Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Message Board

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, Level-5's monster-training RPG, has surpassed 1.1 million shipped copies to retailers. Combined with the original version for the DS that was never released in North America, that puts the series at 1.7 million shipped copies. Sounds like protagonist Oliver has found plenty of help in his multidimensional quest to save his mother!

Spike's VGX 2013 Awards acknowledged Ni No Kuni as its best RPG of last year, beating out Fire Emblem: Awakening and Pokemon X/Y. Sadly, VGX 2013 did not include a "Best Attempt To Derail An Awards Show" category, which Joel McHale surely would have won. [Image: Level-5]

Brad races cars, sees ghosts, and talks to Welsh dolls, all before going to Japanese Europe's parallel universe.

Just in case you were worried this wouldn't have that distinctive Studio Ghibli flavor outside of the visuals, you apparently needn't worry.

Step 1: Get Studio Ghibli to make your art. Step 2: Make a game out of it. Step 3: Profit?

We heard you like footage of people doing stuff in offices, so here's people at Level-5 doing stuff!

While waiting to get hands-on with Dishonored here at gamescom (impressions shared in this week’s PlayStation.Blogcast), I ran into an acquaintance from Namco Bandai. He invited me to their booth to experience the two new demos for Ni no kuni: Wrath of the White Witch being shown. I didn’t pass on the opportunity, if nothing else, as an excuse to share beautiful new screens and video with you. Parts of what I saw are showcased in this new gamescom trailer, so do your eyes a favor and roll the video:

When launching the first demo, the demonstrator made a point of showing that the game features a Japanese language voiceover selection option. This is a frequent request from JRPG fans, so rest assured that matter is settled.

The first demo, “An Errand for Father Oak,” takes place very early in the game as diminutive hero-in-training Oliver is trying to get to the Ding Dong Dell, the Cat King’s Castle. When the downtrodden gate guard won’t let you in, you’ll have to venture into the forest to capture “vigor” from forest denizens in a special jar to pep him up and let you in. While this all sounds ridiculous, Ni no Kuni comes off as incredibly charming in person, due in no small part to its stunning visuals.

The second demo, “Eruption Interruption,” takes place further into the game, and shows off a somewhat more serious side to Ni no Kuni. This volcano setting is a far cry from the verdant fields we’ve seen from the game thus far – it’s closer to Mount Doom. The visual effects here look great, with flowing lava and heat wave effects blurring the scenery. The scene has players performing some mild platforming actions, such as shimmying along a cliff face, avoiding erupting steam vents.

At the peak of the caldera, the plucky team is pitted against a big boss: Moltaan, Lord of Lava. This is where it became clear that despite the cutesy visuals, this is a real, challenging game. Moltaan looms so large that he doesn’t always fit on screen, and the battle was suitably epic, lasting nearly 10 minutes and pushing the heroes to the brink of defeat.

The more I’ve seen of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, the tougher the wait until its Western release on January 22nd is becoming.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is coming to PS3 in January 2013.

I'm not sure I actually want to play it, but it sure is purty.

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is easily the most-anticipated upcoming RPG on PlayStation 3. Indeed, it's one of the most-anticipated games in any genre on PS3. After coming out in Japan in late 2011, the collaborative project between Level-5 and Studio Ghibli was promised for western release, although it's recently been knocked-back a bit in the schedule, now coming out in early 2013...

It’s been quite a while since Namco Bandai Games first announced PS3-exclusive Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch. A collaborative effort between veteran RPG maker Level-5 and veteran animation house Studio Ghibli, Ni No Kuni promises to seamlessly blend Ghibli’s gorgeous art style with Level-5′s RPG chops for a completely unique experience not seen on PS3 until now. I went hands-on with the game at Namco Bandai’s recent media event in Las Vegas, exploring the lush world of Ni No Kuni, battling a plethora of creatures, and traversing through a pig-obsessed city appropriately titled Hamelin.

If you haven’t yet, check out the gorgeous new trailer for Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch above.

Oliver explores worlds both fantastical (left) and real-life (right) in Ni No Kuni.

