Addendum (4/26/24): A 2.1 patch dropped and gave the game another honest try, while there's still some pretty big problems with the overtuned difficulty of the emerald challenges, the kart handling, and very misplaced GP courses (really that first GP is a mess compared to the rest), there is a MARKED improvement as a whole with the way the game plays now.

This still needs some hefty lifting and work on its backend and I'm still not over the moon with it, but its a step in the right direction. I'm at least happy the devs seemed to have gotten over this attitude from older comments I've seen and actually taking the criticism to heart to make it better.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Between the hour long tutorial with constant info dumping mechanics, a mess of visual components making seeing the tracks difficult, and the mechanics of racing itself being overly complex with both a ring currency system for spending to keep your top speed up...

This game's a complete mess. I really enjoyed Sonic Robo blast 2 Kart for the fact it was heavily skill based but still goofy enough that it was in line with how Mario Kart plays. This is just overkill in the audio/visual department without much of a second thought given to the actual core gameplay of the game. So much focus went into shoving so many mechanics like fast drops, ring spending, tricks off springs, etc. that it feels less like I'm racing and praying to god I do finger gymnastics to even stay on the road.

I hope they strip back some of this game or better balance it because in its current state, it's a frustrating mess that isn't very fun to play and its tutorial is a FUCKING HOUR LONG that I spent that I genuinely didn't enjoy.

Y con esto, doy concluida mi maratón jugando los juegos principales de Sonic en 3D sin "spin-offs" o juegos extra, y que puedo decir, definitivamente fue un viaje lleno de altibajos muy marcados, pero me es casi imposible decir que a pesar de eso no lo disfruté, y sinceramente, Sonic Frontiers se consagra como uno de mis juegos favoritos del erizo no solo en 3D, sino posiblemente de toda la saga, sin ser obviamente una obra maestra y teniendo sus errores bien marcados, pero vamos por partes.

Sonic Frontiers nos coloca en una nueva aventura del erizo en donde esta vez nos vemos tragador por un agujero de gusano (más o menos) en donde nos vamos a otro mundo, si me llego a equivocar en algún punto de la historia no es mi culpa, muchas veces intenta profundizar de mas en cosas que no es necesario, además no quiero centrarme en este punto porque siento que más allá de la historia en si, el juego brilla por los temas que toca y la ambientación en si, a su vez de inspiraciones extremadamente marcadas que tiene, tanto como a Nier Automata, como a Evangelion (Así es amigos, esto es un juego de Sonic), y sinceramente, doy gracias que tome como base esto y trate de expandir otras cosas, es aquí donde puedo decir que eggman se convierte en uno de mis personajes favoritos de la historia por como lo presentan y la expansión de personaje que se le da aquí.

El tema jugable me sorprendió ya que siempre se vendió este juego como un mundo abierto (al menos por trailers o el boca a boca de la gente), y finalmente no fue así, si bien tiene elementos tomados de este genero como el mapa del mundo con marcas de todo tipo y cosas por hacer, finalmente me recuerda un poco más a lo que plantea xenoblade, escenarios enormes con mucho contenido por hacer, en sí no hay atalayas, y se siente muy bien el como están construidos los mapas, en ningún momento se hace pesado ya que estamos usando a Sonic, viaje rápido no eché en falta porque nuestro personaje corre rápido y los mapas están hechos para sentir progresión y no tener que hacer casi nunca backtracking, las mecánicas funcionan espectacular, no tuve problema con ninguna más allá de poder correr a velocidades enfermas cuando tienes el máximo de anillos, siento que el juego si bien tiene su historia y progresión a seguir, hasta cierto punto te suelta en los mapas y te dice "juega", y ese sentimiento es espectacular. La radio es uno de los mejores agregados ya que al estar jugando y recorriendo mapas grandes siempre es bueno tener una playlist y el juego te la da, las canciones son coleccionables repartidos por el mapa, pero se me hizo muy satisfactorio encontrarlas e ir cambiando de música mientras estaba jugando. Creo que el punto negativo que si encuentro de este es el hecho de que el juego tiene niveles típicos de Sonic en donde entrar y te dan llaves para progresar en la historia, pero estos sobran completamente, te hacen jugar green hill zone como 20 veces, los niveles duran menos de un minuto, se sientes puestos porque sí y sin ningún tipo de sentido, y los jefes si que es cierto que en escancia pasan a ser unos machaca botones sin mucho que pensar, pero ya vamos a llegar ahí.

Gráficamente el juego es hermoso, lo jugué en playstation 5 y sinceramente le encuentro muy pocas pegas, los escenarios tienen muy buenas texturas, siempre anduvo bien de fps, está todo muy bien detallado, si que es cierto que muchas veces el pop in de algunas cosas está raro, ya que hay veces que tienes que llegar a lugares elevados y no sabes como se llega a menos que te acerques y veas que la plataforma que tenias que usar no la veías por estar muy lejos. Los diseños de los enemigos pese a ser simples, cumplen bastante bien y son espectaculares, los encontré muy llamativos y no desentonan tanto con lo que debería ser un Sonic ya que son robots al fin y al cabo.

Ahora creo que voy a tocar el punto más importante para mi que es la música, si bien es cierto hay muchos temazos para los minijefes repartidos por el mapa o incluso el de las islas en sí, todos sabemos que el juego brilla por el ost de los jefes, y aqui quiero dar una pequeña historia. Hace mucho tiempo un pequeño Fanno estaba pasando por su adolescencia y pasó por "LA FASE" en donde se vestía de negro (aún lo hace) tenía el típico corte emo y escuchaba música de ese estilo de la época, y entre esas está la que nos ocupa hoy que es Sleeping with Sirens, y en serio, luego de muchos años, escuchar a Kellin Quinn que fue uno de los cantantes que más escuché en la época cantar canciones para Sonic es increíble, cada uno de los temas de jefes son demasiado buenos, y acompañan muy bien, me da igual que los jefes sean machacar botones, toda la epicidad que le dan con lo que son los visuales, Super Sonic haciendo técnicas muy vistosas y casi que vacilando a los robots gigantes con esa música de fondo (que aparte va cambiando dependiendo de la fase y el final de cada boss), estos momentos son donde el juego llega al peak más alto de toda la historia, hay hasta una puta referencia a Final Fantasy Sonic X (No es coincidencia, yo se que es una referencia directa y nadie me hará cambiar de idea).

En conclusión he de decir que a pesar de todo, está maratón me hizo aprender de como fue evolucionando una saga, todos los problemas que esta a presentado a lo largo de los años, sus problemas de identidad, ideas extrañas y otras bastante buenas, pero que terminaban ejecutándose mal, varios momentos pensé en tirar la toalla porque en serio habían juegos malos, pero creo que nunca bajar los brazos es una enseñanza que me llevo de esto, porque nunca sabemos que vendrá después, puedo decir que me convertí en un fan de Sonic, esperaré sus siguientes juegos, y espero que hayan aprendido con este juego todo lo bueno que se puede hacer con el personaje, y todo lo malo que se puede ir puliendo y arreglando, finalmente, voy a hacer trampa con el tema de la canción favorita porque lo amerita (muy difícil elegir solo una), así que subanle el volumen, sigan sus sueños y nunca se rindan, porque como dice el primer tema de los jefes, "Puedes tirarme a los lobos, PORQUE SOY INVENCIBLE"

Canciones Favoritas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_FRDqHT5y0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL0Z9UvDW3c

I played this using the Yakuza Restored Patch on my jailbroken ps2, you can find that patch here and I'd highly recommend it. Ive heard this game has some obnoxious loading issues, but considering I was playing this off of my HDD I won't really factor that into my review as it never was really a problem. https://youtu.be/YXsiu9PUbxM?si=AebYm1WSkwDOm7NV

This game definitely gets a bad rap nowadays. People will just say to play the remake or skip it entirely. I've heard people say it's unplayable and that the combat is so bad. I really wanted to challenge that perception and start at beggining. Playing them from the two remakes, back to the older three games, then back to the new stuff just sounds a bit unappealing to me. I'd much rather see it's roots and how it grew mechanically. I'm glad I did because I found a lot to love about this despite its issues.

The star of the show here is Kamurocho. It's such a well realized setting, it's densely packed with unique interactions, big crowds, beautiful fixed camera shots, and fun stuff to do. I don't think I've felt an open city setting feel quite as alive as this. It's also just drenched in atmosphere. Thick fog, appropriate use of motion blur, very unique lighting are all indicative of the strengths of the ps2 aesthetic.

I think the story is quite good here and it helped me truck through the game. I really love all the characters. There were some really neat twists that actually got me, and it all comes together by the end. Kiryu's relationship with Haruka is the heart of this game and I really like how despite losing so much he finds a new family in her. I do have a hard time following these dense kind of noir stories, so I'm glad the broad strokes of the story satisfied me.

I think the combat isn't great, but it's definitely not unplayable. I think an issue with it is that it makes a bad first impression. Your dodge sucks, the lock on has a strange learning curve to it and your move set is very limited. But as you upgrade stuff and do more side missions that give you new moves, it does start to open up and become more functional. This is one of those where you just get stunlocked and knocked on your ass a lot which can be annoying. And also the game is just a bit too easy? Other than some weird bosses that kicked my ass it never really presents a challenge. And when it does get more intense the game showers you with restorative items. So you kinda just get into a lull of repetition with it. But I'd argue the game isn't really trying to give you the deepest combat system, what makes the game special is the experience of it and all the things you can do in the city, and that aspect of it really worked for me. It gets dangerously close to being boring but the game always picks itself up.

This series is definitely prohibitive to new players to catch up, I totally understand if someone wants to start with one of the more recent ones. But I think Yakuza 1 has a lot going for it and shouldn't be forgotten. If you really appreciate the ps2 era then you really should try it and see if you like it. It's a very unique experience and it was fun to experience the humble begginings of this giant series.

Estos días he estado leyendo el blog de Liz Ryerson, ya había jugado problem attic pero apenas había leído lo que escribe (si pueden chequenlo, es bastante bueno https://ellaguro.blogspot.com/?m=1) así que me dio por volver a jugar a su obra después de mucho tiempo, seré honesto, la primera vez lo hice no entendí mucho, trate de hacer como que me gustaba para ser lo chicos cool fans de Beat bit beet y de los juegos underground etc. Ahora que al menos soy un poco más sincero conmigo mismo decidí darle una nueva oportunidad y... No esperaba sentirme tan cautivado. El juego esta dividido en 3 partes, en la primara el juego presenta desafíos bastante Claros y establece unas reglas concretas, como cualquier otro juego de plataformas, llegar a la meta y ya esta, pero en las siguientes 2 fases el juego va subvirtiendo las expectativas cambiando radicalmente las reglas y obligandote a adaptarte, forzarte a entender, entonces los desafíos del juego se vuelven más obtusos e incluso se repiten anteriores niveles pero aplicando las nuevas reglas, manteniendo el avance del juego no solo fresco al ir planteando variaciones muy creativas, sino que cumple la función de transmitir el dolor e incondidad de tener que encajar en un molde ya preestablecido, de tener que moldearte a la fuerza por razones que no entiendes, es incómodo, es desagradable.

