Out of every game I've played, I think this is the one that had the most profound impact on me. Xenoblade Chronicles holds a level of fantasy, writing, and grandeur that is unparalleled by most and I still can't believe this was all held on a Wii game. Its characters, world, and story have stuck with me for over a decade, and this game is an experience I wish I could have for the first time again and again.

Xenoblade is the game that introduced me to the Xeno meta-series and, while thought by Nintendo to not have been interesting enough to sell in North America, managed to spark an entire series of its own that bridged Xenoblade's grandeur with Xenosaga and Xenogears' magnificence.

I can't shake the feeling that every person involved in Xenoblade was a creative genius in some fashion, and I've always felt honored to have been shared the culmination of their works. Yasuyuki Honne is an incredibly underrepresented man whose level of creativity and imagination is unseen anywhere else in and out of the industry. The concepts and designs of the Bionis and Mechonis are incredulous and the myriad of unfathomable and fantastical environments like the floating reefs of Eryth or factory-city of Agniratha will always strike awe in me. It's an understatement to say that Honne has inspired me through the years and encouraged me to think more out of the box.

While not exactly as strong in writing as some of his previous works, Tetsuya Takahashi once again knocks it out of the park. Any disappointments found in the plot points being so far removed from his usual work are dispelled in later entries in the series, and what is left in Xenoblade is nothing short of a masterpiece. I can't say anything about the incredible soundtrack that hasn't already been discussed to death, but I can say that every composer put their entire heart and soul into every track (well, maybe not the Bionis' Interior and Ether Mines 😭). And lastly, each of the artists who contributed to the characters created such iconic, unique, and diverse designs.

I'll be honest, this game doesn't exactly gain high marks for its gameplay. Especially by today's standards, the exploration can seem empty and the combat often feels like you're waiting more than you're playing. The quests in particular suck hot ass, most of them are just fetch quests or "go here and talk to an NPC" quests. And yet, I still enjoy every moment I'm playing this game. Maybe it's the immersive atmosphere or the lively chatter between party members or how alive the world and its inhabitants feel, but I just can't put this game down whenever I'm playing.

The journey Xenoblade takes you on is one that leaps across its faults in strides. It's an experience I think that everyone should try at least once, and one that will stick with me forever. Thank you, Monolith Soft. 💕

Xenoblade Chronicles stands alongside Persona 5 and Dragon Quest XI as one of the greatest, most regarded JRPGs of the 2010s, and for a good reason. At a time the sub-genre was suffering due to market shifts, Xenoblade bursted out with one of the prettiest settings ever depicted in games, and featured countless ambitious ideas that for the most part worked.

But does it still live up to its legendary status?
Hmmm, mostly?

Lemme preface with stating that I played Xenoblade 1 only after first playing Xenoblade 2, so my expectations for the franchise were already altered and partly-formed when I finally picked up Xenoblade 1. And yes, ultimately I do find myself preferring the sequel over the original, but all things considered, the first game still stands the test of time. Beautifully, too.

The standout feature of Xenoblade is its world. Two giant gods standing still and housing countless ecosystems on their backs. In typical RPG fashion you got your jungle area, cave area, mountain area, snow area, industrial area and a mix-up of desert and tropical areas. But what sets them apart from the competition is their outstanding, one-of-a-kind art direction. The various open zones visited all look positively lifelike, mixing some realistic texturing and biomes with the more alien structures, lifeforms and landmarks more associated with fantasy and science fiction. I shouldn't mince words here any further, Xenoblade looks great. It's a beautiful-looking epic brimming with creative imagery.

The same goes to the soundtrack, which always feels like it was composed on nukes. There's so much variety on this front, from the more soothing main theme, to the pleasant and relaxing tunes that play depending in which zone you are, to the absolutely explosive fighting themes that set the hype in whether you fight a regular enemy or a boss.

But even underneath its visual and aural assets, Xenoblade harbors something special. There is something about the open world Monolith crafted that keeps enticing exploration even dozens of hours in. The promise of one day toppling the strongest monsters of the region. The magic of accidentally finding secret zones as you dig deeper. A myriad of quests continuing to open up the longer Shulk's quest goes. A good open world game rewards exploration and curiosity after all, and Xenoblade is successful at that.

I also really like the affinity chart system. I originally didn't pay much attention to it when I started playing but the further I got the more invested I became in some of those NPCs. It's a nice little way to feel like you're actually helping the different communities on the Bionis and Mechonis, and their little stories help conveying the feeling of bonds and loss that is also present in the main story.

As for the story and characters, they're... fine. With the exceptions of Melia and Dunban I don't find the core party THAT interesting. There are some cool twists surrounding Shulk and Fiora, but overall they're fairly vanilla. Same goes for MOST of the villains except Egil. Egil is great. He's menacing. He's philosophical and intelligent. He's LAYERED. He is the centerpiece of one of the best scenes in the whole SERIES (that I played so far). Just for Egil I give the cast a whole two points.

The combat system is serviceable. Its attempts to mix real-time and turn-based combat are great when they work, frustrating when they get tedious. And some characters are inevitably much better to use than others, especially because the ally AI is about as reliable as the Switch's battery life on a road trip.

But it's fun when you get the hang of it. There's a lot of depth and variety if you dig deep into what every character can offer, and you can cook some fantastic combos. one thing I don't like tho, especially early on, is that the Mechon require either Shulk or unique weapons to deal with them. It's no fun to have the need to have Shulk spam his unique ability to hurt Mechon every fight with them during the first half, and then to have the rest of the characters be armed with specific weapons to bypass that.

So overall, that's Xenoblade. It gets a recommendation from me, but be sure to have the free time to really dig into what this game can offer. It's a long, long journey, and it's far from perfect both narratively and mechanically, but it's certainly a worthwhile one regardless of its flaws.

fuck me this game was a life changer, it just took 3 attempts across a span of 4 years to get there but once I finally clicked with it, this baby became my favourite game of all time right up until something else dethroned it in 2023

I suppose it's blade did not cut deep enough

kino all the same, play xenoblade chronicles you scrubs

To this day, I think this is the best Xenoblade. Everything about it was just so unique, from the premise of two long-dead titans hosting all the worlds lifeforms on top of their carcasses, to the fantastic soundtrack by ACE+, the stunning world that I could barely believe was somehow being rendered on my Wii without it exploding.

The cutscenes felt like watching a really well presented 3D anime at times. And this was before we knew of sequels, so the game felt wholly complete on its own.

I considered it an incredible story, blew my mind at several occasions, and perfectly wrapped up in the end. I like this game so much that I 100%'d it twice.