Hands-On with Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

In case you hadn't heard, Level-5's Studio Ghibli collabo, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, is coming stateside Q1 2013. That means we get all its hype-a-licious trailers in our native tongues - for better or for worse. 

That also means American vidya journo outlets will start getting their time in on Namco Bandai's demo unit. Siliconera posted their 20-minute joyride with the game that is shaping up to be the pinnacle of the JRPG.

IGN.com

IGN.com

There were two demo sections available for the press: "The Big Wide World," an open-ended look at the world map and battle system and "The Cradle of Industry," featuring a story event and boss battle.

The first demo is for exploring the town of Ding Dong Dell and beyond. The world map area is populated with roaming encounters that appear on-screen and can be avoided with some skill. Siliconera noted a docked ship on the map that players could take for a spin. 

While these are all well-and-good RPG tropes we see on display here, the real interest in pairing one of Japan's premier RPG studios and one of Japan's premier animation studios is the amount of color and character that goes into the studios' creations:

"I liked how Oliver could talk to Drippy while I was roaming around Ding Dong Dell. If Oliver stands still for a few moments, Drippy hops from one foot to another in an antsy manner, then starts to stumble as if he would fall down. That’s the type of minor detail you would see in a Studio Ghibli film that gives characters personality and I was delighted to see that even the demo showed Level-5 understood that."

Meanwhile, IGN has come across brand new screens and concept art for Ni No Kuni. Check out Siliconera's preview and then come back here and bask in heartwarmingly saturated pastels.

IGN.com

IGN.com

IGN.com

SOURCE: Siliconera | IGN