Review: So, Xenoblade is a series. My history of the series is pretty hit or miss. It took me a while to get into Xenoblade Chronicles but, when I did, it was incredible. I got Xenoblade Chronicles X and I was never really able to get into it properly. I do want to try again. One day. When Xenoblade Chronicles 2 came out, I was nervous but excited. It looked more similar to the original game, than X. The trailers made the story seem complex, and not in a good way. There are Drivers, Blades, Titans, good guys, bad guys, and the combat system is different too. It felt like a lot. Thankfully, I was wrong.
The relationships between Drivers and Blades can be difficult to understand until you're actually in the game. You play as Rex who is a simple salvager. He gets hired to do a job where he has to explore a boat and retrieve something. That something turns out to be a girl named Pyra. She is a blade. The main weapon type in this world. Rex awakens her and becomes her Driver. This is where his story really begins. This part of the story feels weirdly like slavery, so be aware in case that is a sensitive topic. Blades are to do the wishes of their Drivers no matter what. This comes into play later in the story as their are good Drivers and bad Drivers. Pyra is Rex's main Blade, but he does have opportunities to obtain more Blades. Drivers can have up to 3 Blades at a time. A lot of them are basic skins of the different types, fighter, tank, healer, etc. But, if you're lucky, you can get a special Blade. A lot of these are random. There are items that are supposed to help you get a special Blade, but it doesn't always work. You'll know when you get a special Blade because a full cutscene will start with voice acting. I haven't gotten all of the special Blades yet, but I'm hoping I get there. In my opinion, this is where the game really shines. They could have just given these Blades special moves and not paid much attention to them. No, most of these Blades come with their own backstories and sidequests you can unlock. They have so much personality that I wasn't expecting. That's why I've got 200 hours in this game. I'm still unlocking stuff and completing sidequests because I want to know all of these Blades and their stories. I'm not going to talk about the other party members you get because I think it's fun to see how they come into your party. I thought it was pretty obvious who would be your party members, and I don't remember the trailers enough to say if there were any clear spoilers in there.
The story of the game itself is fascinating. Civilizations are made on creatures called Titans. This allows for a more dynamic world and exploration. I loved coming out of a cave and seeing the head of a Titan move around. You don't get to interact with most of these creatures, but they're beautiful and majestic. At the very start of the game, you see a random Titan die. It actually made me sad that this beautiful creature was no longer a part of this world. I wasn't expecting to be touched so early on. The story hinges on taking Pyra to the mystical city of Elysium. Of course, there are some people who aim to stop her. I did think some parts of the plot were predictable. I would get introduced to someone and think, "Gee, I bet he's a bad guy" or "I would put money on that person being a party member." That's fine though. There were some things that I felt were done very well towards the end. Again, I haven't quite beaten the game, so I haven't watched the final cutscenes. That's probably coming in the next week or so. You get to explore the environments on different Titans and that was always delightful. There were some areas I liked more than others, but every Titan was fun to explore. I never minded going back to past Titans to finish sidequests. Also, the music is incredible. It's dynamic and atmospheric.
I loved this game. Go play it.
5 howls
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