We're only a few weeks away from Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I originally reviewed Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition to celebrate its announcement. Now I shall review Xenoblade Chronicles 2 to celebrate the close release of Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has such an underrated story. Many people will tell you it's filled with anime tropes, and generally has weak themes watered down by the stronger focus on the anime aesthetic and shenanigans, but make no mistake, the story is a masterpiece almost on par with the original Xenoblade chronicles. The story follows a sheltered boy named Rex, who has innocent ambitions to find Elysium, a land so broad and beautiful, no one would no longer need to worry or wage war over the remaining spaces they have left to inhabit. Rex is often challenged of this belief early on, but he becomes fortunate enough to encounter and become the Driver of the Aegis. Drivers are warriors who are able to resonate and use beings known as "Blades" who bond to their resonator and serve them as companions and allies in battles. The Aegis in this case, is a particularly powerful and exalted blade, and her name is Pyra. Becoming the wielder of the Aegis, Rex is personally asked by Pyra to take her to Elysium, which aligns very well with Rex's dream to find Elysium, so of course he accepts.
The story setup is simple, the world is creatively rich from top to bottom, and the mechanics aren't hard to understand. It's all of the subtle characterization, character interactions, and their perspectives of their world that's the most interesting. Rex as the Aegis' Wielder, now holds a large responsibility, many will look at him as unworthy of the Aegis, others would conspire to steal the Aegis from Rex for their own means. Rex is no longer safe, he always has a target on his back, and everyone traveling with him also knows this, which really shows how loyal they are to Rex. Rex also holds a high standard for himself to make Pyra's wish come true, and to protect and take care of her, and we always see him beat himself up, also believing he might not always be worthy of Pyra. For someone young like himself, this really hits home incredibly well, as he's still very innocent and doesn't know anything or the sheer weight of himself, or his actions by becoming the Aegis' Driver. Rex is a phenomenal character, he can be grating sometimes, and many criticize his English voice actor, but I found his performance serviceable, certainly not in emotional situations or during battles, but everywhere else the voice work sticks the landing mostly. Rex will gain many companions over the course of the game, and while I'd love to go into them and how each of them not only shape Rex throughout the game, but also offer very diverse perspectives on the world of Alrest, this review is already going to be very long. So I'll shorten it down to say I loved every character in this game, excluding one, and I'm sure everyone can guess who it is. Nia in particular gets an honorable mention for me, easily my favorite character in the entire game, and gets the most development and background besides Rex, none of which I'll spoil.
Gameplay is rich, and very in-depth. So many menus to comb through, so many things to do, let's break it down. Outside of battles, you'll usually be gathering collectibles for crafting and cooking, obtaining new Blades, exploring the vast and amazing world that has been crafted with incredible detail and diligence. And finding some treasures and loot for your characters and blades as well. I shall address Tiger Tiger as well, being the part of the game I disliked the most, grinding Tiger Tiger is excruciating, good thing it's optional or else a lot more people would probably drop this game. Now, it is optional, but a necessity for a particular character to upgrade them so they can scale later in the game, if you have the DLC for Xenoblade chronicles 2, they thankfully added vendors in New Game+ where you'll be able to buy these Tiger Tiger exclusive items. Besides Tiger tiger, the gacha system for blades can be a pain, especially since Blades have abilities called "field skills" that are required to progress in the game, as well as access a lot in the world, such as treasure, hidden areas, and especially side quests. Otherwise, the gacha system doesn't bother me too much, and the game does try to give you some freebies in the main story, and some side quests.
