Kuromino
Positives
- colorful sprites, that boast detailed expressions and animations
- towns are pleasing design-wise and feel populated
- good soundtrack; with Before the Decisive Battle being a personal favorite
- solid voice acting from the entire Japanese cast
- sizeable amount of likeable and charming characters
- the headquarters is well designed, as it includes easily accessible services and entertaining distractions with meaningful rewards
- attendant slots prevent forced story characters from interfering with the player's preferred main party
- defensive commands are an interesting addition, that significantly increases the functionality of some playable characters
- experience system ensures that low-level characters can quickly catch up within a couple of battles
Negatives
- occasional bugs and UI glitches
- mostly uninteresting and predictable main story
- duels involve trial and error, while simultaneously requiring near-perfect performance to succeed
- gimmicks normally have very little impact on boss battles and are seemingly abandoned during the later stages of the game
- prohibiting characters from equipping specific types and rarities of rune lenses, prevents a large number of them from becoming strong or even viable
- numerous offensive magic spells and hero combos are too expensive and lacking in damage output compared to regular physical attacks
- late bloomer stat growth ensures certain playable characters are incredibly weak for a substantial portion of the game
- random battles during movement-based puzzle segments are frustrating
- default movement speed is slow and cannot be improved without sacrificing an accessory or support slot
- inventory management is too restrictive, compounded by restorative items with extremely low stack size limits
- important information, such as elemental affinities and shield damage reduction, is completely hidden
- some mini-games are more frustrating than fun, either due to confusing mechanics or a broken control scheme
- colorful sprites, that boast detailed expressions and animations
- towns are pleasing design-wise and feel populated
- good soundtrack; with Before the Decisive Battle being a personal favorite
- solid voice acting from the entire Japanese cast
- sizeable amount of likeable and charming characters
- the headquarters is well designed, as it includes easily accessible services and entertaining distractions with meaningful rewards
- attendant slots prevent forced story characters from interfering with the player's preferred main party
- defensive commands are an interesting addition, that significantly increases the functionality of some playable characters
- experience system ensures that low-level characters can quickly catch up within a couple of battles
Negatives
- occasional bugs and UI glitches
- mostly uninteresting and predictable main story
- duels involve trial and error, while simultaneously requiring near-perfect performance to succeed
- gimmicks normally have very little impact on boss battles and are seemingly abandoned during the later stages of the game
- prohibiting characters from equipping specific types and rarities of rune lenses, prevents a large number of them from becoming strong or even viable
- numerous offensive magic spells and hero combos are too expensive and lacking in damage output compared to regular physical attacks
- late bloomer stat growth ensures certain playable characters are incredibly weak for a substantial portion of the game
- random battles during movement-based puzzle segments are frustrating
- default movement speed is slow and cannot be improved without sacrificing an accessory or support slot
- inventory management is too restrictive, compounded by restorative items with extremely low stack size limits
- important information, such as elemental affinities and shield damage reduction, is completely hidden
- some mini-games are more frustrating than fun, either due to confusing mechanics or a broken control scheme
Positives
- beautiful and diverse locations throughout the entire world
- impressive character designs and animations
- consistent frame rate in graphics and performance mode
- amazing soundtrack; with Let's Go, Mt.Corel! being a personal favorite
- charming and likeable cast of characters
- the story is mostly faithful to the original while expanding upon certain elements and adding fascinating twists to keep fans speculating
- great sense of humor during the more lighthearted segments
- side quests are satisfying and generally provide useful rewards
- boss battles are frequently challenging and exciting
- all playable characters are balanced and offer different styles of play
- new materia, folios and weapon skills offer more customization options
- synergy skills and synergy abilities add more depth to combat
- pressure mechanic encourages using a wider variety of abilities, as well as evading or blocking certain attacks
- exploration is rewarding, due to the presence of cache locations and transmuter chip dig sites
- some mini-games, such as Queen's Blood and Chocobo Racing, are interesting and deep
Negatives
