160°
6.5

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Review - Polygon

Polygon - Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is the product of a collaboration between two fan-favorite Japanese teams: RPG developer Level-5 and animated filmmaker Studio Ghibli. It features the bright colors, outlandish characters and serious-yet-cheery story that Ghibli fans expect, but it also has the old-school RPG elements that Level-5 specializes in: grinding, a heavy emphasis on exploration and a sluggishly paced globe-trotting adventure.

NukaCola4100d ago

Well anyone is entitled to their own opinion, but this review basically says that nothing in the game is as amazing as the graphics so the game is poor. From reading it, I honestly think the reviewer is a bit of a liar and used the demo as the test. I think the score is way to low for this game. 65% is a borderline failure score. The review reads like a 74 or 80 percent. Oh well, his loss. I love this game.

theBAWSE4100d ago

Next to the sites name click the plus sign an vote this site searching for hit's down

Red_Orange_Juice4100d ago

ABSURD! VOTE IT DOWN! :)

on serious note, I like their website layout

syrion4100d ago

vote it down !
Story Quality ? WTF
Like this website ? NO

Perjoss4100d ago

heh, I've used N4G for quite some time and I still have no idea how to vote stuff down, enlighten me!

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4100d ago
joab7774100d ago

I didnt even want to reply but i actually have the game now so i know that rhis is a trolling article. Either he is no fan of the genre or he is trolling. Some things are opinion and some things should never be written as a review.

Blackdeath_6634100d ago

i agree. if you have strong personal disliking to a genre or game you shouldn't review as it will result in bias. i know many people don't like the jrpg genre and poke fun at it and i think this is just another form of that.

insomnium24100d ago (Edited 4100d ago )

I wish we always had the person who absolutely HATES the genre reviewing every single game on every single site. Either that or then a NEUTRAL person who is open to every genre. It would be nice to have standards in reviews.

This site is looking for hits no question about that. I won't be clicking on their site though. I will however vote it down for the sake of sanity.

rainslacker4100d ago

@insomnium

You could watch zero punctuation. He hates JRPG's with a passion. :)

I can't remember what magazine it was back in the day, but they had a main review, then 3 other staff writers who gave a mini review along with a score. It was nice because they all liked different things, and you could match the review based on which reviewer you mostly agreed with on stuff.

DigitalAnalog4100d ago (Edited 4100d ago )

Let's not forget, this is the SAME website that gave Halo 4 a low score because it didn't utilize the updated "ADS" mechanic found in modern shooters. Polygon is nothing more than a group of over-entitled journalist who claims they will segregate itself from other gaming sites. Heck, even destructoid pokes fun at it from time to time.

ginsunuva4100d ago

I like how you can tell something reads like a 74 or an 80 percent. Where in the world did you pull those random numbers from???!!

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4100d ago
Amiroo4100d ago

another crap review from polygon (next is EGMnow), we should baycote these sites.
don't get me wrong, i'm a xbox fan and i love my 360 but i played Ni no Kuni and it was super amazing.

HUNK4100d ago

Too bad this review will count against it's Metacritic score. This game deserves better.

*waits for impending 1/5 from Quarter to Three*

HarryMasonHerpderp4100d ago

That Tom Chick guy on Quarter to three is a complete joke. He get's off on giving big games low scores.
Either that or he's just a miserable b*****d kinda like this reviewer here.

TheGOODKyle4100d ago

What proud RPG doesn't have grinding? As long as it's not overbearing (which Ni No Kuni isn't) it shouldn't be listed as a con.

Bathyj4100d ago

Its like marking down a FPS for having reloading.

creeping judas4100d ago

Or walking/moving from fight scenario to the next!!

Show all comments (39)
130°

Where the Heck is Ni No Kuni 3, Mun?

Matt from We Game Daily writes: "Cross Worlds isn’t going away. It’s making a small fortune, particularly in Asian markets, so there’s no reason for Level-5 to pull the plug. That said, there’s no real reason why a full PC/console sequel can’t be developed alongside efforts to support Cross Worlds."

Read Full Story >>
wegamedaily.com
Relientk7792d ago

While Ni no Kuni 3 would be cool, if it was like the first game, where is Dark Cloud 3 and Rogue Galaxy 2?

phoenixwing91d ago

I thought the dev recently went mobile and Japan only. They shut down their American offices. So don't expect anything for consoles

shinoff218391d ago (Edited 91d ago )

I swear they just announced a few new games.

https://www.nintendolife.co...

phoenixwing91d ago

I stand corrected then. Never heard about these games and also i just remember ni no kuni online being mobile only.

