I don't think it's very fair for me to rate or talk about any of the Xenoblade games in a fair, objective way. The Xenoblade games are literally my top 3 favorite games of all time, and my experiences with them are very personal. So I am not going to attempt to provide an objective evaluation of all the game's strengths and weaknesses; though my opinion is certainly biased and behind rose-tinted glasses, I will admit that Xenoblade 3 is a flawed game in some respects. But playing this game was an enlightening experience that transcended any sort of nitpicky gripe I could have. The whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts for me. So instead of providing a thorough and meticulous judgment of every little part of the game, I will simply try to tell my experience:
I basically grew up alongside the Xenoblade trilogy. I played Xenoblade 1 for the first time in the summer before my first year of middle school in 2015, and it blew my mind, showing me the full extent of what a video game story could be. Xenoblade 2 came out in my eighth grade year, and I associate that game with my high school years, obsessing over builds and Challenge Mode and putting hundreds of hours into its battle system.
Now here I am, starting my journey into the new chapter of my life in college. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was released after I graduated high school and before my freshman year of college. The end of this trilogy coincided with the final step in my adolescence, the ultimate stage of my maturity.
My senior year of high school was amazing, like a fever dream. I was traveling the country (United States) for quiz bowl tournaments, and for the first time in my life I finally gained a reliable friend group, my support system through it all. As the end of the year drew near and the enormous impending leap into college became ever more realized, I wanted nothing more than to remain in the comfort of the present--to remain in my hometown, with all my friends and family, staying in those blissful senior year highs for all eternity, and to stave off facing the uncertain future for as long as possible.
I wanted the endless now.
But what kind of life is that?
Always living the same life; going through the same experiences, emotions, and sensations; always avoiding moving forward if it meant staying in bliss and comfort. Much as Nietzsche wanted to argue, "amor fati" is not a productive or useful outlook on the world, attractive though it may seem. Living and accepting the eternal recurrence removes all meaning from one's life, as meaning can only be found through new experiences.
So, intimidating as it was, embracing the uncertainty and leaving the life I had grown so comfortable in for so long was necessary. Coming to this conclusion, I feel, is the final and most important step in one's maturity.
It's kind of crazy that a video game was the key factor in helping me realize this. It speaks above all to the power of Xenoblade 3's story to move people. Its core theme, emphasizing embracing the uncertainty of life and discovering/appreciating what it means to live, is extraordinarily powerful, and it is conveyed with a level of poignance and nuance that is unrivaled by perhaps any other story I have ever experienced.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 genuinely made me love life and savor all the little things that make life amazing, and it made me more confident to face my future no matter how overwhelming it seemed. That transcends mere video game storytelling.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is far and away my favorite video game of all time, and one of the greatest pieces of art I have ever experienced.
...And if you really want to know all my thoughts on all the little parts of the game, biased and rose-tinted as they may be, here they are:
-Best combat system and character customization in the series, alongside Xenoblade 2
-Best main cast of characters of any game I have ever played, plus lots of memorable Heroes
-Some of the best and most fascinating world-building in video games (the usual for the Xenoblade series)
-Gorgeous sprawling areas, with lots of exploration options that are a direct improvement on 2's Field Skills
-Best side quests and overall feeling of world cohesion, alongside or better than Xenoblade X
-Fantastic soundtrack with a great flute motif
-Amazing story, with an incredible unifying theme, even if the final chapter feels a bit rushed in execution and significant questions are left unanswered
-An effective cast of villains that are conceptually interesting by the end, even if writing-wise they are very mediocre and often cartoonish
-Lots of little nitpicks (though many are personal to me, given how much I obsess over all the tiny details in this series)
I basically grew up alongside the Xenoblade trilogy. I played Xenoblade 1 for the first time in the summer before my first year of middle school in 2015, and it blew my mind, showing me the full extent of what a video game story could be. Xenoblade 2 came out in my eighth grade year, and I associate that game with my high school years, obsessing over builds and Challenge Mode and putting hundreds of hours into its battle system.
Now here I am, starting my journey into the new chapter of my life in college. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was released after I graduated high school and before my freshman year of college. The end of this trilogy coincided with the final step in my adolescence, the ultimate stage of my maturity.
My senior year of high school was amazing, like a fever dream. I was traveling the country (United States) for quiz bowl tournaments, and for the first time in my life I finally gained a reliable friend group, my support system through it all. As the end of the year drew near and the enormous impending leap into college became ever more realized, I wanted nothing more than to remain in the comfort of the present--to remain in my hometown, with all my friends and family, staying in those blissful senior year highs for all eternity, and to stave off facing the uncertain future for as long as possible.
I wanted the endless now.
But what kind of life is that?
Always living the same life; going through the same experiences, emotions, and sensations; always avoiding moving forward if it meant staying in bliss and comfort. Much as Nietzsche wanted to argue, "amor fati" is not a productive or useful outlook on the world, attractive though it may seem. Living and accepting the eternal recurrence removes all meaning from one's life, as meaning can only be found through new experiences.
So, intimidating as it was, embracing the uncertainty and leaving the life I had grown so comfortable in for so long was necessary. Coming to this conclusion, I feel, is the final and most important step in one's maturity.
It's kind of crazy that a video game was the key factor in helping me realize this. It speaks above all to the power of Xenoblade 3's story to move people. Its core theme, emphasizing embracing the uncertainty of life and discovering/appreciating what it means to live, is extraordinarily powerful, and it is conveyed with a level of poignance and nuance that is unrivaled by perhaps any other story I have ever experienced.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 genuinely made me love life and savor all the little things that make life amazing, and it made me more confident to face my future no matter how overwhelming it seemed. That transcends mere video game storytelling.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is far and away my favorite video game of all time, and one of the greatest pieces of art I have ever experienced.
...And if you really want to know all my thoughts on all the little parts of the game, biased and rose-tinted as they may be, here they are:
-Best combat system and character customization in the series, alongside Xenoblade 2
-Best main cast of characters of any game I have ever played, plus lots of memorable Heroes
-Some of the best and most fascinating world-building in video games (the usual for the Xenoblade series)
-Gorgeous sprawling areas, with lots of exploration options that are a direct improvement on 2's Field Skills
-Best side quests and overall feeling of world cohesion, alongside or better than Xenoblade X
-Fantastic soundtrack with a great flute motif
-Amazing story, with an incredible unifying theme, even if the final chapter feels a bit rushed in execution and significant questions are left unanswered
-An effective cast of villains that are conceptually interesting by the end, even if writing-wise they are very mediocre and often cartoonish
-Lots of little nitpicks (though many are personal to me, given how much I obsess over all the tiny details in this series)