Though it was first released in Japan in 2010 as a Nintendo DS exclusive, Ni no Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn, or Wrath of the White Witch, as it would later be re-titled in the West, holds the distinction of being one of the most approachable and beloved JRPGs to come from the seventh console generation. Reaching mainstream international appeal thanks to the success of the 2013 PlayStation 3 port, it went on to spawn a sequel, several mobile spin-off titles, as well as a brand-new remaster for The Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Windows PCs.

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JRPG Through And Through

As anyone with any kind of experience with the genre will know, JRPGs tend to be divisive titles; while some love the over-the-top plots and anime influences, others tire of the often glacial pace and endless tutorialization present in these games.

In a way, this Ni no Kuni port—and it should absolutely be classified as a port and not a remaster, as very little has been changed from the PS3 original—falls victim to many of these genre tropes. It follows a by-the-numbers isekai plot, unwinds plot threads at a pace which would embarrass a giant tortoise, and thoroughly lectures players on gameplay mechanics well past the five-hour mark. Yet, despite these apparent shortcomings, it’s not hard to see why so many players fell in love with Wrath of the White Witch more than half a decade ago.

Weaving the tale of Oliver, a small English boy from the deliriously-idyllic countryside village of Motorville, the plot sees him embark on a magical quest to resurrect his mother at the behest of a hilarious (albeit occasionally grating) doll/fairy creature known as Mr. Drippy. Over the course of the forty to fifty hour campaign, Oliver meets new friends, levels up in combat, learns new spells, and eventually challenges the dark djinn, Shadar, and his nefarious masters.

In many ways, Ni no Kuni feels like playing an anime, and there's a good reason for that, as Studio Ghibli, the miraculous animation studio behind such classics as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Panyo, put together many of the animated cut-scenes found throughout the game. These lend an utterly magical sense to the experience and grants the title an amount of heart and charm which could hardly be matched by any other AAA releases. Those who can’t get enough of Studio Ghibli—or those who can’t get enough of anime in general—definitely owe it to themselves to give this game a playthrough.

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Switch It Up

Though there’s a good deal to praise in terms of presentation, Ni no Kuni stumbles a bit when it comes to combat. The real-time pseudo-turn-based approach to battling is clunky and difficult to adapt to, and most fights devolve into desperately flicking through menus to block, attack, or cast spells rather than allowing for a slower, more tactical approach. This was likely done on purpose, and, while the system does ensure that players can’t reliably mash a single button to speed through enemy encounters, most are likely to find it a pretty hit-and-miss system (please ignore the terrible pun).

While the menus and various subsystems can feel a bit scattered and confusing in the beginning (not to mention a whole book full of magical lore), it doesn’t take long to develop a basic grasp on things, and there’s a welcome level of complexity here which will excite more seasoned players without outright overwhelming genre newcomers.

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Though there’s been a bit of talk concerning the quality of the port pre-release, the physical release of the game ran flawlessly on the Switch barring a few minor frame rate dips. The trade-off, however, is that there really doesn’t seem to have been much of a visual enhancement here. Sure, side-by-side comparisons may reveal some changes, but it’s not anything most players are going to notice. The cel-shaded, cartoonish aesthetic doesn’t call for much detail, of course, so this should hardly register as a complaint.

JRPG On-The-Go

On the whole, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is an engrossing, genial experience which will appeal to a majority of players. Though it stumbles in a few places and can, in a few rare instances, be a bit off-putting, it’s definitely worth checking out, especially if 2019’s other big JRPG release, Kingdom Hearts III, didn’t really scratch the itch. That said, if fifty bones is too much of an investment for what’s essentially a six-year-old game, there’s bound to be a few used copies of the old PS3 version floating around.

4.5 Out Of 5 Stars

A copy of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch was purchased by TheGamer for this review. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is available now for the Nintendo DS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

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