The Best Game of March 2018: Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom
Read the Review!
Features Editor Alex Gibson: As excited as we were to see Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom announced in 2015, delivering a worthy successor to Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch always felt like a tall order, even for a developer as esteemed as Level 5. There was just so much adoration for the endearing storytelling, the magic of its gorgeous anime aesthetic, and the blend of turn-based combat and Pokemon-like monster collecting of the first game. It felt like a one off. But we need not have worried, because rather than merely iterating on the same formula, Ni No Kuni 2 reinvents itself with all-new gameplay systems, an equally charming story, and a wealth of content that’s kept us gleefully invested for dozens of hours.
In particular, we absolutely loved the addictive kingdom building mechanics reminiscent of Suikoden, as well as the entertaining RTS-like Skirmish battles. These new features served to add depth and variety to the game, meaning that there always felt like something rewarding to accomplish outside of the main story arc. And when we were faced with endless monster hunting battles, the new real-time combat felt so brilliant to control that it was never a chore.
Level 5 certainly took a risk when it branched the sequel away from the typical story-driven gameplay loops we’ve seen in so many JRPGs gone-by, but the risk has paid off absolutely. Ni No Kuni 2 now stands proudly beside genre leading titles like Persona 5 as Japan’s most impressive franchises.
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That does it for our March 2018 Game of the Month. Congratulations to Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom! What do you think were the best games from last month? Let us know in the comments.
