Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

 Switch
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 137 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 94 out of 137
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 137
  3. Negative: 22 out of 137
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  1. RagnarX213
    Jan 14, 2020
    10
    Simply put: One of the best RPGs EVER
    Beautiful art design (courtesy of the incredible Studio Ghibli) it looks incredible on the Switch! A truly gorgeous anime come to life!
    Amazing soundtrack (courtesy of some prestigious royal symphonic orchestra) Deep gameplay with many layers I wish all games were this skillfully ,carefully and thoroughly crafted. Excellent character design with many    Simply put: One of the best RPGs EVER
    Beautiful art design (courtesy of the incredible Studio Ghibli) it looks incredible on the Switch! A truly gorgeous anime come to life!
    Amazing soundtrack (courtesy of some prestigious royal symphonic orchestra)
    Deep gameplay with many layers
    I wish all games were this skillfully ,carefully and thoroughly crafted.
    Excellent character design with many memorable enemies and boss battles
    If you love RPGs i highly recommend this game!    … Expand
  2. Smoke_jaguar
    Oct 3, 2019
    9
    Crashed once for me so a patch might be necessary in the future. Gorgeous graphics and a very solid frame rate. Looks amazing both docked and in handheld...the game play is good and has many classical JRPG elements. One of my favorite RPGS ever.. if the crash-glitch were to be fixed I'd give it a perfect 10
  3. Dkhenny
    Aug 23, 2020
    9
    Great game, great story and great battle system. The story of two worlds and Olivers story is amazing.
  4. bazzzinga
    Sep 28, 2019
    9
    wow, there's some guy saying this is one of the worst games he's ever played... shocking. it's a RPG drawn by studio Ghibli! it's like one of their movies was made explorable and playable. sure, the characters are simple and there's an overall innocence about the game that's not for everyone. but it's a really great JRPG, with a nice battle system, great heartwarming story and a beautifulwow, there's some guy saying this is one of the worst games he's ever played... shocking. it's a RPG drawn by studio Ghibli! it's like one of their movies was made explorable and playable. sure, the characters are simple and there's an overall innocence about the game that's not for everyone. but it's a really great JRPG, with a nice battle system, great heartwarming story and a beautiful world to explore. sure, if you don't like JRPGs, this is not for you. I'm 4 hours into the game and haven't experienced any serious slowdowns. to be confirmed. if you have played it before, it's not essential; if, like me, this is your first chance to play it, you should grab it now!… Expand
  5. crazymurdock
    Mar 1, 2020
    10
    Looks amazing. 18 hours in so far and loving it. Story is good, and combat is simple but fun.
  6. Onioncreature
    Jun 19, 2021
    8
    A flawed yet beautiful RPG with involvement from the renowned Studio Ghibli. The music in particular, composed by famed composer Joe Hisaishi, is a stand-out element that elevates the rest of the experience. The gameplay is generally quite enjoyable, with fairly dynamic battles and deep systems to experiment with. There are a wide variety of collectible monsters, dubbed familiars, whichA flawed yet beautiful RPG with involvement from the renowned Studio Ghibli. The music in particular, composed by famed composer Joe Hisaishi, is a stand-out element that elevates the rest of the experience. The gameplay is generally quite enjoyable, with fairly dynamic battles and deep systems to experiment with. There are a wide variety of collectible monsters, dubbed familiars, which are pretty fun to obtain and manage. Unfortunately the game is held back from it's full potential by some irritating decisions. For one, there's simply too much padding, it feels as though portions of the game are arbitrarily long and serve only to increase the length of your journey. Another issue is the difficulty, which is pretty unbalanced, certain familiars were over-powered at times, while some were borderline useless. Additionally, some bosses were braindead easy, but others required far more effort than should've been necessary. There's also a notable lack of voice acting for much of the game, which is understandable, but it's absence does deafen the impact of some story moments which should've been more emotionally resonant. One of the selling points of the game, the involvement by Studio Ghibli, is also a bit thin, as the included 2D animated segments feel far more sparse than would be expected. Fortunately the story is actually very good, and though imperfect does hit the right notes and ends up being quite memorable and poignant. The characters are also strong, the cast includes a fair number of memorable and charming characters, with Drippy in particular stealing the show. I would recommend Ni No Kuni if you're willing to put up with a few rough patches, the overall experience did leave me satisfied in spite of the issues I encountered.… Expand
  7. ProjectPeete
    Sep 20, 2020
    10
    As a fan of Studio Ghibli and JRPGs this is one of my favorite games ever. Only game ever that made me shed a tear. Truly fantastic story and presentation.
  8. DreamCore
    Sep 20, 2019
    9
    After reading NintendoLifes review I was very sceptical about getting this for Switch. However I decided to get it and after 2 hours of playing I didn't experience any of these glitches.

    I did play Ni No Kuni 2 and finished it. It was a decent game, although way too easy and a bit too childish. I can start by saying that it's unbeliavable that Ni No Kuni 1 is originally a PS3 game. It    After reading NintendoLifes review I was very sceptical about getting this for Switch. However I decided to get it and after 2 hours of playing I didn't experience any of these glitches.