Muchas veces se nos mete dentro de cajas de zapatos estrechas donde tenemos que obligarnos a encajar todo para ser "normales" encajar en una serie de moldes ya pre hechos sin nuestro consentimiento. Yo no sufro disforia de género, así que no puedo entender del todo el dolor de Lyz, pero si puedo identificarme con ese sentimiento de estar metido en una caja de zapatos hermética, salvando las distancias, pude sentir su dolor y creo que eso de lo más bonito que puede haber , poder compartir experiencias y sensaciones sin importar la distancia.

A poor jump into 3D for the franchise, much weaker than Sonic's. Taking away content, having only 4 abilities which are only used for combat, even though they operate basically the same in those scenarios.

Combat is worse, AI sometimes can't handle you simply moving. But you don't need to move anyway, the parrying is super generous and, thus, overpowered. You just stand in place, parry roughly around the time the enemy attacks, charge your powerup bar and win. The previous game at least gave you a new power for charging up the bar. Here it's just a damage modifier.

I really hate it when games add random curves along a straight path just to make moving forward actually move you a little bit to the side. Makes the typically hands-off moments annoying. Usually, 3D Sonic game would put a nice spectacle for you to enjoy while you run through these. Not here.

Bigger focus on the story. Doesn't do much for me. Fark is boring protagonist. Game's so short that nothing sticks. The cutscenes are poor, models don't look great when you zoom in on them, and the sound effects are silly.

Levels have hidden alcoves and collectibles hidden along them. That's the best thing about them. It's cool to spot them while running. I am not fond of pretty much anything else in the level design. Very, very straightforward, but, like previously mentioned, it lacks any spectacle. Although there were moments where I was confused where I'm at.

There's a lot of glitches. Everywhere. Ones that aren't consistent and are super annoying. The map, on which you select levels. sometimes resets you to the first position and doesn't register that the next location opened straight away, there's a small delay. Small annoyance, but it's only one of many. Biggest one is probably that surface detection is pretty wonky. Sloped surfaces are treated like walls, and walls can no longer be stuck to with a hold of a button, like in the first game. Another bad change.

You have more control of the camera while running as compared to Sonic. I realized that that's not the best idea very quick. Set camera works really well for Sonic, it makes for memorable moments and the games still control well during perspective switches. Here, there's more chaos if you, for example, want to see what's ahead, so you flick the stick, but then you lose control because there's a slight turn, and the character moves in relation to the position of the camera.

The worst design decision is definitely adding a delay to the dash ability. Perhaps the single biggest reason why the game feels sluggish at times, and why the in-stage combat does too. It's weird that one of the best ideas 3D Sonic had gets implemented into a game like this and butchered so badly.

Very disappointed by this. I am a bigger fan of the 3D Sonic style, but I don't think this game quite got it. Here's hoping improvements were made in the third installment.

Mucha gente dice que este juego es malo, y saben que? Están todos equivocados, decir que es malo es solo un 0,0000000000000001% de lo aberrante que llega a ser, solo lo aguanté 3 mundos, la música es lo más rescatable pero hasta ahí no más, da cringe, los gráficos son horribles, se reutilizan animaciones, los devs parece que nunca jugaron un videojuego porque con un control de 8 botones se usa solo 1 para jugar, todo lo que plantea lo hace mal y peor, no entiendo lo historia, no se explica nada, las cosas pasan porque si, y podría hablar 700 horas de lo malo que es este juego solo habiendo jugado 3 mundos, no necesito más.

Lo que puedo concluir aquí es que solamente por este juego yuji naka debería tener 3 cadenas perpetuas.

Moon: Remix RPG Adventure exists in a dream, in a space of blended influences and distorted memories of childhood fantasies. From the claymation to the oddly realistic yet amorphous textures, Moon's visual style belongs to the imaginations of every child who grew up with games. The obvious jpeg artifacting and audio compression highlight the limitations of the technology in such a way that it reminds the player that this is, in fact, a game. It works as an immersive piece because it is not conventionally immersive. Trudging through these moments of jank and noticing the visual imperfections serve to ground the game in its commentary on the interactions players have with games themselves.

Moon: Remix RPG Adventure has a very strict time limit per day and the only way to reset the day is to go to sleep, which also lets the game save and for the player to deposit their love (xp equivalent) to the Love Queen. This mechanic, paired with the large world and slow movement, forces the player to prioritize and create a plan for what they are going to do in a day. Moon traps the player into only doing a certain amount of tasks per day to commentate on the the grind heavy and slow progression of other RPGs and the unhealthy binge that those games are designed to keep players in. Even if someone does binge Moon, there are still calculated moments of rest (even from the already relaxing world) and instead, rewards the player for taking breaks. Even when the timer expands to fit multiple days per run, the player still feels motivated to create a plan and because it fits with the design language of the world. The game's tone is so free-spirited and patient that blasting through it all harms the experience. It was nice to let myself get lost doing a couple small tasks and then calling it early and returning home. Moon incentivizes slower play and, in turn, fosters intrinsic motivation for the player to complete everything, save every animal and talk to every character.

Moon is a game within a game where the player first takes control of The Hero in fake "Moon" and plays like they would their average JRPG: looting houses, grinding for EXP, and searching for the next monster to slay. Then the boy who controls fake "Moon" is transported into the game, not as The Hero, but an invisible being who is left to internalize the other NPCs reactions to The Hero and witness their path of corpses. To save animals, you do not catch them per se, but catch their souls and then return them to their body. Each soul is attached to a habit that the animal had while they were alive. It gives a personality and quirky innocence to everyone that The Hero massacred. The real protagonist is left to pick up after themselves and confront their brutality. Its "anti-rpg" design enables the player to form a relationship with the animals and characters as their service is not characterized by violence, but by mending the damage. Instead of bonding through the defeat of the oppressor, the player's emotions are derived from a need to secure peace and save the world from themselves. Moon's overarching narrative about being an invisible helping hand runs counter to the God-like status players tend to work towards in other games and to The Hero's goals. It broke the way that I look at violence in video games. Anytime I fight a tonberry in Final Fantasy, battle Pokemon or even shoot down a grunt in Halo, I will think back to what Moon forced me to experience and lament on what anyone could only imagine exists beyond the code.






But fuck that fishing minigame. Six hours of my life I will never get back.

La libertad de hacer lo que te plazca sabiendo que tienes tiempo de sobra, el saber que el bienestar de generaciones enteras dependen de tus conocimientos y experiencia sobrehumana que rebasa contra el tiempo, ó cumplir con una promesa, son algunas de las maneras en que los individuos de esta travesía milenaria podrían interpretar su objetivo ante la búsqueda de una respuesta a la misma pregunta: ¿Qué es lo que verdaderamente mantiene vivo a un ser inmortal?

El núcleo de Lost Odyssey radica en la exploración de su mundo que, además de ayudarnos a darle más trasfondo al conflicto principal, sirve para conectar con las múltiples anécdotas de nuestros personajes durante sus 1000 años de vida. Esto es contado a través de pequeños relatos donde tratan el cómo las personas de distintas eras y lugares tratan las diferentes maneras en que relacionan el concepto de "Morir" y "Vivir", con el fin afrontar poco a poco con el agridulce destino de nunca poder fallecer, o al menos, no de una manera convencional.

Su sistema de combate da para hablar de igual manera. Desde su sistema, anillos, enlaces y posicionamiento, es un juego en el que te recompensa por relacionarte con todos y cada uno de los miembros de tu party y estar cambiando constantemente de estrategias si no quieres ver un Game Over constantemente. Hay ocasiones en las que vas a estar jugando de forma agresiva para aprovechar la velocidad de tus turnos, hay otras en las que vas a la defensiva para restaurar tu barra de defensa y así evitar daños peores a lo largo del combate y otras veces vas a tomar decisiones tan repentinas como sacrificar a miembros de tu equipo con el fin de aprovechar su inmortalidad. Todo puede pasar, pero ten por seguro que tu ingenio y precisión se verán recompensados.

Llegado el momento de la conclusión de la experiencia, el juego decide terminar con la cuestión principal de sus protagonistas y dejándolos con distintas catarsis con respecto a su manera en que interpretaron el significado de la vida en ese eterno milenio de dudas, sin embargo, algo pueden compartir entre cada uno de ellos: Hagan lo que hagan, así dure un día o la eternidad, el objetivo de vivir siempre será tener un "por qué" hacer lo que haces y por "quién" hacerlo para así tenerlo siempre presente en tu memoria.

[Game Director]
- Mounir Radi

[Senior Game Designer]
- Rèmi Boutin

[Combat Designer]
- Lucas Sachez
- Paul Bordeau
- Red Cochennec

[Level Designer]
- Bertrand Israel
- Yannick Patet
- Gregory Palvadeu
- Erwan Cochon
- Alvin Chambost
- Tom Guiraud
- Alberto Portero Ariza

Praise their names instead of Ubisoft.

De antemano, digo que me gustó el final y creo que el odio es exagerado, su complejidad no es tanta como lo hacen notar.

Con eso fuera, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth puede competir en ser uno de los mejores FF o RPGs de la historia, lo que hace es increíble.

Uno de sus puntos más fuertes es el cast, el cual lo han desarrollado a más no poder, dándonos todo tipo de momentos que fluyen las emociones de quienes acompañan a Cloud para que los podamos a entender en distintos niveles, de tal manera, que además los hacen sentir como un verdadero equipo unido que se preocupan unos de otros. Súmale valores de producción, gráficos y animaciones que expresan sin miedo a lo absurdo las personalidades bombásticas de cada miembro de la party.

El gameplay lo amo, amé con toda mi alma lo que presentó Remake y me pone contento que Square Enix lo entienda y solo lo mejore en vez de reemplazarlo, es una mezcla PERFECTA entre acción y turnos, dándonos lo mejor de los dos mundo, aunque más de turnos. Gracias a la materia tenemos personalización pero sin perder la identidad jugable de cada party member, esto es gracias a sus habilidades únicas, movesets que se notan más al tener acción, entre otras cosas. En esta versión agregaron los ataques de sinergia, que son preciosos y aportan a la fluidez del combate y manejo de recursos, donde tienes que priorizar qué beneficios quieres sobre otros.

¿Y la música? Qué poronga la música, es que es de no creer, es irreal lo extenso que es este OST, hay un tema para todo, hasta PARA UNA SIDE QUEST DE UN PERRITO, y todo de una calidad que supera a Remake, es absurdo el OST de este juego, es que en serio por algo el soundtrack será de 8 discos, te puedes hacer una playlist como de una semana solo con arreglos del Chocobo Theme.

En fin... Sin ir más allá, para mi es un excelente parte 2, el mundo es enorme, la duración justificada y los cambios de historias fueron para todos mejor, me sigue asustando a qué podrán apuntar los cambios más drásticos, pero mis teorías dan para algo que me gusta, pero eso lo sabremos en la tercera parte.

Length Warning. No, seriously. This is one of the longest reviews on Backloggd, if not THE longest. With that said, I’ve organized my thoughts and analysis between 36 titled chapters, so feel free to skip around and read whichever ones grab your interest. Spoilers for the Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy.

