Can’t wait for the much-awaited sequel to the hit JRPG, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch? Neither can we. It’s been 7 years to that game and we still can’t stop booting it up every once in a while. To hype up its 23rd March release date, which is ever so closer, we have everything you need to know about the sequel Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, which will be hitting PS4, PC and our work schedule.

Everything About Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom

Ni no Kuni II is a third-person open world role-playing video game which will be published by Bandai Namco Entertainment and has been developed by Level-5 Studios. It will, like most RPGs, focus solely on the singleplayer campaign. The game was first announced during the Playstation Experience event in December 2015.

Since then it’s been delayed twice but will finally launch in March 2018. Inspired by Studio Ghibli’s works including the much acclaimed film Spirited Away and the first Ni no Kuni itself, the game will include similar art style, is expected to build up on the heartwarming story of its predecessor and boast a fun and frantic combat.

Therefore, although Studio Ghibli won’t be connected to the project but some of their artists and music composers are with the likes of Yoshiyuki Momose and Joe Hisaishi. So the game will, at the very least, have that ‘feel’ of the previous installment.

Plot Summary And Setting

Set hundreds of years after the events of Wrath of the White Witch in the same (presumably) vast and colorful world, the story features two tribes which are in conflict with each other.

The ‘cat’ and ‘mouse’ tribes of the town of ‘Ding Dong Dell’ cannot resolve whatever the matter maybe through a peaceful resolution so a revolution or more precisely a coup d’état what the mouse tribe opts for and takes the glory of ruling for themselves. During the progression of these events, the king of the ‘cat’ tribe is usurped and banished.

You play as this young king, Evan, who is wrongfully ousted by his people and woes to reclaim all that he lost.

He will be the main protagonist of the game along with two other core characters which are also playable during battles and other objectives. One of these will Roland a 48 year-old ex-president from another world who finds himself mysteriously transported to the world of Ni no Kuni II and in the process gets a little under 3 decades shaved off of his age (That’s not much).

Being a president, one can expect this character to serve as a spiritual advisor for Evan, assisting him with concepts of leadership qualities and whatnot. The third and last one is Tani who is an orphan and brought up by a feared leader of a sky-pirates clan. Maybe we will get some air action too, who knows.

Gameplay And Progression

Following a traditional RRG route, quests are riddle throughout the world. Main ones will help you progress through the story while side-quests can be completed to boost stats for leveling up skills, weapons and the character. Of course, apart from quests, players roam lush environments filled with NPCs, hidden items and terrifying dungeons.

The combat now takes place in real-time with fully interactive environments during battles and the ability to switch between characters in battle. This ditches the old turn-based system combat of the previous installment and we hope it’s for the better! Battle system has received a new feature this time around.

The ‘Higgledies’ are special skills which represent the different elemental forms (fire, water etc.). They can be triggered to turn the tide of battles as they deal massive damage to enemies. Other than combat, these skills, using the flow of the wind for example, can be used to reach high and far places you normally won’t be able to. Melee attacks and magical abilities return from the previous game.

To get a better grasp of how combat works and plays out in the game, and see those flashy combos filled with vibrant colors in motion, check out this video:

All of the rewards can be used for building your kingdom and revamping it with new structures, facilities and features. If this is anything like the Mother Base development system of MGSV Phantom Pain, then boy, it only adds more content and layers of fun on top of what we already have seen and expect of the game.

Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom releases on Mar. 23, 2018 for Playstation 4 and PC.