    I did play Ni No Kuni 2 and finished it. It was a decent game, although way too easy and a bit too childish. I can start by saying that it's unbeliavable that Ni No Kuni 1 is originally a PS3 game. It has aged really well and looks better than many games released today. The story is really well made as well (3 hours into the game currently).

    The game feels a bit old when it comes to the combat system however, but it's still way ahead of most other RPGs released during the PS3 era. Also don't get fooled by the art style. This is not a toddler game. If you're an RPG fan, definitely pick this up!    … Expand
  9. Aerostat
    Sep 20, 2019
    9
    Exactly as expected but better than ever is how I'd describe the portable Switch version of one of, if not the best, JRPG's ever made.
  10. Ulfrik88
    Sep 27, 2019
    10
    Falta un parche para mejora de rendimiento pero todo lo demás muy buen juego
  11. VTL
    Jan 3, 2020
    8
    Un excelente y gigantesco juego.
    Una buena historia sin ser espectacular, pero hemotiva al estino Totoro, Mononoke,... Gibli.
    Jugabilidad muy bien trabajada y un mundo muy rico y con millares de cosas por descublrir. Lo unico que empaña a mi modo de ver es que esta version de Switch a parte que es la original sin remasterizar ni nada, durante las 45 horas que me ha durado el juego se ha    Un excelente y gigantesco juego.
    Una buena historia sin ser espectacular, pero hemotiva al estino Totoro, Mononoke,... Gibli.
    Jugabilidad muy bien trabajada y un mundo muy rico y con millares de cosas por descublrir.
    Lo unico que empaña a mi modo de ver es que esta version de Switch a parte que es la original sin remasterizar ni nada, durante las 45 horas que me ha durado el juego se ha cerrado "por que ha encontrado un error" 7 veces, con lo que he de reiniciar el punto de guardado y perdwer el correspondiente progreso... eso es un poco fastidioso. Ahun asi un juego más que recomendable !!    … Expand
  12. NvaderZim
    Feb 3, 2020
    9
    Good story, amazing animation, stunning visual, terrible combat system. I wish we had the enchanted version
  13. ale1967
    Jan 18, 2020
    9
    The story is wonderful.
    So much time I was not surprised by a game story
    The only point I didn’t like is the big number of bosses
  14. Lushen1212
    Oct 25, 2019
    9
    Excelemtisimo port de un juego sobresaliente. Super recomemdado. Jugarlo en modo portatil una gozada
  15. Da3_who_knows
    Apr 5, 2021
    9
    An amazing game, a great port. I wish they did something better with the camera in fights, its extremely annoying at times. And also the tame rates, i guess they are just unfair at times. However, those are just some minor thing, the game all in all is god damn amazing. No spoilers no nothing, if you are a fan of JRPG or just like the art style go play this game, its not extremelyAn amazing game, a great port. I wish they did something better with the camera in fights, its extremely annoying at times. And also the tame rates, i guess they are just unfair at times. However, those are just some minor thing, the game all in all is god damn amazing. No spoilers no nothing, if you are a fan of JRPG or just like the art style go play this game, its not extremely challenging, very beginner friendly.… Expand
  16. tesodaking
    Nov 4, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Davvero un gran bel gdr nipponico, elegante e delicato, con influenze tratte dai pokemon. Peccato che questa leggerezza viene a contrasto con la scelta di far parlare un comprimario importante in romano spinto. Consigliatissimo… Expand
  17. telecaster23
    Dec 13, 2019
    8
    The switch version is a 'must-get' for JRPG fans. Don't let the early reviews fool you on how it crashes on the Switch. I played it on day one and finished the game in a month with ZERO crashes. Despite being a PS3 game and having not much upgrade on the graphics, it was still a game worth playing and collecting for its 80-100 hours of content, that is if you try getting to 100%The switch version is a 'must-get' for JRPG fans. Don't let the early reviews fool you on how it crashes on the Switch. I played it on day one and finished the game in a month with ZERO crashes. Despite being a PS3 game and having not much upgrade on the graphics, it was still a game worth playing and collecting for its 80-100 hours of content, that is if you try getting to 100% completion.

    The story is a heartwarming tale of a boy adventuring into a magical world trying to do everything to get his mother back to his life, then later unfolds to something so much deeper and much darker. The story can hook any player from start to finish. The writers did a good job of slowly revealing the story to the players, and reaching to a point where the innocent boy you start with, ended with someone much developed as a person at the end. Though after finishing 'one' of the final bosses, you'll think that it was over, but no, there's another boss at the end with the initials WW, which kind of dragged the great storytelling to something feeling rushed at the end, but nonetheless, it was a story worth knowing about.

    The gameplay is kind of similar to playing pokemon, where you can capture familiars, evolve them, feed them, and fight with them. The gameplay is okay and can get repetitive, though the good thing is, no enemy is too long to kill, that makes a game very dull. Just the right amount of length per fight which can help you grind without being burnt out.