- excessive amount of mini-games that are more frustrating than fun
- certain open-world activities are underwhelming; particularly sanctuaries and remnawave towers
- beautiful and diverse locations throughout the entire world
- impressive character designs and animations
- consistent frame rate in graphics and performance mode
- amazing soundtrack; with Let's Go, Mt.Corel! being a personal favorite
- charming and likeable cast of characters
- the story is mostly faithful to the original while expanding upon certain elements and adding fascinating twists to keep fans speculating
- great sense of humor during the more lighthearted segments
- side quests are satisfying and generally provide useful rewards
- boss battles are frequently challenging and exciting
- all playable characters are balanced and offer different styles of play
- new materia, folios and weapon skills offer more customization options
- synergy skills and synergy abilities add more depth to combat
- pressure mechanic encourages using a wider variety of abilities, as well as evading or blocking certain attacks
- exploration is rewarding, due to the presence of cache locations and transmuter chip dig sites
- some mini-games, such as Queen's Blood and Chocobo Racing, are interesting and deep
Negatives
- excessive amount of mini-games that are more frustrating than fun
- certain open-world activities are underwhelming; particularly sanctuaries and remnawave towers
2024
Positives
- pals fulfill multiple roles, which include combat companion and at least one base-related function, such as watering or harvesting
- an impressive amount of options for customizing bases
- every level increase feels impactful, due to the technology tree granting access to recipes for new weapons, equipment or base structures at each level
- custom difficulty options are expansive, allowing various aspects of the game to be adjusted, including stamina and hunger reduction rates
- exploration is encouraged and rewarding
- catching multiple copies of a pal provides numerous benefits; mainly bonus experience and potential access to powerful traits
- partner skills assist in keeping several pals relevant; particularly those that amplify the damage output of specific elemental attacks
- breeding allows for incredibly potent combat or work-focused pals
- legendary pals and tower bosses provide a decent challenge
Negatives
- occasional crashes and bugs
- noticeable performance issues during auto-saves and while flying on certain mounts
- pathing issues for larger pals severely limit base-building options
- the realistic aspect of the world clashes with the design of the pals
- randomly generated dungeons are too similar in appearance and layout for all regions
- forgettable soundtrack, with a complete lack of music outside of combat
- the overall story is currently incomplete
- castaway journals are too vague and fail to answer many questions regarding the Palpagos Islands
- neutral-type pals are mostly ineffective for combat purposes compared to other elemental types
- encumbrance is a constant issue, even after assigning several skill points to weight
- increasing the partner skill level for pals is unnecessarily time-consuming
Since Palworld is in early access, a score will not be given until version 1.0 is released.
The current review is for version 0.1.5.1.
- pals fulfill multiple roles, which include combat companion and at least one base-related function, such as watering or harvesting
- an impressive amount of options for customizing bases
- every level increase feels impactful, due to the technology tree granting access to recipes for new weapons, equipment or base structures at each level
- custom difficulty options are expansive, allowing various aspects of the game to be adjusted, including stamina and hunger reduction rates
- exploration is encouraged and rewarding
- catching multiple copies of a pal provides numerous benefits; mainly bonus experience and potential access to powerful traits
- partner skills assist in keeping several pals relevant; particularly those that amplify the damage output of specific elemental attacks
- breeding allows for incredibly potent combat or work-focused pals
- legendary pals and tower bosses provide a decent challenge
Negatives
- occasional crashes and bugs
- noticeable performance issues during auto-saves and while flying on certain mounts
- pathing issues for larger pals severely limit base-building options
- the realistic aspect of the world clashes with the design of the pals
- randomly generated dungeons are too similar in appearance and layout for all regions
- forgettable soundtrack, with a complete lack of music outside of combat
- the overall story is currently incomplete
- castaway journals are too vague and fail to answer many questions regarding the Palpagos Islands
- neutral-type pals are mostly ineffective for combat purposes compared to other elemental types
- encumbrance is a constant issue, even after assigning several skill points to weight
- increasing the partner skill level for pals is unnecessarily time-consuming
Since Palworld is in early access, a score will not be given until version 1.0 is released.
