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. Krizuwe
    Nov 20, 2013
    8
    Un grandísimo juego, el mejor de rol, duradero, divertido y entusiasmante. Engancha de principio a fin y es el único juego de rol wue recomendaría. Como todos los juegos también tiene fallos y errores, entre ellos: se vuelve repetitivo estar siempre luchando. La trama esta muy bien ambientada, pero como dije, a lo largo del juego te aburre estar siempre luchando.
  2. mazonik
    Nov 10, 2013
    10
    I just bought this game from psn, and played a few hours, but i can certainly tell you that this is the best jrpg, of this gen, magical and emotional history, super graphic quality, and you always want to play more and more, not like other new games that if you finish a chapter wanna go to sleep, the sense of magic with the magisterial music of japan symphony, if you love the true feelingI just bought this game from psn, and played a few hours, but i can certainly tell you that this is the best jrpg, of this gen, magical and emotional history, super graphic quality, and you always want to play more and more, not like other new games that if you finish a chapter wanna go to sleep, the sense of magic with the magisterial music of japan symphony, if you love the true feeling of games this is your true election… Expand
  3. SNS
    Nov 8, 2013
    10
    The beauty of Ni No Kuni isn't that it does anything new or original, but the charm it gives off as you play. This game is based on the art style and story telling of a brilliant Anime company who can do no wrong.

    The result is a game which has quite a deep and emotional storyline as a young child tries to cope with the death of his mother. But all this is surrounded by amazing visuals,    The beauty of Ni No Kuni isn't that it does anything new or original, but the charm it gives off as you play. This game is based on the art style and story telling of a brilliant Anime company who can do no wrong.

    The result is a game which has quite a deep and emotional storyline as a young child tries to cope with the death of his mother. But all this is surrounded by amazing visuals, easy controls, a fun (but challenging) fighting mechanism and a game full of content.

    The best way to describe the game is like a living, breathing anime film which plays very much like Pokemon. The key to the game is the idea of using familiars to fight a long side you and you're two companions, and you can capture and train them up.

    This game is essentially what Pokemon SHOULD be now!

    The game can take a while to truly dig everything out; it can be a good few hours before you actually unlock some very useful abilities and a good few more hours before you get a boat and a dragon to fly around on (which make life a lot easier).

    But outside of that small issue, this game is just so much fun and refreshing. A game which isn't all violence and swearing and aggression and has a real, emotional story behind it.    … Expand
  4. 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
  5. GABRIEL1030
    Oct 20, 2013
    10
    Ni no Kuni is an example of fine art, there a lot of things to do in the vast universe of this game. 80 hours of adventures, with amazing music and sensibility.

    Presentation: A amazing story, full of emotive moments, excellent interface and a great menu. Graphics: Stunning, the art is incredible, highly detailed landscapes, cities and characters well designed. Gameplay: the great    Ni no Kuni is an example of fine art, there a lot of things to do in the vast universe of this game. 80 hours of adventures, with amazing music and sensibility.

    Presentation: A amazing story, full of emotive moments, excellent interface and a great menu.

    Graphics: Stunning, the art is incredible, highly detailed landscapes, cities and characters well designed.

    Gameplay: the great feature is the liberty of the combats with a tons of customization and options, however there are some little problems with the allies, but nothing important.

    Sound: Nice music form Tokyo's philharmonic orchestra, great voices and sound effects

    Endless appeal: A true masterpiece, this game is amazing, You don't get wrong, this game is not only for youngest people, is for adults too. I have 29 and I enjoy the game.