THE ORIGIN OF TOMORROW: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF XENOBLADE CHRONICLES 3

Aionios (Greek: aionioß) · without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be · "Without end, never ceasing, eternal". [you know, sort of like this review]

From the outset of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, director Tetsuya Takahashi, and more broadly the entire Monolith Soft team, set out with the express intent of merging the "Best of Both Worlds" of Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Funnily enough, though, in their attempt to assimilate the strengths of these two titles, which are similarly beloved but in very different ways, they veer in an entirely new direction which ends up forgoing much of the appeal from both of those games. An appeal, might I add, which is sure to fall short for certain sections of the Xenoblade fanbase, if not inherently because of its nature as an "artistic compromise". This is particularly true for the fans who are diehards of ONE specific Xenoblade title rather than both, regardless of if it’s for XC1 or XC2.

So, while XC3 can certainly be defined as a “union” of these two past games, it might be more useful to instead contextualize this union through one of a few distinct analogies. Think of XC3 as a chemical reaction of sorts. XC1 and XC2 are like chemical compounds, each with their own makeup which determine their unique appeal and merit. But through the Merge, the in-game union and catalyst which led to the creation of the world setting and subsequent narrative of XC3, those starting compounds were rearranged beyond recognition.

Second, it may be helpful to liken the union of these two games to conception. XC1 and XC2 are like the parents, which joined together to birth the child that is XC3. This offspring might be entirely composed of the genetic material of its parents. However, the rearrangement of their properties, not to mention the inherently unique circumstances of their existence, instead birthed something completely new; a game which carved out an entirely distinct niche in practicality.

Third, to relate this union to in-game terminology, you can even liken the existence of XC3 to an Interlink between XC1 and XC2. Two worlds being drawn ever closer together by their opposing attraction and narrative longing. In combat terms, this is represented by two members of Ouroboros combining to fill an entirely new role than either the Kevesi or Agnian member held prior.

Well, regardless of how you choose to look at this Merge, either literally or symbolically, the same truth remains. The end product may bear external resemblance to its predecessors, but the end result is different enough in practicality to have a predominantly unique appeal. Alongside this uniquely emerging appeal, however, has come a slew of issues, both major and minor. Many consider XC3’s villains who uphold their newfound status quo to be dull, underwritten, and sometimes even outright bad. Hell, you can even justifiably debate whether the main antagonist is a character or not to begin with. Even as someone who has massive respect for what they tried to do with Z as a villain (and succeeded in doing, I should clarify), I’m not gonna sit here and pretend Z has the same level of sauce as the likes of Egil and Malos.

Another predominant issue which arose from this Merge is that there is an ungodly amount of shit going on in XC3. And unfortunately, no matter how you look at it, the vast majority of that content and the ideas it presents feel undercooked. There are two games worth (hell, even THREE games worth if we’re counting the potential for expansion through a prequel) of ideas here. Two or three games worth of shit all “Merged” into one conglomerate. Even after a 250 hour playthrough, extensive research, and discussion with friends about the deeper lore, I’ve come out of XC3 with more questions than I came in with.

There is little point arguing that XC3 falls well short of what it could have achieved, particularly with its worldbuilding. Not just as a unique piece of art on its own merits, but as an idealized union of its predecessors. Hell, I don't even like XC1 or XC2 that much anyway. So what does this say about the “missed opportunities incarnate” that is XC3? This can't possibly bode well for a game that exists as an artistically homogenized conglomerate of two games I don't even like that much to begin with?

Well, you saw the rating. I’ll drop the facade: Against all odds, this is one of my absolute favorite games ever.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is one of the most ambitious, emotionally poignant, and thematically layered pieces of art I have ever experienced. Those criticisms I just called attention to were not hyperbole for the sake of misdirection. I won’t deny any of them, nor can you even really dispute them at all, for the most part. But despite the thousand different ways this game can be considered a majestic fuckup, it still manages to be pure magic from beginning to end. It single-handedly revitalized (and exponentially grew) my enthusiasm for a franchise that I’ve desperately tried to love for nearly ten years but never remotely have. Never, until now.

Also, interestingly enough, this game is... kind of ass. Like, more so than the previous two. But, if anything, that only further serves to make how strong my feelings are about what this game set out to do, and ended up achieving, all the more impressive.

As we approach the beginning of the analysis itself, I’d like to repeat my warning one more time. XC3 surprised me in ways I didn’t think possible. I really would recommend giving it a try for yourself before continuing. But if you’d rather just let me try to sell you on it, that’s cool too, I guess: So, one last time: Spoiler warning. Length warning. Really, I’m not stressing this again for nothing. This introduction might SEEM like overkill, but comparatively, it’s nothing. We haven’t even gotten started yet. If you intend on reading further, I’d recommend searching up one of the 10,000 generic “Relaxing Xenoblade Music” compilations or whatever on YouTube. They're all exactly the same. There is so much to say that I have no choice but to gush and rant about this game--for what will probably take hours to read. Whether I want it to be or not, communicating my feelings about this game is a utterly massive undertaking. And, considering how important it is to me as a piece of art, its MANY flaws and all, I can’t in good faith make any major compromises.

I’m completely aware that a text review of THIS scope inherently limits the audience of people interested in hearing me out to like… two people?? That said, I’d be appreciative of any Xenoblade fans or, again, people who just don’t give a shit about having the game spoiled for them to come along for the ride. This goes double for those who were let down by XC3, because I intend to explore ways in which this game can be seen as both a resounding, and yet gloriously human, failure. I know it’s a hell of a lot to ask, so again, feel free to skip around to whatever chapter’s material catches your eye the most.

Lastly, please do keep in mind that my intentions with the more analytical and worldbuilding-centric chapters were never to unearth mind-shattering revelations about the lore that have never been brought up before now. I’m far from a seasoned theorycrafter, and my limited knowledge on the Xeno games outside the trilogy doesn’t help. But at the very least, I hope to contribute to the conversation with my own perspective, perhaps sharing some manner of unique insight for you to consider along the way.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 means the world to me, and I never for a second saw it coming. Hopefully, by the end of this review, I can convince you to feel the same.

CHAPTER 0: ORIGIN (mine, not the big black robot egg thing)
(Preface, My History and Experience with Xenoblade Chronicles)

I guess I’ll begin with a quick rundown of my history with the franchise, since I do think this context from which my thoughts are coming from is important. But if you really couldn’t care less and just want the analysis, go ahead and skip to Chapter 1.

Anyway, I have not played Xenogears nor the Xenosaga trilogy (though I did manage to snag episode 3 on eBay recently, so… soon™). However, I have played the directly relevant Xenoblade Chronicles titles. So, XC1, 2, and now 3 (not X yet either sadly, though it does look insanely rad. That Hiroyuki Sawano OST tho). This is important since, from what I’ve gathered, XC3 does harken back to imagery and builds on concepts explored as far back as Xenogears. As such, I won’t be commenting on those much, if at all, here. This essay will be almost entirely focused on XC3 and XC3 alone. Even continuity stuff will be primarily glossed over.

As for my history with XC1/2, I’ll keep my thoughts on them to just this one section. Frankly, I don’t think my thoughts on either game are unique enough to merit talking about at length. Long story short: I’ve always considered Xenoblade to be pretty decent, but have never considered myself to give any sort of shit about the franchise in a serious way. Well, certainly not to the extent everyone else has always seemed to for either XC1 or XC2. I do distinctly remember XC1 grabbing me early on, and overall continued to far more than XC2 did for the majority of its runtime. Between its diverse world setting and legendary soundtrack, you’d be hard-pressed to argue how impressive or important of a game the original Xenoblade Chronicles was.

But in terms of its narrative? I genuinely feel like the coolest thing about the “narrative” of XC1 (if you can even call it that) was the story of Operation Rainfall. That shit rules. In terms of the REAL story, the character writing and design (for everyone not named Melia), its combat/gameplay loop, and my simple absence of emotional investment... I was pretty bummed to realize that XC1 didn’t quite do it for me. At least not the way it seems to for most other players. It’s the sort of game I had the most fun with when I was just wandering around, exploring its massive environments and getting lost in the field music. Like, rather than actually playing the game.

XC2 moved even further away from the sort of thing I vibe with. It did have the same aforementioned strengths as XC1, hell I’d even consider 2’s soundtrack more dynamic and consistent than 1’s, probably. But again, I noticed my long term enthusiasm for the series slowly diminishing through just about every other aspect of XC2; from major issues like its impressively lethargic combat/questing/gameplay loop, to countless minor issues. Just to name the first of my basic bitch complaints which come to mind: Rex’s salvager outfit having been carefully crafted by a team of elite scientists in order to create bitchlessness incarnate. No, the irony of assessing Rex this way is not lost on me after having finished XC3. Yes, we will talk about it a bit later.

Leading up to the release of XC3, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to bother buying it to begin with. I had trouble justifying such a huge time commitment for yet another entry in a series I’ve never been particularly fond of. My interest in Xenoblade had only continued to wane over time, to the point where I completely passed up on XC2’s various DLC updates, the XC2 Torna the Golden Country expansion game, as well as XC1 Definitive Edition’s new “Future Connected” epilogue game. However, after playing XC3, my view of the franchise has completely flipped on its head. The Xeno Series has, seemingly out of nowhere, established itself among those whose futures I find myself most enthusiastic about.

Well, in a roundabout way, I guess. It’s clear this is the swan song for Takahashi’s vision and the current saga’s ongoing narrative. So ironically, it only really succeeded at hyping me up for Takashi’s previous works, namely Xenogears and Xenosaga. I’ll 100% be playing both of these in the near future. But the ACTUAL future of the franchise is now entirely left up in the air once again. But, well, if you’ve played XC3, you’ve probably immediately realized why this is so incredibly fitting. An endless unknown, a future you largely cannot control or even predict; this is what XC3 says is worth fighting for.

Fighting to live- rather than to stagnate. Living to fight- rather than submitting to fearful contentment.

With that out of the way, let’s start talking about that one funni British anime shōnen game I actually DO give a fuck about.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

CHAPTER 1 - THE ENDLESS NOW: FIGHT TO LIVE, LIVE TO FIGHT
(Initial thoughts, Opening Cinematic, and Preliminary Themes)

“Fighting in order to live. And living to fight. That's the way of our world, Aionios. Cruel irony that it should mean "eternity". Because slowly but surely, our world is now dying. Even though we have yet to realize that fact." -Noah, Chapter 1

SUBSECTION 1: QUALITY OF LIFE
I know this review has already had a TON of framing, already, but we’re getting there, trust me. Anyway, let me just get my absolute first impressions out of the way before getting to the meat of the game itself. From the first moments I booted up Xenoblade Chronicles 3, I was repeatedly hit with pangs of hope to believe that this game might resonate with me the way I always hoped prior entries would. This actually started before I even began the game through its various quality of life options available in the menu. Yes, starting the first chapter by reviewing the options is thrilling, I know. It’ll be quick, just humor me. A hard difficulty setting was available right out of the gates, unlike in the original releases of XC1 and XC2. It gives you the option to review tutorials on literally any of the game’s hundreds of mechanics / systems, even going so far as to provide drills for the most important ones (i.e. combos, interlinking, chain attacks etc.) to ensure a thorough understanding of how they function. It might sound trivial, but if you played XC2 completely blind like I did, you know damn well just how stark a contrast this is.

