Ni No Kuni Wrath of the White Witch Remastered Review
Our Verdict
An exceptionally pretty if otherwise conventional JRPG with diverting combat. Not an all-timer, but worth a (re)visit.
PC Gamer Verdict
An exceptionally pretty if otherwise conventional JRPG with diverting combat. Non an all-timer, but worth a (re)visit.
Demand TO KNOW
What is it? A well-liked JRPG late makes its PC debut
Expect to pay $l/£forty
Developer Level-5
Publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment
Reviewed on Intel Core i3-8350K CPU, 8GB RAM, GeForce GTX 1060
Multiplayer? No
Link Official site
Very few games look ameliorate than their sequels, but and so Ni No Kuni is an exception to nigh rules. It makes its debut on PC after its successor, last twelvemonth's well-liked Revenant Kingdom, which took its visual cues from Wrath of the White Witch, merely was made without the directly involvement of Studio Ghibli. This remaster doesn't quite provoke the same saucer-eyed wonderment as the original did six years ago on PS3, but with Ghibli'due south exceptional world edifice and typically gorgeous animation information technology'south still a cute affair.
Before you lot get to its autumnal forests and icy grottoes, notwithstanding, you'll spend some time in the every bit well-realised boondocks of Motorville. When his mother dies, a young male child called Oliver travels to a fantastical earth in the hope of bringing her back to life. He'due south joined past Drippy, a teardrop-shaped fairy with a lantern dangling off the end of his nose, who is easily the best reason to stick with the English-language dub. Larking most and cracking wise in his rich Welsh burr—the highlight of what is a pretty terrific localisation all round—he'south 1 of the most appealing partner characters in any RPG. Some might find him overly chatty at times, but he'due south always on the correct side of annoying.
Then again, Drippy does contribute to the game's coddling arroyo to the problems you face, whether information technology's a tricky dominate or an environmental puzzle. Over the course of the game, Oliver gains a series of spells that permit him unlock doors and chests, for example, or restore withered fungi into springy steps. He can fifty-fifty get together emotions from those with an excess of them: with permission, a lively villager volition hand over their surplus exuberance so Oliver can perk up a lethargic guard, say. But the solution is almost e'er handed to you on a plate, giving you lot no room to piece of work things out for yourself. I'thousand not sure its nannying tendencies are excused by the fact that it's, y'know, for kids—children are brighter than games aimed at them oftentimes requite them credit for.
Blending control-based and real-time elements, the combat organisation isn't nearly so straightforward. You tin command Oliver—though the stick he starts out with has niggling effect, and the wand he gets a couple of hours in isn't much of an improvement. So for the near part, you lot're improve leaving him on the sidelines and relying instead on a range of familiars, friendly creatures you'll find throughout your risk, and which you can feed and bond with between encounters.
Positioning as well equally timing is cardinal: you'll control your familiars directly, while giving them commands to attack, defend or dodge. Clear tells and long current of air-ups for powerful attacks requite you the chance to pull off counter-attacks or cause opponents to miss you, leaving them vulnerable for a short fourth dimension. You lot'll demand to chop-chop collect the health and magic pickups that driblet sporadically, and the rare golden orbs that allow for special attacks unique to each familiar. You'll need to switch them out when they're tired, while elemental strengths encourage yous to chop and change depending on the opponents you lot're facing.
In places, information technology tin can feel fiddly and complex rather than deep, and in the early game you tin become away with sending out your most powerful familiar and simply repeating the attack command. But when new characters and their familiars join your party, opening upwards new tactical possibilities—the AI isn't perfect, simply you can get them to focus on healing, or go all-out when a monster is stunned—information technology comes into its own. It may infringe various bits and pieces from other games but it combines them into something distinct. And though the monsters aren't vintage Ghibli designs by whatsoever means, they're notwithstanding cute and characterful plenty that you'll probable grow quite attached to them.
The story, by comparison, is more than conventional, though a relentlessly punning script lends a fleck of flavour to some fairly well-worn JRPG tropes. Observe the great sages! Seek out the magical stones! As such, the entreatment lies non in wondering what heady plot development awaits yous next (because, well, there aren't any) but rather what gorgeous new setting you're about to visit—and in Wrath of the White Witch, even the sewers are lovely. Technically speaking, information technology'south but a small-scale improvement over the original, though with anisotropic filtering and anti-aliasing and the option to uncap the frame rate make this the all-time-looking, all-time-performing version of an already handsome game.
It helps no end to have Ghibli's regular composer Joe Hisaishi on board: delicate and plaintive during the emotional moments, g and sweeping in battle, his score makes the game sound almost every bit good equally information technology looks. Your motion speed across the field map is slow, each trek to the next area punctuated past throwaway encounters against cannon-fodder enemies, but Hisaishi makes it all feel like an epic odyssey. As yous progress, you'll steadily fill upward a lavish in-game tome that acts every bit a memento of your journey. It's nice just to leaf through it every at present and again to see how far you've come up.
On paper information technology sounds sickeningly sweetness, though in that location are hints of the undercurrent of darkness that runs through Ghibli's all-time work, even if information technology's hardly Grave of the Fireflies. Wrath of the White Witch is traditional to a error, and lacks the kingdom-building hook of its sequel, but it makes for a by and large pleasant, sporadically delightful, 40-plus hours of playful escapism.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
An exceptionally pretty if otherwise conventional JRPG with diverting gainsay. Non an all-timer, but worth a (re)visit.
Source: https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch-remastered-review/
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