    Ni No Kuni is a masterpiece with 80+ hours of gameplay and at the PSN store is available only 20 bucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    If you have a PS3, then you must play it, What are you waiting for?    … Expand
  6. vixvicco
    Oct 20, 2013
    10
    The best RPG I've played in a long time. Really well done, storyline was excellent. Worth a try. Never get bored with so much to do in the game with sidequests etc.
  7. popeyetyty
    Oct 19, 2013
    10
    Level 5 outdid itself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  8. Rupeestyle
    Oct 14, 2013
    10
    In the wise words of Yukko, "Super ultra great delicious wonderful." Is everything that describes this game. The amount of detail put into the animation can be seen from every aspect. Running to walking up and down stairs. The hidden codes in the games own lettering system. The incredible story that had me crying 30 minutes in already. Studio Ghibli is beyond incredible. Best 20$ I haveIn the wise words of Yukko, "Super ultra great delicious wonderful." Is everything that describes this game. The amount of detail put into the animation can be seen from every aspect. Running to walking up and down stairs. The hidden codes in the games own lettering system. The incredible story that had me crying 30 minutes in already. Studio Ghibli is beyond incredible. Best 20$ I have ever spent. An extraordinary battling system. Amazing voice acting. This game is a great reason for owning a PS3.… Expand
  9. KreativerKaktus
    Oct 13, 2013
    10
    Best game I ever played. WONDERFUL Sound, awesome fight system, the story ist just great. And the charakters are just funny and awesome. As a fazit i want to say NI NO KUNI is the best game ever made
  10. 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
  11. tallanx
    Aug 30, 2013
    9
    I got the collector's edition with the Drippy plushie. This is a really good game, it's like Pokemon mixed with one of the "Tales of" games. Combat is fun, the collecting aspect will drive many completionists. My only issue with the game is that the story is somewhat predictable (though still enjoyable).
  12. Good-Smurf
    Aug 25, 2013
    10
    Ni No Kuni...Where were you when I needed you most?
    It's months after months of nothing but a mindless now-unbalanced glitchy Battlefield 3 syndrome ruining my health both physically and mentally.
    Always been waiting for a game to widen my gaming perspective than just Shooters and fast cars then here comes Ni No Kuni to the rescue 7 months after the release i finally found you... I'll    Ni No Kuni...Where were you when I needed you most?
    It's months after months of nothing but a mindless now-unbalanced glitchy Battlefield 3 syndrome ruining my health both physically and mentally.
    Always been waiting for a game to widen my gaming perspective than just Shooters and fast cars then here comes Ni No Kuni to the rescue 7 months after the release i finally found you...
    I'll get to point then...NI No Kuni is an awesome JRPG game that is beautiful,compelling,fun,touching,super lengthy (as any JRPG should be) surprisingly accessible yes it not what you call no-brainer from the get-go but it's accessible enough for anyone new to the genre that willing to try something new and out of their comfort zone.
    And yes i'm completely new to Role playing genre let alone a sacred JRPG genre so i'm not gonna comment on the gameplay turn based RPG stuff but i can tell you i thought i'm gonna get bored but i wasn't i just want to keep playing it!
    Soundtrack is simply epic and beautiful goes nothing dull nothing over dramatic.
    I'm not gonna spoil you with any characters or story i'll just say that if you're into something that is simple,effective and down right cute then this is game is for you!
    I can go on and on how good this game is despite it's my first JRPG game let's just say this game simply "Give Heart" to me and the hope to the Japanese gaming scene and even give the faith in the hope of a brighter future of gaming without too much "guns in your face"    … Expand
  13. turo999
    Aug 10, 2013
    10
    Nothing quite like it. An incredibly endearing and beautiful game with a rich universe to explore and a compelling story to tell. The graphics fit perfectly into Level-5's aesthetics, the music soars and the gameplay always leaves you wanting more. It will never be able to compete against more mainstream titles for the game of the year awards, such as Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite. ButNothing quite like it. An incredibly endearing and beautiful game with a rich universe to explore and a compelling story to tell. The graphics fit perfectly into Level-5's aesthetics, the music soars and the gameplay always leaves you wanting more. It will never be able to compete against more mainstream titles for the game of the year awards, such as Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite. But for my money, Ni No Kuni is a superior game, just not as accessible. Still, give in to Ni No Kuni's five hour introduction and you'll find immersed into it's amazing world. You will not regret playing this game, I can assure you of that.… Expand
  14. HazeSpire
    Aug 6, 2013
    3
    Infantile is the best word to describe this game. I used to call myself a fan of the jRPG genre, but the last few games I played let me down (I'm looking at you FF XIII), so I was hoping for a great adventure when I picked up this title. Unfortunately it failed as well. The graphics may be nice, caring for your "Pokemons" is interesting, combat is also OK, but the rest.. The most importantInfantile is the best word to describe this game. I used to call myself a fan of the jRPG genre, but the last few games I played let me down (I'm looking at you FF XIII), so I was hoping for a great adventure when I picked up this title. Unfortunately it failed as well. The graphics may be nice, caring for your "Pokemons" is interesting, combat is also OK, but the rest.. The most important aspects of any RPG for me the story, the dialog, the characters they are all dull and bland. Ni No Kuni also has the Most. Infantile. Dialogs. Ever. This is a good game for kids, I am so disappointed. … Expand
  15. JudgmentJay
    Jul 23, 2013
    8
    This is a great game that's half a Studio Ghibli movie and half of an oldschool JRPG.

