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Ni no Kuni™ II: Revenant Kingdom

Ni no Kuni™ II: Revenant Kingdom

LEVEL5 Inc. · released Mar 23, 2018

AdventureRPGPCPlayStation 4

Join the young king Evan as he sets out on an epic quest to found a new kingdom and, with the help of some new friends, unite his world, saving its people from a terrible evil.

77
VGC Score
Stablemedium confidence
77%
At launch
84%
Steam all-time
84%
Press
82%
Player sentiment
85%
Recent sentiment

Screenshots & trailers

Review sentiment over time

Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.

How this score was computed

The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.

ComponentPositiveQuality (0-100)Weight (pseudo-reviews)
Press reviews (Metacritic)847
All-time Steam reviews84%771000
Metacritic user ratings8281
Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted)85%798
Calibration prior (typical game)7250

Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 22 reviews sampled · 20 total reviews in window · weighted 14.3 up / 2.5 down · computed 4h ago · full methodology →

Press & Creators reviews (81)

Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.

  • 50
    trust 76Mar 19, 2018

    The in-game reference to Facebook emphasizes how over-cluttered and unfocused Ni no Kuni II is, as this is a solid action-RPG buried under a steady stream of fetch quests and cookie-clicker-like town-building.

    read full review ↗
  • 80
    trust 73Mar 26, 2018

    The vast amount of content to explore and multitude of game systems to experience make for a great game throughout that doesn't get stale. However, this variety comes at a cost of some of its systems being simplistic and underdeveloped. By focusing on a smaller set of deeper and better integrated systems, the experience could have been even better. But with its attempt to boil the ocean, Ni no Kuni II falls just short of being truly amazing.

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  • 90
    trust 70Mar 28, 2018

    This is an absolutely wonderful tale; a fantastic fable that makes up for every little flaw by giving the player a monumental amount of things to do and play with. Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is a must play for Ghibli fans, fans of the first Ni No Kuni, fans of JRPGs, Suikoden fans, and just about anyone who appreciates a good adventure in general.

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  • 80
    trust 69Mar 22, 2018

    Between being a relatively traditional Japanese RPG, a kingdom management sim, and an advocate of real-time strategy, Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom could have easily stretched itself too thin, but developer Level-5 somehow manages to pull everything together and make it all seem worthwhile. This is a robust but accessible adventure that's stuffed with charm and character. A really fun combat system and gorgeous visuals top things off, making the sequel a joy to play. In a word, Ni no Kuni II is delightful.

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  • 85
    trust 67Mar 20, 2018

    Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is a beautiful game that takes the soul of PS1 era JRPG to create a must play experience for every fan of the genre. Despite a great presentation and atmosphere, the game can feel like a drag by its fetch quest format.

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  • 90
    trust 67Mar 26, 2018

    Building on the strength of the original, it presents a meticulously crafted world, brought to life by a team of visionaries who deserve every praise they’ve received over their long, illustrious careers. With a much improved combat engine and a myriad of entertaining new gameplay elements, it comes two steps closer to achieving the true potential of a title that can rightfully be recognized as the result of a dream collaboration.

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  • 95
    trust 67Apr 16, 2018

    I can’t stress enough how much I enjoyed Ni no Kuni II. It’s one of the best JRPGs in years and it’s a must-buy for fans of the genre. It’s cute, thoroughly addictive and has more tweaks and statistics than you can shake a sword at. If you enjoyed the first game, you will love this.

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  • 95
    trust 66CreatorMar 19, 2018

    Some may argue Revenant Kingdom clocks in a bit on the short side at around 30 hours to finish the story, but it’s a nice departure from the trend of top-rated JRPGs that last 60 hours or beyond. Ni no Kuni II is a brilliant follow-up that outdoes and improves upon its predecessor in just about every category. This is one fairy tale that most certainly earns its happily ever after.

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  • 90
    trust 66Mar 23, 2018

    It has mostly superficial similarities to the first game, but it's one of the most genuinely enjoyable and fun JRPGs to come out in a long time. A charming story, delightful cast of characters, exciting gameplay and amazing presentation combine to make a game that is a boatload of fun to play. Its only real flaw is sometimes getting too bogged down in its own systems, and the story could be meatier. JRPG fans of all ages should find a lot to love here, and it's a must-have for anyone who loves the genre.

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  • 80
    trust 65Mar 19, 2018

    It's chock full of excellent battles and surprising moments that make for a far more memorable experience than you initially expect and leaves you impressed by your own accomplishments. If you didn't play the first game, don't let this one pass you by too.

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  • 90
    trust 64Mar 20, 2018

    Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is an authentic audiovisual masterpiece. The 40 hours that lasts its story mode are virtually duplicated with the huge number of extras. Although its weak point is how extremely easy the game is, it is balanced with a story that highlights the importance of union and that delights us with moments as hilarious as epic.

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  • 60
    trust 64Mar 19, 2018

    The potential was there for Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom to be a big improvement over its already solid predecessor, but instead of focusing on one new thing and doing that well, it doesn’t keep anything that worked and gives us several modes that could’ve been great but all have major issues. It’s not a bad game, but certainly not on par with the original and does little well enough to make it stand out in a pretty big sea of PS4 RPGs.

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…and 69 more tracked reviews.

Patch history