Take a deep breath as you plunge into Level-5 and Studio Ghibli’s beautiful collaboration “Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.†Ni No Kuni, translates to Second World and it’s just that; an entirely new world filled with heartwarming characters, lovable faeries, and an unforgettable scenery that will leave you glued to the screen.
Many anime fans should recognize Studio Ghibli. What most probably don’t know is that Ghibli is the Arabic name for the Mediterranean wind, and Studio Ghibli continues to blow its fans off their feet with the wonderfully creative story of “Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.†Studio Ghibli has wowed fans with over 15 critically acclaimed successes.
Ghibli did not abandon their signature art style, even through the transition from film to game. The first thought when seeing the characters is the amazing world of “Spirited Away. “
Ni No Kuni offers its own unique brand of combat. It places the player into situations where they must rapidly alter their style of play. This offers even the most experienced gamers a brand new challenge. Add this together with its own monster capture system and birth is given to a wonderful harmony of classic and contemporary RPG concepts.
“Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch†features a 13-year-old boy named Oliver, a resident of Motorville. In an unfortunate turn of events, Oliver’s mother has a heart attack after saving him and shortly thereafter passes away. Weeping over his lost mother, his tears magically bring his stuffed toy, Mr. Drippy, to life.
Mr. Drippy tells Oliver, in a hilarious Scottish accent, that he might be able to save his mother in an alternate world. From that point, Oliver’s adventure as a wizard in the parallel world known as Ni No Kuni begins.
The game allows players to capture various monsters, much like “Pokémon,†but not without the assistance of a magic harp. Oliver is given his first three monsters, known as familiars, through the story as well as a second character with her own familiar before the ability to capture any of his own is given.
The combat system is unique. It allows the player to switch between any of the three characters and their familiars while the other two do their own thing. Oliver has a variety of spells at his disposal, but offers little in the muscle department. The same is to be said for the other two characters, so if a player just wants to pummel on an enemy it is more beneficial to use the familiars.
Even though the player can assign tactics to the other characters to follow while they do not have control of them, their AI capabilities seem low. Characters will often walk up to an enemy and simply attack it and ignore factors such as damage or health. The combat requires a degree of reaction time and management between the three playable characters, and expects you to use all three people and not just stick to Oliver.
The game offers other fun features, such as its own unique language and side missions, known as errands that the player gets rewarded for based on difficulty. It also uses an alchemy pot much like the “Dragon Quest†games, which allows the player to combine older items to create new ones.
Ghibli did not disappoint with their characteristic storytelling or artistic beauty with “Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.†It is wonderful story to follow, but the gameplay leaves something to be desired.
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