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. Blacksunsett
    Dec 7, 2022
    9
    This is the perfect JRPG. It combines elements of Pokémon and an interactive story. The game is close to 80 hours. The tutorial is long, but the time spent is worth it. The graphics are great for the style and time. Cut scenes are well made and voiced beautifully. It isn't a good game to introduce to a new player. The target audience is clearly experienced RPG enjoyers with ouds to classic RPGs.
  2. hector_bcn98
    Nov 9, 2022
    9
    Es el Pokémon de PlayStation que siempre quisimos y nunca tuvimos. El mejor videojuego de Studio Ghibli hasta la fecha.
  3. PaulaTLD
    Aug 23, 2022
    9
    Ame este juego, es hermoso de todas las maneras posibles, aunque el sistema de juego no me gusto mucho realmente, el diseño de las peliculas de Ghibli es maravilloso.
  4. chrisdan23
    Jun 9, 2022
    10
    Wenn es ein Spiel gibt, für das ich mir ein HD Remaster für die PS4 wünschen würde, dann wäre es sicherlich Ni No Kuni. Ich bin ein großer Fan der Ghibli Studios und ihrer Filme wie "Spirited Away", "Mononoke" oder "Das wandelnde Schloss". Dass Level 5, die Macher von PS2 Perlen wie Dark Chronicle und Dragon Quest 8, nun ein Spiel mit den Ghibli Studios zusammen entwickeln - das hat michWenn es ein Spiel gibt, für das ich mir ein HD Remaster für die PS4 wünschen würde, dann wäre es sicherlich Ni No Kuni. Ich bin ein großer Fan der Ghibli Studios und ihrer Filme wie "Spirited Away", "Mononoke" oder "Das wandelnde Schloss". Dass Level 5, die Macher von PS2 Perlen wie Dark Chronicle und Dragon Quest 8, nun ein Spiel mit den Ghibli Studios zusammen entwickeln - das hat mich natürlich schwer begeistert. Und was soll man sagen, die Zusammenarbeit hat sich wirklich gelohnt.

    So hat Ghibli nicht nur handgezeichnete Anime Sequenzen zum Spiel beigesteuert, sondern auch Charakterdesign und Storytelling maßgebend geprägt. So wird man viele Charaktere finden, wie beispielsweise die Königin von Ding Dong Dell, die einfach so hardcore Ghibli sind, dass es eine wahre Freude ist. Zudem lebt die Erzählung sehr von dem Moment der Phantastik, das auch Ghibli Filme seit jeher insbesondere prägt. Phantastik meint, dass reale und fiktionale Welt miteinander verwoben sind. Es ist ein Spiel mit den Ebenen, wo Wirklichkeit und Fantasie sich die Hand geben, sich verflechten und gegenseitig beeinflussen. Ghibli versteht es meisterhaft solche Geschichten zu erzählen. So bietet auch Ni No Kuni eine erzählerische Kost, die man sonst eher in Michael Ende Romanen findet, nicht aber in typischen JRPGs. Ganz großes Kino.

    Doch auch Level 5 hat ihren Beitrag zu diesem großartigen Spiel beigetragen, indem sie nämlich hervorragende Spielmechaniken entwickelt haben, die sich absolut motivierend und herausfordernd spielen. So ist eine wesentliche Mechanik des Spiels das Fangen und Aufziehen von Monstern. Jeder der drei Hauptcharaktere kann nun wiederum bis zu drei dieser Monster in einer Kampfsituation aufrufen. Doch damit ist das Thema noch nicht durch, denn als Spieler hat man die Möglichkeit, jederzeit zwischen den Charakteren, wie auch den verschiedenen aufgerufenen Monstern zu wechseln. Denn auch die Monster sind in ihren Aktionen komplett vom Spieler steuerbar. Dass heißt praktisch, man kann 3x3 Monster plus die speziellen Fertigkeiten der Charaktere komplett selbstgelenkt ins Spiel bringen.

