Let me say, first of all, that Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is one of my all-time favorite games. 

And secondly, let me say that Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is not a sequel. Nope. This is a new story, with new characters and a different timeline, though the world does have some vague similarities (that is, if you use your imagination).

NNK2 has an interesting premise. An apocalyptic event occurs in (presumably?) Washington D.C. and the (I think?) American president Roland Crane falls unconscious. He wakes up in the castle of a strange, fairy tale kingdom, in the middle of a coup, and now he must help the naive, deposed boy-king escape, find new allies, settle in a new land, and build a new kingdom. 

This is a JRPG and so (as expected!) Roland and the young King Evan are soon joined by an interesting cast of characters, and their adventure story unfolds across two continents and an ocean kingdom. Without giving too much away, their quest is (as expected!) a quest to restore the world, and it starts and ends with the kingmakers, mythological beings who bestow the power of kingship on those who pass the trials, and with Roland’s help, young King Evan must first seek out his kingmaker. 

The game features colorful, charming illustrations, and some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard in a videogame. The gameplay is fun; the combat is real-time, action-based, with some special attacks. 

And there is a lot to do! For starters, there’s a kingdom to build. This involves constructing and upgrading buildings, and bringing citizens to live and work in your new Kingdom of Evermore. It’s a big part of the game, and it is without a doubt my favorite part of the game.

If you like doing side quests (I do!) this game has a ton! Then there are the many powerful “tainted” monsters to defeat, and the bonus dungeons hidden behind magical “dreamer’s doors” located in woods and caves scattered throughout the world. 

And now I have to mention the skirmishes. Ugh! These are the numerous military battles pitting your army against an opposing army on the overworld map. Ugh! Many of these sirmishes are optional, but some are story related and so you really can’t escape doing them. Honestly, this is the one thing that I personally hated about this game. This is why I don’t have the platinum trophy. 

Aside from these, Ni No Kuni II  really is an excellent game. Though I still like the older Ni No Kuni better, this one is well worth the time, and worth its price. 

Trailing Sleeves gives this game 8 / 10 bowls of soup.