The current review is for version 0.1.5.1.
Positives
- character and monster designs are detailed and well-animated
- consistent frame rate in both standard and enhanced mode
- charming and likeable cast of characters
- story missions possess an adequate amount of variety, preventing the overall game from becoming too monotonous
- boss battles are frequently challenging and exciting
- vocations provide Lazarel and Teresa choices for both playstyle and role
- monster medals have been improved by introducing a third type that transforms any character into that monster, temporarily granting access to an assortment of new abilities
Negatives
- reused animations for all returning characters from the original Dragon Quest Heroes
- invisible walls occasionally obstruct the player in unusual locations
- forgettable soundtrack, comprised of an excessive amount of reused tracks from previous Dragon Quest games
- mostly uninteresting and predictable main story
- several side quests involve obnoxious conditions; the most egregious being those that request defeating a bulky enemy with a specific ability
- AI-controlled characters are unable to handle certain mechanics and generally avoid using damage-dealing abilities, causing some battles to be unnecessarily frustrating and overly drawn-out
- some playable characters are underwhelming in terms of performance; particularly Torneko and Ruff
- experience and gold obtained from enemies are insufficient, which discourages the usage of different characters and vocations
- upgrading accessories requires an inordinate amount of grinding for insignificant stat boosts
- character and monster designs are detailed and well-animated
- consistent frame rate in both standard and enhanced mode
- charming and likeable cast of characters
- story missions possess an adequate amount of variety, preventing the overall game from becoming too monotonous
- boss battles are frequently challenging and exciting
- vocations provide Lazarel and Teresa choices for both playstyle and role
- monster medals have been improved by introducing a third type that transforms any character into that monster, temporarily granting access to an assortment of new abilities
Negatives
- reused animations for all returning characters from the original Dragon Quest Heroes
- invisible walls occasionally obstruct the player in unusual locations
- forgettable soundtrack, comprised of an excessive amount of reused tracks from previous Dragon Quest games
- mostly uninteresting and predictable main story
- several side quests involve obnoxious conditions; the most egregious being those that request defeating a bulky enemy with a specific ability
- AI-controlled characters are unable to handle certain mechanics and generally avoid using damage-dealing abilities, causing some battles to be unnecessarily frustrating and overly drawn-out
- some playable characters are underwhelming in terms of performance; particularly Torneko and Ruff
- experience and gold obtained from enemies are insufficient, which discourages the usage of different characters and vocations
- upgrading accessories requires an inordinate amount of grinding for insignificant stat boosts
Positives
- boss battles are frequently challenging and exciting
- synthesis is an engaging system, as it rewards the player with either stronger versions of existing monsters or completely new ones
- talents can be freely transferred from one monster to another through synthesis, granting a sufficient amount of customization
- traits allow each monster to feel unique
- excellent monster variety, which includes a plethora of returning classics, alongside a selection of original creatures
Negatives
- occasional crashes
- underwhelming graphics and art style, due to most explorable areas boasting an unpleasant color palette, poor textures and noticeable object pop-in
- inconsistent frame rate, with significant drops during season and weather changes
- animations for several monsters feel incredibly limited
- forgettable soundtrack, comprised of an excessive amount of reused tracks from previous Dragon Quest games
- mediocre voice acting from both the English and Japanese versions
- mostly uninteresting main story and characters
- Psaro being a silent protagonist is detrimental to his character development, as it prevents any understanding of his thought process and motivations
- choices are meaningless, since the overall story progression is the same, regardless of which option was selected
- certain dungeon puzzles are extremely tedious because of the abundant amount of aggressive enemies scattered throughout
- some high ranking monsters are disappointing in terms of overall strength, considering the amount of time required to synthesize each one
- egg exclusive monsters make completing the monsterpedia more time-consuming than necessary
- boss battles are frequently challenging and exciting
- synthesis is an engaging system, as it rewards the player with either stronger versions of existing monsters or completely new ones
