Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch

Blog Post: Ni no Kuni: Style over substance

Bryan Timm — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 18:43:00 GMT

At first glance, Ni no Kuni appears to be every JRPG fan's dream: an epic story, gorgeous graphics and art style, fully orchestrated music, and lots of ways to customize battles. But after the first few hours, the game's charm and wonder wears off and you're left with a frustrating adventure that seems to drag on for far too long. What should've been a strong game of the year candidate ends up becoming distantly average and can only be recommended to JRPG fans.

The highest accomplishment the game has derives from its visuals, as it's easily one of the best looking games of this generation. Being only the second game the famed Studio Ghibli has ever lent their creative talents to, their top-notch art design and animation helps the title have all the charm of any movie they've made. This becomes especially evident during cutscenes, whether using in-game graphics or hand-drawn, that help motivate players to continue the story. Towns and other areas of the world feel very much alive thanks to the game's equally compelling sound design and an excellent fully orchestrated musical score.

However, those high points start to give way to many frustrating mechanics. Exploration, a key element in any JRPG, plays a much smaller role in this game, as you're always pointed in the direction you need to go in order to progress the story. Along the way, you frequently encounter new areas that have sudden difficulty spikes, requiring a good amount of grinding to level up characters and earn money for better equipment. There are side missions that can help alleviate the stress during these times, but a majority of them are very similar to each other and follow the typical "fetch quest" formula. Players may also take on bounty hunts that can be quite enjoyable and offer a suitable challenge and reward, but these are much fewer in number than the side missions.

Whereas the battle systems of other JRPGs tend to be one of their high points, Ni no Kuni's end up feeling like a bothersome chore. You control only one character at a time and the others are handled by the AI. Each character can then have a captured familiar/monster fight in their place. You do have some customization options over how your AI partners fight, but you can only change these during the middle of battles. But no matter what your instructions are, it always feels like the AI will just do whatever it wants.

During battles, you can move around to avoid some attacks, but using any magic or items forces your character to pause briefly and open them up to damage. This happens not only to you when you perform the action to help another player, but to the character receiving the help as well. There are also far too many attacks that cause cinematics, making battles last way longer than they need to be. On top of that, those cinematics randomly interrupt whatever magic your character was trying to cast, turning the time you spent trying to cast it into a waste and further prolongs battles. You typically only cast offensive spells during boss battles and bounty hunts, though, as almost all other battles can be won simply by spamming physical attacks.

It's obvious from the start that a lot of thought went into the presentation of the game, but a lot of the main gameplay mechanics feel like they ended up being an afterthought to the developers. Hopefully this will not deter Studio Ghibli from contributing to future titles, as the game shows that they can help immerse players in the stunningly gorgeous worlds that they create. JRPG and Studio Ghibli fans will find some enjoyment in Ni no Kuni, but it's hard to recommend it for anyone else.

Blog Post: Curing the JRPG Hungers

Leah Christensen — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 19:33:00 GMT

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I’ve been hankering for a JRPG in a bad way. And nothing down the pipeline this generation has filled the hunger. A few games came close. Lost Odyssey was the next Final Fantasy that never was. But otherwise, I’ve been starved. Then Ni No Kuni came along.

When I heard Level-5 and Studio Ghibli were making a game together, visually, this is the love child I hoped they would conceive. The game is stunning. A constant stream of vibrant colors, which leave you staring at the television and forgetting you’re playing a game. The screens fill you up, and your chest feels like it has been pumped full of wonder.

While the bursting setting establishes the mood, the fantastical soundtrack embellishes upon it. The songs are sweeping and live in the Studio Ghibli standard that moved me in their films. It is haunting while still blending in child-like wonderment, fitting into the world, art and characters with gorgeous grace.

Oliver, the main protagonist, is a compelling character. At first I thought he was going to be too childish and the story would never offer any intricacy, but give it time. The story and Oliver pick up and I became very moved by the tale that is anything but simple or ordinary.

Then there is the complex and simple gameplay.

The combat is action based with four characters and their familiars, who are Pokemon-like creatures you go around the world collecting and nurturing into powerful assets. My party members, however, weren’t always as helpful. I didn’t want certain characters to reach the rewarded level breaks that floated down to you during critical points in battle because it usually was a waste. Cheap deaths also occurred while in the midst of casting spells, it never became completely detrimental, but the irritation was enough to make me curse.

