Combat was a major upgrade from XC Definitive Edition. Despite being way more complex, it all felt very engaging and fun. Navigating the world felt a little more difficult in this game, the minimap/wayfinder was not super helpful. Managing equipment and affinity charts is less painful than it was in XC1.

I thought the story was excellent, especially after having finished the first game. The same things I liked about XC1's-- mature themes, interesting characters, good writing.

The field skill system could have been handled better. I love the idea of it but constantly rearranging your party to equip the right field skills felt unnecessary. In that same vein, there should be a faster way to set the optimal party for Merc Missions.

My biggest gripe with the game is how awful the tutorials were. For how many systems and mechanics the game has, it does a terrible job of teaching them to you. Once you get the hang of it all, it does feel really good.

Overall, this game is probably going to end up on my all-time favorites list for the Switch.