If you’re unfamiliar with what Ni No Kuni is all about, here’s a quick refresher: players take on the role of Oliver, a young boy who has just lost his mother, as he searches for a way to find her again. As his tears fall on a doll given to him by his mother, the doll comes alive and leads him to a fantastical place, telling Oliver that he may be able to find his mother in this new world. Players will experience both the real and the fantastical worlds as the story goes on. It’s a very Ghibli-esque premise and one that suits the game’s presentation well.

It goes without saying that the first thing you’ll notice about Ni No Kuni is the striking visual style that Studio Ghibli and Level-5 have created within Ni No Kuni — it’s arguably the closest a developer has come to recreating the look and feel of Japanese animation within the confines of a video game. The cutscenes were created especially for Ni No Kuni by Studio Ghibli, and anyone familiar with the studio’s past work with films like Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away will instantly recognize their unique aesthetic. Just as impressive though, are the real-time graphics. The whole world of Ni No Kuni ebbs and flows just as effortlessly as the Ghibli-produced cutscenes, lending a truly cinematic feel to the whole experience.

One of the most crucial elements to any RPG is its battle system, and Ni No Kuni takes a unique approach to the typical elements that many RPGs share. First off, there are no random battles when roaming the world map. Enemy groups can be seen well in advance, giving players ample time to decide whether to avoid or engage. Once in battle, players are free to roam the enclosed battle environment with their character, while issuing group commands to other characters. Players can also switch control to other characters on the fly. Additionally, Ni No Kuni presents a “familiar” system, allowing each of the main characters to summon creatures to fight by their side, each possessing their own special abilities. In my experience with the game, it helped to consider each enemy group before devising a tactical strategy to take them down, making the battle system quite a breath of fresh air in the RPG world.

My hands-on time also gave me a chance to explore the wider world. In an area called Hamelin, which is appropriately titled as my party encountered a society run by a porcine president, I encountered a vast culture with dozens of townsfolk and areas to explore. The town itself was filled with armory and item shops, which in the demo were closed for business. That said, the town itself felt like an interactive Studio Ghibli film, with a host of zany characters and an elaborate boss fight that I won’t spoil here.

Suffice it to say that if you’re a fan of RPG games you’d be wise to watch out for Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch in early 2013. Keep your eye on the PlayStation.Blog for more details as we get closer to the release date of this promising PS3 exclusive.

During today's Global Gamer's Day conference in Las Vegas, Namco Bandai announced that the Western release of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch has been delayed to 2013...

Namco Bandai has confirmed that Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is headed to North America in Winter 2012. The game will include both English and Japanese voiceover tracks and will be released exclusively for the PlayStation 3. Ni no Kuni is developed by Level-5, who previously worked on th...

You know how back in September Level-5 said Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch would launch in early 2012? Yeah, throw that out the window -- the developer must have meant to say it'll launch in the other winter of 2012.

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, a collaboration between Level-5 and legendary animation outfit Studio Ghibli, will launch later this year in the unspecified Winter 2012 time frame. It'll be released exclusively on the PS3 with both English and Japanese voiceovers.

Great adventures often spring from tragedy. When faced with unmatchable sadness, anger, or fear, we more readily face the unknown and launch into quests of self-discovery. In the wake of death, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch propels us into another world filled with strange creatures and stranger evils...

Ever thought "Ni no Kuni looks nice, but I wonder what it would look like without all that Studio Ghibli art?" Neither have we, but you should watch these Japanese live-action ads for Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch anyway.

In the brief clip above, and one more after the break, voice actress Mana Ashida explores realistic CG interpretations of locations from the game. She's almost certainly looking at green screens, but she looks suitably impressed! We're also impressed, but we have the benefit of actually seeing the impressive vistas.

Red capes, regal cats and illuminating rhinoplasty. Good luck with that Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch localization, Namco Bandai. (Seriously, don't screw this up!)

Namco Bandai has announced that it is to publish the fabulously crafted Level-5 RPG Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch in the US and Europe in 2012...