Game Review: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch)

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (XC2) is a massive JRPG that outdoes its sprawling predecessor by adding more, more, more! While it has its share of flaws, XC2 offers so many delights that it's already absorbed 150+ hours of my free time. To put that into context, I usually take 80 hours to 100% complete a JRPG. To quote from Brokeback Mountain: "I wish I could quit yew."

Briefly, XC2 tells the story of Rex and Pyra and their quest to reach Elysium, a paradise in the sky. Rex is an earnest young salvager who conscientiously sends his earnings back home, while Pyra is a mild-mannered and sweet-tempered "Blade," or living weapon, which can be wielded by a "Driver." During their journey, the pair encounter various colorful playable and non-playable characters, formidable monsters, and a group called Torna that wants Pyra's power for its own destructive goals.

Like the first Xenoblade Chronicles, XC2 achieves epic scale through, well, scale: the game takes place on a world called Alrest, which consists of the "Cloud Sea" and continent-sized Titans that house all living organisms, including humans, etc. Running around on a giant being while essentially being a microbe evokes a feeling of wonder, an impression helped immensely by the game's outstanding visuals. Of course, the story is appropriately grand, with the world itself at stake, as usual. What starts out as a rather obvious allegory for climate change and humanity's decline becomes an examination of existence.

Image from gamingbolt.com

Of course, love and friendship make every journey worthwhile, and here XC2 performs very well. Every character is my favorite; I simply can't choose one! The playable characters all have an arc and demonstrate a broad range of emotions and reactions. For example, Rex goes from determined to self-doubting to implacable, while Nia learns to trust, without ever losing her signature snark. Meanwhile, their Blades are loyal, loving, and absolute beasts on the battlefield. And the villains are equally engaging, with motivations and histories that turn them into complex, nuanced, and even tragic figures.

But the best part of XC2 is unquestionably its soundtrack. The musical styles run the gamut: hard rock spurs combat; operatic swoops underscore majestic vistas, slapstick twangs mark humorous interactions; and more! I particularly like "Counterattack" and "Kingdom of Tantal (Day)," but the rest of the OST is so good that I don't mind listening to it on repeat. Kudos to Yasunori Mitsuda, et al for yet another excellent body of work.

The tracks perfectly accompany the fabulous cut scenes, which feature a lot of outstanding fight choreography. The voice acting is top-notch, of course, although I can only speak for the Japanese track, which I switched to early on. I did like the UK accents that I heard before the switch!

Now let's talk about some questionable decisions the developers made. The internet is rife with grumbling about the bloated gameplay (here's one example, from Kotaku). Indeed, XC2 is...very extra. This becomes glaringly apparent during combat and sidequests. In combat, there are Driver combos, Blade combos, Fusion combos, Specials, chain attacks, etc., and while players can master these with practice, the absolutely terrible camera angles ruin the fun. I've gone through countless battles where I deliver a devastating blow, and the camera inexplicably focuses on someone's feet or legs. Why? Why?

The aftermath of combat is also a hot mess. Defeating enemies causes money or items to drop, and players have to run around scooping them up. But! If the enemy is, say, an aerial creature that has to be fought over a cliff, say goodbye to your prizes! Rrrrgh! To say nothing of salvaging rare treasure chests, only to lose your chance to open them because an enemy five levels higher got pulled up too. Kyaaaa!

As for sidequests, there are hundreds of them, if you include the Merc Missions, which is how you raise your Blade's Trust levels and max out their affinity charts to unlock special combat skills and Field skills, which are needed to access buried treasure, secret locations, and possibly the cure to cancer. Merc Missions also increase the development level of the various countries you visit, as do talking to NPCs, buying lots of goods at stores, and becoming the owner of said stores. So simple!

The character designs of certain rare Blades have also been dragged (e.g. see this hilarious article about boob monster Dahlia), although I personally have no issue with them. Yes, main character Pyra is in booty shorts, and it took me about 20 hours of gameplay to become inured to her big boobs (which she keeps calling attention to by clasping her hands in front of her chest), but you know what, she's the Aegis, she can wear whatever she wants! Besides, dear Nia is there for contrast, with nary a centimeter of skin showing below the chin.

50% skin vs. 0% skin

And anyway, Rex is the most ridiculously dressed, since he looks like a goddamn blue clown, pardon my French.

Save the world with these clown feet

Let me end with this gripe: the RNG (random number generator) system for acquiring one of the 28 rare Blades is frustrating. In the game, core crystals can be "resonated" with to acquire Blades. There are common, rare, and legendary core crystals, and, as their names suggest, the corresponding likelihood of resonating with a rare Blade. But in practice, it all boils down to chance. To pluck from my own experience: I got KOS-MOS after spamming 44 common cores, T-elos and Perceval from a single common core each, and Zenobia from a combination of common, rare, and legendary. Again: why? Why??? (Actually, this video explains those mechanics pretty well.)

In any case, the fact that I'm still playing XC2 is testament to its strengths overcoming its weaknesses. The characters are great, the story has a good twist, the themes of relationships, self, and memory are thought-provoking, and the music is spectacular. Although I've finished the game and can move on to New Game+, I still have four rare Blades to acquire, and my current rare Blades' side quests to complete. Then, and only then, will I put this game down. Unless some kind person gives me the DLC Torna: Golden Country *cough*Christmasgift*cough*

TL;DR: Flawed but fun, interminable yet addictive! Recommended for non-casual JRPG fans!

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This post brought to you by lentil chips!