- talents can be freely transferred from one monster to another through synthesis, granting a sufficient amount of customization
- traits allow each monster to feel unique
- excellent monster variety, which includes a plethora of returning classics, alongside a selection of original creatures
Negatives
- occasional crashes
- underwhelming graphics and art style, due to most explorable areas boasting an unpleasant color palette, poor textures and noticeable object pop-in
- inconsistent frame rate, with significant drops during season and weather changes
- animations for several monsters feel incredibly limited
- forgettable soundtrack, comprised of an excessive amount of reused tracks from previous Dragon Quest games
- mediocre voice acting from both the English and Japanese versions
- mostly uninteresting main story and characters
- Psaro being a silent protagonist is detrimental to his character development, as it prevents any understanding of his thought process and motivations
- choices are meaningless, since the overall story progression is the same, regardless of which option was selected
- certain dungeon puzzles are extremely tedious because of the abundant amount of aggressive enemies scattered throughout
- some high ranking monsters are disappointing in terms of overall strength, considering the amount of time required to synthesize each one
- egg exclusive monsters make completing the monsterpedia more time-consuming than necessary
Positives
- beautiful and colorful locations throughout the entirety of the forgotten land
- consistent frame rate during all levels
- good soundtrack; with Faded Dream of a Psychomeddler being a personal favorite
- charming and likeable cast of characters
- the majority of levels are the perfect length, that regularly keep things interesting and include plenty of secrets to uncover
- late and post-game boss battles are frequently challenging and thrilling
- copy abilities provide more interesting ways to defeat enemies, in addition to revealing hidden star coin stashes and collectables
- finding blueprints is exciting, as they unlock new versions of specific copy abilities, which can potentially introduce new styles of play
- treasure road stages present a decent challenge, especially when attempting to conquer the target time
Negatives
- post-game levels are tedious due to their length and inordinate amount of collectables
- some copy abilities feel overpowered, particularly Ice Blizzard and Gigant Sword, which are easily capable of nullifying most attacks, while simultaneously having the potential to deal respectable damage
- colosseum rewards are incredibly underwhelming, considering the time investment needed to complete each cup
- the quantity of rare stones required to fully upgrade the damage of copy abilities is excessive
- beautiful and colorful locations throughout the entirety of the forgotten land
- consistent frame rate during all levels
- good soundtrack; with Faded Dream of a Psychomeddler being a personal favorite
- charming and likeable cast of characters
- the majority of levels are the perfect length, that regularly keep things interesting and include plenty of secrets to uncover
- late and post-game boss battles are frequently challenging and thrilling
- copy abilities provide more interesting ways to defeat enemies, in addition to revealing hidden star coin stashes and collectables
- finding blueprints is exciting, as they unlock new versions of specific copy abilities, which can potentially introduce new styles of play
- treasure road stages present a decent challenge, especially when attempting to conquer the target time
Negatives
- post-game levels are tedious due to their length and inordinate amount of collectables
- some copy abilities feel overpowered, particularly Ice Blizzard and Gigant Sword, which are easily capable of nullifying most attacks, while simultaneously having the potential to deal respectable damage
- colosseum rewards are incredibly underwhelming, considering the time investment needed to complete each cup
- the quantity of rare stones required to fully upgrade the damage of copy abilities is excessive
2023
Positives
- updated graphics and character models, along with the inclusion of shadows, lighting and reflections, significantly improves the overall appearance and atmosphere of the world
- good soundtrack; with And That Makes Me Booster! being a personal favorite
- charming and likeable cast of characters
- playable characters are well balanced, allowing any team combination to be successful
- fast travel, party member switching during combat and the storage box are all fantastic quality of life improvements
- the incorporation of special enemies assists in making regular battles more threatening, while simultaneously creating a consistent source of frog coins
- optional bosses provide an adequate challenge; especially those encountered throughout the post-game