    Dass es zusätzlich per Knopfdruck aktivierbare Meta Kommandos gibt wie "Alle greifen an" und "Alle verteidigen", macht das System nochmals komplexer. Worauf es am Ende ankommt, ist alle Monster und Spezialfertigkeiten der Charakteren taktisch geschickt einzusetzen, was ein ständiges Hin- und Her zwischen Charakteren und Monstern erfordert, ein schnelles situatives Umschalten, je nach dem, was auf dem Schlachtfeld gerade passiert. Gerade bei Bosskämpfen werden zudem die Metakommandos wichtig. Wenn beispielsweise zu einem Spezialangriff angesetzt wird, sollte man seine komplette Truppe möglichst schnell auch in Abwehrhaltung versetzen.

    Leider haben viele Tester das Kampfsystem von Ni No Kuni etwas verkannt. Anders kann ich mir ein Reden von Unübersichtlichkeit und Unfairness nicht erklären. Zugegeben, auf dem Schlachtfeld tummeln sich oftmals bis zu zehn Figuren. Das kann schon mal ein wenig unübersichtlich werden. Aber klassischerweise achtet man bei einem JRPG Kampfsystem vor allem auf die eigenen Werte und die Aktionen der Gegner, weniger auf die Inszenierung des Ganzen. Unfair ist Ni No Kuni so sicherlich nicht. Das System ist recht komplex und bietet verschiedenste Möglichkeiten der Bedienung. Das kann am Anfang etwas überfordernd wirken. Das Spiel setzt schon voraus, dass man sich mit den Fähigkeiten seiner Charaktere und Monster auseinandersetzt und selbstständig Taktiken entwickelt, wie man diese gut und effektiv einsetzen kann. Es wird einem hier recht wenig vorgekaut, sondern man bekommt ein sehr offenen System an die Hand, dass man auch sehr einfach spielen kann, aber eben auch sehr agil und effektiv. Es liegt letztlich am Spieler, was er aus den angebotenen Möglichkeiten macht.

    Neben dem fantasievollen Charakterdesign, der wunderschönen Zeichentrickoptik, der tiefgreifenden, niveauvollen Erzählung und nicht zu vergessen - des großartigen orchestralen Soundtracks, bietet Ni No Kuni so auch ein ungeheuer flexibles Kampfsystem, das zum Experimentieren und Optimieren einlädt und so zum eigentlichen Highlight des Spiels avanciert. Als Komplettpaket ist Ni No Kuni daher meines Erachtens bis heute das Beste was man im JRPG Genre finden kann.

