I had a really strange relationship with this game.
First off - The original xenoblade game is one of my all time favorite games. It has my favorite story and main cast of characters in any RPG (or game in general). It was always going to be nearly impossible for a sequel to top that.
I remember feeling slightly disappointed with X - a really fun game with awesome ideas but a repetitive gameplay loop and hollow story/ characters. When 2 was announced I was genuinely excited to see the series go back to a more linear narrative and similar structure compared to the first game.
I bought 2 on release day and did not get very far - I played for 8 hours at most before calling it quits. I ended up selling it as well because it did not jive with me at all. It was a let down at the time. I found the combat very slow and over simplified, the characters tropey and stereotypical, the writing awful, and the story far from engaging.
This was my first experience. These first few hours are why people give up on the game so quickly.
4 years later I decide to give it another chance. I tell myself I'm going to push through it and see why some people actually adore this game. I can honestly say I'm really glad I did. I also happened to get pretty far in this game before pyra/mythra got added to smash bros, so I actually felt some excitement for that announcement.
This is bad first impressions the game. It's actually insane how much this game improves after a few chapters. I still think the writing is really rough at times (moreso just the character dialogue) - but those moments become rare or non existent after a while. I still can't ignore that the dialogue made me roll my eyes from time to time though. There are some weirdly misogynistic moments early on and a lot of the characters give off the 'horny anime stereotype' impression before the game properly develops them. Also the ass/boob shots got super old.
This sounds really bad, but it's all shoved at the beginning of the game. Which baffles me because these characters genuinely become fantastic and well developed, but they take too long to get there - so it's hard to blame people who are so put off by the first few hours. I won't say they are wrong, but I can officially say that I was wrong in assuming the whole game would be this way.
It was a few chapters in where I found myself realizing how invested I had become in this world. As soon as you reach Indol the game captures the spirit of the original game so well. That spirit from then on lasts until the very end of the game. All of the main party members have unique backstories and motives. I appreciate that they are not simple copies of the first game's cast. I still prefer the first game's characters by quite a bit - but these characters are fantastic. Rex is still the weakest link but he really does find his footing as a solid protagonist. He's the only character who's voice actor is kinda hard to take seriously at times. Everyone else does a stellar job - especially the other party members, jin, and malos. Malos is a really compelling antagonist even though his motivations are sort of generic, but it's his connection with those motivations that make him interesting. I obviously cannot spoil anything here, but the directions this game takes its story are unpredictable and really impressive. The contrasting themes between this and the first game are cleverly thought out and brilliant. The last couple chapters of this game are prime xenoblade.
The combat is also wayyyy better than I originally anticipated. My first time playing this game I was worried it was simplified from the first game. However, I came to realize it is actually far more complex than the first game's combat system. I'm honestly not sure which combat i prefer more. They are similar but the depth of the systems are so vastly different. There is so much strategy and planning involved with every battle. Blades are a really cool idea and theres a pokemon-like aspect in trying to collect rare ones for your party.
To those who don't like the combat based on the first couple hours - I promise it will click with you if you stick with it. As soon as I understood and started utilizing all of the mechanics, the combat became one of the most engaging systems I have ever experienced in an RPG.
Like I said earlier - this is bad first impressions the game on almost every aspect (aside from music perhaps - which is consistently amazing and almost on par with the first game). If you liked the first game but couldn't get far with this one - i promise there is something to get from this experience if you stick with it. I hate when people tell me "it gets good after a while" but here I am essentially saying the same thing.
I still have my problems with it and it even has flaws clear to the end of the game. The dialogue becomes more consistently good later in the game - but there are still moments that make me roll my eyes. There was sadly a couple really serious moments that were stunted by the choice to use a backing track with vocals. It gave me worship music vibes and it felt really out of place during these moments and it distracted me from what should've been a really devastating moment. However, these moments are not common or consistent. I just want to make sure that people are aware that the game doesn't become a perfect masterpiece after a few chapters - but that its positives eventually outweigh the negatives by a lot.
I never expected I would defend this game. I was someone who thought that game was 'overly anime' and kinda hard to take seriously. I'm not even a big anime fan in general, but as a huge fan of the original game, I am so so soooo glad I gave this a second chance. It gives me hope that this team is still capable of making amazing games and stories.