Combat is getting its own section. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has my all-time favorite combat system in a video game. So much depth, so much variety, a tad limited on strategies in the end-game to post-game, but there's no limit on the customization of building a team in this game. Condensed MMO style, you initiate combat by targeting a monster, unsheathing your weapon, running up, and your character will auto-attack for you. The strategy comes in with you moving around and using "Driver Arts" or skills. These are on a cooldown system and are your main damage dealers, and have a long list of different effects. The game takes it very slow with introducing new elements to the combat, and having tutorials every time it occurs. Unfortunately the tutorials aren't the best at explaining everything, and I've see many people start to struggle after the first area because of it. Another issue is the tutorials cannot be viewed again after the first viewing, which is a glaring flaw especially. Just take your time, learn a mechanic one at a time, even if the game shoves more in your face, just try and learn one at a time, and you'll get the hang of it in no time. Obviously there's much more to the combat, such as Blades, each one having different specific abilities in battle, Blade Specials, and the Blade combo systems, which are integral to the game as well. I found it easy to isolate what drivers can do vs. what blades can do to understand the combat a lot easier, and I recommend this method if you didn't want any outside help. If you can wrap your head around it all, you have the most engaging combat system I've ever seen, always something happening on screen, all these large numbers popping up. The most important part to me is I feel in control the entire time in this game despite the fast pace and very busy HUD, any time I want something to happen, I can make it happen, and that's perfect. You will have to deal with two A.I controlled party members with their own respective blades to deal with, but I promise they're competent enough, and you can influence and make the really important decisions for them, once again making you feel in control of what's happening. I feel the combat does slog for awhile, and really starts to pick up about halfway through, so be patient with it, and enjoy the learning experience, it's worth it!
Level design is nearly flawless here. I've mentioned the field skills being rather restrictive, but overall the design is great. Huge, open spaces to run around and explore in, breathtaking backgrounds and sights to see, and an amazing sense of scale and scope that really makes the world feel huge, realized, and exciting. Environments are so creatively charged and stimulating, beautiful lighting, diverse color palettes, even more diverse tones as well. Many areas feel open and bright, others are much more claustrophobic, almost ominous at times, and being able to capture such a range of emotions is masterful, exactly what I'm looking for in any JRPG. While I won't go into any later areas of the game, I got to say, I was so enthralled, so immersed for the last few sessions I had, and it was really special, I'll never forget it for the rest of my life.
Graphics are as stunning as you can expect, especially for the Switch, which has stunning games like Breath of The Wild. A much more anime oriented art style for the characters this time, which I didn't mind. The environments are all perfect as mentioned for coloring, lighting, and tone. Colors just pop out so vividly especially on character models, it's honestly a joy to look at, though it could be distracting for some. which I can agree with. Battle animations are spectacular, and very cinematic, designs of the different elements and effects are spot-on. Nothing out of place here, although again it can be overwhelming at first having so much happen on screen at once, which the game tries to ease you into. Overall, a beautiful game to look at, and will age well I believe in the years to come.
Music is a big one for Xenoblade. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 also has my favorite soundtrack overall in a video game, besides a few other games like Persona 5. It is so distinct, the sort of style Xenoblade music goes for, Xenoblade 2 knocks it out of the park. Amazing soundtrack to coincide with an JRPG. Hypnotizing town and city music that washes relaxation over you, or enhances the grand scale and importance of wherever you are. Energetic and uplifting music for each area that also gives them all a unique feel. Intense battle music, with a larger emphasis on orchestral tracks infused with rock, they hit the balance perfectly, neither take the spotlight or drown out the other, it's sublime. I can keep talking about the music especially, but you get the idea, it's a masterpiece, please listen to it even if you don't like the game, don't let this soundtrack go unheard, it's truly special and invokes so much emotion, especially in me.
I love Xenoblade Chronicles 2 with all of my heart. I know it has so many glaring issues, and it'll always live in the shadow of the original Xenoblade Chronicles. Which, I do agree with in some aspects, such as the story, even though I adore 2's story, it doesn't stack up to the original's. Give this game a chance though, if the voice acting turns you off, you can play it in Japanese, you just need to download it on the eshop. Yes, it's riddled with tropes, yes some of the anime aesthetics can turn a lot of people off, and most definitely has some... questionable designs for some characters. Despite all of this, I will throw my hat in the ring and say this game is a masterpiece and will never regret the amount of time I've put into it for so many years. You can get Xenoblade chronicles 2 exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. Physical copies are harder to get now I believe, so get it digitally for now. This game also has DLC which I wouldn't recommend unless you're really going to put time into this game. I do wholeheartedly recommend it alone for Torna: The Golden Country though, which is another amazing game.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has such an underrated story. Many people will tell you it's filled with anime tropes, and generally has weak themes watered down by the stronger focus on the anime aesthetic and shenanigans, but make no mistake, the story is a masterpiece almost on par with the original Xenoblade chronicles. The story follows a sheltered boy named Rex, who has innocent ambitions to find Elysium, a land so broad and beautiful, no one would no longer need to worry or wage war over the remaining spaces they have left to inhabit. Rex is often challenged of this belief early on, but he becomes fortunate enough to encounter and become the Driver of the Aegis. Drivers are warriors who are able to resonate and use beings known as "Blades" who bond to their resonator and serve them as companions and allies in battles. The Aegis in this case, is a particularly powerful and exalted blade, and her name is Pyra. Becoming the wielder of the Aegis, Rex is personally asked by Pyra to take her to Elysium, which aligns very well with Rex's dream to find Elysium, so of course he accepts.
