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Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Easily one of the best games ever made, Ni No Kuni is a dream collaboration between Professor Layton developers Level 5 and gods of Japanese animation Studio Ghibli, that tells the magical tale of a young boy called Oliver, who enters a dangerous parallel world in an attempt to defeat a great evil and save his mother. Learning to become a wizard under the guidance of the hilarious Welsh Lord High Lord of the Fairies, Drippy, you'll be exploring a vast, colourful world, helping heal the hearts of downtrodden villagers by solving quests, and taking part in battles that mix the creature collecting of Pokemon with a system that offers an effective mix of real-time and turn-based attacks. Sending out a little creature to fight for you, it's up to you to choose whether they should use their regular attacks, unleash a special move or defend, whilst moving them around the battlefield to dodge the enemy in the process. Much like Pokemon, there's loads of companions to collect, train and befriend, and many are capable of 'metamorphosis' into new, more powerful forms, too - with amazingly sigh worthy names to boot. Whether it's a Turbandit turning into a Turban Legend, a Minor Byrde that evolves into a Major Byrde, to the most badass superhero familiar ever, Captain Whamtastic, who begins life as a lowly Whambat, Ni No Kuni is perfect for role playing aficionados and newcomers alike, and is a proper tidy Playstation 3 game you'd be mad to miss out on, mun!
For more, take a look at our full review, or for more on the game's suitability, check out our Parental Review.
Buy this if they like: Pokemon, Japanese Role Playing Games (Tales of...), Studio Ghibli films, funny welsh fairies
Buy Ni No Kuni - Wrath of the White Witch from Amazon
Contrast
In the beautiful, vaudevillian-themed Contrast, Didi, the hopelessly lonely daughter of a cabaret singer and her imaginary friend Dawn wonder a surreal 1920s, cabaret inspired world, as they try to bring Didi's broken family back together. With a heavy story that looks at some pretty tricky topics through the innocent eyes of a child, Contrast is as inventive as it is touching. While the game takes place in a 3D world, the twist here is that the slender dancer Dawn can turn herself into a shadow at the press of a button, where she can make use of the silhouettes of other objects to reach new heights. With carousel horses forming moving platforms, rotating bicycle pedals working like a makeshift lift, and the wonky shadow of a lamp post creating a ramp up to the roof of an adjacent building, manipulating light and darkness are the name of the game here, as you'll often need to mend, reposition and alter the lights that litter the world before you can carry on your journey, in your attempt to bring Didi's parents back together. As a download only game, the only way to get this one is to either add some credit to the Playstation Store using your card details, or by buying the credit voucher below.
Check back soon for our full review.
Buy this if they like: 3D or 2D platformers, Puzzles, Shadows
Buy £25 PlayStation Network Card from Amazon
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix
A game in which the worlds of Final Fantasy and Disney collide, Kingdom Hearts is a role playing game that follows the tale of Sora, as he sets out on a journey to find his missing friends, saving the Disney worlds of Winnie the Pooh, Tarzan and more from the torment of the evil, shadowy Heartless along the way. Whether you're rounding up evidence to prove Alice's innocence to the Queen of Hearts, or defeating a three-headed Cerberus in the Hercules coliseum, the game's packed full of references and characters from Disney films old and new, with a few cameos from characters from the Final Fantasy series too. Packed with epic stories, frantic battles and lots of exploring to do, the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix collection is effectively two and a half games in one - you have souped up editions of both Kingdom Hearts I and Kingdom Hearts: Re:Chain of Memories (which were originally released on the PS2), along with the cut-scenes and important plot-related parts from the DS' 358/2 Days, making it a great starting point for newcomers. Probably best for those towards the top end of this age group, Kingdom Hearts does require a pretty solid reading ability as not all of it is voiced and some sections can be a bit challenging.
For more, see our full review, or for more on the game's suitability, check out our Parental Review.
Buy this if they like: Disney, Final Fantasy, nonsensical stories
Buy Kingdom Hearts 1.5: Standard Edition from Amazon
Tales of Xillia
There's problems afoot in the land of Rieze Maxia. As the Kingdom of Rashugal press on with their dangerous experiments, ignoring the pleas of others that they'll only end up draining the life-force from the world, the mysterious Guardian of the Four Spirits, Milla Maxwell, decides to take matters into her own hands, setting off on a journey to save the world with her accidental sidekick and medical student, Jude. Meeting up with many others along the way, what follows is a fairly familiar adventure told from either Milla or Jude's perspective, as you explore an anime styled world, chat to characters in villages, and level up your characters by battling enemies in the re-designed, real-time battle system. But even with a global catastrophe is imminent, Tales of Xillia still find plenty of time for humour - from the mischievous mercenary Alvin, to the deity who's blissfully aware her skirt may be a bit short, to the crazy comments from Teepo the flying, talking doll, there's rarely a dull moment, whether you're busy exploring forests, creeping through caves or chatting to the townsfolk. One of the more accessible role-playing games, the Tales games are especially great for those just starting out, thanks to their easy-to-understand battles and light-hearted anime style.
Buy this if they like: Role-playing games, Anime, Talking toys
Buy Tales of Xillia from Amazon
