The Premiere JRPG for Switch Owners
User Rating: 9 | Xenoblade Chronicles 2 NS
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is generally an underrated title. It’s been quite some time since I’ve put in over 100 hours into a single game and not felt burned out by it. I could see myself easily booting up new game+ in a few months and still having a great time with it. That said, I grew up playing JRPGs, including Xenogears. If you do not like JRPGs, this game is not for you. Further, this is a story-driven game so if you are looking for a sandbox game, I honestly don’t think this is for you either. But, if like me, you loved games like Final Fantasy (VI, VII, VIII, X, etc.) and Tales of... then you’ll probably enjoy this. The story has an interesting premise, which is directly tied to the use of “drivers” (humans) and “blades” (creatures that must be summoned to aid you in battle). These creatures can take various forms, with many having a humanoid form but some may also be more animal-like. Not all people have the capability to summon these creatures. Attempting to do so can be dire. For those who are fortunate to possess this seemingly innate ability, you can obviously see why this would be desireable for military. Interestingly, your blades don’t fight directly in battle, but rather support your main characters (with exception to special moves). Elemental attributes are tied to your blades as well. You can switch out between up to three blades for a single character in battle, though a warm-up period occurs after a switch and at the beginning of battle. I really like that you can switch which character you play as in battle - and each has a unique style. I played through most of the game as Nia, the healer of the party. Each character generally has a role (Attacker, Healer, Tank). While there is plenty of customizability, there is also a clear suggested route as well. The main thing, you should have a Tank, Attacker, and Healer in your party. As for blades, they should generally match your driver’s role, and you should equip as many different elemental attributes as you can. What’s great is that the battle mechanics are tied to the plot. Specifically, the relationship between drivers and blades. While for the most part relations are positive within your party, as you progress through the game you will find that it gets much more complicated...and I will leave it there to avoid spoilers. Some have lamented about Rex, the main protagonist, and his voice acting. It really didn’t bother me. He is meant to be the unlikely hero - so for him to come off as slightly annoying seems oddly fitting. While certainly not my favorite hero, it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the game in the slightest. I feel the supporting cast was quite strong, especially Nia and Morag. But it just depends on your personal taste I suppose. Some have also complained about Tora, a non-human companion that fits under the JRPG trope of having a cute annoying sidekick. He is weird, no question, but again it didn’t detract from the overall game. Going in you should know that the English dub is not synced with the characters lip movements. While Squareenix has gone through the trouble to reanimate the lip movements in their games, this just wasn’t the case here. That said, if you ever watched dubbed foreign movies you’ll get used to it quickly. If you hate subtitles or dubs you should avoid this game. Otherwise, I think the voice acting was really good and each character is very distinct. The music and sound effects are also quite good. I wish I could get the soundtrack, but alas it doesn’t appear to be on iTunes... The graphics and worlds are very good. I find the anime-style to be fitting for the Switch, given it doesn’t have the technical horsepower for photo-realism of say a Final Fantasy XV. With all due respect to fans of the original, Xenoblade Chronicles 1 looks rough - I prefer this one. Some have noted that undocked the game is more pixelated. This is true, but it is no more than what I have seen on the PS Vita. Once you play it awhile you get used to it and barely notice it anymore. It is true though that there is a slight visual downgrade when playing undocked. On the TV, I think it is quite impressive, but I spent considerable time playing in both forms and was satisfied with the overall flexibility. There are a few areas that concern me the most with this game. First, in the early game it allows you to roam free but you will quickly be dispatched by overpowered enemies wondering the world. This can be frustrating and is just an example of poor enemy placement. When you are overpowered, enemies will purposefully avoid you. In the field, it would be nice if considerably overpowered enemies would ignore you. Sure, you can run but one hit will kill you. My recommendation, early in the game would be to stick to the main storyline until you at least have a full party! Trust me, you will have a much more pleasant experience. Another qualm I have is how slow the battle system opens up and how it is not clearly explained. I watched a few YouTube videos and quickly got the hang of it, but the in-game instruction is rather lacking. Further, many reviewers complain that the game is on autopilot and plays itself. This is somewhat true in the first quarter or so of the game. You have to get past probably the 25 hour mark before the battles really start to get nuanced and more enjoyable. Doing a full burst to eliminate the final boss was immensely satisfying. Finally, the random rolls to acquire blades could be more efficient. I’m not a fan of random drops in games but at least these were plentiful enough and rares common enough that I didn’t find it too frustrating. Despite these minor annoyances, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a great game and will likely remain one of the premiere JRPGs for the Switch for the foreseeable future.
