Warning: Potential Spoilers

Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom is the captivating sequel to the first game in its series, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. Animated by the same artists who have made movies like Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Princess Mononoke, this game gives a heartfelt, nostalgic feel, just like a Studio Ghibli film.

The first game in the Ni No Kuni series follows a young boy named Oliver, who adventures into another realm to save his mother after she passes away from heart problems. The doll his mother gave him comes to life to aid him in his journey in finding his mother’s “soulmate,” the person from another world who shares a bond with his mother. He goes on a journey to become a powerful wizard, and to restore people’s love, compassion, courage, and other emotions to save the world from the dark clutches of Shadaar and the White Witch. The story is touching and emotional, and keeps you hooked the entire time. It is a great game for novice players, and very easy to pick up on! It was one of the first games I’ve ever played on a console, and I fell in love the moment I started playing.

Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom is the sequel to this game. The sequel is set 2 milleniums after the first game and follows a young King named Evan, who has to run from his kingdom after his father’s most trusted advisor takes over his homeland, Ding Dong Dell. Meanwhile, Roland, the President of the United States at the time, is travelling into a busy city. Just when he is about to reach it, a nuclear weapon flies overhead and destroys the town. He suddenly wakes up in this fantasy world, inside the castle of Ding Dong Dell. He doesn’t understand if he is alive or dead, or where he is, but he decides to brush it off and look for people. He meets Evan, who is hidden away in his room. He and Evan escape with the help of Evan’s priestess, Aranella. When they reach the exit through the well, Aranella is defeated by the new King Mausinger’s head guard. She asks Evan to promise to build a new kingdom. A kingdom

of his own, where everyone can live happily ever after. He vows to fulfill his promise to her and build a new kingdom. A kingdom called Evermore. In this game, you build and tend to your kingdom, helping it to grow and recruiting new citizens when you travel to new nations. Evan, Roland, and their new friends they meet along the way, journey across the world to ask every nation to sign his Declaration of Interdependence, a treaty made to end all war between the nations. As he makes ties with other nations in the world, he discovers a new problem. A villain named Doloran. Evan and his friends soon realize that ending war will not be the extent of their troubles, and fight to keep peace throughout the entire world.

This game is a masterpiece and pays homage to the first game in the best ways. From including past parts of the game as history in the new game, to small side quest moments and land features, the creators of this sequel to an already wonderful game have really outdone themselves. This is by far my favorite game of 2018. Coming soon to the game will be DLC (downloadable content) that continues the story and adds more post-game side content. This series is highly underrated and deserves all the praise it’s getting right now. For a good, heartfelt game that makes you feel good and also has a fun combat and gameplay style, Ni No Kuni is just what you need. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did.