Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch can best be described as a breath of
fresh air in the video gaming community. It encapsulates many gaming series'
such as Pokemon, Final Fantasy, Zelda – even Kingdom Hearts to some extent
and blends them together into one incredible gaming experience.
The overall presentation is thoroughly polished with magnificent graphics
encompassing vast and differing environments from Sahara-esque deserts to Arctic
coasts and tropical archipelagos. The 3-D animations alongside cartoon drawn
characters works exceptionally well and the colourful world is aesthetically
beautiful.
The creatures in the game (familiars), are equally dynamic ranging in sizes
and shapes – typically being animal-like in appearance with unique colours
and patterns. What makes it more amazing is the ability to catch, train and
metamorphose these familiars into higher and more powerful forms – akin to
Pokemon.
The gameplay mechanics are real-time but with the ability to almost pause in
mid-battle and quick select magic spells, use provisions etc…at any time
during the battle! With the progression of the game, you gain more spells with
differing functions to cast and use in battle, adding a further dynamic. The
options are endless too with the ability to select your familiars from ones
you've previously obtained and really change things around in your party –
you can even swap them with your party members.
In terms of longevity, Ni no Kuni's story takes 40–50hrs on Easy
difficulty with Normal being anywhere from 50–70hrs. The story is highly
engrossing with a plethora of characters being very likeable and again, varied
in appearance making an enjoyable fantasy story. Your adventure will comprise of
the story, over 100 errands or tasks along with at least 40 bounty hunts where
you take on a boss. If that isn't enough, there is an arena at the School of
Trials, a casino, the ability to alchemize 134 different items when mixing
different ingredients as well as trying to obtain over 300 different
familiars.
Fans of RPG and action-adventure games will thoroughly enjoy this but
overall, every PS3 owner should at bare minimum, try this out. Anyone from any
background or age group would thoroughly enjoy this! You really won't regret
picking this up! 9.5/10.