Oliver, Drippy’s Adventures

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a one-player Japanese role-playing game | Photo courtesy Namco Bandai Games

As you’re playing this one-player Japanese role playing game (RPG), you feel like you’re wandering through a Studio Ghibli movie. As Oliver, you’ll encounter some extraordinary characters, many of whom become helpful allies.

They guide you as you explore the vast world and learn the magical skills that will make you strong enough to face your most deadly foes, and ultimately survive an encounter with the White Witch herself. The world of Ni no Kuni actually runs parallel to the real world, and players will be able to travel between the two. Characters who appear in one world appear in the other as well, but with different roles in this unique experience.

Your best friend is Drippy, a doll your mother made that your tears bring to life, and is the comic relief. He also is the High Lord of the Fairies, your guide and your mentor. He proves to be an invaluable asset on your journey. You’ll also see many cute creatures that you raise up and send into combat, known as familiars (many of which look similar to Pokeman characters). You can train them by throwing them into combat, feeding them food that boosts their abilities and using drops to help them transform into more-powerful forms. The familiars level separately from the handlers, so the majority of the battles end with at least one pet gaining a level.

While in combat you can choose to control Oliver, another party member or one of your familiars. You only can control one at a time, but switch among these choices during combat should the need arise to use powers available to a specific character or familiar. This flexibility is probably the best part of the combat system to allow you to use the right weapon for each situation.

Most of the story quests are seemingly endless to pursue Oliver’s ability to gain excess amounts of emotions, such as love or ambition, then pass them onto brokenhearted citizens needing a boost. These are small and rewarding tasks, but you also can take out monsters to earn rewards.

Since there is so much to do within the game, it will keep you entertained for hours and hours. You’ll probably spend about 60 hours on it minimum to finish the whole thing.

Of course, don’t expect to knock it out in one sitting.

Overall, Ni no Kuni is the perfect mix of master animation mixed into an RPG, and worth the money. It’s rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and over, available exclusively for the PlayStation 3, and retails for $59.99.