But perhaps most importantly, to me at least, it gives you the ability to turn off the minimap and various HUD elements out the door. For a huge, modern JRPG release, this is a surprisingly rare consideration. Considering how big and open Xenoblade games are, this feature alone was an easy way to win me over before even starting a new game. When I play a game that emphasizes scope and exploration, I prefer to use my eyes to do so, rather than having them glued to the corner of my screen as I stare unblinkingly at a smol yellow arrow. I’m not sure why this is even remotely debatable, but for those who do enjoy that sort of thing, more power to ya, really. At least you’ll be able to play Dragon Quest XI without the burning urge to tape a circular piece of cardboard to the bottom-left corner of your TV. Anyway, once I booted up the game proper, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 grabbed me by the balls and seldom let go for the next 250 or so hours I spent within the world of Aionios.

SUBSECTION 2: THE OPENING CINEMATIC OF XENOBLADE CHRONICLES 3
Let’s start from the very beginning: Despite having zero context or explicit knowledge about the greater significance of this game’s opening cutscene, the abrupt time-stop and aggressively cryptic merge sequence that followed had my stomach-churning from the intensity of its visual presentation and sound design alone. Likewise, it had my mind churning in a desperate attempt to make any semblance of sense out of it. What was I watching? What did it mean? At that moment, just as Noah was, I was utterly helpless; incapable of anything beyond paralyzed, yet conscious, bewilderment.

The battle between Colony 9 and Colony Sigma immediately follows. This sequence only pressed harder on the gas, intriguing me further about the nature and machinations of Aionios (yes, the word choice reflecting XC1’s titans here was deliberate. No, there isn’t any huge meaning behind it, I just thought it was cute). The parallels to XC1’s iconic opening battle were effective at initially grabbing your attention, to be sure. However, what really kept me intrigued here was the incessantly bleak tone which leaked from every orifice of XC3’s opening cinematic. The battle takes place on Torchlight Hill, a commonplace battleground found on the Aetia Region’s Everblight Plain. A sprawling, yet decidedly lifeless, landscape. Nothing but brown, rocky terrain as far as the eye can see. The only thing lining its surface which resembled life was a sea of Kevesi and Agnian husks- corpses. Hundreds of soldiers, belonging to the diametrically opposed forces of Keves and Agnus, both of which run across the length of this barren land, paved with bodies, to clash at the battlefield’s center. Fighting to live. Living to fight. From the moment you hear this phrase, you as the player are indoctrinated into the conspiracy which is the Endless Now. A phrase which loops back onto itself evermore, like a Moebius strip. No beginning, no end, just continually looping for eternity. From the first time you hear this phrase, you are keyed in to what constitutes the entire thematic crux of XC3’s 250-hour journey: The Endless Now.

SUBSECTION 3: FERRONIS, STEEL GOD OF THE BATTLEFIELD
Of perhaps greater significance than the soldiers themselves, in hindsight, was the overwhelming presence of the two colonies’ respective Ferronises. A Ferronis is a mobile assault weapon which doubles as a shelter for each colony. Just as fallen soldier husks lay below the feet of their surviving comrades, those same surviving soldiers lay at the feet of the warring colonies’ Ferronises. These two giant hulking steel masses were, on the surface, the ultimate prize for the opposing colony, as the Ferronis is what holds the Flame Clock, along with all the opposing colonies’ life force housed within it. Thematically, though, the Ferronises serve to sow yet another seed within the player. They depict how, in the grand scheme of the Moebius conspiracy, these soldiers’ capabilities and contributions are explicitly predetermined and more importantly, utterly superfluous to the greater conflict. They don’t shy away from this fact, either. It’s made apparent from the start, as we see the Ferronises make their way across the battlefield, crushing countless bodies beneath their feet. Like a two-ton truck driving over a patch of earthworms.

Their presence, both literally and symbolically, completely tramples the individual soldier’s personal resolve and abilities. Whether they’re driven by motivation from the military ambition upon which they were raised and trained to uphold. Their brainwashed bigotry from Moebius-orchestrated propaganda. Or even their burning desire to avenge their fallen comrades. An individual soldier’s capacity for impacting the war is inherently dwarfed by that of a single Ferronis. Dwarfed to the point where their efforts might as well not exist to begin with. Each soldier is likely no bigger than a single bolt on these steel monstrosities. Not even the entirety of their most elite squadrons could hope to match the sheer firepower of a single blast from one of the Ferronis’ various weapon installations. And yet, both sides were unwavering in their pursuit of bloodshed- all to feed the ever-draining Flame Clock.

The name Ferronis (Japanese: 鉄巨神, Tetsu Kyoshin, lit. Iron Giant God) reflects both that of the Bionis (Japanese: 巨神, Kyoshin, lit. Giant God) and the Titans of Alrest (Japanese: 巨神獣, Kyoshin-jū, lit. Giant Divine Beasts). It’s clear that Moebius’ propaganda even bleeds into their naming conventions- at least in the original script. There is even evidence to back up the literal intent behind these names, given the nature of Origin as an archive of the two World’s pre-Merge data. This further emphasizes the machines’ overpowering significance, by comparing them to Gods. Gods which control the battlefield which happens to be occupied by the soldiers, who are naught but superfluous pawns in comparison.

This also serves to tie the Ferronises under that banner of “a product which embodies the best of both worlds”. Keep in mind that both Agnian and Kevesi Ferronises are later revealed to be constructed in the exact same facilities within Origin. Origin, of course, is a facility whose inception crossed multiple dimensions; an arc that quite literally sought to preserve the best both worlds had to offer. With the Queen of Keves Melia falling captive to Z, the progenitor of Moebius, the mechanical prowise and wisdom of both worlds has fallen entirely into their hands.

SUBSECTION 4: FERRONIS, LENS AND PROXY OF MOEBIUS
Because of this, it’s easy to extrapolate these Ferronises as the concept of Moebius themselves, carrying out their will on the front lines of battle. Because the soldiers’ efforts are largely individualized, it’s important that they’re dwarfed in comparison by something Moebius can maintain direct control over. In this sense, think of the Ferronis as the “Great Equalizer”, ensuring the Endless Now remains in perfect balance on the front lines. There are other means through which Moebius makes sure this is accomplished, like the intermediary of Colony 0, but more on that later.

Anyway, the Ferronises are Gods towering over the pawns which comprise both Keves and Agnus, watching them struggle in vain as they continue to propagate Moebius’ very own Endless Now. It’s an impressive personification of two of XC3’s most prominent themes. Not only does it reflect the individual soldier’s bleak powerlessness in this opening cutscene, but Moebius adds insult to injury in doing so through the “slice of godhood” known as Ferronises. They stand as an aggregate product of Origin, both of which are later discovered to be Ouroboros’ single beacon of hope (by proxy of Flame Clock liberation, and later, reclaiming and resetting the interdimensional ark). But during this opening cutscene, these Ferronises are the very embodiment of overpowering hopelessness. What was intended as the Queen’s own beacon of hope is now being used against them. To trivialize their individual efforts and keep them in check as they unknowingly play into the hand of Moebius’ continued prosperity.

They act as enslaved chess pieces subject to the whims of intelligent and tyrannical superiors (seen thru Consuls literally playing chess while sippin life juice). Keves and Agnus soldiers alike carried out the one and only act they’ve ever known. The act they were born to carry out. Were indoctrinated in through textbook propaganda to carry out. Were trained in the art of war to carry out. And eventually, were encoded to instinctually carry out- by what they falsely presumed to be their own free will: Fight to live, live to fight.

SUBSECTION 5: A POINT IN TIME, A THEMATIC MICROCOSM
In all honesty, this battle between Keves and Agnus can be viewed as a microcosm for the entirety of the conspiratorial conflict as orchestrated by Moebius. It even fits as such beyond this illusion of free will and trivial value depicted through the individual soldier. This battle is portrayed by the soldiers as an intense, high-stakes fight to protect the lives of themselves and their loved ones. And while this might be true on the surface, after looking back on this scene in hindsight, XC3 makes it abundantly clear that their struggle was utterly meaningless.

Each and every life lost in this battle would just be reborn to continue carrying out the cycle. Perhaps more importantly, this entire battle, despite resulting in the demise of ENTIRE colony through Colony Sigma, it was just one of the countless battles that took place on this exact strip of land. Not to mention, the one example of prior Everblight Plain battle records we’re explicitly given details how Shido, then known as All-Slayer Oleg, led Colony Chi single-handedly in the brutal onslaught of an entire Kevesi colony before the events of the game. Considering the long-term ramifications of this battle, even beyond the destruction of an entire colony, it’s clear that the battle between Colony 9 and Colony Sigma wasn’t even among the most important battles in this ONE specific battlefield. This fact only further drives home the futility radiating from every shot and line from this opening sequence. None of it meant a thing. Ironically, this is what made it so meaningful- through its thematic poignancy alone.

This bleak tone even doubles back onto that very first scene, which portrays the Merge through the eyes of Noah. Time quite literally stopped around him, a fact he was cognizant of given that he managed to resist the time-freeze for a few seconds beyond everything else. There was no one to ask for help, no one to explain to him what was happening. There was no means by which the young Noah could interfere personally. He was an ordinary child, standing there helplessly as he witnessed the literal apocalypse. Not just the destruction of his World of Bionis, but both Worlds. It goes without saying that, in a situation like this, ignorance is bliss. In this sense, it could even be viewed as an uncharitable argument IN FAVOR of the Endless Now. After all, freezing time indefinitely was the only was to avoid the horror and destruction that would arise from the impact of the Merge.

Anyway, Noah’s persisting sentience only served to further instill him with utter helplessness. The explicit meaning or ramifications of this scene aren’t made apparent to Noah nor the player until right near the end of the game. However, this does explain why these two scenes work so well in tandem in and of itself. It’s no wonder they were so effective in eliciting an intense response of discomfort even upon my first viewing, even if it was entirely instinctual or subconscious.

SUBSECTION 6: A TRIUMPH IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Even outside the overflowing thematic importance which this opening scene establishes, it’s just phenomenally well put together in every regard (well, aside from the combat tutorial which babies you into submission as you wait 20 seconds for each of Noah’s arts to recharge). The way these scenes flow into one another symbolically (but also literally, through the interspersed bits of gameplay) is just… incredible. The way it illustrates that oppressively bleak tone in a way that completely overpowers the surface level action and intensity of war felt reminiscent of the opening to Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga. Just, yknow, without the cheesy Matrix bullshit (I say this as endearingly as possible btw, that shit rules).

But yeah, I’ll probably say it five more times over the course of this review, but this game is unbelievably cinematic from beginning to end. It was pretty early into the game that I first made the claim that this is the single most cinematic JRPG ever created. By the time you get to Chapter 5’s 1-2 straight hours of cutscenes, which bring you all the way from the abyss of despair to the soaring heights of triumphant catharsis, there’s little debating it in my mind.

The sheer awe generated from these cutscenes isn’t a remotely uncommon experience, either. Every single chapter’s big cinematic moments had me enthralled in some way or another. The directing, the voice performances (both EN and JP), the action choreography, the weight, the expressiveness, the tension and intrigue of its most cryptic mysteries, the countless pieces of accompanying music… It’s the best of the best, no question. I could list specific moments, but I’m sure they’ve already popped into your head by this point anyway. XC3’s main story is aggressively memorable. And this opening cinematic is only the tip of the iceberg in that regard. I know that generally, the characters do a lot of the heavy lifting in that regard. But it’s accomplished in no small part due to phenomenal cutscene direction and cinematic atmosphere, both of which help it live up to the lofty ambition of its premise and themes.

