I played 200 hours of the game plus the Torna DLC waiting for it to get good to no avail (maybe I'm just masochistic). The gameplay is intentionally obtuse with no way to replay the tutorials after the first time. Character designs are inconsistent and at times outright lewd in order to attract a certain audience. Several cutscenes with uncomfortable references and the overall plot was just boring to me. If you like big chested anime women and don't really care about anything else I guess this game might be for you.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has cemented itself and the franchise as a whole as one of Nintendo’s best modern series and the flagship of JRPGs for the company.

From top to bottom it’s a near complete improvement from the first one. While I think the story and villains from 1 are generally better than 2’s, the main party as a whole are huge steps up from Shulk and the gang. Combat is a lot more cleaner and exploration is somehow even better.

I think my one and only small knock on the game is that the music never really hit for me. Like, there’s some good tracks in there no doubt, but I think the soundtrack didn’t have much of an effect for me choosing the score of the game. I had the same “issue” with the first’s soundtrack, but neither actively take away from the games themselves.

I’m also a fan of how both of these games ramp up in quality as the game goes on, but I definitely like it rose much quicker than it did in the first (which I think can be attributed to me simply being more attached to 2’s cast).

TL;DR: Incredible game with a great and lovable cast (outside of Tora sadge). The music didn’t quite hit for me, but it did not take away from my experience. Cemented itself as Nintendo’s flagship JRPG franchise.

Took years to finish this one because I kept putting it down, but the ending chapters go so hard and I’m grateful I finished it.

Cons: The blade mechanic is more interesting in concept than fun to use. Overwhelming menus. Blade side quests that take literal ages to get through to fully level your blade. Hate the anime tropes and most of the character designs. Also the characters are hit or miss.

Pros: I warmed up to the Gacha system as theoretically I would use different blades on another playthrough. The world is very cool (inferior to XC1 but unique). Story is intriguing and its morality conversation is fascinating. Incredible music. Breathtaking moments.

I love the Xenoblade series and have grown to love this one. It’s complex and swings so hard. It misses on some things, but overall I enjoy it!

Maybe these comes off as incredibly biased, maybe it comes as pedantic, or even as nonsense. But I believe Xenoblade Chronicles 2 to be a perfectly imperfect sequel to the original Xenoblade Chronicles. The fans are not wrong, there's a charm in it, a soul that makes all of Xenoblade 2 feel like the creation of an ambitious teenager with unsurmounted passion.

If I had to define Xenoblade 2 in a word, I'd probably say scale. It's a game that tries to be everything, or at least a lot, keyword tries. It takes itself seriously except when it doesn't; it has both very weird and "anime" writing, but also some of the most mature and best written stories in any videogame; it tries to have a very deep combat, except it fails to deliver meaningful tutorials; it creates a weird mix of seemingly inconsequential mechanics and ideas that combine one another and eventually end up clicking. When they do, I believe this game becomes a beast of its own.

When I first played this game, I dropped it eventually because I was frustrated with the roadblock bosses. I thought the only way out was to grind levels to my characters, which ended up proving rather unsuccesful for the most part since the game expects you to take more less care of your party setup and to understand the combat system. I think this was for the better, as the time I came back to the game, with an open mind, I ended up quickly grasping the combat system, both thanks to youtube tutorials(which I agree shouldn't be necessary in this case) and an added sense of patience. I learnt how each of the progression systems worked, how equipment mattered a lot, how each blade had distinct progression trees I could unlock to create new strategies for each combat and that I was being blind to 90% of what made the game what it was. It was without saying, an experience, I don't think a game has ever felt so satisfying to me as when I did my first drive combo, or my first full burst on a chain attack. It's this click, this moment, that shows how much soul Xenoblade 2 has.

I think Xenoblade 2 simply has that charm of old games, of making a lot out of very little, of being perfectly imperfect. That is not to say that I think Xenoblade 2 is a great game just because it has convoluted mechanics, don't get me wrong here. All I'm saying is that Xenoblade 2 has convoluted mechanics that end up giving the whole product more charm, this completely ignoring all of its more notable strengths, like world building, music, story and characters.