    Leider hat der Nachfolger, nach dem Ausstieg der Ghibli Studios aus dem Franchise, das künstlerische Niveau des Vorgängers nicht halten können. Auch das grandiose Kampfsystem wurde durch ein spaßiges, aber deutlich weniger taktisches Echtzeitkampfsystem ersetzt. Schade. Gerade deshalb hoffe ich inständig weiter auf ein HD Remaster des Originals für die PS4. Für mich ist Ni No Kuni das beste JRPG das man sich wünschen kann. Es wäre schade, wenn diesem Kleinod der Sprung in die nächste Generation verwehrt bleiben sollte.    … Expand
  5. MeowCow1217
    Dec 11, 2021
    9
    If you like My Neighbour Totoro, Genshin Impact, Ni No Kuni (the studio Ghibi film), Harry Potter, then you will love this. It has wizards, witches, good, evil, strange creatures, (in a way it’s similar to Pokemon lol) and has a wide range of places. You can cast spells, tame creatures, battle enemies, and it’s just so fun. Definitely in my top 5 fav games
  6. JoKeR_AlexS
    Nov 21, 2020
    9
    Este comentário é universal nas minhas reviews. Apenas quero dar nota aos jogos e caso queiram saber mais alguma coisa sobre o jogo, aconselho a ver outras reviews ou até mesmo a experimentar o jogo.
  7. AbhinavDasiga
    Mar 31, 2020
    8
    A JRPG straight out of a fairy tale book, Ni No Kuni impresses with its scope and characters. There are dull moments in between but they don't detract too much from this charming and whimsical adventure.
  8. Narwhal
    Jan 27, 2020
    10
    This game is amazing with immersed game play. It is generally easy to get the hang of. Even the grinding feels good. I feel like this should be played by a lot of people. The best part is the battle system which is also easy to handle and play with. You can select every party member's action to either attack and defend. it is really engaging.
  9. Cafe_8bits
    Nov 11, 2019
    10
    Ni No Kuni its a perfect game for me. This game has so much polishing, so much content, so much love involved. Its a masterpiece of our age. NNK does not make anything new, but instead it collects many elements of classic JRPGs and use them in the rightest way possible. At the same time, NNK use all the modern resources it could to make the best experience possible, without fall into theNi No Kuni its a perfect game for me. This game has so much polishing, so much content, so much love involved. Its a masterpiece of our age. NNK does not make anything new, but instead it collects many elements of classic JRPGs and use them in the rightest way possible. At the same time, NNK use all the modern resources it could to make the best experience possible, without fall into the same old tropes of the genre.
    And, besides being a perfect blend of old and new, NNK excels well in his narrative, using the Studio Ghibli factor by his side.
    And to complement all of that, NNK have a fun and polished game play, in which we can be stuck by hours and hours.
    In fact, NNK is my most beloved game ever. And the only one i can easy give a 10 out of 10... It does everything i like in a RPG right, and i cant recommend it enough.    … Expand
  10. SilverGriever
    Sep 6, 2019
    10
    Not many games like it. The combat system feels unique. Even tho it borrows monster collecting and training from series like Pokemon, the combat is real time and more action based. The art style, animations and soundtrack are also all amazing.
  11. brendo214
    Aug 13, 2019
    8
    I absolutely loved the way that Ni No Kuni combines the collection of Pokemon from Pokemon and the semi-realtime combat system from a few JPRGs. It led to really fun and unique gameplay.
  12. KratosKong
    Jun 16, 2019
    9
    Este Jrpg con la colaboración del estudio Ghibli supuso en su momento la vuelta a los Jrpgs clásicos de mapamundi. Posee una bonita banda sonora y una historia propia del estudio Ghibli
  13. Empyrea
    Jan 24, 2019
    8
    I've just beaten the game so here goes my impressions: my first 6 hours were really great because everything was new. Graphics are really great, it's like an anime. It reminds me a bit Dragon Quest VIII. Soundtrack is really good as well, although the music in the battles can be repetitive as it can be these battles. About gameplay, is a mix of both turn based and real time based andI've just beaten the game so here goes my impressions: my first 6 hours were really great because everything was new. Graphics are really great, it's like an anime. It reminds me a bit Dragon Quest VIII. Soundtrack is really good as well, although the music in the battles can be repetitive as it can be these battles. About gameplay, is a mix of both turn based and real time based and reminds the Pokemon games. About plot is interesting at first. I think this game would have been better if it was shorter and with a more entertaining battle system. I think this is a really good game for children and young people but even if you're an adult and you are not only focused in bloody games with insults you're gonna enjoy this game. About difficulty, I didn't have much problems in easy mode until the end. Just make sure to save this game from time to time an especially when you are close to the "star" in the map (which is the main mission) because sometimes you can find a boss without having saved your game and save when you are a little far from the star cause sometimes you don't even reach the star and a scene triggers and sometimes is a boss. About bosses, if you have problems don't bother in leveling up your team. You only need to change your strategy, use the right attacks and have some potions in your bag. Doing this will be enough until you are finishing the game were enemies will be hard. My advice: do all the Horace riddles when you are close to the end. He will give you very good spells such Veil (with this you can avoid battles) and other strong spells. That's all. So yes, this is a good game. There should be more anime games like this in ps3 and ps4. It took me 39 hours to beat the game and a total of 44 hours and half to reach the real final. I beat the real final bosses at level 50 but with many PM potions (more than 20 and I used them all but 1). The worst of the final enemies is that your strongest spells are very slow to shoot and you can't cancel them to protect yourself when they send you a strong spell. This is the main gap I think.… Expand
  14. Leontorres7
    Nov 15, 2018
    10
    A Masterpiece, loved everything about this game, it is definitely a must play!
  15. Chara-Dreemurr
    May 24, 2018
    10
    I Love Ni No Kuni!I Love The Challenges And Art Style,Ooh!And Even The Amount Of Strategies You Can Use,I Know This Is My Opinion But, Ni No Kuni Is Great! 10 out of 10!
  16. PaupiTLD
    May 21, 2018
    10
    Hermoso juego!! me engancho de principio a fin! una de las razones que la ame tanto fueron las escenas de cinemática hechas por uno de mis estudios favoritos de la vida :D , no me aburrió en ningún momento y tiene una historia hermosa
  17. rachillustrate
    May 14, 2018
    8
    Ni No Kuni is a fun and charming game filled with endearing characters and an enchanting world. Although the story may not be incredibly deep or complex, it’s well-executed and keeps things interesting. However, the battle system can be frustrating as you are constantly questioning your AI party members' intelligence and decision-making skills. The "familiars" bring a unique angle to theNi No Kuni is a fun and charming game filled with endearing characters and an enchanting world. Although the story may not be incredibly deep or complex, it’s well-executed and keeps things interesting. However, the battle system can be frustrating as you are constantly questioning your AI party members' intelligence and decision-making skills. The "familiars" bring a unique angle to the battles though and I find myself looking forward to exploring new areas specifically to find new creatures to add to my team. The animations created by Studio Ghibli also make the game a wonder to look at. Overall, a great game that is definitely worth jumping into.… Expand
  18. artificeprime
    Apr 14, 2018
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A perfect example of a family friendly game that is deep and complex while still being accessible.