CHAPTER 2 - The Triumphant Return of Dresspheres, Tokusatsu-tinged Bullshit, and Gloriously Overstimulating Chaos
(Combat, Job System, Customization, and Role Definition)

The combat in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is bafflingly awesome. Who knew all it’d take for Xenoblade to have actual fun gameplay would be to rip off Final Fantasy X-2’s fashion-dictated class system and to ditch the Skells in favor of Interlink, an amalgamation of Digital Devil Saga transformation, pseudosexual fusion dance, and Tokusatsu? Much like XC1/2, the game still LARPs as both an MMO (main combat) and a turn-based game (chain attacks). Yet, in a complete turnaround from those two whose combat actively annoyed me, I’d be hard-pressed to find another non-turn-based JRPG combat system that I fuck with this hard.

I’m definitely of the opinion that prior Xenoblade games have had hugely underwhelming combat, but was never able (or just couldn’t be bothered trying) to articulate why. XC3’s aggressive polish and iteration on the past games’ combat made it blindingly obvious why that is in hindsight. It makes a bunch of changes and improvements, both major and minor. But if I had to boil it down, it comes down to three changes at its core: Character building, role-influenced customization, and in-battle control.

SUBSECTION 1: CHARACTER BUILDING
I’ll start with character building, since this is where the pre-battle strategizing comes into play. Let’s talk Job Systems. Everyone loves a good Job System, and for good reason. However, as someone who loves both job systems and defined character roles in JRPG combat, I often find myself at odds with the seemingly inherent tradeoff these systems present. Job systems let you go ham with customizing each character into exactly what you want them to be. But defined character roles also let the personality behind the character shine through by restricting them to a certain archetype. XC3 basically looked at the inherent conflict of this tradeoff and said, “you dumbasses realize you can just do both, right?” Like, it's actually insane how effortlessly this game dismantles the conflict while maintaining the unique strengths and personality found in both styles of character building.

Customization. Twenty-fucking-five classes. 25 classes to unlock. To learn the inner-workings and individual strengths of. To experiment within.To grind and train. To utilize in conjunction with other classes’ master arts through fusion art combinations, as well as synergizing with your plethora of other skills/accessories/gems/etc. Each with their own entirely unique take on the surface level attack-tank-healer designation. Five unique arts, one talent art, and four skills which grow stronger as you increase your class level. Two of those arts and two of those skills then go on to transfer outside the class in the form of master arts/skills, with the talent art being a fifth once you max out a given class. Any of which can be used alongside another class of opposing Agnian / Kevesi designation.

Oh (x1), and the hero which coincides with the class they unlock has several of their own completely unique arts on top of that, meaning you’ll further deliberate whether to use a certain hero or equip their respective dress-class on an Ouroboros depending on the circumstances. Oh (x2), this doesn’t even include the Soul Tree which is used to customize each of your Ouroboros Interlinks with various upgradable arts, stat bonuses, etc. Oh (x3), AND the Soul Hacker class works completely independently of these rules, serving as a blue mage who gains skills upon the defeat of unique monsters. At full power, this class boasts SIXTY-FUCKING-FIVE unique and completely upgradable arts, as opposed to the typical five arts. Additionally, there are SEVENTY-FUCKING-NINE skills spanning all three role archetypes from which you can mix and match. What the actual shit, dude. No, seriously, how did this game even get finished, let alone reverse-delayed? Anyway, whoever greenlit this class, I love them almost as much as I love Triton himself. Oh (x4), AND the upcoming DLC hero Ino also seems to work separately from every other hero, running on ether cylinders to guide her own unique method of customization. Idk, it looks like some Poppi shit, so I’m immediately sold, necc aside. Tiger Tiger sequel when.

SUBSECTION 2: ROLE DEFINITION
Role definition. Despite the absurd level of character build customization, XC3 maintains a surprisingly rigid sense of character role definition. This is achieved through a bunch of different means, such as: The Keves/Agnus split, role definition through individual job affinities/inheritors, master arts and talent arts, master skills, and the rigid role definition/consideration present in interlinking by trading off whatever two roles the pairing might possess in lieu of the rigid role of their respective Ouroboros interlink.

Once chain attacks come into the mix, the game doubles down on this role rigidity even further. Each character (including heroes) is given their own distinct baseline TP distribution, Chain Order, and Ouroboros order. Speaking of heroes, they too get their very own hero chain bonus on top of their likewise distinct Chain Order. These hero chain bonuses range from providing bonuses to the damage ratio, boosting individual TP, boosting party TP (even specific character boosts i.e. MIyabi to Mio), monster-specific bonuses, reviving inactive members, buffing/debuffing, healing, and so on. It’s genuinely nuts how much distinctiveness and role definition is maintained in each character’s combat capabilities (both Ouroboros and heroes) despite the former having just been described to have such insanely unrestrained customization options.

I’m not sure if Monolith INTENDED to have such ludonarrative cohesion in this double-sided customization system, or they just thought it’d be cool and it ended up working out that way. But man, the whole "Best of Both Worlds" motif (while most of the time refers to the game taking what worked from XC1 and XC2 and using them harmoniously) seems to permeate EVERY facet of XC3. To the point where it has the best of both worlds of a job system and rigid role definition- something that I quite literally did not think was possible until playing this game. Oh, and you can’t forget to respect the drip. Yumsmith Sena sweeps.

SUBSECTION 3: COMBAT ANALYSIS AND PLAYER CONTROL
Moving on from customization and into the actual meat of the combat itself, it’s fun. Like, REALLY fun. The setup again inherits this "Best of Both Worlds" motif, as it reflects both the six character setup from XC2 (drivers and active blades included), while otherwise reverting to XC1’s initial setup of everyone being a direct and controllable contributor. Considering there are now twice as many party members acting concurrently, I cannot stress this enough: This is absolute fucking chaos. Like, it’s chaotic to the point where if someone were to casually walk by a XC3 battle without any prior knowledge, the only plausible response would be, “what the fuck am I looking at?” Six characters (plus a hero) painting a monster in countless numbers. FF12 lookin ass lines connecting you to each monster depicting the current status of their aggro and the subsequent relationship/priority. The most fucked up looking Venn diagrams you’ve ever seen in your life in the form of field buffs scattered beneath your feet. Ten of the like fifty different symbols for buffs, debuffs, awakening, shackles, combos, ailments, etc cycling in and out next to each character and the monster you’re fighting. Your characters suddenly transform into fucking fusion robots and all that information is replaced with an entirely new set of skills and an overheat bar. Oh, and then time stops and the entire combat system changes as you initiate a chain attack.

So yeah, someone walking by has every right in the world to wonder what the fuck you’re doing if they’re unfamiliar with XC3’s combat. That said, considering the way this game paces out each of its multifaceted mechanics in such a gradual and easily understandable way, it is extremely rare that you’ll be playing and not know EXACTLY what is going on at all times. Seriously, I can’t stress enough how impressive it is that they manage to actually make this combat make sense, and yet they knocked it out of the park.

Trying to take in so much information at once while it’s constantly changing is already more than engaging enough to stay interesting for a game as long as this. But now, tack onto all of that the fact you can now change between characters at ANY MOMENT. Without a cooldown or any other sort of restriction. This alone takes XC3’s combat from what would already be a rather engaging system to unfathomably stimulating and hectic. In the more intense/challenging boss battles, it quickly becomes adrenaline incarnate. Apparently, Torna took the first step in this direction by allowing you to swap between your three party members on a cooldown, but here, you can swap between any of the SIX party members as quickly and frequently as you want.

It might not sound like a huge deal, since you still aren’t controlling all six of them at once, and thus a majority of the combat at any given moment is controlled by AI. That may still be true, but it’s a complete and utter game-changer when it comes to the player’s engagement and their potential for strategic influence. In past games, you control one party member, and once their arts are depleted, you’re stuck doing fuck all but using auto-attack. So you’re stuck there slapping at the enemy for 50 damage every few seconds until you can fight properly again. In XC3 though, the second a character’s arts are depleted, you switch to the next one and can start thinking on-the-fly to quickly make use of whatever tools they have available in the most efficient way possible. This might not make a monumental difference in how the battle goes about playing out, but thankfully the AI is stupid enough to actually merit shuffling around your active party member and doing as much on your own as possible. But above all else, you’re no longer stuck waiting for a shitty cooldown and constantly have your hands full of different ways to influence the fight. Put aside the customization and job system for a moment- THIS alone is an absolute goddamn game-changer.

SUBSECTION 4: MORE SINGLE-FIGHT GIMMICKS WOULD’VE BEEN NICE THO
To sneak in a small area of disappointment, I definitely would’ve liked to see more unique gimmicks or “puzzle” elements to bosses. If not in gameplay, then even just in the action cinematics would’ve been nice. There are definitely rumblings of this in the early game cinematics, specifically up through Chapter 4. Then, with the joint boss fight sequence between Consul N and Consul M, it finally comes to a head. Consul M has a completely unique Moebius power that takes the party a bit to figure out a solution for- and the solution itself was very clever and satisfying.

Even if we aren’t given the super nitty-gritty specifics of how it works, it’s clear that the Mondo was able to track M’s movements due to her and its ether properties as a Blade. Whether this is through ether displacement, propensity for tracking ether sensitivity, or ether absorption, it’s not clear. However, this is supported by the group’s first battle at Gura Flava. Eunie is able to disable Taion’s Mondo tag by filling it with enough ether to overload/overheat it. As an Agnian, M fights through ether properties as well. As such, it makes perfect sense that the Mondo, which can either sense, absorb, or disrupt that flow of ether, would be a perfect counter to the Moebius ability. This even shows tactical development on the part of Taion, who was only able to figure out this solution because of the way Eunie countered him earlier in the game.

To tie this back into that complaint I alluded to… This is basically the first and last time you’ll see anything like this in-game. Z has something similar sorta kinda, given that it’s another multiphase fight which sees your party splitting up and being supported by the various heroes. But it’s never a “puzzle” for you to figure out. It’s not something that will make you fundamentally reassess your game plan and fight under a completely different strategic pretense. I definitely expected more of this sort of thing from the end-game bosses. For example, the fight against D and Joran was a phenomenal opportunity for this that was totally squandered.

I’m not exactly sure HOW they’d go about doing it, since the combat is strictly set up so that attacking the enemy is basically your only means of interacting with them. But the conflicting nature of the fight could’ve done so well to set up a scenario where, for example: Joran is focusing his Interlink overheat, and thus you have to fend off fodder and protect him in the process. Then, D regains control, and you quickly shift to beating the shit out of him as much as possible. Stuff like that would’ve done a lot to make the more important boss fights feel mechanically distinct, which they simply don’t. That’s not to say they’re boring or anything, since again, XC3’s combat is more than capable of utterly carrying. But it still would’ve been better to see more of this sort of thing.