The story setup is simple, the world is creatively rich from top to bottom, and the mechanics aren't hard to understand. It's all of the subtle characterization, character interactions, and their perspectives of their world that's the most interesting. Rex as the Aegis' Wielder, now holds a large responsibility, many will look at him as unworthy of the Aegis, others would conspire to steal the Aegis from Rex for their own means. Rex is no longer safe, he always has a target on his back, and everyone traveling with him also knows this, which really shows how loyal they are to Rex. Rex also holds a high standard for himself to make Pyra's wish come true, and to protect and take care of her, and we always see him beat himself up, also believing he might not always be worthy of Pyra. For someone young like himself, this really hits home incredibly well, as he's still very innocent and doesn't know anything or the sheer weight of himself, or his actions by becoming the Aegis' Driver. Rex is a phenomenal character, he can be grating sometimes, and many criticize his English voice actor, but I found his performance serviceable, certainly not in emotional situations or during battles, but everywhere else the voice work sticks the landing mostly. Rex will gain many companions over the course of the game, and while I'd love to go into them and how each of them not only shape Rex throughout the game, but also offer very diverse perspectives on the world of Alrest, this review is already going to be very long. So I'll shorten it down to say I loved every character in this game, excluding one, and I'm sure everyone can guess who it is. Nia in particular gets an honorable mention for me, easily my favorite character in the entire game, and gets the most development and background besides Rex, none of which I'll spoil.
Gameplay is rich, and very in-depth. So many menus to comb through, so many things to do, let's break it down. Outside of battles, you'll usually be gathering collectibles for crafting and cooking, obtaining new Blades, exploring the vast and amazing world that has been crafted with incredible detail and diligence. And finding some treasures and loot for your characters and blades as well. I shall address Tiger Tiger as well, being the part of the game I disliked the most, grinding Tiger Tiger is excruciating, good thing it's optional or else a lot more people would probably drop this game. Now, it is optional, but a necessity for a particular character to upgrade them so they can scale later in the game, if you have the DLC for Xenoblade chronicles 2, they thankfully added vendors in New Game+ where you'll be able to buy these Tiger Tiger exclusive items. Besides Tiger tiger, the gacha system for blades can be a pain, especially since Blades have abilities called "field skills" that are required to progress in the game, as well as access a lot in the world, such as treasure, hidden areas, and especially side quests. Otherwise, the gacha system doesn't bother me too much, and the game does try to give you some freebies in the main story, and some side quests.
