Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, is a new game set to be released in the Spring of 2013, and is a JRPG, which combines a heart-wrenching storyline with fluid real-time strategy elements effortlessly, right from the word go.
The game is developed by both Level 5 and Studio Ghibli. Anime fans all around the world will recognise Studio Ghibli. Well… they should do! Studio Ghibli is a Japanese Animations and film studio, famous for making “My Neighbour Totoro”, quite possibly the trippiest film you’ll ever watch! “Princess Mononokoe”, an absolute beast of a film, and the critically acclaimed “Spirited Away”.
Level 5 has had a hand in making some truly awesome and unique games. My favourite being “Dark Cloud”, a game for the PS2, it’s sequel “Dark Chronicle”, The “Professor Layton” Series for the Nintendo DS, the “White Knight Chronicle” series for the PS3 and many more.
Although the story starts off quite depressingly, it captivates you right from the start and is bound to keep you on your toes. “Ni No Kuni” revolves around a 13 year old boy called Oliver, whose mother had just passed away while saving him from drowning. Just like any human, Oliver starts crying over this loss and his tears fall onto a teddy which his mother gave him. His tears bring the teddy to life, and it claims to be a fairy. This fairy then gives Oliver a book, which lets him control magic and enter the world of “Ni No Kuni”, a world which lies parallel to his own and in which his mother may yet be alive. So Oliver, naturally, accepts this offer to try to find his mum… otherwise it would be a very short game! As Oliver sets out on his journey in this new and foreign world, he meets people from his own land… just not as you’d expect!
The game is, unsurprisingly, beautiful. The detail that has gone into this game is amazing. The game is in an Anime style, which is my favourite. The game is similar to that of many RPGs in the fact that there are battles every so often, which are initiated by touching monsters and other beasties on the field.
The battles are quite unique. It comes across as a “Pokémon” meets “Kingdom Hearts” style battle. By this I mean Oliver does not take directly part in the battles but rather summons various creatures, which you then control. In the DS version of the game, which was released in Japan, you drew spells on the touch screen, which Oliver then cast. Whether or not this feature returns for the new version of this game, I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see!
The game itself, reminds me of “Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King” for the PS2. Considering it did so well, it doesn’t surprise me that Level 5 have stuck with this style of game.
The game is set to be released on the PS3 at the end of the year for North America and for those of us in Europe, we are scheduled to get this game at the start of next year according to various websites at least. Japan – unsurprisingly – have had this beauty of a game since November for the PS3 and since 2010 on the DS. The lucky guys!
If you’re a “Tales” fan, keep checking Ready-Up! The next piece I’m doing will be focused on “Tales of Graces”
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