The dungeons can be taxing as well, and the grinding in each one grew close to arbitrary. There’s an ice dungeon that took over twenty deaths to make my way through to the boss. This level of stakes at each battle gives the game both agency and meaninglessness. There’s a certain point where the grinding doesn’t feel like progressing and teeters close to frustrating. But it never felt like too much work, so I think your enjoyment depends on your level of patience. And you should push through, because exploring this world is just plain fun. There’s a form of transportation toward the middle-late in the game that was one of the most puCurinre and pleasing experiences I’ve had in recent gaming.

There are also plenty of side quests with hardy rewards to keep you busy and building your collection of familiars adds another layer of depth. I dabbled in both these categories and definitely see the appeal. But the main quest was too alluring for me to stay away for too long.

I could wine about dungeons, teammate A.I. and a few cheap deaths in the game, and so often, it’s easy to wish for game’s to be different, but sometimes, we have to enjoy the world and the constraints that have been provided for us. And the world that Ni No Kuni has provided is a stunner.

Wiki: Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch Guides

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 07:36:00 GMT

Guides for Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch

Blog Post: A Flippin' good time, mun!

LaLiLuLeLo — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:55:00 GMT

Traditional JRPG's seem to be a dying breed these days. Back in the 90's JRPG's seemed to rule the industry with Companies like Squaresoft leading the way. Fast forwarding to this generation, traditional JRPG's seem to be a thing of the past. There have been a few games to utilize the old formula for this dying genre (Enchanted Arms and Lost Odyssey, to name a few) but few of them have been able to nail it the way No Ni Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch has.

Right away I was taken back to nostalgia when I first place my two hands on the controller and traversed a lush greenery Fantasy World. The character to world scale was reminiscent of the design of older RPG's, the many places to visit along with secret caves and forests, means of transportation to travel to said areas, and a lot of text speech which was very nostalgic and welcomed. Although, I would have loved to see more animated cut scenes.

Ni No Kuni takes you on a ride through a young boy named Oliver. Due to an unfortunate, and one heart breaking scene, Oliver gets sucked in to this magical world with help from one of the best side kicks to ever grace a video game, Mr. Drippy. The once lifeless Doll informs Oliver that all might not be lost and has a plan to help this boy get something back he desires, but he also needs his help because Oliver is bound by fate as the "Pure Hearted One" to save Mr. Drippy's world from the sinister Dark Jinn--Shadar, an evil force who breaks the hearts of all those who stand in his way. But Oliver can't do it as the way he is now. He will seek help from the Sages who will turn this fragile kid into all powerful Wizard.

When you have your heart broken you lose a piece of one of these 8 elements; Ambition, Love, Courage, Enthusiasm, Restraint, Confidence, Belief, and Kindness. Along your Journey to defeat Shadar you will mend these poor soul's hearts and get them back to their original self. The people who live in this world might have an abundance of these feelings so some may give a piece of their heart to you to help you on your main quest and side quests....make sure you don't hog them all or Mr. Drippy will give you a tongue lashing!

There are a lot of side quests in the game but there isn't much of a variety but still, it never seemed to grow stale. As stated before, you can help people mend their hearts, fetch items, and take part in some bounty missions. Doing the tasks gives you plenty of rewards, cash, and stamps. After your earn 10 stamps you get a Merit Stamp Card that can be exchanged for Merit Rewards. Some help you can EXP, lower prices in stores, or have enemies drop more treasure. Now in the beginning, I didn't really care much about side quests, but eventually, I couldn't help but doing them, especially when you can warp from town to town, getting stamps was a breeze.

The battle system is also very good. You can roam around freely when engaged in battle which will dictate whether an enemies attack will hit you or miss you (depending on the attack), which could be helpful when you find yourself in a bind....and you will. The game is very challenging at first, eases up when you progress further but still maintains a level or difficulty throughout.

When you fight with these monsters that scour the lands of the Other World you have the ability to knock some sense into this poor misguided creatures and teach them the ways of good. These are called familiars (think of it like Pokemon). Each brings their own unique abilities into the fight and if you want, you could match up a Familiars that thrive in a specific environment (ie: Using a Fire monster for an Ice level), so it's best to have some of your monsters evenly leveled up and not stick with the same 3 Familiar for the entire game. But it's all up to you and how you want to play it.

