Children in videogames are tough to believe. Whether it’s their garish appearances resembling ghouls or their voices don’t match their faces, many kids don’t seem authentic and they fail to convince you that they belong in the game at all. Take Shaun and Jason from Heavy Rain, they are protagonist Ethan’s two boys, yet they exist merely to give Ethan responsibility and a reason to shout when he can’t find them. Coupled with their plain personalities and jagged looks, they aren’t appealing on an emotional level, not even when something terrible happens to them. However, a character who I think perfectly encapsulates what I believe any child should be let alone a videogame child-is found in Oliver from Level 5 and Studio Ghibli’s fascinating and fantastical JRPG. Oliver is everything a child should be and the following reasons explain why.
If you’re unfamiliar, Oliver is a the protagonist of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, a curious and endearing thirteen year-old boy who has a beautifully sweet nature and is always kind, honest courageous and behaves with the uncertainty and insecurity of a child. One day Oliver decides to leave his house at night to see his friend Phillip, who has designed a cool race car that he eagerly wants to drive but wasn’t so sure if he should after a little girl he meets called Pea begs him not to proceed knowing the repercussions he’d suffer if he did. Anyway, Oliver takes the whip for a spin but unfortunately he crashes and lands in a river. Whilst walking around and searching for Oliver, Allie discovers him struggling to swim in the river, so she urgently rushes to his aid. After Allie rescues her precious boy amid a small crowd of concerned locals, Allie clutches her chest in agony and collapses. In hospital Allie shares some last words with Oliver before peacefully dying, leaving Oliver desperately trying to wake her up. Whilst dealing with the grief from losing his mother, Oliver cries onto a doll that his mum gave him when he was younger and the doll awakens with a tidy Welsh accent proclaiming himself to be called Drippy, and he informs Oliver that there’s another version of his mother in another world that needs to be saved in the hopes of bringing his mum back alive in the real world. So off Oliver and Drippy go on a whimsical and dangerous journey of magic and discovery with all the motivations intact and an adventure afoot.
The story is important in getting to know the relationship between Oliver and Allie as you will witness several flashbacks during the story that really highlight how sweet and endearing this mother/son relationship is, and how Allie has instilled Oliver with great courage. It’s absolutely and astoundingly beautiful seeing Allie and Oliver talk in these flashbacks because you really get the sense of Oliver’s child-like mannerisms such as crying and telling mummy that Phillip has been mean to him-the crying itself sounds like a genuine one too and that further helps convey the relationship between the two.
As for Oliver’s characteristics, these further bolster his state of childness as well as his politeness and respect for others he encounters. He will frequently refer to male characters he doesn’t know as “sir” and always carries himself with a gentle and earnest approach. You won’t see Oliver get annoyed a lot though this certainly does happen-especially when he’s labelled a “cry baby bunting”, so he’s usually very mild-mannered and doesn’t instigate conflict or cause a scene. Indeed Oliver’s puerile sensibilities shine through such as when he’s unsure of something or confused, but he has perseverance in his heart thanks to his striving towards the ultimate goal of saving his mother.
Emotionally, Oliver is easy to relate to and sympathise with. Of course the grief of Oli-boy losing his mother is one thing, but the depth and care to which the character is given really adds to our investment in him. The backstory, the flashbacks, the sentimental tug of the story and Oliver’s quest to mend broken hearts all feeds into a character we should adore. Once again those flashbacks with Oliver and his mum backed by Joe Hisashi’s incredible score- in particular the piece entitled ‘In Loving Memory of Allie’ makes these scenes eye-meltingly teary.
If you’re unfamiliar, Oliver is a the protagonist of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, a curious and endearing thirteen year-old boy who has a beautifully sweet nature and is always kind, honest courageous and behaves with the uncertainty and insecurity of a child. One day Oliver decides to leave his house at night to see his friend Phillip, who has designed a cool race car that he eagerly wants to drive but wasn’t so sure if he should after a little girl he meets called Pea begs him not to proceed knowing the repercussions he’d suffer if he did. Anyway, Oliver takes the whip for a spin but unfortunately he crashes and lands in a river. Whilst walking around and searching for Oliver, Allie discovers him struggling to swim in the river, so she urgently rushes to his aid. After Allie rescues her precious boy amid a small crowd of concerned locals, Allie clutches her chest in agony and collapses. In hospital Allie shares some last words with Oliver before peacefully dying, leaving Oliver desperately trying to wake her up. Whilst dealing with the grief from losing his mother, Oliver cries onto a doll that his mum gave him when he was younger and the doll awakens with a tidy Welsh accent proclaiming himself to be called Drippy, and he informs Oliver that there’s another version of his mother in another world that needs to be saved in the hopes of bringing his mum back alive in the real world. So off Oliver and Drippy go on a whimsical and dangerous journey of magic and discovery with all the motivations intact and an adventure afoot.
