Game / Ni No Kuni: The Wrath of the White Witch

Visually stunning, aesthetically charming, thematically endearing and hopelessly cute, it’s all too easy to declare Ni No Kuni an instant classic. But while Level 5’s latest JRPG is indeed a whimsical joy to behold, it finds itself struggling to keep up with other genre staples from this generation – never really losing its training wheels and thus falling short of the bar that Nintendo’s Xenoblade Chronicles set a few years back.

In this genre it can be hard to differentiate between intelligent, emotional storytelling and a load of old fluff about human hearts inexplicably striking down evil forces and the power of belief conquering all, and it’s something that Ni No Kuni navigates with ease for the most part. The game often deals with some dark themes in ways that we haven’t experienced before. Through the eyes of young protagonist Oliver we get a fresh take on subjects like death, selflessness and acceptance. It’s a story punctuated by some incredible twists and genuinely brilliant characters (Oliver’s lantern-nosed sidekick Mr Drippy is a Welsh-spouting highlight), though it can at times fumble into the messy side of things. It’s a little hard not to roll the eyes when a magic force tells you the power of belief saved the day.

It’s a touch harder to sing praises for the game’s combat system. Battles, of which there are many, take a page, nay, an entire chapter from the book of Pokemon. Little monsters known as Familiars will do Oliver and co’s bidding in combat, complete with a taming system that ensures an endless supply of combatants. Real-time combat sets a nice pace to each bout, but the minute-to-minute of it all rarely excites, nor invites much in the way of tactical play. There are some intriguing systems in place like timing attacks to cancel enemy’s own moves, but it isn’t much of a stretch to beat the game just hammering the X button with the first monster you’re given.

One of the more interesting points about Ni No Kuni is that it’s technically a remake – Level 5 has previously released about 4/5s of what’s here on DS. It makes for a rather awkward moment in the campaign where you put your controller down, thinking you’ve conquered your quest, only to discover you have another 10 (significantly less entertaining) hours to go. With many of the game’s major plot points tied up in the first ‘ending’, the last segment oddly feels like a DLC expansion more than anything else, failing to build to the hugely climactic ending that we’re so used to after 45 hours of levelling and text-reading.

But for all these shortcomings Ni No Kuni undeniably has heart – an ironic compliment to pay after touching upon its goofier plot points. It can often struggle with the immediate gameplay, but it’s the kind of journey that amounts to more than the sum of its wonky parts. If you’re a fan of the genre, don’t miss out on this one.