    The aesthetics and the music are of course amazing and they really make it feel like you're playing in a Ghibli movie. The story is fantastic as well and there are some interesting/unexpected twists. Surprisingly, I really liked the English voice acting. I typically prefer the native voice track,    This is a great game that's half a Studio Ghibli movie and half of an oldschool JRPG.

    The aesthetics and the music are of course amazing and they really make it feel like you're playing in a Ghibli movie.

    The story is fantastic as well and there are some interesting/unexpected twists. Surprisingly, I really liked the English voice acting. I typically prefer the native voice track, but they did a really good job with the dub this time. Also worth mentioning is the Wizard's Companion. I was really surprised at how in-depth and detailed it was. It was really fun to read the side stories and the lore scattered throughout. Other things I liked... lots of hidden items/areas to discover, tons of sidequests, and a worth-while crafting system.

    As far as actual gameplay is concerned, I only have two gripes... first of which is the combat. I don't mind the overall combat system itself, but I always felt like half my familiars were just filler and were relatively weak. This lasted all the way up until the end of the game. The party AI was also offensively bad. There were a number of occasions where they would just walk right through some dangerous ground effects and instantly die... especially toward the end of the game. My other complaint is that I felt like the game held my hand for too long. It wasn't a huge deal to me, but I could have done with fewer tutorials.

    In conclusion, this is a very good JRPG and is worth playing if you're looking for a more laid-back game with a great story, amazing visuals/music, and entertaining gameplay.    … Expand
  16. creath
    Jul 15, 2013
    9
    One of the best games I've played in a long time. Excellent story, dynamic battle mechanics, AMAZING art style, and PLENTY to do. I'm 65 hours in and the time has flown by. Only reason it doesn't get a 10 from me is because of the grinding that is often necessary to advance through some parts of the story. Aside from that though, it's by far my favorite game of 2013.
  17. FantasyGameFan
    Jul 8, 2013
    10
    Having played this game through and being an enormous fan of the genre, I rate this game a 10 because it is a marvel. I'm an enormous fan of Studio Ghibli, and the artwork was spectacular. The story was definitely fun, and all of the tasks were rather enjoyable. However, the reason I give this game a 10 is because it REALLY gets going once you finish the main story-line. I absolutely loveHaving played this game through and being an enormous fan of the genre, I rate this game a 10 because it is a marvel. I'm an enormous fan of Studio Ghibli, and the artwork was spectacular. The story was definitely fun, and all of the tasks were rather enjoyable. However, the reason I give this game a 10 is because it REALLY gets going once you finish the main story-line. I absolutely love it when games have fulfilling "after-game" aspects, and Ni No Kuni really did a good job here. I won't give anything away, but what I can say is it is very worth it to play this game out, I enjoyed every single minute of it.… Expand
  18. 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
  19. M9ki
    Jun 29, 2013
    8
    Good game but I prefer mature games but over all it was quite good.Its one of those repetitive games so if your ok with that then your surely will love this game.
  20. 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
  21. Punkinki
    Jun 15, 2013
    8
    I am really enjoying it as far as the nostalgia of playing a tradtional RPG goes. I honestly don't care much for the characters or the storyline but it is overall an enjoyable game if you like the genre. It's fairly basic and spamming attack on about 95% of fights seems to work. It's not overly complicated nor deep. A light rpg that's pretty much good for everyone, young or old,I am really enjoying it as far as the nostalgia of playing a tradtional RPG goes. I honestly don't care much for the characters or the storyline but it is overall an enjoyable game if you like the genre. It's fairly basic and spamming attack on about 95% of fights seems to work. It's not overly complicated nor deep. A light rpg that's pretty much good for everyone, young or old, experienced or not. It does do a fair share of hand holding but that's nothing too terrible to discourage you from playing it but it does make you question at times if you are playing a game suitable for an adult...no joke. All that being said though, it is a great game to just have fun with and take some time off of intense gaming.… Expand
  22. Dastrados
    Jun 14, 2013
    10
    Absolutely amazing game. I have never played a jrpg before but this game was amazing. Great story and lots of stuff to do after u beat the game. Easily got overt 100 hours in it.
  23. ihatecheez
    Jun 13, 2013
    8
    the game is great! music is great! and the gameplay is great! since this game is more for everyone, if you're looking for a more mature story, dont get this game. this game is made to be cute and emotional, i even cried at times.
  24. 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
  25. kowon
    Jun 11, 2013
    10
    Ni No Kuni made up for the latest surge of nasty final fantasy games i usually prefer turn based rpg like FF9 and FF7 however this game manage to make real time strategy work for me and to put the game into terms for people wondering what it is welsh guy pokemon good story replayability def worth 10 and tbh more if i could
  26. enkidu_clay
    Jun 5, 2013
    10
    Story: In typical Miyazaki fashion, this game has an incredibly good story. It is based off of an anime, which may not appeal to everyone, but the story is emotionally riveting in the sense that it tugs at your heartstrings without being melodramatic. The characters are beaming with positivity and sentiment, and you can’t help but feel even for the villains. (10/10)

