The Wrath, the Witch, and the Male Fairy Shizuku

There are few games in this world that can match the charm, wit, beauty, and grand scale that a game like Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch can offer us.  For those of you who read my preview, you probably remember that this game paints a beautifully stylized picture of a world that looks and feels like a Studio Ghibli movie (otherwise known as Miyazaki films).  This game is a port from Japan of a game originally released on the Nintendo DS back in 2009, so remember that while you are in awe of the design and presentation of this invigorating title.  So if you haven't heard of this game before, or haven't decided whether or not this JRPG would be worth a damn, read on and hear what I have to say about the game that charms the world over.

Story:

Alright, to reiterate what was already said in my preview, the story starts off a little dark.  A young boy named Oliver is morning the loss of his beloved mother when through his tears he animates a doll that becomes the male fairy Shizuku (or Drippy for the English localization).  Shizuku gifts Oliver a magical book opening the door to a parallel universe that exists counterparts to everyone in his world.  The gentle gist is that if he can save his mother in the parallel universe, he can bring back to life his mother in his own universe.  So embarks a determined boy with a heavy heart and a huge adventure awaiting him.  The story is heartfelt throughout it's entirety.  I can admit that the story does not do much to really grab us less effected by the emotional aspects for a little while, but I can assure you that if you are willing to put up with a bit of a slow start, one of the most intriguing JRPG experiences await you.  I mention the emotion because if you are willing to involve yourself in the title, become emotionally invested if you will, you will most certainly begin to feel sympathy for the characters.  It is so well written and acted that you will have no choice but to succumb to the real emotions being projected by the characters and being invoked by the story itself.  There isn't anything else to say, it is simply a story to be experienced, definitely on the same level as the movies the game has shadowed.

Gameplay: 

Exploring the world, navigating the menus, accepting quests/side quests, character interactions, enemy encounters...none of these could possibly be executed more "JRPG-like" than a game like Ni no Kuni.  This game holds truer to it's genre than most I've seen in quite some time.  Where it deviates however is where it truly shines as it's own. If you are a fan of any sort of RPG title created in the last century, you're not going to be able to put this title down.  The combat combines elements of many different RPG titles.  Tales of, Pokemon, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, it is all there leading to one of the more unique engines I have ever had the pleasure of toying with.  Oliver and 2 other companions enter battle equipped with their very own "familiars".  The familiars are Pokemon like creatures that you convert from enemy to ally and create teams to help you in battle.  Each party member can have up to 3 familiars on top of their current abilities, managing the combinations, formations, and attributes of both your familiars and yourselves create for a fun, hectic, and methodical combat engine that is eased into by a very long tutorial process (think Final Fantasy XIII but less ridiculous).  The combat takes patience, great pattern recognition (or brilliant reactions), and a very large tactical understanding of the game systems, and your character's abilities as well as your own.  The game starts off slow, but once things pick up (about the mid point or so) the game becomes a brutal test of your skills.  The game lifts you by the balls and establishes dominance by demolishing everything in and around your ass.  It may look like a childrens game by its cute and approachable design, but this game has been unleashed into our realm to test our moxy as gamers.

Presentation: 

There are no games out there that can match the pure anime feel of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.  This game lives and breaths style; it builds a perfect Miyazaki atmosphere.  The music, the visuals, the writing, and even the voice acting deliver a well rounded and beautiful package that proves that attention to detail was more important that a holiday release to Level 5 Studios (Namco-Bandai handling the localization).  This game represents one of the reasons that video games can be considered an art form.  You feel it everytime you turn the system on that you are experiencing something more than a simple JRPG, this game will break into your soul.

Result:

It would be clear to anyone that made it this far that this game has won over my heart.  I cannot find it within me to really say anything bad about it.  Some would argue that the gameplay can get repetitive but I would argue that you don't truly understand the game systems if you believe that.  This game is just pure fun and imagination ebbing from every seam.  There is plenty of reasons to explore the depths of every environment just to see what the world has to offer.  I can't stress enough how awesome of a title this game is.  But as with everything, it isn't perfect.  The worst I can express is that the game is a slower build than most other titles in the genre, and also for people that aren't good at strategy games, I think it might start to get a little on the difficult side after the mid-point so I suggest the easy difficulty. Other than that...top notch.

96%
+ Interesting Characters
+ Superb Story
+ Amazingly Detailed Anime Graphics
+ Fully Animated Anime Cutscenes
+ Creative Combat Engine Combining Multiple Modern RPGs
+ Expansive Familiar System
+ Incredible Musical Score
+ Great Acting and Model Movements
- Limited Replay Value
- High Difficulty
- Slow build in beginning

I present this title with probably one of my highest grades ever awarded in my extremely short time reviewing games.  It's beauty, intrigue, perspective, and charm bring it to the pinnacle of JRPG perfection in our generation.  The story is genuine, the gameplay is fun, face-paced, and intuitive, and the presentation is astounding down to the last score of music in the title.  You owe it to yourself to pop this game into your PS3 and explore a world that few have had the pleasure. 

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