Michiel198990d ago

they said a loooooong time ago that Level 5 was working on a new installment but there has been no news since afaik. I just hope that they take more inspiration from 1 than 2, especially when it comes to the story.

thorstein90d ago

Ni No Kuni Cross Worlds is the mobile game you're thinking of.

It looks amazing but I don't like to play mobile games.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 90d ago
-Foxtrot90d ago

Yeah the sequel was okay but had nothing on the first game, especially the battle system.

The story just didn't have that charm and even the twist at the end of the game wasn't really anything cool like Wrath of the White Witch.

Also the fact there was like ZERO mention of Oliver or his adventures in the game, no references, nothing was such weird. It's set a hundred or so years after but still, I'd have expected to seen some throw backs. I think we just got like a temple with his statue in it or something.

goldwyncq90d ago

If you want more Oliver, just watch the movie.

shinoff218391d ago

Fking word. I've been hoping for this for quite some time.

melons90d ago

The premium games didn't sell amazingly, right?

shinoff218390d ago

Not to sure. They should of though. They were pretty good. I like both.

Michiel198990d ago

yeah, especially outside of japan. They should have released on pc at the same time as the ps3 version or a short time after.

Inverno90d ago

They should've worked with Ghibli to put out a proper movie. Should've also made a Pokemon-esque spin-off rather than make Yokai Watch. If they do make a third game they gotta work with Ghibli!

90°

LEVEL-5 Vision 2023 II scheduled for November 29

Level-5 will be hosting the second Vision 2023 event this year on November 29 at 21:00 JST.

Read Full Story >>
destructoid.com
shinoff2183156d ago

Right there with ya. Hope to hear anything about a ni no kuni non mobile game. Please level 5 i beg

jznrpg156d ago (Edited 156d ago )

Would love a Ni No Kuni 3 or whatever they want to call it. But like you said I want nothing to do with mobile and I am hoping for a console game. Also interested in other games they have to offer on console. I also saw you are playing Star Ocean remake on universal difficulty and I’m doing the same and near the end. Messing around in Fun City atm to try and delay the end a bit hehe. Such a great game

DarXyde156d ago

Quite prolific, looking at the anticipated lineup. Decapolice has been on my radar.

For the love of God, Dark Cloud 3 before I shuffle off the mortal coil, please

OtterX156d ago (Edited 156d ago )

Dark Cloud 3 please!!! 🙏🙏🙏 😭

200°

Remembering the Best JRPGs on the PS3

Get ready to embark on a journey filled with monsters, magic, and overpowered haircuts, because this list features the best JRPGs on the PS3.

Read Full Story >>
altarofgaming.com
shinoff2183253d ago (Edited 253d ago )

There wasn't that many. Thanks to the west's criticism. It was definitely lacking compared to every other ps system. Dont get me wrong there were a few good ones i know that.

jznrpg253d ago

Nier, Valkyrie Chronciles, Tales games , Ni No Kuni, Resonance of Fate, FF13’s, Ys8 just a few off the top of my head and there were a lot more.

CrimsonWing69253d ago (Edited 253d ago )

Not nearly to the degree of PS1 and PS2.

@shinoff2183 makes a good point that around the PS3/Xbox 360 gen is when the genre wasn’t as prevalent and began to shy away from turn-based. There’s some standouts for sure, but look at the PS1 and PS2 JRPG library and then compare that to the PS3 and PS4’s.

Theres definitely a decline in a selection of titles. Even worse was the quality seemed to take a massive hit as well. I think Lost Odyssey was a huge standout for that gen when you look at production values, then you look at something like Fairy Fencer on the PS3 and it’s kind of depressing.

But by that generation there was a shift from western developed games overtaking Japanese developed games. Back from the NES to PS2 Japanese games were the cream of the crop… I don’t know what happened but like midway into the PS3/360 life-time they became less so.

shinoff2183253d ago (Edited 253d ago )

Compared to the ps1 ps2 and he'll even ps4 ps3 doesn't hold a candle to either imo. It's also when turn based damn near disappeared. Again thanks to the west's criticism

Crimson I'd put money on the west being at fault, guys like Phil phish, and numerous others at that time were attacking jrpg and Japanese games in general pretty hard.

Ni no kuni was probably my fav jrpg back then , and the blue dragon

GameBoyColor253d ago

Tales got kinda lucky here. When they took a chance and finally brought tales of graces f over west it sold like 250k lmao a lot of jrpgs did 500k or below. Disgaea was worse i think. Bamco decided to keep bringing more games over though.

Tapani253d ago (Edited 253d ago )

Demon's Souls, Dark Souls and Dark Souls II were the best RPGs on PS3 made by Japanese developers. Everything else just fell short always. Ni No Kuni was a full package, an okayish game as well. Nier and Drakengard III had superb writing, setting and voice acting, however, the performance was a real drag on the gameplay. Traditional RPG-wise I'd actually say 360 had better JRPGs, and think that Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon were the best traditional JRPGs of the era. PS3 Valkyria Chronicles was okay, but it is closer to an SRPG.

Ryu Ga Gotoku games were also solid, they were still finding their footing and breaking new ground with new cities and formats.

PS3 was the era that almost made me quit gaming and I started playing on PC because I could not find good performance nor games on the system. PS4 got me back into it, and now PS5 is a mix in and between, I just play my PS4 library on the PS5 and rest on PC, just like during the PS3 era. The only new exclusive Sony JRPG is pretty much FFXVI and it is so streamlined and simplified from the normal RPG experience that I can't fit it into the genre anymore. Dragon Quest XII hopefully remedies all of this, but it is just one game.

These new games will all be on PC (while it does take 2-3 years to wait, and 6-12 months from launch to have them patched + fixed by modders) and they perform better on it. The only point in owning a PS5 is to play games a couple of years earlier, but for a hard-working family man like me, the quality of the experience is more important than playing it as soon as possible. And I can't do modern games at 30fps 720p after playing 120fps at 4K. For older games, that's okay.

PSX and PS2 though, those were the days...Still have a massive collections of classic RPGs in CD and DVD format and a phat PS3 to play them!

FinalFantasyFanatic253d ago

It's kinda like that, the PS3 generation was a bad time for JRPGs, especially with the Japanese feeling the need to westernize their games, shooters dominating that gen, the racism from western game journalists (it was bad, between G4, Phill Fish, and a slew of others), and the higher development costs...

It really made me miss the PS1/PS2 days of JRPGs, even the quality of half of those games during the 7th gen weren't as good. The 360 tried, but Microsoft's consoles weren't popular in Japan and no body in the West bought a Xbox for JRPGs (despite Xbox having Vesperia, Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey).

on_line_forever253d ago

" It's kinda like that, the PS3 generation was a bad time for JRPGs, especially with the Japanese feeling the need to westernize their games "

This is when everything fall down and games looks not fun to play anymore except for few games like demon and dark souls for example

-Foxtrot253d ago (Edited 253d ago )

Nah. It's a bad trilogy of games

The only reason XIII-2 stands out is because XIII was so bad

When the bar is so low, anything after feels better.

goldwyncq253d ago

The monster catching mechanic was nice.

Eonjay253d ago

Don't understand the hate for it at all. Seems forced.

shinoff2183253d ago

Watching the credits roll on ff16 now it is good but , I'd really like to re try ff13 least it's turn based and would fill that gap for me.

FinalFantasyFanatic253d ago

They got better after the first one in the trilogy, not outstanding game though.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 253d ago
CS7253d ago

Honestly, I played FFXIII a few years after release and maybe because it was after the hype cycle and I knew the flaws of the game, it actually became my favorite FF after VII.

I took off the mini map and never used auto battle and the stuff that mattered to me in an FF was just so well done.

The art and graphics were insane at the time
The music is still special
The story still lingers in memory more than a decade later
The RPG systems were decent

I never really got the hate for it, still have a soft spot for that game inside me.

goldwyncq253d ago

Still better than XV and XVI.

Yui_Suzumiya253d ago

Drakengard 3 goes for a small fortune nowadays

Knightofelemia253d ago (Edited 253d ago )

Only gripe I have with Ar Tonelico 3 is that Saki is annoying as hell whether English or in Japanese. Then Saki's English voice actor became Ionasal on Ar Nosurge she was a little annoying but not as bad. Johnny Young Bosch voicing Tatsumi I thought he did a great job. And Akiko Shikata with her vocals and the music from the games just went hand and hand.

DarkZane253d ago

I wish Ar No Surge and Ar Tonelico 3 would be remastered on PS4/PS5.

Show all comments (31)