RUMOR: Namco Bandai Pondering DS Ni No Kuni Localization

Award-winning Japanese role-playing game Ni No Kuni has been performing quite well on the PlayStation 3 of late, but that’s not where the game got its start. The very first version of Ni No Kuni came out on the Nintendo DS (no not 3DS) as Ni No Kuni: The Jet Black Mage, and the White Witch wasn’t even present!

Of course, when it came time to localize the game, the time of the DS had already passed and the 3DS and Vita were already going strong, so it makes sense that this 2010 title never made its way over here to the States. However, according to Pocketgamer, Namco Bandai may be considering a localization of the title, making this either the last great DS game we will ever see, or a somewhat low-grade title for the 3DS, depending on how they decide to tackle it.

Ni No Kuni for the DS was far different from its PS3 counterpart. Its battle system was far more traditional, its view was mostly top-down like old school RPGs, and it came with a 352-page real-paper wizard’s companion storybook, much like you can see in the PS3 game.

You would use the runes in this book to cast spells by drawing on the DS touchscreen, and now you know why the runes in the PS3 version are so incredibly intricate. Also, as said before, the White Witch, the titular antagonist of the PS3 version, wasn't even a part of the game in the DS version, showing that, while the characters involved are similar, the two games are very different.

Namco Bandai hasn’t officially announced a Ni No Kuni DS localization project. According to Pocketgamer, they are simply tossing around the idea and might be persuaded to pursue it if fans show interest. However, all of this information comes from an anonymous source, so take it with a grain of salt and file it in the rumor drawer.