The Alrest is a sight to look at. Each Titan boasts different and coherent environments, cultures, and stories, creating a world that feels alive and realistic. The sheer scale of the game world is inspiring, with each area offering unique visual and thematic elements from a graphical perspective that serve to elevate and communicate lore in a very seamless way. From the greenish fields of Gormott to the rough and mechanical landscapes of Mor Ardain, the world-building is carefully crafted. The lore of Alrest even hides deeper implications, why do the Titans exist? what about the mysterious Cloud Sea? why is there a giant tree in the middle of nowhere? Almost every question one can ask itself at the start of the game is answered regarding the game world.

The soundtrack of Xenoblade Chronicles in general has no rival. But I believe 2's shines a bit brighter than the rest. Composed by Yasunori Mitsuda and ACE, the music enhances literally every aspect of the game perfectly, but also creates iconic and masterful songs like "The Tomorrow With You". It manages, again, to mix serene themes for exploring cities or titans, and the incredibly orchestral and amazing battle themes. Each combat track feels like they're giving their all as if its the last song of the game. The soundtrack also plays with the concept of leitmotifs perfectly, playing with the concepts and relating them to plot elements carefully and masterfully.

The narrative of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is both epic and deeply personal. It follows the journey of Rex and Pyra, a mysterious Blade with a hidden past, as they seek Elysium, a paradise where there's enough land for everyone to live. The story is filled with twists and great villains, balancing grand fights and actions with more seamless and small character relevant moments. It handles themes of acceptance, growth , human-kind nature and also mature topics like suicide or the possible existence of God, creating a narrative that while starting slow and setting the ground with great foreshadowing , it keeps the player engaged and ends up reaching some of the best climaxes in any game.

In the end, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 thrives on its imperfections and complexities, delivering an experience that's both engaging and immensely rewarding. The game's world-building, music, story, and characters come together to create an adventure that feels truly alive and brimming with soul. It’s not a perfect game by any means, but it’s these very flaws and intricate details that give it a unique charm and lasting appeal. And if you manage to ignore them , or to overcome them, by investing the time and effort necessary, I believe for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 to be an unforgettable journey that'll have made everything worth it by the end. Standing out as incredibly unique in the genre.

Has the reverse problems of the first game. Gameplay is much improved over xenoblade 1, but a majority of the cast and the story just falls so flat that this only barely squeezes into a 3.5/5. I also just do not care for the gratuitous fanservice (especially of characters that are supposed to be children!!) and just how generally horny this game is. Many of the blades were more often annoying than charming as well, and wow do some of their designs suck (I'm looking at you Dahlia). Combat is solid but still has some jank to it, mainly the many moments of dead time before you get your builds going where you just stand around waiting for an animation to finish.

I've written entire rants about the story and its flaws to my friends (spoiler: it is not that it is slow-paced, I didn't mind that) but to shorten it as much as I can my main issue is how much of the final 10 hours and the climax of the story rely on caring about the villains and caring about pyra/mythra, and I just had neither experience. I think the idea of having 'reluctant' villains (e.g. Malos, who is basically being mind-controlled, and Jin) is interesting, but it makes it so that you spend the last ten-fifteen hours chasing people who you know are probably going to switch sides anyways, or in the case of Malos, are just being mind-controlled by the Praetor because Malos is not allowed to be an individual. It is thematically interesting, but narratively unsatisfying. We needed a more direct, consistent and personal threat akin to Metalface to patch up this hole because now it felt like I played 50+ hours just to see Malos do exactly what the Praetor wanted anyways. Speaking of the praetor, what a wasted character. He is all vague and mysterious the whole game, then shows up for the climax to become a squid monster and then dies. It just was not satisfying. As far as Pyra/Mythra are concerned, the main driving force behind the plot, who cares man. Pyra says basically nothing of note or value for 30+ hours, and by that point its far too late for me to start caring, and Mythra is fun but gets far too less screentime in comparison to Pyra. Mainly it just feels like these characters are here as bait for horny people, and I audibly groaned every time the camera angled itself to get a better look at their chest or butt.

Some stuff I really liked: Nia, Vandham, Morag and Zeke are fantastic, worldbuilding is great and the game looks beautiful, and there's like one major scene with Nia near the end that I adore. Also I like the cutscenes in which Rex uses Vandham's weapons its so baller and it just activates the neurons in my brain.