- excellent enemy variety, with several classic enemies from the series making an appearance, in addition to a number of original adversaries
- side quests are enjoyable and typically provide useful items or equipment
Negatives
- inconsistent frame rate in the majority of towns and various dungeons
- new features, such as triple move attacks and splash damage from perfectly timed normal attacks, undermine any attempts at making the overall game more difficult
- platforming is awkward in some locations; particularly the beanstalk section in Nimbus Land
- equipment descriptions periodically have important information missing, including elemental resistances and automatic stat buffs
- invisible treasure chests are frustrating to uncover and occasionally contain underwhelming resources
- mini-games are tedious and frequently unrewarding
- updated graphics and character models, along with the inclusion of shadows, lighting and reflections, significantly improves the overall appearance and atmosphere of the world
- good soundtrack; with And That Makes Me Booster! being a personal favorite
- charming and likeable cast of characters
- playable characters are well balanced, allowing any team combination to be successful
- fast travel, party member switching during combat and the storage box are all fantastic quality of life improvements
- the incorporation of special enemies assists in making regular battles more threatening, while simultaneously creating a consistent source of frog coins
- optional bosses provide an adequate challenge; especially those encountered throughout the post-game
- excellent enemy variety, with several classic enemies from the series making an appearance, in addition to a number of original adversaries
- side quests are enjoyable and typically provide useful items or equipment
Negatives
- inconsistent frame rate in the majority of towns and various dungeons
- new features, such as triple move attacks and splash damage from perfectly timed normal attacks, undermine any attempts at making the overall game more difficult
- platforming is awkward in some locations; particularly the beanstalk section in Nimbus Land
- equipment descriptions periodically have important information missing, including elemental resistances and automatic stat buffs
- invisible treasure chests are frustrating to uncover and occasionally contain underwhelming resources
- mini-games are tedious and frequently unrewarding
Positives
- beautiful and colorful backgrounds that include multiple layers of parallax scrolling for increased depth
- improved facial expressions give more personality to the entire cast
- consistent frame rate during all levels
- good soundtrack; with Factory being a personal favorite
- solid level design, that subtly presents the necessary information to complete each stage
- the wonder flower mechanic makes each level feel distinctive
- elephant fruit, drill mushroom and bubble flower are fantastic power-ups, that offer interesting traversal options, as well as unique methods for defeating enemies
- badges are a great feature, as they provide extra options for movement or useful passive effects
- excellent enemy variety, with several classic enemies returning, in addition to a plethora of imaginative new foes
Negatives
- the majority of boss fights are uninteresting mechanics-wise and devoid of any challenge
- search party levels incorporate questionable design decisions, including pick-a-pipe and hidden block scavenger hunts
- certain break time levels are overly simplistic and lacking in creativity
- levels that force the usage of the spring jump or invisibility badge are more frustrating than enjoyable
- lives are exceptionally simple to accumulate and overall, feel unnecessary
- beautiful and colorful backgrounds that include multiple layers of parallax scrolling for increased depth
- improved facial expressions give more personality to the entire cast
- consistent frame rate during all levels
- good soundtrack; with Factory being a personal favorite
- solid level design, that subtly presents the necessary information to complete each stage
- the wonder flower mechanic makes each level feel distinctive
- elephant fruit, drill mushroom and bubble flower are fantastic power-ups, that offer interesting traversal options, as well as unique methods for defeating enemies
- badges are a great feature, as they provide extra options for movement or useful passive effects
- excellent enemy variety, with several classic enemies returning, in addition to a plethora of imaginative new foes
Negatives
- the majority of boss fights are uninteresting mechanics-wise and devoid of any challenge
- search party levels incorporate questionable design decisions, including pick-a-pipe and hidden block scavenger hunts
- certain break time levels are overly simplistic and lacking in creativity
- levels that force the usage of the spring jump or invisibility badge are more frustrating than enjoyable
- lives are exceptionally simple to accumulate and overall, feel unnecessary
Positives
