REVIEW

The Witch And The Hundred Knight 2 Review

by Rob Pritchard, April 5th, 2018

Back in 2014, NIS America released an isometric RPG for the PlayStation 3 named The Witch and the Hundred Knight. The game received a moderate critical reception, as well as an enhanced port to the PlayStation 4 in 2016. The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2 aims to build upon the foundations set by its predecessor, as well as delve deeper into the world that was created by the developers of the franchise. There are many improvements to the series formula in this sequel, but it does lack the vital components to ensure that it will be remembered as a true classic.

Although the sequel borrows many common story elements from the first instalment, none of the original game’s locations or cast members crosses over to the sequel. This time, the focus is on a young woman named Amalie whose younger sister Milm is infected by a mysterious condition known as Hexensyndrome, or as it is commonly known in the game, Witch Disease. When the eye that has appeared on the victim’s head opens wide, that child will be forcibly changed into an evil Witch that has no memory of their previous life. This appears to be proved untrue when Milm changes into the witch Chelka, but still retains her previous self.

Amalie resolves to find a way to free Milm from Chelka, using the power of Milm’s Hundred Knight doll which has come to life following Milm’s transformation. The story is a vast improvement over the first game, with some of the highlights happening during Chelka’s dramatic awakening and her growing sense of ethical dilemma as she travels with Amalie throughout the game world. The only minor concern is that the main storyline is over fairly quickly by JRPG standards, leaving you with several side quests that only the most hardcore RPG player will find entertaining enough to complete.

Around the game’s vast world map, there are various locations such as Amalie’s castle home where you can upgrade your weapons, speak to the NPC’s and buy new healing items to protect you during your adventure. Outside of these safe zones, the corridors like pathways between them are filled with monsters, items and valuable treasures. One of the game’s most interesting features is that reaching a new location is treated like reaching the end of a level, making the experience feel more like an arcade game rather than a traditional RPG. This change in style offers a refreshing change of pace, making each journey out into the world feel like a different challenge.

The Hundred Knight is the sole playable character in The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2, but its appearance and special abilities can be altered by changing its Facet, which is essentially a class similar to a Mage or a Warrior in a RPG such as Final Fantasy. Some of these include the Wonder Knight, which is the default form, offering a balance of offensive and defensive capabilities. One of the best Facets is the Noble Raptor with its very high offensive stats, but it does suffer from being exceptionally weak to any kind of attack. There are very few changes to this gameplay mechanic in the sequel, except for the addition of new skills that each Facet can equip as you gain experience from defeating enemies.

Just like its older sibling, the battles in The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2 take place from an isometric perspective in real time, similar to games such as Torchlight and the Magicka series. Unlike most games where you use a single weapon during a combo attack, each separate blow requires a weapon to be attached to its appropriate slot in the in game menu. This allows for the Hundred Knight to attack with swords, staves and various other weapons in a single turn, all but eliminating the need to consistently switch weapons on a regular basis. One of the best new mechanics is the Depletura system, which gives you an additional attack at the end of your combo, providing the right conditions are met.

Like many indie JRPG’s, The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2 switches between using polygon 3D graphics for the in game characters and environments, and anime styled illustrations for the visual novel cut scenes. Despite the enhanced power of the PS4 Pro, there were several occasions where the frame rate dropped during battle, even when the screen was not highly populated by monsters to be defeated. The soundtrack is a mixture of mystical sounding orchestral tunes, inter spliced with the occasional high energy track in the middle of battle. Like many recent releases by NIS America, the game features voice tracks in both English and Japanese, with both casts providing an entertaining performance for their particular roles in either language.

Overall, The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2 is a definite improvement over the original game in almost every way. While there is not enough content on offer for RPG veterans to come back past the end credits, it is a solid adventure that any fan of the genre should consider to add to their collection. If you have been looking for a unique distraction to fill your time, The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2 will certainly ensure that not a minute of it will be wasted.