Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom makes its long-awaited debut on PS4 and PC next month, and it’s shaping up to be one of the biggest RPGs of 2018. Despite being a follow-up to 2013’s beloved PS3 game, Wrath of the White Witch, Revenant Kingdom is a bold departure for the series, featuring a new cast of characters, a completely revamped combat system, and even kingdom-building and real-time strategy elements.

Set hundreds of years after the events of the first Ni no Kuni, Revenant Kingdom follows the story of Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, the deposed boy-king of Ding Dong Dell. After his throne is usurped, Evan embarks on a journey to prove his worth as a king and found his own kingdom, befriending a new band of companions along the way, including Tani, daughter of the head Sky Pirate, and Roland, a mysterious swordsman hailing from another world.

The biggest difference between Revenant Kingdom and its predecessor is the game’s battle system, which trades the Pokemon-like Familiars of the original Ni no Kuni for elemental sprites called Higgledies. Battles also unfold in real-time in Ni no Kuni II, placing a much greater emphasis on action than the previous title. You can get a closer look at these changes in the video above, in which we take on one of Ni no Kuni II’s never-before-seen bosses, the Incineraptor. The fire-spewing dragon puts up a tough fight; on top of being able to fly across the battlefield, it can take to the sky and rain meteors down on the field.

We also got to try our hand at Skirmishes, a new type of battle in Ni no Kuni II. Unlike our encounter with the Incineraptor, Skirmishes unfold on the game’s overworld, where every character takes on a more chibi-like appearance. These battles place you in command of a small band of troops and task you with routing an opposing army, lending Ni no Kuni II some real-time strategy elements. You can see us battle against an army of the bandit-like whamsters in the video below.

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom launches for PS4 and PC on March 23. The game is being released in standard, Premium, and Collector’s Editions; the latter two include physical bonuses and the Ni no Kuni II season pass, which gives players access to two "large DLC releases." The season pass can also be purchased separately for $20. For more on the game, check out our complete Ni no Kuni II coverage.

Source: GameSpot