- New York City looks even more impressive due to upgraded textures, ray tracing reflections and traffic density
- consistent frame rate in fidelity and performance mode
- solid voice acting from the main cast
- great soundtrack
- action-packed main story that is regularly engaging and contains minimal padding
- charming and likeable cast of characters
- interesting stories from some optional missions; particularly any that involve The Flame
- the addition of web wings and wind tunnels improves upon an already fantastic traversal system
- combat rewards an aggressive approach, along with perfectly timed dodges and parries
- boss battles are frequently challenging and exciting
- gadgets are more convenient to utilize, no longer interrupting the flow of combat
- accessibility options potentially allow for more people to enjoy the story
Negatives
- occasional crashes, bugs and graphical glitches
- some side activities are monotonous; specifically Unidentified Targets
- New York City looks even more impressive due to upgraded textures, ray tracing reflections and traffic density
- consistent frame rate in fidelity and performance mode
- solid voice acting from the main cast
- great soundtrack
- action-packed main story that is regularly engaging and contains minimal padding
- charming and likeable cast of characters
- interesting stories from some optional missions; particularly any that involve The Flame
- the addition of web wings and wind tunnels improves upon an already fantastic traversal system
- combat rewards an aggressive approach, along with perfectly timed dodges and parries
- boss battles are frequently challenging and exciting
- gadgets are more convenient to utilize, no longer interrupting the flow of combat
- accessibility options potentially allow for more people to enjoy the story
Negatives
- occasional crashes, bugs and graphical glitches
- some side activities are monotonous; specifically Unidentified Targets
Positives
- New York City looks beautiful and vibrant, especially during the night while snowing
- Spider-Man boasts smooth animations during all gameplay modes
- consistent frame rate in fidelity and performance mode
- solid voice acting from the main cast
- combat can be approached in a multitude of different ways
- venom abilities and camouflage are great additions to Spider-Man's arsenal
- traversal feels just as amazing as the original game
- all points of interest and questlines are worth investigating, as they frequently yield beneficial rewards
- accessibility options potentially allow for more people to enjoy the story
Negatives
- occasional bugs and graphical glitches
- the camera periodically struggles to focus on the action during some boss fights
- forgettable soundtrack
- mostly uninteresting main story and characters
- The Tinkerer is a poorly written villain, with questionable motives and a preposterous amount of survivability and intelligence
- some of the strongest skills and gadget upgrades are locked behind new game plus
- New York City looks beautiful and vibrant, especially during the night while snowing
- Spider-Man boasts smooth animations during all gameplay modes
- consistent frame rate in fidelity and performance mode
- solid voice acting from the main cast
- combat can be approached in a multitude of different ways
- venom abilities and camouflage are great additions to Spider-Man's arsenal
- traversal feels just as amazing as the original game
- all points of interest and questlines are worth investigating, as they frequently yield beneficial rewards
- accessibility options potentially allow for more people to enjoy the story
Negatives
- occasional bugs and graphical glitches
- the camera periodically struggles to focus on the action during some boss fights
- forgettable soundtrack
- mostly uninteresting main story and characters
- The Tinkerer is a poorly written villain, with questionable motives and a preposterous amount of survivability and intelligence
- some of the strongest skills and gadget upgrades are locked behind new game plus
Positives
- detailed and colorful character models for the main and supporting cast
- good soundtrack; with Birds Over the Valley being a personal favorite
- engaging combat that encourages the usage of specific elemental attacks, buffs and debuffs
- playable characters are well balanced, allowing any team combination to be successful
- items are not consumed when used, removing any hesitancy in utilizing them
- fantastic crafting system that is simple to execute, but rewards mastery with incredibly powerful items and equipment
- essences, evolution link and reinforcement are all terrific new additions
Negatives
- explorable areas occasionally feel cluttered because of the excessive number of enemies and gathering points
- voice acting is limited to only Japanese
- mostly uninteresting main story and characters
- optional cutscenes are intrusive, frequently interrupting crafting sessions or attempts at making a manual save