SUBSECTION 5: CHAIN ATTACKS, MISC. THOUGHTS,. AND CONCLUSION
Lastly, I’d like to talk a bit more about chain attacks. XC3’s chain attacks also manage to capture the "Best of Both Worlds" motif that nearly everything else in the game also seems to. They’re both cathartic in terms of their strategic depth to execute, while also being cathartic in the most mindless monke brain “victory lap” way I can possibly think of. That second one especially, the way it eggs you on with the instantly iconic chain attack music to the point you cannot feel anything other than utter conviction and triumph as it unfolds.

Even if you activate it with your entire party’s HP in the red and the boss still has 8.9 trillion remaining HP out of 9 trillion total (which is usually the case!), you can’t help but feel pure catharsis and hope during the duration of that chain attack. Well, that only lasts until you pick the wrong art and then the shit RNG gives you a healer on your random pick cuz you had to finish with an attacker… motherfucker. Anyway, the fact that it somehow manages to be both strategically cathartic and viscerally mindless in such a careful balance is yet another example of this game defying the odds to capture the "Best of Both Worlds" in one fell swoop.

Beyond chain attacks, there are plenty of smaller points to praise about the combat. For example, I love how combos can be built up with either offensive or defensive intentions/planning in mind. Launch-Smash combos provide extra damage at the cost of accelerating an enemies’ enrage status, whereas Daze-Burst combos provide an incapacitation window for your party to stabilize while also quelling rage for a short period of time. Another point worth mentioning goes back to customization; I love the sheer quantity of possibilities when it comes to fusion art combinations. You can do anything from double-advancing a combo (break w/ topple master art, launch w/ smash master art, etc), enhancing your smash effect by pairing it with a high damage ratio master art, pairing aggro reduction with a powerful heal to stay hidden, pairing aggro increase with a long form block art for efficient tanking, and so on. The fusion art system is incredibly simple, but could not be more elegantly incorporated. It boasts an absurd level of customization for those who really want to sink their teeth into making Agnian and Kevesi arts synergize in creative ways. I know I’m a broken record at this point, but again, taking the "Best of Both Worlds" and getting something new (and better) out of them.

For the sake of time, plus the fact that the rest of XC3’s combat depth is mostly similar to how it was in past games, I’ll wrap it up here. But yeah, considering how ambivalent I’ve been to prior Xenoblade games’ combat, the improvements made here and the way they salvaged the ongoing foundation of Xenoblade combat into something this good is nothing short of miraculous. I tend to be a fan of turn-based combat first and everything else second. But in the level of engagement, strategy, and customization found in XC3’s combat system, you’d be hard-pressed arguing against it being truly second to none.

CHAPTER 3 - The Methodically Unmethodical World Design of Aionios
(WORLD SETTING, SECTION 1: How XC3’s World, Map Design, and Aesthetics are Physically and Symbolically Informed by the Merge)

So clearly the combat benefits from the literal and symbolic Merge of XC1 and XC2 as much as anything. What about the World? Well… no, not at all. I should probably come right out and say that, across the Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy, XC3’s world is far and away the least impressive from a purely aesthetic standpoint… at least in terms of surface-level allure. The game has huge, sprawling vistas filled with secrets just like the prior games, but something about the world setting doesn’t feel nearly as aesthetically dynamic or even as methodical compared to the likes of Bionis or Alrest.

This was actually a huge point of criticism I held through the early hours of the game, which I worried might keep me from truly loving it overall. Like I’ve mentioned already, exploring huge imaginative environments while listening to the various field themes was what appealed to me most about the series prior to XC3. But compared to the likes of XC1’s Gaur Plains, Eryth Sea/Alcamoth, and Satori Marsh? XC2’s Uraya or the World Tree? I simply did not find any of the biggest zones in XC3 were anywhere near this aesthetically stimulating or inspired. Well, until the Cadensia Region, which was phenomenal, albeit a serious outlier. Point being, the likes of Millick Meadows and Eagus Wilderness simply did not do it for me.

Are they pretty? Yes. Were they “Xenoblade pretty”? No. At least, not in the way a longtime fan would come to expect. Thankfully, what I’ve come to realize about the world design of Aionios over the course of my playthrough is… I’m pretty sure this was intentional. Or maybe I’m coping. Probably both tbh. This is the main meat and potatoes of my thoughts on Aionios, so I’ll leave it for the end of this chapter. Before then, let’s talk about why I found (and still do to some extent, tbh) the major zones so initially disappointing.

SUBSECTION 1: SHORTCOMINGS OF AIONIOS
Don’t get me wrong, even the more aesthetically “”boring”” zones do still look nice. Each one is filled with varying amounts of distinguishing quirks or landmarks, and overall serve their purpose well. My favorite zone from the early game would have to be the southern Fornis Region. Each part of the region on its own isn't anything too noteworthy. Well, aside from the Dannagh Desert, which looks fantastic on its own. But the way they coalesce while maintaining distinct and rigidly segmented areas make it far stronger aesthetically than the sum of its parts. The rigidity of its visual theming alone makes it super memorable. I can’t really think of another Xenoblade environment that puts as much emphasis on aesthetic segmentation as this one does. It also boasts a surprising amount of verticality (albeit mostly gradual “sloped” verticality). This actually speaks to another major point of criticism I have about the bulk of XC3’s massive open zones: They’re more than sizable enough, but they’re mostly flat and lacking in both the verticality and interconnectivity needed to compromise their lengthy traversal time.

The flatness of XC3’s zones certainly bodes well for making them LOOK big and sprawling, but it only serves to inevitably sap the enthusiasm you have for exploring these lands thoroughly. I’m the type of player who avoids minimaps and fast travel like the Plague. Familiarizing myself with an area and learning its map is something I find extremely fun and satisfying. In XC3, though, I pretty quickly caved in and started fast traveling for the back-and-forth quests, especially fetch quests. Not because I don’t ENJOY traversal in this game, but because it’s blindingly apparent that it needed so much more to not make this a total pain in the ass.

The game probably could’ve gotten away without having sprinting if the maps were as tall as they were wide, but they just… aren’t. It takes way too long to get anywhere. Oh, and those little ladder shortcuts it sneaks in are, more often than not, completely futile at providing any sort of respite to the tedium of traversal. Hell, they even fail to simply compliment the map design in any sort of clever or helpful way.

This is the crux of my complaint: XC3 does not have significant enough traversal upgrades to match the size and layout of its maps. It’s lacking here, plain and simple. Sprinting, high jumping, gliding, flying, soft landings from high grounds, rentable Levnises, Interlink on the field for a quick vertical boost… This game is in desperate need of ANY single one of these. I haven’t played XCX, but knowing you get giant fucking Skells to fly around in makes this even more readily apparent. Not to mention… that knowledge kinda takes away from the coolness of getting a boat later on in this game. I like the boat, but… It’s not a giant robot, that’s for sure. Can’t say I wouldn’t have preferred to get even just a fleet of rentable Levnises or some shit instead. The autorun keeps it from being a SERIOUS problem, but that doesn’t change the fact it could’ve been much better.

XC3’s world design does still have its fair share of strengths. Admittedly, they mostly tie into worldbuilding which I’ll focus more on later, but the physicality and map design also play a part in these strengths. The Dannagh Desert’s flying whales and pink-gem palm trees felt refreshingly oddball compared to the theming of prior areas. The previously mentioned rigid segmentation of Southern Fornis was another highlight- in no small part because of the aesthetic contrast it provided with the adjacent and verdant Ribbi Flats.

SUBSECTION 2: ENVIRONMENTAL STORYTELLING
Perhaps the biggest draw in terms of XC3’s world design relates to its interconnectivity; namely, the inherent mystique generated by the Merge as you encounter more and more areas which resemble the likes of Bionis, Mechonis, and Alrest- especially seeing them after having been reduced to ruin. It does give you a bit too obvious of a push at recognizing this early on. Hell, the box art literally having Uraya and the Mechonis Sword was uh, not exactly subtle. Not to say it was MEANT to be subtle, but hey, still. Additionally, many of the names/titles are retained from prior games.

But aside from that, it’s accomplished entirely through exploration and environmental storytelling. I absolutely loved this approach. Despite the obvious brilliance of past Xenoblade game’s worlds, I can’t recall any point where environmental storytelling was used to prod you with hints at the still unknown lore, mysteries, and ongoing narrative. Hell, the prodding even worms its way into the game’s soundtrack (through field themes, mostly). The near constant use of callbacks and leitmotif of XC1/2 areas never once got old and always kept me on guard looking for more audio-centric hints.

There are examples of environmental storytelling across the entirety of Aionios, so I won’t bother listing a dozen examples. I will say, though, the delayed realization that I could LITERALLY CLIMB up the destroyed Mechonis’ arm up to its fingertip and cannonball back down into the lake below was one of the most memorable moments of exploration in any Xenoblade game.

SUBSECTION 3: SPECIFIC REGION CRITIQUE (AKA THE ROAST OF MILLICK MEADOWS)
There are definitely some great individual regions, such as the Cadensia Region like I mentioned earlier. This region is basically just a Wind Waker sequel built straight into an already incredible game. Cuz why the fuck not. Like, Queen’s BEANS man. It feels like half my playtime was spent exploring that one region alone. And you better believe that Yasunori Mitsuda field theme certainly contributed to that… Probably my favorite song in the entire game ngl. On the opposite end of the open zone spectrum, though, we have Milick Meadows.

Milick Meadows was an extremely rare example during XC3 where there wasn’t much sugarcoating it- I felt abject disappointment without much of a silver lining to counteract it whatsoever. Let’s start with the- er, single positive. The field theme is phenomenal. But tbh, that just made how underwhelming this area was in reality hurt even more. Let’s frame the moments leading up to you discovering it. You’ve just finished the intensely cryptic Gura Flava sequence. You’re finally ready to begin your journey after having assembled your party. You have more questions about the game’s events up to this point than you know what to do with. Then, you’re immediately set free out into the game’s next big zone: Millick Meadows.

This was all the motivation I needed to start exploring to find out as much about this world and the events that transpired as possible. Unfortunately, the near (but not quite) Gaur Plains tier field theme is where the positives begin and end with Milick Meadows. Basically, you descend the hill, go across the river, and head out into the next area. That’s it. Oh, and you activate a Ferronis husk and can go get killed by overpowered bats in the nearby cave if you want… Seriously? You can’t tease me with what looks to be Gaur Plains 2.0 and have it only be a 30-minute linear ass excursion. This place should’ve been like… ten times bigger at the BARE minimum. I know that sounds like overkill, but just look at the Cadensia Region. There was nothing stopping them from making Milick Meadows truly reflect the freedom that Ouroboros was just granted following Guernica’s sacrifice. The disappointment even gets doubled down upon later when you realize the ability gating opened up an entire new section of the map to explore… Wow, maybe this was a misdirection? Maybe they wanted a delayed reaction sort of approach to its scope? Nah. It’s still tiny as fuck with barely anything cool to do or see. But enough roasting the poor little Meadows. Let’s move to the biggest point I want to make about Aionios as a world setting.

SUBSECTION 4: JUSTIFYING THE SHORTCOMINGS OF AIONIOS THROUGH THE THEMATIC IMPLICATIONS OF THE MERGE
Anyway, back to the biggest takeaway for this chapter. The thing about XC3’s world setting I took the biggest issue with (even above some of the areas not being themed interestingly) was this: The environments felt paradoxically visually cluttered and messy, while also having very little in the way of aesthetic inspiration. In contrast to prior examples, the "Best of Both Worlds" motif here feels a lot more like the “Worst of Both Worlds”.