    Voice acting: The    Story: In typical Miyazaki fashion, this game has an incredibly good story. It is based off of an anime, which may not appeal to everyone, but the story is emotionally riveting in the sense that it tugs at your heartstrings without being melodramatic. The characters are beaming with positivity and sentiment, and you can’t help but feel even for the villains. (10/10)

    Voice acting: The English dub for this game is great. All characters are executed well and are very believable. Some may say the voices are childish, but the characters are in fact children, so I think it completely appropriate. I wish that the entire game was voiced, but unfortunately only main story segments are, which leaves some exposition feeling a bit flat. (9/10)

    Characters/World: The cast, while small, is great. They compliment each other well and each has a fully fleshed out story with unique personalities and personal tribulations. Even the support characters are excellently executed. The world is large and ripe for exploration with very few areas being inaccessible once you get the necessary means of transportation. The landscapes and environments are incredibly varied and I found myself returning to places just to take a second look. (10/10)

    Graphics: This is an anime game, and it looks amazing. The character and enemy designs all look hand drawn and burst with color and character. Everything in this game looks amazing and it draws you into the world. (10/10)

    Game length/Replayability: The game is quite lengthy; I put in over 60 hours and still didn’t finish everything that could be done. There are tons of side quests, bounties, and optional enemies to fight, and the game has considerable length if you want to capture and train the 300 familiars available. There is also plenty of replayability. After beating the game, you are dropped back off into the world where you can explore further, hunt additional bosses, and do post-game quests. (10/10)

    Gameplay/Optimization: The gameplay has a robust alchemy system, myriad gear to equip your characters, unique skills you learn from completing quests, and dozens of spells and summons to learn. Each of the four main characters play differently and have unique affinities for different familiars, which adds tactical depth. (10/10)

    Verdict: I have no qualms saying this game is amazing. It is one of the best RPGs I’ve ever played, and I’m an RPG connoisseur, and it has a distinct feel that is uniquely its own despite its anime inspired world akin to the Tales games. Bottom line, if you enjoy RPGs, anime, good stories, and fun collect-them-all gameplay, this game is a must! (Overall: 9.8/10)    … Expand
  27. 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
  28. ControllerInHan
    May 12, 2013
    9
    This is the experience that I had been waiting years for. I played countless JRPG’s on my SNES and Playstation during my teenage years. There was a magic about the games from this era. I adored games like Chrono Trigger. Unfortunately, during my 20’s, I had a falling out with the genre. I played many JRPG’s that come out in the past decade, but nothing reached the heights achieved byThis is the experience that I had been waiting years for. I played countless JRPG’s on my SNES and Playstation during my teenage years. There was a magic about the games from this era. I adored games like Chrono Trigger. Unfortunately, during my 20’s, I had a falling out with the genre. I played many JRPG’s that come out in the past decade, but nothing reached the heights achieved by those classic games of my childhood, and nothing held my interest more than a few hours. Well, I have finally found another game that I can add to the list of JRPG’s that have captivated my imagination.