- several cutscenes provide no meaningful character insight or world building and often feel disjointed from the main story
- the majority of sidequests are monotonous and yield lackluster rewards
- enemy variety is severely lacking
- inventory management is cumbersome due to the vast amount of items
- detailed and colorful character models for the main and supporting cast
- good soundtrack; with Birds Over the Valley being a personal favorite
- engaging combat that encourages the usage of specific elemental attacks, buffs and debuffs
- playable characters are well balanced, allowing any team combination to be successful
- items are not consumed when used, removing any hesitancy in utilizing them
- fantastic crafting system that is simple to execute, but rewards mastery with incredibly powerful items and equipment
- essences, evolution link and reinforcement are all terrific new additions
Negatives
- explorable areas occasionally feel cluttered because of the excessive number of enemies and gathering points
- voice acting is limited to only Japanese
- mostly uninteresting main story and characters
- optional cutscenes are intrusive, frequently interrupting crafting sessions or attempts at making a manual save
- several cutscenes provide no meaningful character insight or world building and often feel disjointed from the main story
- the majority of sidequests are monotonous and yield lackluster rewards
- enemy variety is severely lacking
- inventory management is cumbersome due to the vast amount of items
2023
Positives
- impressive looking cinematics, with highly detailed and believable locations and character models
- consistent frame rate on quality mode
- solid voice acting from the main cast
- great soundtrack, with Away being a personal favorite
- riveting main story, with several plot points providing a satisfying conclusion
- interesting and likable cast of characters; particularly Cid and Dion
- Eikon abilities are well balanced, allowing for a multitude of different builds that are effective
- boss battles and hunts are frequently challenging and exciting
- accessibility options potentially allow for more people to enjoy the story
Negatives
- the world becomes visually unpleasant after certain story events
- inconsistent frame rate on performance mode
- story progress occasionally pauses for dull objectives, such as collecting materials or gathering information
- the majority of sidequests are uninteresting, with questionable writing and lackluster rewards
- regular battles are too easy, leading to these encounters being relatively boring
- exploration rarely feels rewarding
- equipment and accessories do not feel particularly impactful
- enemy variety is severely lacking
- impressive looking cinematics, with highly detailed and believable locations and character models
- consistent frame rate on quality mode
- solid voice acting from the main cast
- great soundtrack, with Away being a personal favorite
- riveting main story, with several plot points providing a satisfying conclusion
- interesting and likable cast of characters; particularly Cid and Dion
- Eikon abilities are well balanced, allowing for a multitude of different builds that are effective
- boss battles and hunts are frequently challenging and exciting
- accessibility options potentially allow for more people to enjoy the story
Negatives
- the world becomes visually unpleasant after certain story events
- inconsistent frame rate on performance mode
- story progress occasionally pauses for dull objectives, such as collecting materials or gathering information
- the majority of sidequests are uninteresting, with questionable writing and lackluster rewards
- regular battles are too easy, leading to these encounters being relatively boring
- exploration rarely feels rewarding
- equipment and accessories do not feel particularly impactful
- enemy variety is severely lacking
Positives
- Hyrule is still beautiful and enjoyable to explore
- good soundtrack, with Yiga Boss Battle being a personal favorite
- charming and likeable cast of characters
- side adventures are satisfying and generally provide useful rewards
- ultra hand, fuse, ascend and recall are all fantastic new abilities
- combat and puzzles can be approached in a multitude of different ways
- Zonai devices allow for some creative contraptions that assist with traversal or eliminating groups of enemies
- Sky Islands and the Depths are interesting new areas that contain entertaining puzzles and challenging boss fights with unique mechanics
Negatives
- inconsistent frame rate, especially in Kakariko Village or while using ultra hand
- mostly uninteresting and predictable main story
- companion abilities are awkward to activate during combat
- none of the abilities obtained throughout the game are utilized during the final boss battles
- inventory management is cumbersome due to the vast amount of items and absence of a favorites option
- Hyrule is still beautiful and enjoyable to explore