Combat is getting its own section. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has my all-time favorite combat system in a video game. So much depth, so much variety, a tad limited on strategies in the end-game to post-game, but there's no limit on the customization of building a team in this game. Condensed MMO style, you initiate combat by targeting a monster, unsheathing your weapon, running up, and your character will auto-attack for you. The strategy comes in with you moving around and using "Driver Arts" or skills. These are on a cooldown system and are your main damage dealers, and have a long list of different effects. The game takes it very slow with introducing new elements to the combat, and having tutorials every time it occurs. Unfortunately the tutorials aren't the best at explaining everything, and I've see many people start to struggle after the first area because of it. Another issue is the tutorials cannot be viewed again after the first viewing, which is a glaring flaw especially. Just take your time, learn a mechanic one at a time, even if the game shoves more in your face, just try and learn one at a time, and you'll get the hang of it in no time. Obviously there's much more to the combat, such as Blades, each one having different specific abilities in battle, Blade Specials, and the Blade combo systems, which are integral to the game as well. I found it easy to isolate what drivers can do vs. what blades can do to understand the combat a lot easier, and I recommend this method if you didn't want any outside help. If you can wrap your head around it all, you have the most engaging combat system I've ever seen, always something happening on screen, all these large numbers popping up. The most important part to me is I feel in control the entire time in this game despite the fast pace and very busy HUD, any time I want something to happen, I can make it happen, and that's perfect. You will have to deal with two A.I controlled party members with their own respective blades to deal with, but I promise they're competent enough, and you can influence and make the really important decisions for them, once again making you feel in control of what's happening. I feel the combat does slog for awhile, and really starts to pick up about halfway through, so be patient with it, and enjoy the learning experience, it's worth it!
Level design is nearly flawless here. I've mentioned the field skills being rather restrictive, but overall the design is great. Huge, open spaces to run around and explore in, breathtaking backgrounds and sights to see, and an amazing sense of scale and scope that really makes the world feel huge, realized, and exciting. Environments are so creatively charged and stimulating, beautiful lighting, diverse color palettes, even more diverse tones as well. Many areas feel open and bright, others are much more claustrophobic, almost ominous at times, and being able to capture such a range of emotions is masterful, exactly what I'm looking for in any JRPG. While I won't go into any later areas of the game, I got to say, I was so enthralled, so immersed for the last few sessions I had, and it was really special, I'll never forget it for the rest of my life.
Graphics are as stunning as you can expect, especially for the Switch, which has stunning games like Breath of The Wild. A much more anime oriented art style for the characters this time, which I didn't mind. The environments are all perfect as mentioned for coloring, lighting, and tone. Colors just pop out so vividly especially on character models, it's honestly a joy to look at, though it could be distracting for some. which I can agree with. Battle animations are spectacular, and very cinematic, designs of the different elements and effects are spot-on. Nothing out of place here, although again it can be overwhelming at first having so much happen on screen at once, which the game tries to ease you into. Overall, a beautiful game to look at, and will age well I believe in the years to come.
Music is a big one for Xenoblade. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 also has my favorite soundtrack overall in a video game, besides a few other games like Persona 5. It is so distinct, the sort of style Xenoblade music goes for, Xenoblade 2 knocks it out of the park. Amazing soundtrack to coincide with an JRPG. Hypnotizing town and city music that washes relaxation over you, or enhances the grand scale and importance of wherever you are. Energetic and uplifting music for each area that also gives them all a unique feel. Intense battle music, with a larger emphasis on orchestral tracks infused with rock, they hit the balance perfectly, neither take the spotlight or drown out the other, it's sublime. I can keep talking about the music especially, but you get the idea, it's a masterpiece, please listen to it even if you don't like the game, don't let this soundtrack go unheard, it's truly special and invokes so much emotion, especially in me.
I love Xenoblade Chronicles 2 with all of my heart. I know it has so many glaring issues, and it'll always live in the shadow of the original Xenoblade Chronicles. Which, I do agree with in some aspects, such as the story, even though I adore 2's story, it doesn't stack up to the original's. Give this game a chance though, if the voice acting turns you off, you can play it in Japanese, you just need to download it on the eshop. Yes, it's riddled with tropes, yes some of the anime aesthetics can turn a lot of people off, and most definitely has some... questionable designs for some characters. Despite all of this, I will throw my hat in the ring and say this game is a masterpiece and will never regret the amount of time I've put into it for so many years. You can get Xenoblade chronicles 2 exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. Physical copies are harder to get now I believe, so get it digitally for now. This game also has DLC which I wouldn't recommend unless you're really going to put time into this game. I do wholeheartedly recommend it alone for Torna: The Golden Country though, which is another amazing game.
2 Comments
Thank you for the kind words! Indeed, I am very excited for Xenoblade Chronicles 3, probably my most anticipated game this year besides Elden Ring for sure.
jedgamesguy
1 year ago