    Ni no Kuni is a very innocent and childish game on the surface but just like a good Disney or Ghibli movie it has just as much appeal for adults as it does for kids. It has a well thought out world with a deep history and the more I played the more I found I wanted to learn. The games' magic was also quite well thought out and made sense within the story as well as gameplay. The characters weren't as complex as RPGs like Persona or Final Fantasy, but they felt believable enough and each one had meaningful development throughout. By the end I truly cared about the cast and felt like they had grown immensely. On a technical level it looks and sounds great while offering very unique gameplay that is fun and rewarding. The more you play the better the game gets. I recommend it to all fans of JRPGs regardless of age.

    In terms of gameplay. There are many ways that it is exceptional. The menu system is one of the most intuitive and well thought out of any game I have ever played. Basically the whole menu system is part of a book called the Magician's companion. It includes everything you need to know about monsters you have enountered, your familiars, your characters, items, and spells. It is like an interactive book and it is so easy to use and enjoyable to look through. It is so good I really wish that more games had a menu system that is so robust while being easy to navigate. So many elements of the game are just really well thought out. For example as you get further in the story and reveal more of the map you progressively get better vehicles and abilities that make traveling long distances easier. It happens in a very natural way so that traveling to knew places always felt like a fresh experience but rarely felt like a chore. All of the methods of travel also made perfect sense within the context of the story. The combat system starts out very basic but as you learn new spells and tame more familiars, it progressively gets more interesting. By the end of the game I had so many spells and familiars that I genuinely felt very powerful. The way that new spells get unlocked also fits perfectly into the story making it all the more satisfying. There are a huge variety of familiars so I always felt motivated to discover new ones. Combat can be challenging but was never frustratingly difficult. The only major downsides of the gameplay is that exploration is pretty boring, on the field and in dungeons there isn't a lot that Oliver can do. There are a few field spells but those don't really do much to enhance the gameplay experience. Aside from that minor weakness though the gameplay is well above most JRPGs.