However, come the end of the game, it becomes abundantly clear that this was intentional. It’s only natural that the violent Merge, which essentially equated to apocalypse for both worlds, would leave Aionios as a primarily tattered wasteland with some rather fucked up geometry (further emphasized by the Annihilation Event). On top of that though, it almost seems like the more standard theming of most areas was intentional as well, though I’m… not sure why, exactly? The biggest zones which house the main story content are often relegated to aesthetically standard renditions of fields, desert, sea, mountains, etc. Now, these areas are still impressive and beautiful due to their huge scale. But it’s clearly a far different approach from XC1/XC2. Like I said before, they’re pretty, just not “Xenoblade pretty”.

On the contrary, it’s in XC3’s secret areas tucked away from the external outside world where that trademark Xenoblade inventiveness shines through into the world setting. Lost Colony, Cotte Fountainhead, and Malevolent Hollow are easily among the most aesthetically distinctive locales in any Xenoblade title. This design philosophy is applied way too consistently across the whole game to just be a coincidence, at least in my mind. Areas to the effect of the three I just listed are almost exclusively found in secret caves far off the path from the main zones. So… what’s the deal with this approach? I mean, it literally might’ve been just to make stumbling onto a secret area feel more special. But with this game, the answer is rarely that simple. Especially since, yknow, I can’t really see them making a sacrifice to the giant zones which take up 90% of the map just for an occasional pleasant surprise. That said, I do have something of a guess to justify- or at least explain the logic behind their approach.

Aionios having such a strange design quirk gives off the impression that these secret areas were sheltered from the proverbial “impact” of the Merge. As such, they retained their luster- and therefore, their sense of aesthetic identity. This does beg the question, though; why would the two Worlds merging be detrimental to the broad visual inventiveness of Aionios’ world design? Honestly, this is where I’m sort of at a loss on the matter. Especially since it seems to be at odds with the game’s design philosophy in nearly every other regard: Merging the "Best of Both Worlds" in order to create something new and greater.

Maybe they first tried to approach the world in this way by designing even more chaotic and messy environments, but decided the messiness needed to be dialed back in? I’m not really sure, and would love to get some outside input on this because I’m stumped as hell tbh. Personally, I would’ve loved to see them go full on clusterpunk by mashing together multiple different themes and color palettes (possibly derived straight from 1 and 2’s areas) into one new environment. Maybe even just in a few specific areas rather than every area in the game. If not just for the sake of avoiding this approach becoming paradoxically more homogenized in the sense that it would apply to everywhere.

Quite honestly, even as someone who places huge importance on a game’s aesthetic sensibilities (hell, I consider XC1 at LEAST a strong 7/10 based almost entirely on its setting and music alone), I do still like this game’s unconventional approach to world design. Despite the originality of this subversion, though, one still needs to consider if this falls under the “just because a subversion is intentional doesn’t make it good” umbrella of consideration. I WANT to deny this notion outright, but even after learning all the narrative context behind the intent, I’m still finding myself hesitant.

Would I have preferred the entire setting to be more oddball with its theming and color palette similar to, like, Xenoblade X or something? …Honestly, yeah. Probably. Especially when you consider that this game repeatedly capitalizes on its "Best of Both Worlds" motif in so many other facets. That said, I can't say I've ever seen a game with such a bold and narratively-resonant subversion through its aesthetic and world design alone. Even if the sacrifice to its visual inventiveness was a bit beyond what I would’ve liked, it is worth praising the effort and paradoxical inventiveness anyway.

CHAPTER 4 - HOW TO CREATE A DYNAMIC AND THEMATICALLY INTEGROUS WORLD SETTING THROUGH… FORMULAIC MILITARY CAMPS (NO, REALLY, IT WORKS. TRUST ME).
(WORLD SETTING, SECTION 2: Introduction and Analysis of the Colony System)

Even within the context of individual nation’s provinces, every single colony in XC3 is shockingly memorable and distinct. I think the reason the colony variety impresses me so much is due to the surface-level rigidity of XC3’s structure and gameplay loop. Put simply: you explore, discover (insert colony name here), talk to its people and commander, fight the commander, fight the Consul, liberate the colony, help them survive without the Consul, Rinse and repeat. Clearly, the repetition of this cycle is dangerously primed for monotony. Especially since there’s, what, over 25 named colonies in total? Not to say you explore every single one, but it should be apparent that this game had the cards stacked against it in this regard.

Yet, every last colony is shockingly distinct and memorable. Depending on the colony’s adjacent environments and geography, there are so many different roles and jobs that prop up across Aionios. For example, the farmers in Colony 9 and Tau. Specialty mechanics and Levnis transporters from Colony 30. Collectopedia managers and resource transport from Colony Iota. The conspiratorial war intermediaries of Colony 0. Pirates and Fishermen of Colony 15. Plus the different variations of florists, farmers, and saffronia harvesters found in Colony Mu and the Lost Colony. And so on. Aionios’ dynamic geography plays such a crucial role in the jobs and specializations of each colony. In turn, this plays a huge part in why the world setting feels like a vast, living, breathing world- in a way no other Xenoblade game has ever accomplished prior.

It would’ve been SO easy for Monolith Soft to fall back on the phenomenal combat and job customization, merely having the World serve as a more undercooked or understated backdrop to your exploration of Aionios. Countless games take this easy route as a tradeoff for being a “huge 100+ hour experience” at the cost of none of its locales being developed, memorable, or, well… Interesting. Yet, much like it does in countless other aspects, XC3 manages to provide “the Best of Both Worlds” in this respect. The game is unfathomably long, and yet, each and every colony manages to be deeply memorable and distinct.

They’re not just memorable and distinct in terms of the characters present or the aesthetic backdrop, either. Every single facet of the World Setting feeds into each respective colony in a way that makes the world of Aionios feel distinctly and unmistakably… alive. Each and every colony has their own side quests, geography, culture, history, import needs, export specialization, intercolony relationships, politics, military strengths, technological capabilities, internal and external priorities, and so on.

This isn’t even getting into the fact that each Colony has its own Consul, along with an entirely unique set of character relationships with said Consul, the Consul’s relationship with the Colony itself, different roles, different levels of presence, different motivations- different means to which they propagate the Endless Now… All of which culminate in an entirely memorable and distinct story arc within every single Colony you come across.

Naturally, the story arcs which define these colonies all play out in VASTLY different ways for the most part. Even if a majority of them end with the final story beat of Noah smashing the Flame Clock and bringing liberation. Besides, this sort of HAD to be the case anyway. Not just for hugely important thematic purposes (revolving around the implications of intercolony unification, Ouroboros’ journey to self-discovery and purpose, etc). But also for the sake of gameplay logistics as well. After all, you wouldn’t be able to get much done in terms of exploring characters or worldbuilding within a Colony that still actively hates you and is still indoctrinated in Moebius propaganda.

Speaking of which, the Moebius-enforced “ranking” system also does a fantastic job at framing these various distinguishing factors. It often serves as a literal determinant, for example, the lower-rank colonies being undersupplied, which can cause a ton of different problems. But even in a subsurface sense, this ranking system fuels their conspiratorial edge beneath the surface via the illustrious but ultimately disingenuous Gold rank. It is through Moebius’ colony ranking system that their homogenization and depersonalization efforts are carried out. This is done to offset the perceived individuality, and thus humanity, of enemy colonies.

After all, it’s easier to buy into destroying another group for personal gain when it’s either you or them, right? That goes doubly so when, to you, the enemy is defined by just two things: A resource through which you can provide for your friends and comrades, and as a generic slate of soldiers which are defined by their Rank and the propaganda you’ve been fed on their faction. This ranking system alone effectively throws a veil of depersonalization over the enemy, and as such, plays a crucial role in maintaining soldier morale in the ongoing war.

As such, it becomes far easier for Moebius to morph the truth of what defines that colony (the laundry list of distinguishing factors which make them unique that we just went over) into whatever supports their propaganda. The way Moebius oversees soldier manipulation through propagandized “motivation” can even be roughly likened to propagandist justification of genocide in order to garner domestic support and pride. Nurturing and capitalizing on bigotry through propaganda, miscategorization of the enemy, and “slaughter as self-defense”. The methodology isn’t identical, and I’m definitely not an expert on the subject by any means. But it brought enough similarities in mind that I felt it worth mentioning.

As a final point about Moebius to end the chapter, the colony format perfectly supports their conspiracy in a pragmatic sense as well. The entire World of Aionios and all of its inhabitants (save for the nation-ambivalent City) are overseen by Moebius from within Origin. They specifically seek to lock the two factions in a war which neither could hope to win, in order to propagate the Endless Now. Therefore, it would only make sense for Moebius to provide “homogenized” colonies (in structure but also in perception through propaganda). On the surface, these colonies all serve the same purpose. They’re all manipulated into conflict through the same means. And they all receive the highly-motivating Castle aid (food, weapons, tools, ether, etc) in correspondence to their colony rank.

CHAPTER 5 - SO MANY COLONIES AAAAAAAAAA
(WORLD SETTING, SECTION 3: Analysis of Colonies in XC3)

As for the specifics as broken down by colony, it’d probably be easiest to just go down the line. There is quite a lot to each colony and their respective Heroes, so getting to all of them would just be overkill. But I’ll try to hit on SOME of the colonies along with their most important and distinguishing characteristics:

Colony 9: Otherwise known as Aionios 2022 Farming Simulator. Led by Commander Zeon. This is the first colony you’ll visit properly in XC3. It’s a compact garrison surrounded by the vast Yzana Plain on all sides. Following the inexplicable disappearance of Noah, Lanz, and Eunie, the previous commander steps down, resulting in a leadership crisis. The people turn to Zeon as the most suitable candidate, but much like Bolearis of Colony 4, he and a few vocal dissenters remain hesitant in his capabilities. No, I’m not going to name any names. Cough. Cough cough.

Bolearis’ lack of confidence stems from his inability to replace his legendary predecessor Silvercoat Ethel. Especially after having been abruptly swept into the role in response to her death. Zeon of Colony 9’s lack of confidence, however, is derived from the guilt he harbors in having authorized the destruction of Colony 9’s Flame Clock. Despite the colonies’ dwindling capacity for self-subsistence being out of his control, he still takes responsibility for the outcome they’ve found themselves stuck with. His people are starving from limited rations, they lack leadership and direction, and the cliques are beginning to lean further and further towards desertion.

As such, the outset of Colony 9’s narrative is rather bleak- as most things in XC3 tend to be initially before eventually morphing into hopefully optimism. Following their collaboration with Colony Tau, Colony 9 ends up having one of the most drastic turnarounds of any colony. To the point where its later quests and community dialogue become surprisingly lighthearted and optimistic. Thanks to the insight of Yuzuriha, commander of Colony Tau, Zeon leads the effort to incorporate their growth patterns of the spongy spud, a crop native to Tau’s Maktha Highlands.