- good soundtrack, with Yiga Boss Battle being a personal favorite
- charming and likeable cast of characters
- side adventures are satisfying and generally provide useful rewards
- ultra hand, fuse, ascend and recall are all fantastic new abilities
- combat and puzzles can be approached in a multitude of different ways
- Zonai devices allow for some creative contraptions that assist with traversal or eliminating groups of enemies
- Sky Islands and the Depths are interesting new areas that contain entertaining puzzles and challenging boss fights with unique mechanics
Negatives
- inconsistent frame rate, especially in Kakariko Village or while using ultra hand
- mostly uninteresting and predictable main story
- companion abilities are awkward to activate during combat
- none of the abilities obtained throughout the game are utilized during the final boss battles
- inventory management is cumbersome due to the vast amount of items and absence of a favorites option
Positives
- beautiful new locations, with plenty of references to the first two Xenoblade games
- fantastic new songs added to an already amazing soundtrack, with Cent-Omnia Region (Day) being a personal favorite
- story comes to a satisfying close, that will no doubt keep fans of the series speculating
- combat is just as exciting and enjoyable as the base game
- the new attacker and healer classes are well designed and fun to play
- affinity growth, unity, fusion art bonus effects and chain attack manuals are all excellent additions
- exploration is encouraged and frequently rewarded
- the inclusion of the enemypaedia and collectopaedia makes locating crafting materials much easier
Negatives
- some important characters do not get enough development
- the majority of side quests are not as interesting as those found in the main game
- defender classes have problems maintaining aggro due to low damage output and absence of reliable taunts
- none of the super bosses are enjoyable fights due to annoying gimmicks coupled with inflated stats
- debuffs are resisted far too frequently by bosses and unique monsters, making some arts feel underwhelming
- beautiful new locations, with plenty of references to the first two Xenoblade games
- fantastic new songs added to an already amazing soundtrack, with Cent-Omnia Region (Day) being a personal favorite
- story comes to a satisfying close, that will no doubt keep fans of the series speculating
- combat is just as exciting and enjoyable as the base game
- the new attacker and healer classes are well designed and fun to play
- affinity growth, unity, fusion art bonus effects and chain attack manuals are all excellent additions
- exploration is encouraged and frequently rewarded
- the inclusion of the enemypaedia and collectopaedia makes locating crafting materials much easier
Negatives
- some important characters do not get enough development
- the majority of side quests are not as interesting as those found in the main game
- defender classes have problems maintaining aggro due to low damage output and absence of reliable taunts
- none of the super bosses are enjoyable fights due to annoying gimmicks coupled with inflated stats
- debuffs are resisted far too frequently by bosses and unique monsters, making some arts feel underwhelming
2021
Positives
- brilliant level design that captures each characters mind perfectly
- solid voice acting from the entire cast
- good soundtrack, with Eye Shrine Jam being a personal favorite
- interesting and likable cast of characters; particularly Raz and the Psychic 6
- storylines involving the Psychic 6 and their resolutions are thought-provoking and satisfying
- collectables such as figments and vaults are worth finding, as they provide more insight into each character
- accessibility options potentially allow for more people to enjoy the story
Negatives
- the resolution for Lucrecia's story is underwhelming
- most pins do not feel impactful, with several only providing cosmetic changes
- having access to just four ability slots is frustrating, since most abilities are essential
- regular battles and some boss fights are too easy, leading to relatively boring combat
- brilliant level design that captures each characters mind perfectly
- solid voice acting from the entire cast
- good soundtrack, with Eye Shrine Jam being a personal favorite
- interesting and likable cast of characters; particularly Raz and the Psychic 6
- storylines involving the Psychic 6 and their resolutions are thought-provoking and satisfying
- collectables such as figments and vaults are worth finding, as they provide more insight into each character
- accessibility options potentially allow for more people to enjoy the story
Negatives
- the resolution for Lucrecia's story is underwhelming
- most pins do not feel impactful, with several only providing cosmetic changes
- having access to just four ability slots is frustrating, since most abilities are essential
- regular battles and some boss fights are too easy, leading to relatively boring combat