Help! I can’t move my jaw!

Namco Bandai has announced plans to bring one time Japanese exclusive Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch to Europe in early 2012. If the publisher’s past practices can be considered a reliable guide, the long awaited PS3 adventure will now almost certainly be released in Australia.

The project is a collaboration between independent developer Level-5 and anime titan Studio Ghibli. The former is best known for its Professor Layton series of puzzle games, the latter for its hand-animated feature films Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.

A lavish fantasy tale, Ni No Kuni will see you take on the guise of a recently orphaned boy. With the aid of a magical tome, you’ll travel to another dimension. There you’ll gather allies, collect pets, battle nefarious forces and (ultimately) attempt to restore your beloved mother to the land of the living.

While the PS3 edition of Ni No Koni has been confirmed for both Europe and North America, there has been no indication that the DS version of the game will be making its way to the west.