Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Prince’s Edition Nintendo Switch Review
Summary: Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Prince's Edition still provides an engaging story with endearing characters and simplistic, fun combat despite including a few bugs.
4
A Kingly Quest
Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is LEVEL-5’s 2019 follow up to the fan favorite Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. The game has received critical acclaim and multiple players regard it as one of the best JRPGS. Now that the game is out now on Nintendo Switch, I finally had my chance to experience and chime in on the game.
For those new to the game, Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom follows Roland, a man who was once the president of the United States until an unusual event occurs, and he’s whisked off to a fantasy realm where he meets Evan, the young king of the said fantasy realm. After a coup occurs the same day of their meeting, Roland decides to help the young king escape his enemies and eventually agrees to help him build a newer, better kingdom where everyone can be happy. The pair meet many friends, fight many foes, and go on several adventures along the way.
Ni No Kuni II’s story is undoubtedly one that engages the player from the get-go, due to its explosive entrance. The journey the characters go through is showcased in a heartwarming and highly entertaining manner. The characters themselves are just endearing enough for you to care about their actions and goals at each point in the story.
This excellence is also seen in the gameplay as Ni No Kuni II’s combat is executed and explained in a detailed yet straightforward way. Combat is done via real-time hack and slash. Players must master light attacks, heavy attacks, ranged attacks, special elemental attacks, dodging, blocking, and all manner of combos in other to thrive. Ni No Kuni II also provides the player with multiple ways of defeating enemies by unlocking additional weapons, skills, Higgledies — little creatures that help the player during combat, and more as they progress through the game.
Players will also be introduced to the more tactical Skirmish Mode, which switches up the usual formula by playing out on the game’s map and with a top-down perspective. Players take control of Evan as the commander of his amassed army against another army of enemies. Another highlight of Nino Kuni II is its intricate and clever puzzles that make the player feel highly accomplished upon solving them while still entertaining them in the process.
Visually, Ni No Kuni II is still a beautiful game on the Switch despite the noticeable technical downgrade. The visuals are still crisp, vibrant, and inviting, especially its famous Ghibli aesthetic, which can be appreciated during cut scenes. However, I should note that the visuals do take a noticeable hit in certain areas in the game and even the main menu when undocked. This also reflects in the game’s performance as the framerate in some areas in the game takes a heavy dip which is a bit unfortunate. However, I will note that these dips aren’t too frequent and only occur at specific points of the game.
Another part of the game I feel I must applaud is the English voice acting. Not many JRPGS have good voice acting for the English voices, but the cast did an excellent job of portraying the character’s tones, mannerisms, and emotions. I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention that Ni No Kuni II’s Switch port comes included with all the game’s DLC, which consists of The Lair of the Lost Lord, The Tale of a Timeless Tome, The Dragon’s Tooth DLC, as well as all previous downloadable content packs. These DLCs add tons of hours to the game as well as multiple bonuses and items.
Final Thoughts?
Overall, Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Prince’s Edition still provides an engaging story with endearing characters and simplistic, fun combat despite including a few bugs. Now that the game is available on Nintendo Switch with all DLCs included, I definitely believe it’s worth a try for JRPG fans with a Switch.
About the Author
Abdul Saad Abdul Saad is a seasoned entertainment journalist and critic, and has been writing for five years on multiple gaming sites. When he isn't writing or playing the latest JRPG, he can be found coding games of his own or tinkering with something electrical.
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