First off - The original xenoblade game is one of my all time favorite games. It has my favorite story and main cast of characters in any RPG (or game in general). It was always going to be nearly impossible for a sequel to top that.
I remember feeling slightly disappointed with X - a really fun game with awesome ideas but a repetitive gameplay loop and hollow story/ characters. When 2 was announced I was genuinely excited to see the series go back to a more linear narrative and similar structure compared to the first game.
I bought 2 on release day and did not get very far - I played for 8 hours at most before calling it quits. I ended up selling it as well because it did not jive with me at all. It was a let down at the time. I found the combat very slow and over simplified, the characters tropey and stereotypical, the writing awful, and the story far from engaging.
This was my first experience. These first few hours are why people give up on the game so quickly.
4 years later I decide to give it another chance. I tell myself I'm going to push through it and see why some people actually adore this game. I can honestly say I'm really glad I did. I also happened to get pretty far in this game before pyra/mythra got added to smash bros, so I actually felt some excitement for that announcement.
This is bad first impressions the game. It's actually insane how much this game improves after a few chapters. I still think the writing is really rough at times (moreso just the character dialogue) - but those moments become rare or non existent after a while. I still can't ignore that the dialogue made me roll my eyes from time to time though. There are some weirdly misogynistic moments early on and a lot of the characters give off the 'horny anime stereotype' impression before the game properly develops them. Also the ass/boob shots got super old.
This sounds really bad, but it's all shoved at the beginning of the game. Which baffles me because these characters genuinely become fantastic and well developed, but they take too long to get there - so it's hard to blame people who are so put off by the first few hours. I won't say they are wrong, but I can officially say that I was wrong in assuming the whole game would be this way.
It was a few chapters in where I found myself realizing how invested I had become in this world. As soon as you reach Indol the game captures the spirit of the original game so well. That spirit from then on lasts until the very end of the game. All of the main party members have unique backstories and motives. I appreciate that they are not simple copies of the first game's cast. I still prefer the first game's characters by quite a bit - but these characters are fantastic. Rex is still the weakest link but he really does find his footing as a solid protagonist. He's the only character who's voice actor is kinda hard to take seriously at times. Everyone else does a stellar job - especially the other party members, jin, and malos. Malos is a really compelling antagonist even though his motivations are sort of generic, but it's his connection with those motivations that make him interesting. I obviously cannot spoil anything here, but the directions this game takes its story are unpredictable and really impressive. The contrasting themes between this and the first game are cleverly thought out and brilliant. The last couple chapters of this game are prime xenoblade.
The combat is also wayyyy better than I originally anticipated. My first time playing this game I was worried it was simplified from the first game. However, I came to realize it is actually far more complex than the first game's combat system. I'm honestly not sure which combat i prefer more. They are similar but the depth of the systems are so vastly different. There is so much strategy and planning involved with every battle. Blades are a really cool idea and theres a pokemon-like aspect in trying to collect rare ones for your party.
To those who don't like the combat based on the first couple hours - I promise it will click with you if you stick with it. As soon as I understood and started utilizing all of the mechanics, the combat became one of the most engaging systems I have ever experienced in an RPG.
Like I said earlier - this is bad first impressions the game on almost every aspect (aside from music perhaps - which is consistently amazing and almost on par with the first game). If you liked the first game but couldn't get far with this one - i promise there is something to get from this experience if you stick with it. I hate when people tell me "it gets good after a while" but here I am essentially saying the same thing.
I still have my problems with it and it even has flaws clear to the end of the game. The dialogue becomes more consistently good later in the game - but there are still moments that make me roll my eyes. There was sadly a couple really serious moments that were stunted by the choice to use a backing track with vocals. It gave me worship music vibes and it felt really out of place during these moments and it distracted me from what should've been a really devastating moment. However, these moments are not common or consistent. I just want to make sure that people are aware that the game doesn't become a perfect masterpiece after a few chapters - but that its positives eventually outweigh the negatives by a lot.
I never expected I would defend this game. I was someone who thought that game was 'overly anime' and kinda hard to take seriously. I'm not even a big anime fan in general, but as a huge fan of the original game, I am so so soooo glad I gave this a second chance. It gives me hope that this team is still capable of making amazing games and stories.