Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

ONCE again, the PlayStation 3 lays claim to a beautiful title as a platform-exclusive game, in the fascinating  new title, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.
An innovative tie-in with famed Japanese anime company, Studio Ghibli, and acclaimed role-playing game (RPG) masters Level-5, Wrath tells the  story of Oliver, a young boy whose mother has just passed away.
The upset boy’s tears bring a toy doll to life, as Drippy, the King of the Fairies (apparently a Welsh spirit) takes pity on Oliver, resolving to help him with his determination to bring his dead mother back.
It isn’t long before the two new friends are wandering through a parallel universe, with Oliver developing magic spells and special abilities along the way, as well as mastering the use of Familiars in battle.
So, in essence, Wrath is presented as a vast RPG with standard magic/Pokemon-ish undertones, making it a challenging yet fun tale with some unusual themes of loss, acceptance, courage and so on.
However, what makes it of particular note – apart from its great score – is how beautiful it looks, with the Studio Ghibli connection making Wrath one of the best-looking games out there, and easily one to recommend.