Xenoblade Chronicles 2 two is a huge game that offers an overwhelming amount of gameplay and fun, but what really makes it stand out is how it creates certain moments that drive you to keep engaging with and playing this JRPG for 100+ hours. Above all, there are two moments that stand out and really emphasize the brutal and addicting nature of this game.
The first occurs near the beginning, when you are running around the Gormott Province. After a prologue, you finally have the freedom to fight and explore for the first time in a more open way, and it quickly becomes clear that the world you are in is vast, with tons to see and experience. The fun, fast-paced combat is now fully at your fingertips, and as the fighting grows hypnotic, soon your focus is purely on defeating the monsters around you. Nothing is going to get in your way—except for that high level monster that you had no idea was around flies (and I emphasize flies) down and murders your entire party.
Death to all flying monsters!!!
It is a shocking end to the fight, one you didn’t expect at all, because why would that monster want anything to do with you? You didn’t mess with it, so why does it seem obsessed with killing you over and over and over again? The answer is quickly revealed to be because it can, plain and simple. That monster is strong and you are weak. if you want to do anything about it, you just have to get stronger. This brutality is a hallmark of the Xenoblade series as a whole, but really helps set the tone in Chronicles II, because it makes it clear that the world you are walking around in doesn’t care about your characters: if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, your party is dead. Don’t worry too much–the consequences for dying (and you will die a lot at the beginning of the game) are simply that you restart at your last check point. There are no lasting effects from dying other than the rage you will feel towards this monster that ruined your fun, the rage that fuels you to grind your levels and get revenge. In Xenoblade Chronicles II, vengeance will carry you far.
Don’t cry…. get even instead.
Then there is the second moment, which involves the game’s Blade system. In Chronicles II, each of your party members has a Blade, which are weird hybrids of a Pokemon and a Persona that allow each of your party members to have, uh, more party members. To get more Blades you either complete specific quests or, more often, use a crystal, which is basically a loot box containing a random Blade for you to summon. Some Blades are quite rare and completely unique, but mostly they are a generic ally that differ only in their elements and what weapons they have, and those generally look the same. Like any gambling mechanic, this is one of highs and lows, and just to be clear, it is mostly lows. Every generic ally you summon brings a new wave of disappointment… Until that second stand-out moment happens. That glorious moment when everything becomes awesome. A unique Blade appears, and the animated sequence accompanying it is longer and more detailed. The art for these unique Blades is significantly better (in fact, each unique Blade is designed by famous video game designers and artists, to make each Blade feel even more special). And the Blade itself is just stronger and better. All of the past failures fade away as the joy of getting something awesome takes over. It is a rush, and you soon find yourself wanting it again and again.
Now this is the point where the game could have veered into being extremely exploitative, if getting crystals actually cost money. We could have ended up with the JRPG equivalent of Star Wars: Battlefront II, or the worst parts of gacha games like Brave Frontier. Instead, Chronicles II lets you experience the feeling of pulling a unique Blade without making you open your wallet. What could have been exploitative and morally questionable is just fun and rewarding. You never know what you’re going to get next, and even common Blades are useful, as the Field Skill system allows your party to do different things based on which Blades you have equipped.
Ugggh, not you again…
These two moments exemplify the overall experience of playing Xenoblade Chronicles II. For better or for worse, this is a game of extremes. If you can handle those extremes, this is the game for you, but if you can’t, it can become a frustrating slog. Developer Monolith Soft knows it is walking a tightrope with this game, so it does its best to offer a hybridized play experience that draws from both JRPGs and MMOs. This tricky combination is one that Monolith Soft’s previous Xenoblade Chronicles X struggled with, as that game strayed too far from the quirky aspects that made the first Xenoblade so beloved to shove in some of the worst elements of the MMO genre. The result was a game that felt hollow compared to the first Xenoblade.
Chronicles II learned from these mistakes and went back to what worked well in the the original Xenoblade. The goofy British localization has returned, the dialogue is once again a mix of serious and ridiculous, and the game refocuses on the strongest parts of the single player RPG experience while still eschewing the less pleasant aspects of that genre. The stand-out moments in this game underly how well it builds an open world that still shows a personal touch.
That said, the game does feature some noticeable flaws. It is beyond silly that this game only has one save slot. The menu system is cluttered to no end and requires a tedious amount of management. The Expedition system really needs a button to let you auto assign the best Blades instead of having to manually search for them every time. Somewhat cruelly, Chronicles II locks Blades to the character that summons them, so if a player summons a Blade for a role that character is not suited for, it is kind of a waste. The game does offer a way to transfer Blades, but it requires a rare item to do so until late in the game. And while fun, the story can drag at times, which hurts the game’s overall flow.
Still, these flaws aren’t enough to stop Xenoblade Chronicles II from being an excellent game, so long as you have the right mindset and patience for it. The game offers a deep combat system, lots of exploration, and an innovative way to allow players to control how over- or under-leveled they wish to be, which essentially lets you set your own difficulty on the fly. Overall, this is a strong return to form from Monolith Soft, and a game that is worth the effort and commitment required to beat it. Now, if you will excuse me—it is time for vengeance against my flying oppressors.
This game is straight fire.