The story is important in getting to know the relationship between Oliver and Allie as you will witness several flashbacks during the story that really highlight how sweet and endearing this mother/son relationship is, and how Allie has instilled Oliver with great courage. It’s absolutely and astoundingly beautiful seeing Allie and Oliver talk in these flashbacks because you really get the sense of Oliver’s child-like mannerisms such as crying and telling mummy that Phillip has been mean to him-the crying itself sounds like a genuine one too and that further helps convey the relationship between the two.
As for Oliver’s characteristics, these further bolster his state of childness as well as his politeness and respect for others he encounters. He will frequently refer to male characters he doesn’t know as “sir” and always carries himself with a gentle and earnest approach. You won’t see Oliver get annoyed a lot though this certainly does happen-especially when he’s labelled a “cry baby bunting”, so he’s usually very mild-mannered and doesn’t instigate conflict or cause a scene. Indeed Oliver’s puerile sensibilities shine through such as when he’s unsure of something or confused, but he has perseverance in his heart thanks to his striving towards the ultimate goal of saving his mother.
Emotionally, Oliver is easy to relate to and sympathise with. Of course the grief of Oli-boy losing his mother is one thing, but the depth and care to which the character is given really adds to our investment in him. The backstory, the flashbacks, the sentimental tug of the story and Oliver’s quest to mend broken hearts all feeds into a character we should adore. Once again those flashbacks with Oliver and his mum backed by Joe Hisashi’s incredible score- in particular the piece entitled ‘In Loving Memory of Allie’ makes these scenes eye-meltingly teary.
Some may believe Oliver is something of a “Mary Sue” character, that nothing of consequence ever happens to him, but this view is false. Oliver sneaks out at night, doesn’t listen to Pea who pleaded for Oliver not to go ride the race car, he loses his mother, and has to pursue a quest to create allegiances by proving himself. Oli is blessed with great magical power and his temperament doesn’t generate conflict that often, but he is still a kid who makes mistakes and is unsure about the world around him and he often leaves it to Drippy to be decisive and to take action.
You could also liken Oliver to Harry Potter because he is simply a young boy who is imbued with magical powers, as well as Pokemon because of the aspect of Oliver’s ownership over Familiars (the game’s Pokemon-alike monsters), oh and Oli is 13-the same age Ash Catchem-but these comparisons to other works don’t define Oliver nor Wrath of the White Witch in general, chiefly because the story, your engagements throughout- and the fact Ni No Kuni is a videogame not a film or TV show distinguishes it from its sources of comparison.
Altogether, Oliver is one of the sweetest, kindest, most endearing and courageous characters let alone child characters in videogames. From Oli’s delightful personality traits to his drive and his ability to see the good in everybody-he is exactly the kind of character that reflects the best parts of human beings. He behaves like a child should behave and as a protagonist he embodies all the qualities that defines a great one. You could say he is too saccharine or too fortunate to care about, but his loving nature speaks volumes and makes him the best child character in videogames.
You could also liken Oliver to Harry Potter because he is simply a young boy who is imbued with magical powers, as well as Pokemon because of the aspect of Oliver’s ownership over Familiars (the game’s Pokemon-alike monsters), oh and Oli is 13-the same age Ash Catchem-but these comparisons to other works don’t define Oliver nor Wrath of the White Witch in general, chiefly because the story, your engagements throughout- and the fact Ni No Kuni is a videogame not a film or TV show distinguishes it from its sources of comparison.
Altogether, Oliver is one of the sweetest, kindest, most endearing and courageous characters let alone child characters in videogames. From Oli’s delightful personality traits to his drive and his ability to see the good in everybody-he is exactly the kind of character that reflects the best parts of human beings. He behaves like a child should behave and as a protagonist he embodies all the qualities that defines a great one. You could say he is too saccharine or too fortunate to care about, but his loving nature speaks volumes and makes him the best child character in videogames.