Oliver communicates with his companions through speech bubble commands that are displayed on the bottom left corner. You can cast Spells, Attack,Defend, Special attacks, and use tactics for your AI. You can change your Familiar or Characters at any time you want. Even Drippy will help you out from time to time throwing HP and MP orbs when needed, or giving your party a much needed HP Shower.

The game has so much depth to it and that's where you get the most out of the game. Familiars can carry their own weapons and accessories, can level up through EXP or earn extra points by feeding them chocolate or ice cream, you can make powerful weapons or health items through alchemy....heck, even the Wizard's Companion (A book of teachings for Wizards) has tons of cool information such as recipes, stories, information about enemies and towns.

The game undoubtedly has a special charm to it. The bond between Mr. Drippy and Oliver is hilarious, the scene when your very first Familiar bops you on the head, the little details of shivering in a cold environment or enemies running in fear when your level is high, Cel-Shaded graphics and Anime styled cut scenes, it's all just a fresh of breathe air.

My feelings towards this game is strange. Outside of the two main characters, your party members are forgettable, the soundtrack wasn't impactful or memorable as I had hoped for (still good), Voice acting was hit or miss (overall good), and the story was predictable at times (again, good), but, I was still very much enamored by said charm.

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch showed me that the old style JRPG's are still relevant, and with some tweaks here and there, can thrive in this generation and in the next. I spent 65 hours on this game doing almost everything imaginable, to squeeze every ounce of enjoyment I could possibly get, and it was well worth it. With an engaging battle system, depth to the overall gameplay, a magnificent world to explore, I can't tell you how hard it was to put the game down. I was surely addicted to this masterpiece.

Forum Post: Limited stock of Ni no Kuni + widespread sell out across the country = Panic

jenifferhomes — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 08:39:00 GMT

Namco Bandai assured us it's making available more, limited stock of Ni no Kuni to the UK's leading retailers this week following widespread reports of it selling out across the country.

The Level-5 and Studio Ghibli PS3 game was the surprise leader of becoming the first JRPG outside of Final Fantasy or Pokémon entries to grab top spot in the last ten years this week's UK charts,

News Source:(ireport/CNN.com)
UK’s No.1 selling game Ni No Kuni WOTWW runs out of stocks »

Blog Post: Ni no Kuni is one of the Best JRPG that I have played

jenifferhomes — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 07:11:00 GMT

" the best JRPG I’ve played in years, and a must-play for an RPG fan"

Loving the game so far, if you're reading this and haven't bought it, go out and find a copy now! Not only will more units sold really help out the developers, but the better games like Ni No Kuni do the more likely other developers will take notice.

Not only does that increase chances other good JRPG's will be localized, but it also increases the chance that other developers will end up creating games that feel more like Ni No Kuni. I might be hoping for too much with that, but man that would be sweet. I mean, we NEED more JRPG's that feel like they could've come right out in the middle of SNES run, badly. XD

It may be too early to say this as I'm only about 14 hours in, but Ni no Kuni is one of the best RPG that I have played, and may rank as #1. My only complaint so far is the hand holding. If I know I need to "Give Heart" I shouldn't have to talk to the person and have Drippy tell me what I already know. That is obnoxious, and I'm hoping it doesn't continue further into the game.

Source: Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch

Wiki Page: Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch Strategy / Characters Guide

jenifferhomes — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 14:02:00 GMT

Strategy / Characters Guide for Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch Game

Rating: 7.00

Genre: Role-Playing ,

Publisher: Namco Bandai

Release Date: 1/22/2012 on PlayStation 3

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Official Game Guide includes:

Gain access to the Gold Hurley Familiar DLC with the purchase of the guide
Detailed spoiler-free walkthrough for the entire game, including all errands and bounty hunts
Complete charts showing all information and metamorphous of each familiar
Breakdown for all spells, alchemy formulas, and items
Solve every puzzle, defeat every boss, and find all hidden treasures
Features a hard cover with unique treatments for collectability.

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Watch, the fantastic Level-5/Studio Ghibli produced strategy/role-playing game, is now on store shelves, courtesy of Namco Bandai. It's a spellbinding game, one that gets you wrapped up in a whirlwind adventure which lasts several hours just to get into the good stuff. The powerful hero, Oliver, is accompanied by the Scottish fairy Drippy and the helpful Esther, and he has a real talent in spellcasting and, with Esther's help, recruiting familiars.

