Since the last game ended in 2017, I’m looking forward to Monolith Soft’s next game, even though I haven’t had my fair share of back ups. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was a JRPG floundering with too many systems and extremely uneven storytelling. As much as I love the series, I was worried Xenoblade Chronicles 3 would be the same. Not yet. It’s a first-party Nintendo Switch blockbuster that can connect with the rest of the library.
At five hours, it feels like the most lush and balanced game ever in the series. Environments are expanding, but full. The combat has many layers to experiment with, but none of them feel overwhelming or overwhelming. Your party list is full of classic archetypes that are far from cliché. And the music, which is responsible for keeping the momentum going during long, tedious parts of the game like this, is excellent as always.
discussions are given Xenoblade 3s enormous runtime and how instructive it still is in 10 hours, my number one concern was the pacing. However, the game hardly ever wastes time. You play as Noah, a member of the Keves nation, locked in an existential struggle with his comrades against the rival Agnus nation. Both sides are locked into “fiery clocks” inside giant mechanical bases called Ferronis, which collect the life energy of those who die in battle. People are born as children and live only 10 years, if they don’t live enough to feed the clock, they live less. Kind of The king of battle By Philip K. Dick.
Things kick off with a big battle before quickly devolving into otherworldly intrigue. While on a scouting mission, Noah and his crew encounter rival fighters from the opposing side, only to find both sides thrown into chaos after a mysterious old man tells them they’re all pawns in a larger plan. Next thing you know, cyborgs are fighting, characters are mingling, and you’re handed a party of six characters to fight your way to the bottom. Xenoblade 3secrets of.
All this happens in the first few hours. I spent most of my time before and after the battle between fields, rivers and mountain passes. Despite the main and spoken ensemble, the heart Xenoblade 3‘s gameplay remains classic JRPG grinding. Much of this can be done on autopilot. Tougher battles against non-bosses are called for by special fonts on the enemies’ heads, signifying their added power, better rewards, or both. And unlike Xenoblade 2, the landscapes are once again generously stocked with collectibles that you can pick up by walking over them. No more stopping to press a button every five seconds and offering to discover extra pieces of wood or cooking mushrooms.
In terms of combat, I’m still unlocking some basic features, but customizing special attacks (called “Arts”) and changing character classes in combat starts pretty early on. It’s easy to see how these interlocking systems, which include some level of mixing and matching of active and passive abilities, could lead to plenty of satisfying tinkering between marquee boss battles. While I was initially concerned that having six party members on screen at once would make combat unnecessarily chaotic, being able to swap between them at will adds a level of micromanagement. Xenoblade 3 which I really missed in previous games (the UI remains a nightmare).
My only real complaint is that the heavy tutorial is sometimes overly explanatory and impenetrable. Do I need a game to equip a new piece of armor step by step? Nope. Similarly, I don’t need characters talking about various game systems to feel like they’re vaguely part of a sci-fi world structure. People join bodies and become cyborgs. Young men with magical costume changes and giant swords are the least of my worries.
Fortunately, none of this gets in the way much. I have really enjoyed the last few days Xenoblade 3 I was constantly thinking about it when I was playing it and when I wasn’t. It’s rare for me these days. Especially when it comes to JRPGs. But for now Xenoblade 3 It managed to combine some favorite elements from Monolith’s past games (mechs, cabals, free flowing combat) with what works so well in others. It was a group of student fighters who complimented, interrogated and sniped at each other as they sought to overthrow the powers that be. minimize deflection. It worked Person 5, Fire Emblem: The Three Housesand right now, it really works for me Xenoblade 3. I have a few dozen more hours to see if the rest of the game measures up.