    Ni No Kuni is not perfect by any means, but it is magical. It’s story, visuals and game play combine to create an experience that I have been seeking for years. Level 5 has moved away from the generic, emo, protagonist that has taken over the JRPG landscape in recent years and created Oliver, a young boy with a sense of wonder that I was able to connect with. The progression of his story is somewhat predictable, but Oliver's character kept me engaged throughout his 40+ hour story. Using Drippy, Oliver’s fairy sidekick, to balance the innocence of the main character, was a smart decision. Giving Drippy a Welsh accent was perfect. It added humour to the game, and it never seemed forced. The other party members that travel with Oliver fit into the overall story very well, as do the many side characters encountered throughout. My one complaint with the characters, is you encounter many of the same ones in each town, always with a similar problem. These side missions can be easily skipped, but anybody playing will probably want to take the time to complete some of these errands. The voice acting in the game does a nice job but there just isn't as much as I was hoping for. For those purists out there, it can be played with subtitles and the original Japanese voice acting.

    As much as I enjoyed the story, the graphics is where Ni No Kuni really shines. I've heard people say “It feels like you are playing a cartoon,” and this description is completely accurate. Designed and animated by Studio Ghibli, the characters and environments in the game are stunning. There were numerous times I would enter an area and think it was one of the most amazing scenes I have even seen on my PS3, only to be blown away every time I entered a new area. The environments vary widely, hitting all the traditional game locales. The highlights for me were the towns, as they each seemed to have contain it's own personality that I could feel as walked about. Hamlin is closed in and cold, while Castaway Cove felt much more relaxed and carefree. Even the darker areas, such as Miasma Swamp, were amazingly animated, and feel dark and dreary.

    The score, performed by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, complimented the entire experience. The music fit the game really well, and other than the title theme, I have no complaints. The title theme was a little boisterous, and the first four seconds of it have become stuck in a continuous loop in my head countless times.

    The story and game play of Ni No Kuni has found a nice balance between being accessible to a wider audience and still capturing that unique charm of a JRPG. The story, while very predictable, is charming, and it is the characters that kept me wanting to play. There were no shades of grey here, Oliver was a good guy and as the story progressed he was trying to do the right thing. Throughout, characters are (literally) missing pieces of their heart, and Oliver takes it upon himself to restore the missing pieces. The story does tend to drag in a couple places, especially when you can see exactly what is going to happen, yet still have to go through the multiple steps to get there.

    Ni No Kuni also has a Monster Hunter/Pokemon aspect of catching creatures which the game calls familiars. I didn't really get into this aspect of the game, but I do see how players could spend hours trying to get them all. The side quests, in the form of errands and bounty hunts, are numerous in the game, and also add hours of gameplay. Many of the games best weapons and rewards can only earned through these missions. There is also an alchemy section, using items to create new weapons and supplies. The game has more than enough to keep collectors and RPG lovers happy, and very busy.

    I love that this game was able to recapture some of that magic I felt when I played games back on the SNES and PS1. The story never really shines, but was always good enough that it never mattered. The characters and their personalities kept me engaged, and the Welsh accent of Drippy is brilliant. I was drawn in by the visuals, which are among the best on the PS3. Everything about how this game looks, is breathtaking.

    http://controlerinhand.blogspot.ca/    … Expand
  29. Gastel71
    May 6, 2013
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Horrible, horrible jrpg, really. Read Ironsheik and and Nugs187 reviews, they say almost everything it should be said about this game. There are other issues though, like for example how useless and boring is all the "familiar capture thing" (there are hundreds of them and levelling up a familiar takes ages and almost all of them start at a very low level and they are useless anyway since you can beat the game by using always the same couple of familiars over and over, like I did), how cliched the game is (ie. first you explore the overworld on foot, then you can use a ship and finally you can fly on a dragon...how original, isn't it?), how the environments are really bad (fully decorated rooms in jrpgs are a standard since the snes era I think...try to enter a "castle" in ni no kuni, do you know what you'll find? A big empty room with a throne in the middle, I'm not kidding) and I could go on for hours but honestly this game doesn't deserve the effort. Shame on the developers that just took advantage of Studio Ghibli's collaboration trying (and succeeding) to sell a sub-standard game disguised as a "work of art".

    P.S. All the above is valid if you are older than 10, while for little children, played with their parents, the game could be great.    … Expand
  30. MrVoid
    May 5, 2013
    10
    I tend to avoid JRPGs nowadays because they tend to be boring and very tedious. This wonderful game changes that completely. Very solid writing, the best graphics this generation and great gameplay does all the difference.
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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.
    Read full review
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