    The Story is surprisingly very deep. It is a great blend of intimate and epic. At first it seems like a simple journey for Oliver to save his mother but the further you go the grander the conflict becomes. I was genuinely surprised by just how deep the story went in the end and the plot was for the most part very well crafted. Each area you travel to reveals more about the world, its history and its problems. It is delivered in a way that is simple enough for a child to appreciate but it is deeper than most games targeted at a mature audience. It is clear that a lot of thought was put into the story and by the end almost everything is clearly explained. My only major complaint about the story is that I thought the final arc was a little bit disappointing, it isn't bad and it actually came as a surprise but I thought there was just so much potential for it to be far more than it was. The reveal of Shadar's identity to me was very satisfying and then the reveal of the White Witch was also very satisfying. Their connection to each other and Oliver made a lot of sense. What disappointed me though was the reveal of the final reveal of the identity of the zodiarchs and the explanation behind their downfall. There was just so much potential to make the zodiarch and the White Witch more complex. I also thought the explanation behind the collapse of the ancient kingdom to be a bit too simple considering the deep history surrounding it. The way that the White Witch is defeated was also a missed opportunity to me it would have been so amazing if Oliver had to complete her heart by gathering every type of emotion from across the kingdom. They had all the mechanics and world building for it to make perfect sense. None the less, the story is amazing and full of surprises.

    Visually the game speaks for itself. I think it is one of the best looking games on the PS3. The cartoony style won't be for everyone but I think it will age exceptionally well. I think it still looks better than most JRPGs on the PS4. There is care and detail put into every design. Each location is memorable and each spell looks interesting. Bosses look great some of the familiars look stupid but there are so many.

