Xenoblade Chronicles 2 review - A fitting end to a successful Switch year
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is complex and muddy. But if you can look past that, you’ll discover an excellent and immersive JRPG.
Nine months after its launch, fans of all genres have a great game to play on the Nintendo Switch. Besides typical Nintendo genres such as platformers and action-adventures, even shooters like Doom and Wolfenstein 2 are finding their way on to the new console. With the launch of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 we get our first real JRPG on the Switch. The newest game of developer Monolith Software is a great ambassador for the genre, as long as you can gloss over some sore points.
The Xenoblade Chronicles series is famous for its unique gameplay and the newest episode is no exception. The game uses the same real-time fighting system as the previous games: you control one character, while the AI takes care of the two others. You use special attacks and issue simple commands to your teammates to carry out combos together. It sounds quite simple, but as you get further into the game the plethora of options can become quite daunting.
This complexity isn’t a problem in itself; who doesn’t like a nice challenge right? The problem with Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is however its lack of transparency. Although the game explains every mechanic in detailed tutorials, you can’t afterwards access this information anywhere. On top of that the game has the annoying habit of introducing tutorials during hectic fights, which more than once results in you accidentally buttoning through the text and missing crucial information. Other helpful tips are hidden in dialogues with unassuming NPC’s. At one point a generic peasant gave me a golden tip about executing combos. Thanks old man, but I’d rather prefer that the game itself would have told me that twenty hours ago.
The lack of transparency is however softened by how forgiving the game judges your failures. When you die, you respawn at the last landmark you’ve visited and you can get back into the fight almost immediately. In this way the game motivates you to practice and experiment with your arsenal. And after a while things do begin to click and fights actually start to become fun.
So once you finally get a grasp of the fighting system, the encounters can get quite addicting. Where you would in other JRPGs maybe try to avoid conflicts, in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 you actively seek them out. Especially in fights with powerful enemies it’s fun to work up your combos and unleash them in a spectacular finish.
The other side of this dazzling coin however, is that fights can become an audiovisual mess. All characters are constantly yelling, coloured flashes fill your screen and numbers pop up everywhere. This isn’t a game you want to play right before bedtime.
The anime style of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 won’t be everyone’s taste, but the world design is a real sight to behold. Every world you visit is located on the body of a Titan, a gigantic being that moves through a sea of clouds. It’s amazing to stand in a grassy pasture and watch the head of the Titan moving about in the distance above. Or wade to a toxic swamp, only to realise you’re inside the stomach of the beast. The game really makes you feel like a tiny speck in a gigantic and fascinating world.
This artistic prowess is augmented by the technological quality of the game. Regardless of how hectic the fights get or how many monsters are on the screen, the game never slows down or experiences frame drops. It even runs super smooth in handheld mode, but is less visually striking. It’s clear that Monolith Software had to make some concession to make the hand held mode run smoothly. So if you want the full Xenoblade Chronicles 2 experience, you should play the game on your television screen.
In the end Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a JRPG through and through. The game is complex, has countless complicated menus and leaves you to figure it out all by yourself. However it also has a addicting fighting system, impressive world building and a bombastic story with the occasional plot twist. If you’re willing to make an effort and look past the J, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is an excellent RPG.
Disclaimer: this is review is based on a copy of the game provided by Nintendo Europe.
Enjoyed this post? Feel free to upvote and follow @gamesjoyce !
Want to read more about gaming?
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus - Nazis and genuine human emotions
The Crew 2 is the ultimate American roadtrip - Gamescom 2017 report
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus hands-on: Masterful mix of brutality and humor
Im a fan of the first Xenoblade game and I didnt play the game this game yet due to my lack of funds to have a nintendo switch; theres a few question about this game that I wanna know:
Firstly, I heard that the character design was by a bunch of people contracted for this game, does it shows in the game aesthetics that make the game looks wierd
Secondly, how its the game story since what make or breaks a jrpg is the story and your review seems to focus a lot on its gameplay among anything
thanks
About the characters: some of them are designed in a very questionable overly sexualised way. Case in point: Pyra and Tsuki. They made me uncomfortable sometimes, but most of the time I just laughed it of. I've seen worse in JRPGs.
About the story: it isn't anything special tbh. In the latter half some interesting things come up. But most of the time I found it quite cheesy and uninspired. The story didn't really grip me and thus I ignored it most of the time.
Although I'm not this review's target audience, it's well written, covers all bases, and it makes me look forward to the time games will become really immersive, as in we'll actually-virtually be standing in that grass field with the giant's head moving above us!
Have you tried one of the new generation VR devices yet? It's really amazing.
Unfortunately no!
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by gamesjoyce from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews/crimsonclad, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows and creating a social network. Please find us in the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
If you would like to delegate to the Minnow Support Project you can do so by clicking on the following links: 50SP, 100SP, 250SP, 500SP, 1000SP, 5000SP. Be sure to leave at least 50SP undelegated on your account.