Every once in a while you come across a story which, once you've plunged your mind into it, doesn't let go of you. Soaked with meaning and hidden layers to explore, it opens up an entire new world. Structured by the laws of our own existential lives - yet different in all the details - it manages to captivate and intrigue not only yourself, but generations to come.

The modern age has shaped a landscape in which spaces have been created that allow people to tell narratives in different ways. Movies and TV-series are but examples of the wide diversity of media that emerged in the 20th century. The space in which video games shine has only opened up in recent decades and by the looks of its main stream of output appears to be in it's puberty.

It opens up fantastic possibilities to craft narratives in ways unseen before and it's wonderful to witness every once in a while a game that makes full use of the semantic potential that the videogame medium contains deep down; an ability to shape a whole unique lifeworld in which one can dwell and live.

That is exactly what Ni no Kuni manages to do. Playing such a videogame means nothing other than merging your regular 'lifeworld' with an other lifeworld, in this case a world fully created by human beings. This differs from reading a book or watching a movie in an important sense, namely that the subject's free will literally start playing a role; one gets the feeling of *exploring* a lifeworld rather than being a spectator. Appropriate music has the power to enhance the intensity of this feeling, and our fancy is pampered by dynamic and imaginative environments and creatures.

The feeling of exploration is not an unimportant element of video games, and especially if one already has the expectation to be drawn into another world, it's a very disappointing experience to find a linear path drawn out for you; in an almost unlawful fashion are you stripped from a portion of expected freedom.

Studio Ghibli has managed to create a beautiful lifeworld that will surely enchant you. In the end, be it in the form of a tragic yet wonderful graphic novel such as Jimmy Corrigan by C. Ware, or in the shape of a movie like Let The Right One In, or in the fashion of Ni no Kuni, what really matters is a lifeworld's ability to charm its visitors in a singular way and leave a lasting impression to be shared with others. We can safely assure you that Ni no Kuni lives up to its name: Another World.

While it's the duty of the creator(s) to craft the above potential, it's the explorer's responsibility to truly do a lifeworld justice. Just like a tourist ought to take his time exploring a new city in order to discover new things worthy of attention, so too does a digital lifeworld require proper attention and efforts. A travel guide for those prepared to undertake this not always light hearted quest might thus be a welcome subsidiary.

There are a few basics you should understand when it comes to familiars. You can't just have a chat with them to recruit them into your party, as some of them will be quite stubborn when it comes to teaming up.Familiars are allies that can really help you out in a pinch with their attack styles, and with so many to choose from in the game (literally hundreds), it'll take a while to figure out which ones are right for you. This guide will run you through the basics to get a better understanding of how you can get them to join up, what they can do for you depending on their genus, and how they grow in return.

Familiar Basics

The first thing you'll need to understand is capacity when it comes to familiars. Each member of your party with human origin can hold up to three familiars at a time, similar to Pokemon trainers having a certain amount of allies at the ready. These familiars are able to level up using experience points earned over the course of the game – they don't necessarily have to be used in battle in order to rank up. It helps, sure, but just being carried around helps them level up.

The rule of thumb is to find two familiars that you're most comfortable with and alternate with them in battle, having the third as an emergency back-up – of sorts – or keeping them around so you can level them up, then alternating your line-up. Three reserve familiars can also be carried around, in case you feel like switching things around, but just keep in mind that the reserve ones won't level up as effectively as the others. Only the three main ones you carry earn XP.

Finding the Familiar That's Right For You

In order to find a familiar that fits your certain style of battle, you'll have to tinker with the line-up a bit. As I mentioned, you'll start out with a few basics, but over the course of this grand-sized game, you'll come across various types. They're divided into fourteen different genuses, ranging from Aquatica all the way through Vermes. Each one has specific advantages depending on which characters they're paired with.

Familiars with an Aquatic Genius are most compatible with Esther, and have an appearance that resembles sea creatures. Aves, also good with Esther, look closer like birds. And so on. Over the course of the game, you'll learn which familiars are best suited for each character, and putting them in your battle party will help give you a better balance to your team. (The full listing for familiar types, and their strengths with particular characters, can be found in the full Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Game guide, now available for order.)