    I give it 86%    … Expand
  19. ORevisor
    Mar 29, 2018
    10
    Um dos melhores jogos, história perfeita e emocionante, sistema de combate empolgante, colecionar e evoluir familiares que te ajudam nos combates é maravilhoso, música e gráficos fantásticos.
  20. SuperkenGaming
    Mar 25, 2018
    9
    Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
    Playstation pokemon
    Ni No Kuni Wrath of The white witch is a pokemon like action jrpg where you play as a boy named oliver who sets out to save his mom. This is a really heart breaking and heart fixing story and adventure.. The game opens in a 1950s and 60s feeling town known as motoville.. there are tons of cutscenes and voice acting here.. though    Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
    Playstation pokemon
    Ni No Kuni Wrath of The white witch is a pokemon like action jrpg where you play as a boy named oliver who sets out to save his mom.
    This is a really heart breaking and heart fixing story and adventure..
    The game opens in a 1950s and 60s feeling town known as motoville.. there are tons of cutscenes and voice acting here.. though sadly this gets rarer the deeper you get into this game.. its mostly reading which holds this game back a bit, but youre just s typical school boy getting into all kinds of shenanigans with your best friends.. and then things happen.. you cry, and your tears free a fairy that’s been trapped in your world and takes you to his world to help you save your mom..
    Cause this game is all about soulmates.. there are 2 versions of everyone..
    Characters that live in motorville live in this other world as other characters and youll be going back and forth occasionally to take care of their issues to help them in the other world and get one step closer to saving your mom
    To do this youll be mending the broken hearts of this worlds characters.. youll have to borrow love and enthusiasm, and belief from characters that have plenty and give it to people with broken hearts using your spell book..
    Did I forget to mention youre a wizard, cause youre a wizard.. youre the hero this world has been waiting on to save them.. as you progress the game youll learn new spells to cast in world as well as in combat..
    The meat of this game..
    This is a very pokemon heavy styled game..
    At least for the majority.. you have to get a few hours in until a character joins you that allows you to capture familiars throughout the world..
    To capture them you have to impress them by weakening them in battle, and esther can then serenade them to make them your own..
    you then throw them in your party or store them..
    Your party will eventuially have 3 main characters, and each can hold 3 familairs at a time, all equally gaining xp from battles.. once leveled up high enough you can evolve them into their next form which starts them back to level 1, but their stats will greatly improve throughout their 3 different forms..
    Characters do have weaknesses, and will learn new elemental moves, and they all have different sub classes like fighter, tank, caster, healer… all of which are important to have in your party.. at least for the members you don’t use that often..
    I was very olivery heavy and I stuck with my beginning familiar throughout..
    But I made sure to give the rest of my party tanks so they wouldn’t die as quickly as well as healers to make sure the team stayed healthy, and fighters to do a bit of damage
    And both of my party members did a great job of doing damage using magic and healing
    Though youre able to freely switch through all 12 characters at any time during a battle as its all happening real time with a mix of turn based timers going on.. attacking and defending has to cool down and your special attacks are tied to magic points
    The combat here can really get intense.. i was active in most battles, even simple encounters with regular enemies…
    I feel like this is mostly thanks to how much magic points moves take..
    I hardly ever did any special moves because of how costly they were,, I would save my magic to heal my part to make sure I wasn’t sent back to the start of an area at a save point, which will refull your health and magic..
    I do feel that these moves are just a little too expensive though..
    It feels like a waste to have them there and again.. never really get to use them
    Though this isn’t the case during boss battles..
    Easily the highlight moments of this game.. where all of your grinding and leveling and party building with different weapons and armours pay off…
    Youll be timing attacks and defenses to get the poss to drop health and magic so you can pull off awesome moves and towards the end of the game youll even get to call in the bosses you’ve defeated as champions to pull off element based moves for massive damage…
    And occasionally bosses will drop a gold orb for you to do a super move and fill up your health..
    Every boss battle felt just the right amount of challenging, excluding a certain moment in the game where you get to choose the order you take down these 3 different bosses.. for obvious reasons after you defeat one of the 3, the other 2 are a breaze.. but the rest of this games bosses are insane and are such a great pay off for crawling through the maze like dungeons..
    Ni NO Kuni is a really special game..
    its addictive with a heart warming story.. the grinding never feels like a grind.. the 30 hours fly by and its just the right amount of challenging the whole way through
    It would be great to see it come to ps4, but its worth dusting off the ps3 for
    I give Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
    an 8.5/10    … Expand
  21. greg555
    Nov 9, 2017
    8
    Excellent story, music, art. Only setback the unending battles with a tiresome real-time battle system. Abandoned it at 60%, not bearing more and more required battles... Worth trying it anyway.
  22. Hoso
    Apr 10, 2017
    10
    After more than a hundred hours to get my platinum trophy, I must say this is a «Masterpiece». It is like playing in a Studio Ghibli movie with a fun fighting system. It is like Pokemon and Tales of had a baby. The story is well written and all the characters are fun to discover. The soundtracks are feeling just like a Studio Ghibli movie. Seriously, this game has nothing missing for aAfter more than a hundred hours to get my platinum trophy, I must say this is a «Masterpiece». It is like playing in a Studio Ghibli movie with a fun fighting system. It is like Pokemon and Tales of had a baby. The story is well written and all the characters are fun to discover. The soundtracks are feeling just like a Studio Ghibli movie. Seriously, this game has nothing missing for a Single player JRPG.

