Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
The JRPG has taken a weird place in the world of games. Often remembered through rose-tinted glasses, and increasingly niche, the genre seemed to drift further and further from the mainstream and lose much of its quality in the process. Games like Final Fantasy–which used to set the bar for JRPGs–have fallen from grace, and the often over-game-y mechanics of the JRPG are still looking for a home in a world where gameplay is looking to become more seamless. As these issues close in around the genre, Ni No Kuni shines as a beacon for all other JRPGs, inviting other titles to follow its impressive lead and reignite these much-loved titles, niche or not.
Ni No Kuni’s gameplay is a strong part of its package, but stronger yet is its emotional story. It is unclear how much Studio Ghibli actually partnered with Level 5 aside from its visual influence, but the story packs all the emotion that the Ghibli library is known for. The game tells the tale of the boy Oliver, who loses his mother when she saves him from drowning. While grieving, Oliver’s stuff toy comes to life and takes him to a magical world, troubled by dark powers. Oliver learns that his mother was a powerful player in this world and was forced to flee, leaving it in chaos. While the narrative could lose a hefty 5 hours, the first 30-40 hours are emotionally charged in a way that only a few games have ever been able to accomplish. There are really strong character arcs and beautiful moments that will remind players how great JRPG story-telling used to be.
The gameplay of Ni No Kuni is difficult and unforgiving, some might be turned off by its deep and weighty grind that is required to progress through tough bosses. However, training your familiars and gaining new ones harkens back to old school gameplay, where you would have to sink hours into different settings, buffing up your abilities before venturing forth. Ni No Kuni manages to capture a magic in these battles that consists of switching and commanding multiple allies, demanding strategy and precision. Grinding out levels isn’t all hum-drum, the game offers a smorgasbord of side quests and other missions to give players new objectives.
The most impressive aspect of Ni No Kuni is its amazing esthetics. The artistic resources of Studio Ghibli give life to an animated look that is extremely impressive and strikingly different from so many anime and JRPG counterparts. Ni No Kuni paints breathtaking pictures that capture childlike wonderment and stuffs it in a blu-ray disc. Everything from the overworld map to the magical cities that populate the world is rendered in a gorgeous style that would rival the films Studio Ghibli is known for. It is not just the variety of the art and the execution, but the sheer amount of inventive art the game contains. Desert cities, dense forests, snowy tundras, and cavernous metropolises are all gives the same detailed touch.
Accenting these locales, battles, and narrative beats is one of the best scores of the year. The sweeping themes express the magic and awe that Ni No Kuni aims to inspire. Each locale has its own theme, with characters and moments getting their own appropriate touches. Ni No Kuni boats a score that stands out all on its own.
All of these elements add up to one of the best JRPGs, not only of this year but of the generation. Ni No Kuni is masterful storytelling and one of the most beautiful games this year. With the varied locales and lengthy roster of creatures, the game boasts impressively deep gameplay to match all of its other incredibly elements. There’s so much to be impressed by with Ni No Kuni, it is impossible to ignore it as one of the masterpieces from 2013.
Guacamelee
Drinkbox Studios wasn’t a bad studio before Guacamelee, but it was hard to imagine Guacamelee being the absolute triumph it was. The game is a platforming, side-scrolling brawler that stands unrivaled in its tight gameplay, ingenious level design, and fascinating art style. A love letter to Mexico, the game celebrates music, culture, and art south of the border with a reverence that seems almost dogmatic, but spurred one of the most amazing experiences 2013 had to offer.
Players begin the game as an agave farmer named Juan, who is killed when the El Presidente’s Daughter is taken by an evil charro skeleton named Carlos Calaca. Resurrected as a superpowered luchador hero, Juan must battle through multiple temples and gain many new abilities in order to fight Calaca and rescue his heartthrob. The narrative is straightforward and doesn’t quite have the finesse of other titles from the previous year, but the game manages to capture a charm with some spot-on jokes and a spanish flavor that makes the game endearing.
Where Guacamelee stands apart from other titles is in its razor sharp controls. Guacamelee asks players to perform seemingly impossible tasks, demanding reflexes and mastering that is rarely found in today’s titles. The reason Guacamelee can afford to be so difficult is that its controls are precisely tuned and its gameplay loop is so ingeniously addicting. Each skill that is learned in Guacamelee is mixed into variations with the ones that came before it, meaning that players can not afford to be single-minded button-mashers. Guacamelee demands strategy, it demands focus and discipline. Players will die plenty, but the game instantly throws you back into the fray, daring you for one more go ‘round.
Not only does Guacamelee offer these impressive controls, but it also gives you brilliantly unrelenting levels to use them. Whether it is a gauntlet challenge or a fast-paced brutal boss fight, Guacamelee continues to come at you sideways, consistently staying one step ahead of you and making you have to regroup. Level design is a precise art and can often feel unfair or uninventive, Guacamelee is a treasure in this regards, striking the perfect balance that sinks its hooks deep into you, refusing to let go.
The icing on the cake is the games beautiful art work and brilliant, yet underrated score. The music of Guacamelee is an arcade style gem, not in the 8-bit sense, but its inventive, repeated melodies that seamlessly loop while you grind your way through a temple. This takes it cue, like so much else in the game, from its Mexican roots, sounding like a super-powered mariachi band. The amazing music, the bright colors, it all creates an electric atmosphere that revels in its Mexican themes.
Guacamelee is a can’t miss title, one that wears its theme on its sleeve and pays homage to a wonderful culture. Guacamelee is engaging and beautiful, grabbing players with its music and energy, then bringing them back time and time again, no matter how difficult the dungeons may get. With this PlayStation exclusive, it is clear that Sony has close ties to another brilliant studio, as Drinkbox has earned their way onto everyone’s radar. We can only hope their next title is as good as their most recent one.
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