A very clear stylistic downgrade from the original. The graphics are generic and the soundtrack is much worse. The original looks great and has a very unique style for the genre, instead of just opting for the generic anime style. I like to call Xenoblade the “benchmark” of the archetypical JRPG. It follows all of the same tropes and structure that the genre is known for but in a very well executed manner. That is to say that this game negates the need to play any other similar game (FF, DQ, Tales series, The Legend of Heroes, Skies of Arcadia, Chrono Trigger/Cross, Suikoden, Breath of Fire, Grandia, Golden Sun, Star Ocean, Bravely Default, Octopath Traveler, etc).

All of these games and more within the genre abandon the roleplaying aspect in favor of focusing on a linear, often generic and safe story about the power of friendship and proving humanities worth for free will. Xenoblade is not an exception.

There is no world where this game wouldn't have been better if it leaned more into it's RPG elements. There are multiple factions and villains that constantly ask for the players support but to no avail of the predetermined narrative. The game almost feels like it was made to have a Mechonis route and a Zanza ending with the constant "we could rule the galaxy" sales pitches aimed towards Shulk. There's also the constant visions of the future that Shulk has; this would've been an excellent opportunity to give the player a time limit to avert these futures similar to Persona. However, every time this happens the result is predetermined. I can't for the life of me understand the purpose of making a game that is 40% cutscenes have the story itself be non-interactable. This means that nearly 40% of the video game is NOT gameplay.

Once again, Xenoblade is not the sole perpetrator of this blatant false advertising as a "roleplaying game", almost the entirety of the JRPG genre ignores the player in favor of a predetermined narrative. This is not okay.

Other than the narrative being told in a movie esque style, the world design and combat is nothing short of phenomenal. The world is divided into two distinct massive ruins. This makes traversing the world a lot more interesting than the typical JRPG high fantasy grassy towns/castles setting. The battle system is very unique and offers much room for customization with each character fitting into different roles. This matters because the player can only control one of them, so which one you pick heavily alters the battle strategy. It's unfortunate that in many of the climatic fights that Shulk is near required because of his macguffin sword but those are in the vast minority. The gem system also allows characters to be further customized to have their attributes increased such as hit cooldown and movement speed. These remind me of the gems from the Growlanser series.

Unfortunately good world design and a unique combat system will not save your game from it's fundamental issues of failing to achieve what it set out to be, an RPG. This is a movie game, 40% of the game is spent watching cutscenes for hours on end with absolutely no interaction from the player. If this is your first JRPG then it is a good start, since it basically does everything that the entirety of the JRPG genre sets out to do flawlessly.

In conclusion, more JRPGs should strive to have true "roleplaying" systems in their roleplaying games. Allow the player to be as good or evil as they want, let them pick and choose what quests they want to do and most importantly have the choices matter. This makes for a much more memorable and immersive experience than a story that is set from the start. Forego the needless bloat of massive areas and 50+ hour long adventures if that's what it takes to develop such a game. I want a game that is truly special with staying power that could be replayed for hours on end out of the sheer depth and interactability of the world.

Note:
JRPGs with these features DO exist and it is possible to make a game of this style with true roleplaying. (See; Devil Survivor Overclocked, SMT 4/Apocalypse, Growlanser II/IV, Langrisser II/IV/Tensei, Disgaea 1-3, Soul Nomad, Steambot Chronicles, Fire Emblem Three Houses, Caligula Effect Overdose, Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, Persona 4 Golden, etc).