Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 222 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 168 out of 222
  2. Mixed: 31 out of 222
  3. Negative: 23 out of 222
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  1. Chimaera623
    Oct 31, 2019
    7
    The story and world are beautiful and charming, but the combat system really killed the enjoyment i had with this game. This could have been an amazing experience, what a shame.
  2. smeglord
    Jul 25, 2020
    6
    (DISCLAIMER: I did not finish the game. I got roughly ten hours in before I decided to call it quits.)

    An endearing premise and Ghibli visuals do a lot to carry this JRPG, but not enough to save it from clunky combat mechanics that ultimately drag this game into the murky waters of mediocrity. Like many modern JRPGs, NNK has walked away from the clean precision of turn based combat,    (DISCLAIMER: I did not finish the game. I got roughly ten hours in before I decided to call it quits.)

    An endearing premise and Ghibli visuals do a lot to carry this JRPG, but not enough to save it from clunky combat mechanics that ultimately drag this game into the murky waters of mediocrity.

    Like many modern JRPGs, NNK has walked away from the clean precision of turn based combat, opting instead for clumsy action-rpg system where your party and a handful of monsters run around a little combat area in real time.

    Despite this, commands such as "attack" and "defend" still require you to flip through a menu, which can become an issue when enemy attacks are time sensitive, leading to a lot of frustration when big attacks you saw coming hit you anyway as you fumble with the controls.

    You can only control one party member at any given time, so there isn't much in the way of teamwork. Your other party members can have certain behaviors set if you don't want them burning through mana, but you can only change behaviors if you're in control of a human character.

    You see, you aren't just having to shuffle through a single party of characters, but each character has a sub-party in the form of monster familiars who all share health and mana with their user.

    The designs of the familiars are mostly forgettable, which is an issue because the game emphasizes you use them in combat over the more endearing human characters.

    I quit once the game introduced monster capturing and evolving (think pokemon), finally burying my already waning interest under a even more pet management mechanics.    … Expand
  3. HappySpaceInvad
    Jun 29, 2022
    5
    Well... it's mostly the battle system that lets this down. It's a real-time button-mashing festival. There is more to it, explained at the start of the game and then never again.

    You steer your character/familiar around the battle arena with the left thumbstick, and you switch actions with the... what? The left d-pad? Well there's a massive design flaw right there. I played on    Well... it's mostly the battle system that lets this down. It's a real-time button-mashing festival. There is more to it, explained at the start of the game and then never again.

    You steer your character/familiar around the battle arena with the left thumbstick, and you switch actions with the... what? The left d-pad? Well there's a massive design flaw right there.

    I played on easy, and during the bit where you look for the cat king in the sewers, the difficult suddenly ramped up severely. My character or familiar could easily be taken out in a few hits. The only way through was to pick just one familiar each time and mash the attack action repeatedly and hope for the best. When I tried anything more tactical, I was decimated... and I quickly ran out of MP trying to heal myself in-between each fight. So, after only 2 hours game time, I quit in disgust.

    I expect what I did wrong was not grinding to level up my character in some easier area first... well pffft. Any game that requires a grind is, by definition, poorly balanced.

    What's hilarious is that if you watch any YouTube video explaining the battle system... the narrator commonly apologises for how confusing it all looks. In fact, I haven't yet found one that explains it clearly.

    But it's not just the battles... there's far too much back-and-forth fetch quests, the text speed is too slow (even on the fastest setting) and the text makes a super-irritating noise as it displays which will drive anyone else in the room up the wall.

    And the music, although lovely at first, quickly gets repetitive, as they're pretty short audio loops.

    It's a real shame as the voice work and graphics are absolutely top notch. With a turn-based battle mechanic, this would have been unmissable.    … Expand
  4. ElCaptain
    Jul 19, 2020
    5
    It's just a slugfest. Boring characters, terrible gameplay, only thing going for it is the art
  5. TheTrustedGamer
    Jun 28, 2021
    7
    Have you ever been recommended a game by a friend that claimed it was this phenomenal piece of art, only to try it and wonder what in the world they saw in it? Nostalgia is a powerful thing that can keep even the most lacking games still have life decades later. However, in the case of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, nostalgia is not something the game needs to lean on 10 years afterHave you ever been recommended a game by a friend that claimed it was this phenomenal piece of art, only to try it and wonder what in the world they saw in it? Nostalgia is a powerful thing that can keep even the most lacking games still have life decades later. However, in the case of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, nostalgia is not something the game needs to lean on 10 years after its initial release; it’s a solid game all on its own.

