Kinda going back and forth on giving the game a 3.5/5 or a 4/5. Mostly cause I feel that I liked the game over all, but when I think back I remember some really low points in the game.

For the gameplay, the combat was somewhat enjoyable. It's tab-targeting MMORPG-like combat, and it feels kinda slow, since it's a lot of waiting for cooldowns in the beginning. As you get into the game and unlock more options it starts to click better but never fully get's exciting for me. My personal gripe is that I didn't feel like I was getting stronger for a very large portion of the game. It was only after I got all the party members that I started to feel a powerful since I had enough resources to make actual builds at that point.

Biggest problem with the game is the side-quests and the map. The side-quests are mind-numbing. It's typical MMORPG filler quest stuff and is insanely boring. I got sucked into trying to complete them before I gave up cause they were killing my enjoyment of the game. They are optional and I personally would recommend doing the bare minimum you need to get by.

The other problem is the map. I actually really love the game's maps for how visually pleasing they are. Also the size of the maps really communicates a sense of scale as you slowly climb up the giant you live on. Unfortunately, while the sense of scale is impressive, running around is also quite tedious. Especially in the first half, there is a low of running through wide fields with nothing to do but stare at your screen.

As for the writing, I feel it was alright but kinda mixed. I liked most of the characters. I thought that most of the main party had a great dynamic and were enjoyable to be around. It's just one character I don't like cause they were basically repeating one thing over and over again at different points of the story and it made them feel shallow.

As for the story, it's also pretty mixed. I like the tone of the story. It's melodramatic shounen stuff and that's my jam. I enjoyed the themes it was going for and a lot of individual moments were really great and got me invested. But I found the the story to feel a bit shaky overall. Some themes felt not paid off smoothly, some twist reveals were awkward, and some scene transitions were jarring. Towards the end of the story there was some padding in the missions where you just get a few sentences saying the characters figured out they need to hit a few switches. No cutscenes or dialogue of the characters figuring it out. You just enter and area and you get a quest to hit some buttons to progress. It's a real low-point in the story were you feel like nothing is happening for several maps.

As a side note, the Extra Story, was also a mixed bag. The map and side quests were much better. You had one big map that felt better to go through since it was densely packed. The map also made getting through all the side quests much easier as it was way less tedious. The side quests also didn't rely on random drops as much. However, the combat was worse for me. Character building is much more limited than the main game. You have less gear to play with and fewer characters to use them on. Unfortunately, the four characters you do get consist of 3 of my least favorite playstyles in the game. The story was also not as good and didn't really hook me in.

Overall, I still I feel that I liked the game overall, but there were some points were I was genuinely feeling miserable. Story was good but had a lot of rough spots. The gameplay ended up good, but had to go through a lot of tedium to get there.

We now return to Xenoblade Chronicles!

"You will recommend Xenoblade Chronicles to everyone you know."
"Xenoblade Chronicles is the best game you've ever played, except maybe Persona 5."
"You will never stop talking about Xenoblade Chronicles or Persona 5."

Played this after 2, and while I ended up enjoying 2 a bit more overall, this is is still a top tier JRPG. Amazing story, mostly great characters, and a very solid and satisfying ending. I came to the Xenoblade party a bit late and beat this around the time they announced Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and I am so grateful that I gave this series a chance because it's been one of the best gaming journeys I've ever been on.

Only reason I like 2 better is because the gameplay in 2 is considerably more fun and the ending sequence of 2 hit a bit harder for me, but this game does have more solid overall pacing and much better voice acting. Dialogue in this one is also a step up from 2.

Suffice to say, though, I'M REALLY FEELING IT

After playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2 first, I can say that this has got the more interesting overall story and cast, though that is not by much for me as I love all three of the games in this series almost equally. Though the only thing holding me back from giving this game a full 5 stars is some of the fights being weirdly difficult early on at times, then extremely easy later on. There was a strange imbalance I felt with them though I still had fun with overcoming the challenges set before me, even if it did include a couple hour long grind sessions for a level or two.

All in all, the story was amazing and the soundtrack to accompany the adventure is truly one of the most unrivaled in gaming. This is one of the best jrpgs to play, so if you do just remember to seize your destiny.