    A must for JRPG and Studio Ghibli fans.    … Expand
  23. Pariable
    Mar 23, 2017
    10
    This is another on the list of masterpiece RPGs you must play in your lifetime. The plot from beginning to end will keep your pressing through each save unto the early hours of the morning. Not many RPGs in recent years have struck me the way Ni No Kuni has. My first qualification for such a positive rating is the holy trinity: challenging, rewarding, and emotionally impacting. InThis is another on the list of masterpiece RPGs you must play in your lifetime. The plot from beginning to end will keep your pressing through each save unto the early hours of the morning. Not many RPGs in recent years have struck me the way Ni No Kuni has. My first qualification for such a positive rating is the holy trinity: challenging, rewarding, and emotionally impacting. In RPGs which tell a linear story it MUST be compelling. Trust me when I say, this game will pull at you emotionally. The combat system is unique and impressively intense at times. The final showdown in the game will have you enjoying every aspect of the combat you experience throughout. A perfect climax in terms of the system they used. All other bells and whistles of the game were otherwise perfect. If it didn't have so digital downloads, copies of this game would be worth 80-100 dollars in appreciation, years from now. Go play this game!… Expand
  24. GreenSkullRider
    Jan 30, 2017
    10
    Con la llegada confirmada de la secuela se deben tomar las molestias para jugar o rejugar este juego japonés, vaya que belleza de juego con los estudios ghibli en la parte visual y un trasfondo del mas puro y clásico rpg, esta es la historia de un niño, magia, 2 mundos y una madre perdida (o muerta). de ahí solo se abre un libro que te enviara a los mas grandes y peculiares sueños. unCon la llegada confirmada de la secuela se deben tomar las molestias para jugar o rejugar este juego japonés, vaya que belleza de juego con los estudios ghibli en la parte visual y un trasfondo del mas puro y clásico rpg, esta es la historia de un niño, magia, 2 mundos y una madre perdida (o muerta). de ahí solo se abre un libro que te enviara a los mas grandes y peculiares sueños. un juego perfecto… Expand
  25. Lycanthropunk
    Jan 1, 2017
    10
    This game is as close to perfect as any game I have played. Full of charm and humour, with graphics which put most current gen titles to shame and with surprisingly deep gameplay too. An absolute masterpiece.
  26. gq_foine
    Dec 3, 2016
    10
    This is in my TOP 5 best JRPG ever made! Best RPG on PS3.. It brought back my love for RPGs, since everything has been god awful - Skyrim, and all these other games that people are playing.

    This is how I broke down my rating: Story - 10 Graphics 10 Gameplay 10 Sound - 10 Overall - 10 *Absolute masterpiece! Ni No Kuni 2 is coming out next year and looking forward to it! This    This is in my TOP 5 best JRPG ever made! Best RPG on PS3.. It brought back my love for RPGs, since everything has been god awful - Skyrim, and all these other games that people are playing.

    This is how I broke down my rating:

    Story - 10
    Graphics 10
    Gameplay 10
    Sound - 10
    Overall - 10

    *Absolute masterpiece! Ni No Kuni 2 is coming out next year and looking forward to it! This is absolutely amazing and is a must play for PS3 owners!    … Expand
  27. HTGamer
    Nov 27, 2016
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is probably the best modern JRPG of the PS3 console generation, and deservedly so. It's a significantly expanded version of the original Nintendo DS game (Ni no Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn), and since it has been freed from the constraints of the ancient portable, the game really shines on PS3.

    The story is about a child named Oliver who early in the game loses his mother. His beloved toy (an Irish-speaking doll named Drippy) animates and tells Oliver about a parallel world where a "soulmate" of everybody exists there. Oliver travels to the other world and learns to use magic, hoping to save his mother in his world. From that point on, the story progresses and becomes a blend of epic and drama, as Oliver travels the world to accomplish his quest, making new friends along the way.

    Gameplay is about traveling in a world map and entering towns to explore further, and fighting monsters in order to level-up. The main story events are accompanied by numerous side activities (bounties, errands, side quests, mini games). The combat system is a classic JRPG with active time based moves (no turn-based), and the player can use either Oliver or a minion (known as "familiar") to fight enemies. The player can defeat monsters and recruit them to use as familiars, which can also level up through combat and evolve to become even more powerful. You can also issue commands to the other AI-controlled party members. After completing the main story quest, there is plenty of high-level enemies to fight in the post-game, and many more familiars to catch, just like on Pokemon. The only negative aspect of the gameplay is the classic JRPG issue of having to grind for hours and level up in order to progress the story (there is no prerequisite player level to progress through the story missions, but sometimes you realise you have to gain 5 levels in order to beat a boss and progress, which may mean you previously rushed through the campaign and didn't do other side activities to gain XP), but if you mix story progression with side quests, you will have more variety and it won't bog you down as much. Still, the combat system is so great that grinding isn't frustrating, other than time-consuming.