    https://thetrustedgamer.com/nino-kuni-switch-review-defeat-a-great-evil-on-the-go/    … Expand
  6. Dronewolf
    Aug 1, 2020
    7
    I enjoyed the heck out of this game. But the battle system is just wrong. I have no idea how the critic scores have zero negative reviews and a couple of mixed. The combat system is the most frustrating I have played in any JRPG. It's slow, your familiars tend to jump about instead of attacking some of the time. You get pretty much zero time to react and defend when a boss unleashes aI enjoyed the heck out of this game. But the battle system is just wrong. I have no idea how the critic scores have zero negative reviews and a couple of mixed. The combat system is the most frustrating I have played in any JRPG. It's slow, your familiars tend to jump about instead of attacking some of the time. You get pretty much zero time to react and defend when a boss unleashes a powerful attack, Oliver 100% of the time casts Ward for some reason when you control another character, the amount of times I had to recast a spell cause it gets cancelled by an enemy attack (Or an ally's ability) 95% of the time, MP replenishing items are so expensive, when it's heavily reliant on using attacks that cost MP, I could go on.

    Don't get me wrong, I loved the game, story and characters, but it's just the battle system that let it down. I just feel that if it wasn't a Studio Ghibli game, this would have gotten bombed due to the combat system.    … Expand
  7. PoopGhost
    Aug 8, 2020
    5
    Game has some beautiful cutscenes, but over all the ai in the game makes it extremely frustrating. They regularly go all out on random encounters and waste there mp, then in boss fights they will just not defend from a heavy attack and die super fast.
  8. Mandulum
    Jun 9, 2020
    5
    After 16 hours I really can't see myself playing for 34 more; there's really nothing here to draw me in. The story is way too G and has no urgency, the combat is mostly automated and rather dull, and the party AI in combat is ABYSMAL.

    Date Dropped: 2020-06-08
    Playtime: 16h
    Enjoyment: 5/10
    Recommendation: meeeeeeeh
  9. Dinamar
    Apr 13, 2020
    6
    There is a lot of ado about this game, but it plays just like commonplace. There is nothing really new in the battles, and the story sometimes really gets nonsense, in a quite uninteresting way. The speeches are kinda harsh for non-english speakers. Definitely, not the masterpiece thar many claim it tob be. Just an ordinary RPG, graced by occasional Ghibli animations.
  10. Antiquecardboar
    Sep 26, 2019
    7
    The game is a 10/10. The remaster is a 7/10. The improvements simply are not enough to warrant a re-purchase if you already own and have played the PS3 version. All you are getting is an improved resolution and 60 fps...both of which are nice but unneeded improvements for this type of game. (The PS3 version has a softer glow which many may actually find more aesthetically pleasing than theThe game is a 10/10. The remaster is a 7/10. The improvements simply are not enough to warrant a re-purchase if you already own and have played the PS3 version. All you are getting is an improved resolution and 60 fps...both of which are nice but unneeded improvements for this type of game. (The PS3 version has a softer glow which many may actually find more aesthetically pleasing than the sharper PS4 version). What you are NOT getting is improved geometry (i.e. round things like mushrooms are still "hexagons"), additional familiars, improved controls, or additional modes. It is the exact same game as the PS3 version. I would only recommend this to people who do not have a PS3...otherwise just pick up a brand new PS3 copy for $16 on amazon. The PS4 version is currently $50...with minimal improvements. As a fan of the game I was disappointed with this remaster.… Expand
  11. feinmotoriker
    Aug 28, 2023
    6
    So ein fantstisches Produktionsdesign, aber das Kampfsystem frustrierte mich irgendwann so extrem, dass ich komplett die Lust am Weiterspielen verlor. Die automatisch gesteuerten Mitstreiter bauen ohne Ende Mist und versauen irgendwann nahezu jeden Kampf, so dass man ständig größere Missionen abbrechen muss, was zu viel zu viel Wiederholungen führt. Wenn man nur alles selbst steuern oderSo ein fantstisches Produktionsdesign, aber das Kampfsystem frustrierte mich irgendwann so extrem, dass ich komplett die Lust am Weiterspielen verlor. Die automatisch gesteuerten Mitstreiter bauen ohne Ende Mist und versauen irgendwann nahezu jeden Kampf, so dass man ständig größere Missionen abbrechen muss, was zu viel zu viel Wiederholungen führt. Wenn man nur alles selbst steuern oder der Kampf doch rundenbasiert ablaufen würde, das hätte es gerettet.… Expand
  12. SeiferA
    May 20, 2022
    7
    Graphics: 10/10
    For a PS3 game, this game looks drop dead gorgeous. And even more than 10 years later, the graphics still hold up very VERY well. The only thing that makes it a bit jarring is when the animated cutscenes try to play before and after any in-game graphic cutscenes, but I’m not knocking any points out of this score for that, primarily because that’s more of a directional    Graphics: 10/10
    For a PS3 game, this game looks drop dead gorgeous. And even more than 10 years later, the graphics still hold up very VERY well. The only thing that makes it a bit jarring is when the animated cutscenes try to play before and after any in-game graphic cutscenes, but I’m not knocking any points out of this score for that, primarily because that’s more of a directional choice.

