Parents' Guide to

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

By Mark Raby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Compelling story with strong role models, loss, and battles.

Game PlayStation 3 2013
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Game: Screenshot #1
  • Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Game: Screenshot #2
  • Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 7+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Dyluck
Dyluck Parent of 7-year-old
January 16, 2021
age 7+

Great Story For Young Kids

Art style is great. Has a good heartwarming story about human emotion. Not many of the bosses look ominous save a few. Please note, there is a lot of British/English slang from one of the cutest characters in the game such as "Flipping", "Hell", "Damn" etc. Aside from that and teaching her about those, this type of game helps with motivation to read. I had her read everything except the slang out loud. Overall, despite my daughter being quite sensitive, had no problem playing this game and gave me opportunity to parent and teach on many occasions. I would have given a 5 on this if some of the translation to puzzle hints made no sense. We had to look them up to solve them.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Easy to play/use
NinoS
NinoS Adult
October 5, 2018
age 6+

Helping my son read better.

Ever since my child became interested in video games, ive tried steer him towards brain stimulating and problem solving heavy games. RPGs are great for this. I looked at this for myself and realized right away he would love this. It very much resembles pokemon, but with a more innocent and fairy tale type setting . My 6 year old son doesnt read every message, but he does read alot and is reading sentences well beyond his schooling in this game, often amazing me. The violence is very low level, nothing worse than say Shrek or the Lion King. Language can be a bit racy for the strictest parents...for instance one character uses "Stupid" alot but theres nothing that bothered me. It is an emotional story but very well done. All in all my 6 year old LOVES this, and i love that he is practicing reading and problem solving. He gets to play about 45 minutes a night, which is enough time to progress the story usually.
See all 4 parent reviews

What’s It About?

NI NO KUNI: WRATH OF THE WHITE WITCH is about a boy named Oliver who lived a pleasant and regimented life, until one day his world was turned upside down by an immensely tragic event. Rather than giving up on life, however, Oliver decides to embark on a journey to save his kingdom -- a journey that will end up molding not only who he is, but also everyone around him. His impact on the world ends up being much greater than if he had just stayed home, proving the very powerful message that no matter what life throws your way, you can turn it into something infinitely positive.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (7):

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is the kind of game that exemplifies not only what is great about its genre, but also the video game industry as a whole. In an industry that is filled with either mindless combat and mission-solving, or games that have incredibly cheesy or boring storylines, this game is the rare gem that has a truly masterful and well-executed story, and uses the interactive nature of video games to truly pull players right into the middle of that story. The combat system is just as uniquely satisfying as the overall experience of the game, allowing players to develop their own specific strategy not because they're forced to, but because it happens naturally as they progress through the game. Each player will develop his or her own style of combat, making everyone's gameplay experience one-of-a-kind. Anyone who appreciates video games and a good storyline will enjoy this game; it is as simple as that.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Parents can talk about the violence and combat in this game. Is the impact different when you're battling fantastical creatures as opposed to humans?

  • What is the worst tragedy you have had to cope with so far in your life? How did you overcome it?

  • Try to come up with an example of when you were able to turn a bad situation into a positive one.

Game Details

  • Platform: PlayStation 3
  • Subjects: Language & Reading: following directions, reading, reading comprehension
  • Skills: Emotional Development: developing resilience, empathy, moving beyond obstacles, persevering
  • Available online?: Not available online
  • Publisher: Namco Bandai
  • Release date: January 22, 2013
  • Genre: Role-Playing
  • Topics: Magic and Fantasy
  • ESRB rating: E10+ for Alcohol and Tobacco Reference, Comic Mischief, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling
  • Last updated: August 26, 2016

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