    Thanks to the collaboration of the developers with the acclaimed Studio Ghibli, graphics are beautiful. Cut-scenes are hand-drawn anime, and the in-game graphics are cel-shaded to look like a 3D anime. The soundtrack is great, and the voice over is surprisingly good.

    Overall, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a wonderful game. It was a surprise hit back in 2013, and it was so successful that a sequel was announced in 2015 to be in the works (Revenant Kingdom). I can't wait to hear more about it. In the meantime, if you read this review, be assured that Ni No Kuni is a good reason to return to the old PS3 console and play one of its best exclusives.    … Expand
  28. houyi111
    Aug 2, 2016
    9
    Ni no Kuni is an amazing game. I am not into JRPG at all, in fact the only JRPG I played is dark souls which is not a traditional slow-paced, turn-based and lengthy JRPG. At the beginning I find the game is kinda of boring, i.e, every encounter is just to spam attack button.. but maybe 10 hours into the game, I realized that the fighting system is rather complicated and elegant. You haveNi no Kuni is an amazing game. I am not into JRPG at all, in fact the only JRPG I played is dark souls which is not a traditional slow-paced, turn-based and lengthy JRPG. At the beginning I find the game is kinda of boring, i.e, every encounter is just to spam attack button.. but maybe 10 hours into the game, I realized that the fighting system is rather complicated and elegant. You have minions with one of star, moon, and sun elements, they have pros and cons against each other, e.g, sun element deals more damage to moon, but less damage to star, etc. I maxed level dozens of minions, they are all fun to use and feels different.
    The story is quite enjoyable and cheering. Everyone has a heart even the bad guys. In the end, I just love every parts of the game. I cannot wait for ni no kuni 2.    … Expand
  29. Colaflare
    May 25, 2016
    10
    A truly fantastic journey and narrative with a new take on JRPG elements. Ni No Kuni takes the key fun and impactful elements of games like Pokemon, Fire Emblem, Dragon Quest etc and pours them into a game that is simply stunning. Buy this if you can and experience what more JRPGs should be like in this day and age. I'll be picking this up the moment it comes to PS4 if it ever does
  30. NexusTsunami
    Mar 9, 2016
    9
    Ni no Kuni. Ein Spiel welches es vermag einen vollkommen in seine Welt eintauchen zu lassen. Zum ersten liegt das an der liebevoll, bis zum Rand mit Details, gefüllten und im passenden Anime-Look gehaltenen Spielewelt. Zum zweiten an dem süchtig machenden Zähmen und Entwickeln von Monstern/Vertrauten. Und zum Dritten an dem interessanten Kampfsystem, welches mich persönlich, an eineNi no Kuni. Ein Spiel welches es vermag einen vollkommen in seine Welt eintauchen zu lassen. Zum ersten liegt das an der liebevoll, bis zum Rand mit Details, gefüllten und im passenden Anime-Look gehaltenen Spielewelt. Zum zweiten an dem süchtig machenden Zähmen und Entwickeln von Monstern/Vertrauten. Und zum Dritten an dem interessanten Kampfsystem, welches mich persönlich, an eine Mischung aus "Tales of" und der "FF13" Reihe erinnert.

    Alle die etwas mit der Optik und dem Kampfsystem der "Tales of" Reihe, dem Sammelwahn von "Pokemon" und vergleichbaren, dem Kampfsystem der "FF13" Trilogie, einem epischen orchestralem Soundtrack und allgemein etwas mit Anime bzw. Cell Shading anfangen können, sei dieses Spiel ans Herz gelegt.

    9*    … Expand
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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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