    Sound: 10/10
    The music is absolutely top notch and beautiful. I still hum the main overworld theme from time to time, even well after I’m done playing. Sound fxs and voice acting are also very good. My only complaint is the fact that the audio clips out from time to time, but again, only a minor complaint.

    Gameplay: 5/10
    Easily my biggest complaint with this game. Being a PS3 game, there’s some clear choices here that seemed like the norm in that era, but now seems a bit dated. Stuff like no objective markers on the map for side quests, grinding being an absolute chore and the battle system being unreliable to work with. To me, this game plays like a predecessor to Yokai Watch, in that at times, you have to choose certain actions when certain things play out.

    The problem is because the battle system can sometimes be a bit laggy, the game can easily cheese you out of a deserving actions (Example: An enemy is about to use a special attack, but you’re already in the middle of another action with a character who cannot defend. You know you have to switch to another character to defend, but by the time you attempt to do so, the attack has already pulled through. Half the times, this will lead to a wipe on your character or, worse, on your party)

    Worse yet, the game has a very bad habit of not giving your any forewarnings of any pending boss battles. It seems to be generous to you early on to give the subtle hints via a save point, but as you progress, boss battles will suddenly pop out of nowhere and slap you upside the head, leaving you with either taking the money penalty to retry or restart at a save point that’s more than 30 minutes out.

    Again, all of this was the norm during the PS3 era and before (I’m looking at you Cyber Sleuth, a game that was initially designed for the Vita), but these deterants just make me realize even harder that, even during this generation, there were many faults games had.

    Story: 6/10
    There’s really nothing noteworthy about the story; Boy loses mom, is told he can save her in another world, boy goes on a Zelda-like quest to find several sages who can help him find his mom. It’s a very generic story and is told fairly well. I don’t exactly hate the story, but put it this way: With my grips with the gameplay, the story wasn’t enough of a pull for me to play this past the 10 hour mark

    Difficulty: Hard
    The gameplay issues and grind fest make this a game that, while not extremely difficult, does curve up the difficultly spike past normal. Most guides that are out there will help a bit but you’re gonna be left with many questions that, honestly, will take you a lot of time just to research to begin with.

    BOTTOM LINE:
    7/10

    I wanted to say I love this game. I really do. But because of the gameplay issues and mildly ok story, I can only say I like it. I know there’s many others out there who will swear to their lives that this game stands toe to toe with FF7, Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest and many other legendary JRPGs. But I think that’s the thing with me; All of those games are great entries to the world of JRPGs. This game can serve that same purpose. But the difference, in my opinion, is those games stand out on their own because they pioneered these sort of tropes and gameplay mechanics. Ni no Kuni just feels like it’s trying to do the same thing these games already did and, for someone like me who’s played all those games, it felt like a game that I already played, but with its mechanics far more aged.    … Expand
  13. Darth_Sennar
    Nov 8, 2022
    6
    After completing the game and getting the platinum, I can say that I found it a bit boring. The plot is flat with no real twist typical of other Level5 games, the party battle system makes no sense, as the other characters simply don't follow any orders and do whatever they want without prirotizing actions over others. The tactical setting is very poor with no explanation of what eachAfter completing the game and getting the platinum, I can say that I found it a bit boring. The plot is flat with no real twist typical of other Level5 games, the party battle system makes no sense, as the other characters simply don't follow any orders and do whatever they want without prirotizing actions over others. The tactical setting is very poor with no explanation of what each action means. The world exploration is fine, although very simple with lots of useless spots and hidden forests. The mission are just a re-do the same thing all the time, although the Bounty Hunts were quite interesting and fun. The real pain over everything else is the farming: too many hours sown to get "rare" material from "rare" monsters that 3 times out of 5 don't show up at all and when they do they leave the common objects. I understand the dynamics of farming rare material but this was designed very bad with no consideration of the gamer.
    Overall, Studio Ghibli and Level 5 produced a fine game, pretty enjoyable but awfully overrated.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Best PS4 Game of 2019
61
#61 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 31
  3. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. Gamers' Temple
    Dec 17, 2019
    90
    The PS4 Remastered Edition moves super smooth throughout its gameplay segments. The visuals are clear and run at a high framerate all the time. Overall, I feel the game comes out as being equal on both versions since the Switch version has the added bonus of being portable. You really can't go wrong with either version. Just ask yourself, will you be playing it on a HDTV or on the go? Either way, buy it and experience it for yourself because you will be pleased either way.
    Read full review
  2. Eurogamer Italy
    Nov 14, 2019
    90
    This beautiful Remastered version brings to actual consoles one of the most intriguing and magical JRPGs made by Level-5. Be sure not to miss it... again.
    Read full review
  3. RPG Fan
    Oct 31, 2019
    86
    Ni no Kuni's whimsical world and aesthetic will pull you in with memories of your childhood anime and cartoons.
    Read full review
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