James Pickard
The lack of Studio Ghibli’s explicit involvement with Ni no Kuni 2 has only slightly dulled its charm, missing the darker edge or deeper exploration of its characters beyond that familiar glossy sheen. Level-5 has still put together a wondrous and whimsical RPG to lose yourself in for many hours.
It’s bold and adventurous world design that should undoubtedly be praised. If story and atmosphere can carry a game for you, then you should be able to look past the weaknesses elsewhere to enjoy this quirky and distinctive adventure.
Fans who have stuck with this series for a significant part of their lives will find a worthy conclusion that touches on each character equally and offers some satisfying closure.
Right now, though, Anthem is in a bad state –- and no patches or performance improvements are going to be a quick enough fix to solve the fundamental problems that make it such an unfulfilling game