    … Expand
  31. XxSkye07xX
    Apr 28, 2018
    7
    An amazing light hearted game with a great storyline and lovable characters. The battle system was OK, got a bit repetitive after a while mind (and not for the best). Loved the side quest system and bounty hunts, all in all it was a very solid game. Could have had some more traditional Studio Ghibli cut scenes however... and all in all, the thing that REALLY, REALLY let it down was it'sAn amazing light hearted game with a great storyline and lovable characters. The battle system was OK, got a bit repetitive after a while mind (and not for the best). Loved the side quest system and bounty hunts, all in all it was a very solid game. Could have had some more traditional Studio Ghibli cut scenes however... and all in all, the thing that REALLY, REALLY let it down was it's abysmal ending. Extremely anti-climatic and very disappointing. After putting 100+ hours into this game, I was hoping for a heartfelt, wonderful ending to this fantastic story but it seemed to end without finishing fully. I would have gladly given this game a solid 9/10 but the ending really was pathetic.… Expand

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. Post Arcade (National Post)
    May 6, 2013
    80
    Ni No Kuni offers players an experience unlike almost any other RPG. At once, you are transported back to the innocence of a childhood filled with monsters, magic, and mysticism; but at the same time you find yourself immersed in an emotional story about a protagonist dealing with his innermost emotions.
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  2. RPG Fan
    Apr 11, 2013
    92
    The entertaining battles and the resolutions of plot threads as the game progressed toward the final credits were worth paying the cost of a slow start to the gameplay. This is a game that we'll be talking about for years to come, and I'm happy to have played it.
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  3. Armchair Empire
    Apr 1, 2013
    85
    Despite the delayed journey to the West, Ni No Kuni is definitely a title you should at least give a chance. There is a demo up on PSN that you can go ahead and download, and once you get used to the combat system and mechanics of the game, you’ll be treated to an adventure like no other.
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