Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch™ Remastered

I really liked the art style, the story, and the combat, but then came the pre-combat minigame. It felt like too much Pokémon—having to constantly ensure your minions weren't weak against the upcoming fight while remaining strong for that specific attack type was just too much for me. Having to level-grind your underlings just so they can fight, only to reach the next zone and need a completely different set to avoid taking massive damage or dealing a measly 1 HP, got tedious. This style may be for some folks, but it wasn't for me, which is sad because I really wanted to see this one through. I loved Ni no Kuni II, but the way familiars work here was a bridge too far. Guess I'll stay locked in mummy tummy forever.

beautiful art design and music, just writing is simple like it was written for the children in mind, but liked the idea of the story, and battle system is like 'meh ok'

Le pesan los años y es tosco en algunos apartados, pero si te hace click, puede ser tu droga más absoluta.

I was pretty sad seeing the Mixed on this game so far but I'm far enough in that I have 3 party members and 9 familiars on the team. I will admit the combat surprised me as I thought it was going to be turn based and it's not bad but not one of my favorites either. It's like it uses the combat cooldown time and movements of Final Fantasy 12 but combines it with being able to actually walk around and jump out of attacks mid combat without just relying on a dodge stat. Story is alright so far it's kind of like playing a cute Ghibli anime movie since they did the character designs and anime cutscenes. I will also add a side note for people getting stuck on the combat in the beginning since I have it on the harder Hint: Make sure to get familiars matching each party member's genus for the 10% stat boosts and here are I had some success with so far Oliver: [spoiler] Purrloiner, Little Bighorn, Oroborus [/spoiler] [spoiler] Ester [/spoiler]: [spoiler] Drongo, Hooray, Danglerfish, ABSOLUTELY Lumberwood he is a god lol, Napcap is pretty good too [/spoiler] [spoiler] Swaine [/spoiler]: [spoiler] Bonehead glad I kept him early on lol, Monolith, I'm using the Thumbelemur you got as the 3rd so far but waiting to see if I get a good magic atk option for him [/spoiler]

Clever game, beautiful cutscene animation (studio ghibli or ghibli adjacent?). Lots of good puzzles and quests. You start out with limited pages in your wizard's companion so that you can master the basics, and they build up the complexity over time as you find more pages, spells and people. Mr Drippy is iconic and we love him. I enjoy the wordplay and creature names (they are corny but its charming). If you enjoy the Stardew valley style quest board, they have a similar system where you can accept a bunch of tasks and bounties to get XP, money and extra gear. I usually play fast-paced games and this one reminded me how fun a story based game is

Душнилово невероятное. Враги расставлены через каждый метр, локации кишкообразные, чтобы пройти небольшую локацию тратишь уйму времени на бои. По конец игры решили для поднятия сложности сделать по несколько фаз для драки с боссами. А финальный босс это про ♥♥♥♥♥♥, ладно белая ведьма с двумя фазами, легко, но потом какая-то ♥♥♥♥♥, которая спавнит себе миньонов, которые атакуют вместе одну цель и не успеваешь ты захилить союзника как он снова падает. Чтобы всех этих миньонов положить надо столько вечерней звезды закастовать что никакой маны не хватит ♥♥♥♥♥. Вот только ты думаешь что прошел через весь звиздец как игра кидает тебя в очередной бой. А когда нужно пофармиться то враги разбегаются. И сама это боевка из смеси пошагового и динамичного боя очень сомнительная. И добавлять в эту смесь еще и союзников, которые действуют по своему усмотрению. И сюжет вообще того не стоит.

I first picked up Ni no Kuni back on the PS3, and while I absolutely love the vibe, I only managed to make it about halfway through. Life, got in the way, and the game was left unfinished for years. Thanks to the Steam Deck, I’ve finally been able to dive back in and give this game the time it deserves. Being able to pick it up and play in short bursts has made finishing the journey a reality. The first thing you’ll notice, and likely the reason you’re interested, is the Studio Ghibli involvement. Their influence is felt in every single frame and every note of the soundtrack. It looks absolutely stunning, and the hand-drawn aesthetic translates perfectly to the remastered version. Locations like Ding Dong Dell are pure Ghibli form; the architectural charm and whimsical atmosphere make it one of the most cozy yet adventurous worlds I've ever explored. You can truly see and hear their DNA throughout the entire experience. The combat system is a unique blend that might take a moment to click, but it’s incredibly rewarding once it does. I personally love the turn-based combat timer, as it adds a layer of tactical urgency without feeling like a frantic button-masher. While I was not overly keen on the familiars at first, I grew to love the system as I progressed. Learning how to properly manage their stamina and evolutions eventually became the heart of my strategy. Overall, I've loved this game and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a Ghibli story and beautiful art. My only real gripe is that the post-game content is a bit of a slog. It gets quite grindy, and in some places unnecessarily so, which can test your patience after the main story concludes. However, the journey itself is a must-play. This is an enchanting, emotional, and visually peerless JRPG that finally found its home on my handheld.