Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
Publisher: NIS America
Platform: PS4
Tested on: PS4
The Witch and the Hundred Knight: Revival Edition – Review
Nippon Ichi Software and NIS America thrive to make and release fun and challenging games, combining them with a rather unusual storyline or setting. The Witch and the Hundred Knight was one of those titles, where you were a small and loyal servant of a rather rude witch. The game was quite a success so it received a successor on the PS4 and next to the already known elements, NIS wanted to add something different as well.
Story
Nothing more than a small sprite, you’re soundly asleep in a wide ocean of darkness. All of the sudden, you’re disturbed by a dark and sinister voice. It seems that you’re being summoned, although you don’t have any recollection of talking or even advanced thinking. Not a problem though, as the invisible assailant can provide you with certain basic functions. After a brief talk, it seems that the voice thinks that you’re ‘the Hundred Knight’, a powerful being that can defeat enemies in one blow and has never been slain before.
Now that you’re fully aware of your surroundings, it becomes painfully clear that you’re really tiny and .. rather cute? At any rate, you certainly need to prove yourself or you’re just going to die. With the help of the bossy voice, you can escape that wretched place and enter a world of submission. Your ‘savior’ is even worse in real life as she is The Great Swamp Witch Metallia, the only true witch of this world (or so she thinks). Her bad attitude and sky-high self-esteem causes a lot of trouble as she wants to kill her nemesis and fill the world with gooey green jelly. Another reason for this dream is that she can the roam freely, as she is condemned to stay in a swampy area.
After the rather animated introduction, your first mission really starts. Call it more of a test, as you need to prove yourself that you’re worthy of wearing the title of ‘Hundred Knight’. Your tricky journey has begun, filled with dangers, green gooey and terrible smells.
The Revival Edition has another area to discover as well. Here, you can play as Metallia herself, giving you the opportunity to really exploit her powers. Of course, you can also get new loot here so it is definitely worth checking out. Combine this with the other story, you’re busy for quite a while.
Graphics
Story wise, the game is quite unusual and chaotic at times and this really reflects in the graphics. You can expect a combination of a drawn anime style for the cutscenes and a full 3D surrounding when venturing the world. Even more, you will drown in a spectacular world of full-boosted colors.
Next to the protagonists, there are also villagers and enemies but they tend to fade away in the environment most of the time. A lot of the inhabitants feel like they’re pasted multiple times, with some differences here and there. The same goes for the enemies, as they are hard to spot at times. It would have been nice if they would stand out and differentiate a tad more.
There is certainly a difference between the PS3 version and the newer generation. The first version was already really colorful, but Nippon Ichi did their best to improve certain elements. For instance, the newer version is a lot brighter and the colors really stand out more. Also, the images are a lot sharper and there are more details, especially in the background. If you were amazed by the scenery in the PS3 version, you’ll certainly love this brush-up version.
Sound
As expected, the soundtrack is as special as the rest of the game. Each area might have an atypical track, especially when you’re executing dark tasks. It makes everything feel so much lighter and even trivial (although this isn’t the case).
Although you’re most of the times silent, except of some moments when you can chirp some vocals. The other characters are fully voice acted during cutscenes, making the gross and vulgar talk that more realistic. If you have children running around, be sure to play this game after bedtime.
Gameplay
The Witch and the Hundred Knight is a hack ‘n slash game that will take you on a rampage throughout the world. Although you’re just a puppet, you’re in charge of doing the dirty work. This means you need to be ready for anything and especially facing strong foes while finding pillars which will spread the glorious swampy goo.
Before you can actually start your quests, you’re in need of weaponry and armor. There are three slot sets you can fill and each slot can contain five different weapons. To make things a bit more difficult, each armament has a certain number which resembles a spot in the slot queue. If you can line up five weapons on the correct spot, you gain a nice multiplier. It is definitely worth checking this out, as you will deal loads of extra damage. Don’t think that this alone will be enough to clear the area. You can also equip defensive items, as your enemies are quite feisty.
At the beginning, you might think you’re breezing through a level, but you’ll be visiting this place more than once. The difficulty level between areas is quite big, so you’re necessary to take a step back and redo an easier level. This has some advantages, as you will find better gear and other items or you can also gain more experience. This amount will be added to your ‘facet’ level, which is just a sort of build you can follow. For instance, you can go for a more offensive stance or let the defensive element take over. Each facet can be levelled by just equipping them, and it gives you a nice way to customize your playstyle.
Before you go completely rampage in a level, there is something else you need to consider. You only have a limited time to walk around, which can be tracked by the amount of ‘GigaCals’. This timer needs to be replenished at Metallia’s mansion or you can give Grade points to regenerate a small amount of this lifesaving substance. Whatever you do, don’t die in a level. If you run out of GigaCals, your health will start to deplete. The map will still be discovered and the pillars are still activated, but you’ll lose everything you’ve collected (which is held in your stomach) .
There are some specifics for each zone as well. For instance, you have a grade bonus which gives you one point per level increased. These can be distributed at an activated pillar, giving you the opportunity to improve stats like your health, defence and AP. Next to that, there are also bonus points to earn. The more you have, the better your rewards will be.
Last but not least, certain areas are inhabited by villagers with sweet loot hidden in their houses. This is an excellent opportunity to dominate and retrieve those treasures. Next to that, you’ll show who’s boss! It might be a good idea to check if you can take on the villager residing in a certain house. There is always a comparison, giving you an idea if you will take the shot and get rumbling. If you’re up for the fight, you can enter the house. After that, it’s all up to the Hundred Knight as you have no control whatsoever. It would have been nice if this could be skipped or if you had at least any effect while waiting.
Overall, there are a lot of things you have (or need) to do before you can advance. Since the difficulty level is so high, repeating levels over and over again might get boring but you’ll certainly want to continue as it gets more fun after a while, especially when you gain new weapons and facets.
Conclusion
The Witch and the Hundred Knight: Revival Edition will give you a brushed-up version of the PS3 title with some extras. The graphics are a lot brighter and more detailed but the sounds are still similar to the previous game. Expect to be submerged into a lot of crazy but fun music. If you like a challenging hack ‘n slash game with a twisted story, you’ll definitely like this one.
The Witch and the Hundred Knight: Revival Edition - Review,
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