Capturing Familiars

When you first get into Ni No Kuni, you won't have to worry about wrangling up your starting familiars – they'll be given to you. However, over the course of the game, if you wish to recruit others, you'll find yourself battling them, then trying to coerce them – with Esther's help – to join your team. It's not always a success, as it's not a matter of confining them into a Pokeball and forcing them to trust you.

Here's an excerpt from the Prima Games guide that explains it a little better...

"The odds that a heart (a sign of confidence) will appear over the head of a defeated creature vary by their type, landing at around 25 percent for the most docile creatures and going down to four percent for rarer and more powerful creatures."

In other words, if you want more powerful allies, you'll need to chip away at them until you eventually convert them into your party. Some will be a hard catch, but they'll be worthwhile in the heat of battle, especially when it comes to their special abilities.

Getting Started With the Mite

There are too many familiars within Ni No Kuni to list in this article, so we'll start with some of the most basic characters,

One of your first familiars is an adorable warrior that goes by the name of Mite. Looking like an orange Muppet with suspenders, horns, and a sword and shield, he's a very capable familiar, stemming from the Milites genus. He brings a fearless approach into battle, capable of hitting enemies with a variety of attacks, such as Cut Loose, Sand Blast, and Smash Hit, among others.

Over the course of his evolution, you'll notice changes in his appearance. His horns get longer, his shield and sword become bigger, and he eventually becomes darker in color, turning violet. His evolution takes a bit of time, starting with a transformation into a Mighty mite, then a Dynamite, and finally a Mermite. As he changes, so do the nature of his attacks, becoming much more powerful with the introduction of such techniques as the War Cry, Fling Flame, Slash n' Burn, Whiligig, and, finally, the Snowblower, Splish Slash and Soulshield. The stronger he becomes, the better an ally he becomes for your party.

Other familiars to watch out for at first include the Clubber Cub, a martial arts fighter who can eventually change into a powerful Elegantiger; the electrical Drongo, who becomes more powerful as they get angrier, eventually turning into an Electrongo; and the encouraging Thumbelemur, a dancing creature that's good at keeping others in high spirit, eventually evolving into an Aye-Aye Catcher.

Remember, Have Fun With It

As we mentioned, no two familiars are really created alike, so tinkering with different ones in your party and seeing how they grow will really make a difference. Don't be afraid to experiment, and also don't be discouraged when it comes to chasing after the tougher ones. That just makes them more of a dependable ally when they do finally join your party.

Ni No Kuni isn't just always about following the straight and narrow. Level-5 made it a huge, exploration-worthy universe for a reason. There are literally hundreds of familiars you'll run across, each with something new in their arsenal, and part of the fun is finding something that works right for you, then trying something else to see what startling new effects they bring. Experiment, fight, and remember to have fun. Because there really is no game out there like Ni No Kuni.

If you want a better breakdown of the familiars and genuses within the game, be sure to check out the Prima Games print guide, which also comes with an exclusive gold Hurly familiar as add-on DLC. It's the best way to go if you're serious about the game.

As such, we do not share the opinion that guides take the fun out of games. It's perfectly understandable should someone want to explore a world all by themselves at first, but he who wishes to master the art of exploration better stands on the shoulders of giants before him, to truly turn every turnable stone. We hope this strategy guide aids you in doing fully justice to the magnificent lifeworld of Ni no Kuni. It deserves it..

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch game is available now for PlayStation 3.

Blog Post: This game can not be missed

Corkwon — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 04:44:00 GMT

This is the equivalent of a disney masterpiece thats interactive. This game is the culmination of great JRPG's and a Pokemon based battle system which is what anyone who whoever has played a Pokemon game wanted the battle system to be. The story is astounding and the gameplay and design are the echelon of game development. Kimberly Wallace has no idea what she signed up for to review this game. Don't believe this review at all. If you ever enjoyed RPGs in the SNES era you can't affor to miss this. top ten games of all time.

Blog Post: Best JRPG of this generation.

Adonisus — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 23:55:00 GMT

This game was incredible. Gorgeous graphics, epic music, enjoyable gameplay.....it's damn near perfect. It's easily the best JRPG of this generation.

