Genre: RPG
Year: 2011
Developed by: Level-5
Published by: Namco-Bandai Games
Platforms: PS3, PS4, Switch, PC, XBOX One, XBOX Series X
#196
Feeling Like: Studio Henry
To my absolute delight, I learned that it was acceptable to still like animation as an adult. Not only that, but there was a massive catalogue of animated films targeted at not-children. Roger Ebert, my favorite film critic, would staunchly and frequently defend it as an art form, just as deserving as live action movies when it came to praise and analysis.
His take on Grave of the Fireflies was the catalyst for myself and my roommates at 36A King to finally watch it. He was absolutely correct.
I was even more pleased to learn I had a massive catalogue of animated movies, many from Japan, to go through and enjoy without having to worry about the stigma of watching “cartoons”.
I was sold the second I saw the first trailer for Ni No Kuni. I love whimsical RPGs. If you’ve spent more than 10 minutes browsing this blog, you’ll know two things: I need to go outside more, and I love RPGs. This wasn’t a scenario where the game sort of resembled an anime, this was Studio Ghibli literally doing cut-scenes for the game. The in-game graphics looked exactly like a movie from the people who brought us My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away.
There aren’t many games on the 500 where graphics are the greatest appeal, but Ni No Kuni is one of them. I never got tired of looking at the charming characters, or the incredibly colorful world, or just sauntering around Ding Dong Dell (great city name!) or gazing upon the landscape below while flying on my dragon. I was entranced. The premise may appear childish, but some of the cinematics range from heartbreaking to downright dark, as much as any classic Disney or Pixar movie. I was immediately hooked.
This game is twelve years old! No wonder we’re starting to ponder if graphics have hit a plateau. If this is how games could look in 2011, imagine what games can look like in 2023!
I shouldn’t keep going on about the visuals, but they’re my favorite part of the game and I’ll continue to praise Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch in this manner. I’m annoyed more games don’t look like this. I guess I can always just watch a Studio Ghibli movie if I want my fix.
Man, I just want to hang out with Mr. Drippy and go on an adventure. Enemies are usually adorable in some way or another, and even the final boss doesn’t inspire terror. It’s a wonderful mix of danger and safety, like a child-imagined fantasy world should be, if it was made by C.S. Lewis or Roald Dahl. Or Studio Ghibli. When you’re helping denizens out, you’re generally fighting a nightmare creature who has taken advantage of them suffering from hopelessness, or a lack of enthusiasm. Naturally, the cat king is overwhelmed with laziness. I love this game.
The machinations of the plot and intricacies of the combat system nearly escape me entirely. I do recall that the AI from your two buddies is atrocious, beyond awful. There’s almost no point into letting them do anything on their own and I felt like I spent every encounter babysitting them. I didn’t mind having them along for the ride, but the system misplaced its faith in them providing adequate backup, particularly during boss fights.
Look how nice those menus look! Ug, I can’t get over it. “Petrifying Poke” heehee.
I’d read that they’d somehow incorporated parts of the DS version into this version, or something, and some extra story was added. You could tell, since the last 10 hours for me were a bit of a drag. There also seemed to be a natural conclusion after the defeat of Shadar, but no, we have to finish off the White Witch. Her name IS in the title, I suppose.
The soundtrack is nearly as good as the visuals. Joe Hisaishi is a marvel.
The intro still gives me chills.
Ara Memoriae makes me feel like spelunking some ancient ruin.
Gotta get another Ding Dong Dell reference in here!
What a nice trip down memory lane. I’ll play almost anything that looks and sounds like this, I’ll certainly give any TV show or movie a try if it looks like this. The polish is there; everything feels expertly crafted, from the voice acting, to the multitude of amazing creature designs, to the scope and scale of the world building. The poor AI and padded length are totally forgivable when the ride looks this good.
The 500 