    Characters are all well developed, though again, at the end of the game, it could have been much better if it wasn't rushed. Voice acting can also be a little strange since it's a JRPG game with British accents. I know that I could've used the Japanese voice option, but I always prefer hearing people speak in a language I can understand, so that took a little while of getting used to.

    The biggest turn on for me for this game is that the studio that did the animation and art for it, was Studio Ghibli. Whenever a cartoon cutscene would show up, it was very pleasing to the viewer to watch, though, most of the cartoon animations are very abrupt, which leaves the players wanting to see more, which is kind of unfortunate as well, as the longer you play, the lesser cartoon animation you see, and instead, you're stuck with gameplay cutscenes. I was hoping to at least see more of the cartoon animation from Ghibli at the end of the game, since it was lacking most at that part.    … Expand
  18. eschano
    Dec 15, 2020
    10
    Playing this game puts a smile on my face. Flipping charming. Love Mr Drippy!
  19. Nayl
    Jun 18, 2020
    10
    Um dos melhores RPGSg ja feitos, a altura dos classicos . Jogabilidade fluida, trilha sonora impecavel e graficos lindissimos. Um titulo mais que necessario para quem tem um nintendo switch.
  20. lorddiego
    Sep 1, 2020
    8
    For the record, I'm a big JRPG and Studio Ghibli fan. Unfortunately, I could not bring myself to finish the game because of certain obnoxious mechanics in the game. However, I have to praise the soundtrack and art direction ,as well as the the plot.
  21. alan2pc
    Nov 2, 2020
    9
    I don’t generally like RPG’s but the story and animation really drew me in like few games I have ever played.
  22. Legrand
    Nov 16, 2020
    10
    Great game, good grafics and history!! Banda sonora espectacular bonito de principios a fin
  23. Ritooon
    Nov 23, 2020
    9
    Le jeu est beau, les animations sont magnifiques, l'histoire est intéressantes.

    Les seuls bémols sont les dialogues, parfois un peu nian-nian, voir "idiots" (Comme si les personnages avaient 2 de QI), et le système d'XP qui peut gêner si on ne farm pas les niveaux (J'ai parfois dû passer quelques heures à farm pour atteindre un niveau suffisant pour pouvoir réussir à passer certains    Le jeu est beau, les animations sont magnifiques, l'histoire est intéressantes.

    Les seuls bémols sont les dialogues, parfois un peu nian-nian, voir "idiots" (Comme si les personnages avaient 2 de QI), et le système d'XP qui peut gêner si on ne farm pas les niveaux (J'ai parfois dû passer quelques heures à farm pour atteindre un niveau suffisant pour pouvoir réussir à passer certains boss), ce qui peut un peu casser le rythme.    … Expand
  24. Shinyscyther
    Jun 2, 2022
    9
    A really nice game, with lovely graphics and the always charming style of Ghibli in both music and story. The combat system was really fun once you get the grip of it, and overall was a game with enough challenge to be a really fun experience. Is not perfect, has some issues, especially with the localization, but is not short of an amazing game.
  25. Roscar
    Jul 11, 2022
    10
    Just go play this game right now!
    It's incredible in every posible way you can think: the music, the art stile, the story, the characters, etc.
    You'll probably want more of it once you finish the story and good for you becouse this game haves lots of post game content for you to enjoy.
  26. horatii
    May 22, 2022
    9
    Music and art are both phenomenal. The story is great but the cut scenes are not skippable. I've put 50 hours in the game and most of it is grinding exp. Nonetheless, it is a great game.
  27. SnaperoCL
    Jul 8, 2022
    10
    Absoluta obra maestra, uno de los mejores RPG modernos y en la switch es una BOMBA, corre muy bien, cuando crees que el juego ha llegado a un techo siempre descubres un rascacielo nuevo, uno de mis juegos favoritos de los últimos 10 años, increíble obra maestra de LEVEL 5 y Studios Gibli, 100% recomendado, las primeras 15 horas son lentas pero lo que viene adelante es INOLVIDABLE.

Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Best Switch Game of 2019
34
#34 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 29, 2020
    90
    Ni no Kuni took a while to come to a Nintendo system in the West. But it's been worth the wait! [Issue #43 – November/December 2019, p. 12SH]
  2. Gaming Age
    Nov 27, 2019
    100
    It’s rare to find a game that’s as visually appealing as this one, and if that means going through a bit (okay, a lot) of grinding to see all this game has to offer, it may just be a price worth paying.
    Read full review
  3. RPGamer
    Nov 18, 2019
    70
    Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a good JRPG held back by the poor design decisions made for the battle system. Straddling the line between the turn-based system of its DS forefather Ni no Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn and the full action-based system of its PS4 sequel Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom does the game no favors, but for those that can successfully battle the familiars more than the system, there’s a great deal of fun to have with this game. With a solid story and an amazing, beautiful world to explore, the White Witch on Switch is a port that many JRPG fans will enjoy, especially those like me who are getting to play this for the first time.
    Read full review
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