I honestly wonder if Kim actually played the entire game, or a different game all together. I experienced none of the frustration she talks about at all. You can in fact save the game at anytime (just press the triangle button and then the start button). The 10% deduction from your money when restarting is only a slight irritation as it can be regained with only a battle or two.

Does Kim really like RPGs? I honestly am not sure.

Forum Post: Ni No Kuni review

valrico25 — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 18:50:00 GMT

I know that each review is just an opinion of the reviewer, but I am having a tough time figuring out how over 30 game sites have given this game over 9 out of 10 on average, but gameinformer gives the game a 7 out of 10.

Forum Post: Re: I do miss the old style of reviews

Andrew Nelson — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 21:25:00 GMT

This review has to be one of the worst I've seen so far. I've been playing the game for a long time now and she makes her problems sound so much worse than they are. There are LOTS of monsters that you can run away from and only a few are unavoidable on the world map. Yes, you can't runaway that well from monsters when you're in dungeons, but you shouldn't be fighting them unless you are properly leveled up. The characters aren't one dimensional and they have great background stories such as Swaine's.

Blog Post: A Beautiful Frustration

Kimberley Wallace — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:00:00 GMT

When Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch was announced as a collaboration between the famed Studio Ghibli and respected developer Level-5, my eyes lit up. Level-5’s hits take classic gameplay systems and turn them inside out, while Studio Ghibli’s films journey through fantastical lands with breathtaking visuals and deep life lessons. For months now, my imagination has been overflowing with Ni No Kuni’s possibilities – but the reality doesn’t match up to its potential. Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a respectable experience, but it’s far from a Ghibli or Level-5 masterpiece. [Excerpt]

Ni No Kuni transports you between a real world and a fantastical one, the heart and soul of the game. It has childlike wonder around every bend – mushrooms grow as staircases, animals rule kingdoms, and Ghibli-inspired monsters meld creativity into every encounter. The vast environments have stunning visuals, and you’re rewarded with a ship for sea exploration and eventually your very own dragon to control.

Sadly, the story and characters don’t have the same allure as the world. Because Studio Ghibli’s name is attached to it, I was expecting strong characterization and narrative. Unfortunately, characters have a dearth of personality and exist only to help the main character, Oliver. The one stand-out is Mr. Drippy, Oliver’s stuffed-toy-turned-sidekick, who has a quip for every occasion. Even he starts to feel like a one-trick pony, though, as the narrative depends too much on him to keep it afloat. Oliver’s journey to give his mother life again should be an emotional one, yet it doesn’t tackle the complexity of the situation in any profound way. Instead, the dialogue is as cheesy and predictable as an after school special.

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Above: check out our Test Chamber covering Ni No Kuni

Ni No Kuni features many battles, but most trying is the player’s struggle against old-school mechanics. First off, every area contains an absurd amount of random encounters, and while enemies are visible on the field, they charge instantly once spotting you. Avoiding them is next to impossible, even after upgrading Oliver’s speed.

This problem is exacerbated by limited save points in dungeons (although the world map allows saving at any time). If you die before reaching a save point, you’re transported back to the dungeon’s entrance, grinding through the same enemies again. When you perish, Ni No Kuni also fines you 10 percent of your money to keep earned XP. Death is a possibility in every battle, keeping you constantly alert and forcing you to learn the battle system. Initially, that’s what I liked the most, but the aforementioned issues made this process almost unbearable.

Most actions by characters or recruited familiars execute on a cooldown. The traditional battles aren’t purely spamming “attack,” because you need to strike at the right time to cancel enemy actions or counter attacks. These tactics, along with defending, are vital in every encounter. Use the battle system correctly and you’re more likely to see “glims” on the battlefield, which restore health and magic power and occasionally unleash special attacks.

Despite the adrenaline-pumping intensity, the battle system has its frustrations. Sometimes the window to defend passes far too quickly. Not only must you select defend for your character, you must also order the sub-par AI companions to protect themselves as well. Other times, aggressive tactics are required to cancel a special attack, but the consequences for missing are too dire, forcing you to turtle.

Ni No Kuni is a mercurial experience. One minute I was exploring the world with adoration, and the next I was cursing a cheap boss battle. The journey can be fun; I liked collecting and growing familiars and watching the breathtaking world before me, but Ni No Kuni doesn’t come without frustration. Enter for the beauty, but know it comes with a price.

File: Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch