I will openly admit right now: when I saw Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch at E3, it was the first I had ever heard of the game. As much as I like RPGs and as much as I like following Japanese pop culture, somehow or another I had never heard of this game. And I feel a bit shamed not having heard of it because when I got the chance to play a demo of the game at E3 – oh my stars and garters, it was such an amazing game. The game was so amazing that I actually named it my favorite PlayStation 3 game at E3. The game was so impressive, so beautifully done, how could I not have named it so? Ni No Kuni was such an amazing game to play that I am legitimately angry at myself for not having heard of the game beforehand.
So, feelings of self-guilt aside, let me tell you about the gameplay of Ni No Kuni. Without a doubt, this is a decidedly Japanese RPG. The turn-based fighting, the character designs, even the premise of the game; if you are a JRPG fan, this game is definitely for you. Those who are turned off by JRPGs, I suggest you at least giving it a try. The beautifully rendered world in Ni No Kuni, thanks to the masterful designers at Level 5 and Studio Ghibli, looks like you are playing a living anime series. No once does the transition from the open over world ever feel different from the battle scenes in the game and each transition into the other in a really complimentary fashion. As for the gameplay itself, it kind of reminds me of a more advanced version of a Pokemon game, but with more control over your little creature friends.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is the kind of game I could simply get lost in. As an anime fan, the world the game brings to life is like something out of an anime marathon induced dream. It looks flawless and plays even more beautifully than it looks. RPG fans of all types are likely to be impressed by this game in some way or another. This is the kind of JRPG that fans have been waiting for since Chrono Trigger. Not since Chrono Trigger has a JRPG felt so perfect in the hands of RPG fans. Final Fantasy VII, Star Ocean 2 and Kingdom Hearts may have come close, but Ni No Kuni is the closest game in recent memory that rivals the sheer awesomeness that Chrono Trigger had. I really hope when the game is released in the US, it lives up to what I played at E3, but I have a strong feeling that what I saw and played at E3 is what to expect when it hits stores on January 22nd, 2013.
http://www.nfamousgamers.com/e3-hand-ni-no-kuni-wrath-white-witch
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