Studio Ghibli has become a household name, and have managed to extend fandom of their movies beyond anime fans. So when word reached me that they were going to be contributing to the design and animation of a video game, I was pretty stoked. It took me a lot longer than I would have liked to get my hands on a copy and finally play it but once I did, I enjoyed it immensely. Now, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is available on Nintendo Switch.
Filled to the brim with charm and whimsy with a setting that wasn’t afraid to have locations named with puns, Ni No Kuni is something special. Simple, yet unique character designs on top of incredibly vibrant painterly environments invoke what people expect from Studio Ghibli. A beautiful soundtrack that oozed magical adventure. Also, who can forget the fairy with an extremely thick Welsh accent? Ni No Kuni had its flaws though. The monster collecting was extremely tedious, as was the overall grinding. The time-based command and swapping mechanics made combat hectic and overly busy. There were also just too many different kinds of side quests that took up too much time. Despite these flaws, Ni No Kuni became one of my favorite games of all time. Will revisiting this gem keep its status or will the magic be gone?
It should be noted right away that Ni No Kuni on the Switch is a straight port of the original game and not the remastered version that came to the PS4, and PC. It runs in 720p, even docked, and is ultimately the same experience as the original PS3 version. That said, I’m not entirely sure this game even needed a remaster. In handheld mode, the game looks absolutely fantastic. Only in docked mode, and only on the lines of the cell shading is it noticeable that this game is at a lower resolution. The art style has gone a long way in making these graphics timeless.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch has aged well.
Everything is pretty much as I remembered it; the things I liked I still like. Unfortunately, the things that I didn’t like are also still present. The visuals, music, characters, setting, and story draw me in just like before but the grind of leveling and monster collecting and the hectic battles all work towards pulling me out of my magical adventures with Oliver and Drippy.
Something that is improved is that Ni No Kuni runs more stable than it did on PS3. Load times were short and the framerate was stable in this port. The game did crash on me once, but I never had any problems aside from that instance. Handheld mode is wonderful and being able to take this game on the go is pretty great. The 720p resolution isn’t noticeable on the Switch screen, and the vibrancy of the colors come through extremely well. One nitpick would be that while traversing the world map, Oliver and the monsters that roam are on the small side, making them hard to see at times.
If you are a fan of Ni No Kuni already and have a Switch, definitely pick this up. For new players be prepared for some magical whimsy and some frustrating grind. I’m personally glad that this has come to the Switch and revisit a favorite.
Ni No Kuni is the same game on the Switch as it was on PS3, with the added benefit of portability and an overall more stable experience.
For more information on Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch on Nintendo Switch, check out the official listing. A digital Switch copy was provided for the purpose of review.
For more game reviews, check out my review of Collection of Mana or Remnant: From the Ashes.