Due to the Spongy Spud’s short germination window and high yield, it completely turns Colony 9’s food shortage on its head. Along with the fact that its people actually have something to do (tending the fields), this greatly increases morale and stability. It’s a pretty simple story, but the way it encapsulates XC3’s theme of societal unification, especially since it features Kevesi/Agnian collaboration, is extremely effective. Plus, like, these two are just really fucking cute, okay? Gimme spud buds DLC right now, please and ty.

Colony Gamma: Led by Commander Shido. As the other active (living) colony within the lower Aetia Region, Colony Gamma is rather close in proximity to Colony 9. Otherwise, it’s completely different. This extends beyond the Keves/Agnus dichotomy, and is most notably distinguished by its geography and layout. Where Colony 9 is deep in the canyon of the Yzana Plains, Gamma is high in the floating autumn mountains. Despite being spread horizontally similar to 9, Gamma is far less dense, featuring a large lake and dedicated training ground for soldiers and Levnises alike. Lastly, its amber-laden trees extend far into the sky, a backdrop which is completely unlike any other Colonies’. The way Ouroboros interacts with the colony is also quite different to Colony 9. Instead of doing the work yourself, you simply instruct them on how to better protect themselves. With Colony 9, you help connect Zeon with Colony Tau, gather the farming materials, and protect the fields from monsters firsthand. In Colony Gamma, you simply help Shido in training the Gamma soldiers to better prepare them in fending for themselves.

Colony 4: Led by Commander Ethel, later Acting Commander Bolearis. It’s larger, giving off the impression that it’s more like a residential outpost than the previous two colonies. It’s smack dab in the middle of the sprawling hot Eagus Wilderness in both directions (from Millick Meadows to Ribbi Plains). As such, the colony feels far more like an intermediary or proxy zone born out of geographical necessity. This “proxy” status is further emphasized by its status smack-dab between the Agnian Colony Iota and Kevesi Colony 30, both of whom Colony 4 cooperates with as a proxy, given that Iota resents 30 from their defeat in a prior battle.

Colony 4 also marks your first exposure to the colony ranking system, as they are demoted harshly from Silver Rank (second highest, 2nd tier) to Dirt Rank (lowest, 7th tier). This demotion was a message- a response to Ethel’s refusal to kill Cammunabi in their first encounter. It’s rather admirable to see how some of the colony continues to back their commander, despite the toll her decisions have taken on their quality of life. The demotion alone forced its people to expand their hunting route into dangerous and uncomfortably distant territory, alongside stricter rationing. Their Consul support and Castle aid is scaled back considerably as a result.

Not to mention, regarding those supplies from Keves Castle (which were already far more limited in both quantity and quality), Consul K used both emotional and iris manipulation to force them into attacking Ouroboros in order to earn the supplies. And after this fails, Moebius takes this threat to its furthest extreme by involving the lives of everyone within Colony 4 via the Kevesi Annihilator. Ethel’s aforementioned “free” actions are also quite effective at priming the player for one of the game’s broader themes- the importance of free-will.

This action then comes to a head during Ethel’s dramatic final clash with Cammunabi in the Maktha Wildwood. A bit of an unrelated thought, but: The way this battle clearly parallels the battle between Bionis and Mechonis feels very pointed, if not a bit on the nose. I really dig the implications in hindsight that their “death by design” achieved through resisting Moebius is a glimpse into true causality. Naturally, the battle between Bionis and Mechonis exists within the natural flow of causality. So for this spirit to be made manifest as they craft a truly meaningful “death by design”, not to mention happening right between both Ouroboros and Moebius is fantastic. It basically serves as the “Crys Death” equivalent for Ouroboros as a whole, rather than just Noah. It strengths their resolve, prodding them to ask questions about the path they must take and the sacrifice it may require.

As one last disjointed thought: Ironically, Ethel actually saved the lives of everyone in Colony 4 by choosing to spare Cammunabi in their first bout. We learn in Eunie’s Side Story that she had a friendly rivalry (camaraderie may be more accurate, I suppose) with Colony 5’s late Commander Orsoyla. Their respective colony accolades mirrored one another to the point where their individual Rank promotions came one after the other. Considering Orsolya’s recent promotion to Gold Rank (and, well, we know what that entails) and Ethel’s demotion as a result of her refusal to kill Cammunabi, it’s safe to assume their fate would’ve soon followed. It’s a rather understated truth, but one that I really appreciated. Particularly because of how it falls comfortably in line with the game’s encouragement of defiance in the pursuit of free-will.

Colony 30: Led by Commander Yuz- uh, I mean Rudi. A haven for Levnis engineering and mechanics in general. And uh, Nopon I guess. It’s relatively compact like Colony 9, but instead of residing within green plains, Colony 30 appropriately rests atop steel girders high above a lake reservoir within a mountain range. My favorite thing about Colony 30 lies in its specification. This mechanical specification is immediately apparent from the second you step foot inside for the first time. Levnises surround the front gates and line the inner perimeter, serving as both security and commissions for adjacent colonies. That’s right, in much the same way Colony 4 serves as something of a proxy zone due to the practicality of its location, Colony 30 is a proxy due to its production and quick delivery of Levnis commissions and repairs. As such, it serves as a mobile hub which mirrors a small-scale production of the sort of thing you see later on in the Keves Castle factory.

CHAPTER 6 - THERE’S STILL HOW MANY MORE COLONIES??
(WORLD SETTING, SECTION 4: Miscellaneous Colony Analysis)

So uhhhh bit of a confession here. I did plan on going into detail on ALL colonies, since they do all deserve substantial credit and a moment in the spotlight. But… I’ll be real with you, the Xenoblade wiki is kinda just straight up hot ass. It barely has anything written about XC3 whatsoever, let alone XC1/2. Not throwing shade at the contributors or anything, but there definitely isn’t enough there to serve as a jumping off point for the purposes of analysis. Maybe I’m just spoiled by the Kiseki Wiki. But still, there’s something to say about the fact that the Kiseki wiki has more written about the validity of a random Liberlian journalist's birthdate than the Xenoblade Wiki does on entire main characters. Well, anyway. Because of that, I think I’ll just quickly throw a few more miscellaneous defining factors of these colonies from memory and leave it there.

AGNIAN COLONIES: Colony Tau operated largely through self-subsistence, having adapted their own entirely distinct subculture. After liberation, its citizens migrate across the map to various other colonies in order to expand their horizons and seek out their own unique place in the world. Colony Mu’s Consul doesn’t even make them fight, and holds an incredibly unique dynamic with its people through her past life as Ichika. Similarly, the Lost Colony doesn’t fight AND is built on top of the ruins of an old Castle. Plus Nami stuff, but we’ll get to it in the Taion chapter.

KEVESI COLONIES: Colony 5 isn’t as fleshed out, other than Commander Orsoyla and Ethel being longtime friends and competitors. However, it still provided the stage for the massively important revelation of the Gold Rank conspiracy. Colony 11 has the unique honor of being a direct subsidiary of Keves Castle, as it is stationed directly next door. The accompanying unique circumstances play directly into the party’s proceeding raid on the Castle. Colony 15’s Consul T doesn’t give a flying fuck, as he’s just a demensia-ridden DILF pirate fisherman who betrays Moebius to free himself and his crew- letting them go do their thing while he goes adventuring with the party. Also, his father-daughter relationship with Fiona is the cutest shit ever conceived by humanity. No, I’m not exaggerating for the 500th time, I would never.

In short, the way these colonies are distinguished from one another is phenomenally impressive. It is admittedly true that you deal with the majority of colonies you come across in the same surface level manner. They’re often faced with similar struggles; for example, lacking resources, unsent comrades, ideological uncertainty resulting from their sudden and newfound freedom, etc. But the devil is in the details when it comes to colonies in XC3. These similarities rarely extend below the surface.

Even just aesthetically, the similarities are always just surface level. Yes, they’re all tiny military outposts built under a giant mech. Though, I’d argue that in and of itself is plenty cool and unique. But as I've just illustrated in extensive detail, each and every colony is unique in every facet. From its presentation, to its structure, to its storytelling. The game makes fantastic use of Aionios’ dynamic natural geography, situating these colonies within the varied landscapes in ways that actually make sense.

But their visual and aesthetic individuality is only ever the tip of the iceberg. Each colony tells an appropriately personal story within the confines of its walls. Some of these stories are more obvious than others, and like, Colony 30’s story for example, would have largely been possible to tell through its setting alone, though the added exposition never hurts. Through varying ratios of environmental storytelling, NPC dialogue, corresponding hero quests, and the bevy of expositorily-illuminating side quests, every single colony in XC3 has a narrative identity strong enough to coincide with its aesthetic identity. They are an absolutely perfect foundation for keeping XC3’s 200+ hour gameplay loop feeling fresh. It strikes a near-flawless balance of familiarity and structure, while also maintaining a more than satisfactory sense of individuality and mystique.

Is the phrase "Best of Both Worlds" starting to get annoying yet? Well, don’t get mad at me, but it DOES just so happen to apply here too. Not my fault that this game is so thematically consistent.

CHAPTER 7 - “WANO SYNDROME”: AIONIOS AND THE LORE DENSITY PARADOX
[Wano Syndrome, The Value of “Idea Density” vs “Idea Meticulousness”]

A bit of a warning is probably necessary for this next chapter. Compared to my other points, this is far more abstract and honestly, leans more into being a thought experiment than it does focusing solely on XC3. My thoughts on XC3 are definitely still relevant here though, but I do feel a bit of priming is necessary regardless, since this does get a bit weird. K thanks.

Next, I’d like to talk about XC3’s narrative thoroughness in conjunction with a phenomenon which I like to call “Wano Syndrome”. It’s a term I’ve coined in reference to the most recent story arc of the One Piece manga, but is surprisingly applicable to a ton of different works with similar properties. To define it as best I can:

Wano Syndrome: a phenomenon which afflicts a piece of media, causing it to be paradoxically way too fucking long and/or dense, while also somehow managing to be substantially rushed and/or underdeveloped.

[Disclaimer: I make vague mention of things from various games in this next paragraph, though nothing is explicitly mentioned by means of spoilers. But in case you’re someone who wants to be 100% blind going into a specific game, skip ahead if you see a game title this pertains to.]

To give a few more examples outside these two works, to help better illustrate what exactly qualifies as “Wano Syndrome”: I’d be willing to apply it to the following works:
-Trails of Cold Steel IV (lacking background/narrative focus on the Ironbloods, the War of The Lions, the children of Valius Reise Arnor V, Ishmelga’s origins, etc.)
-Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk (underdeveloped settings aside from Refrain itself, lacking buildup and characterization of the new endgame cast members)
-Fire Emblem: Three Houses (idk gimme more political shit)
-La Pucelle Tactics (worldbuilding, church history, more flashbacks)
-Ys Origin (Kingdom of Ys detail, Priests, Fact Family/Clan of Darkness)
-Märchen Forest (more background on the Castle / outside the Forest, more slice of life outside the prologue)
-Live a Live (finale party interaction and unique skill utilization, generally lacking depth outside the immediately pertinent and bare-bones main plot- even if its brevity was probably intentional)
-Shin Megami Tensei V (lacking detail and background on Tokyo’s ruin, characterization of the Bethel branch leaders).

So yeah, it’s clearly not one specific thing which defines Wano Syndrome, so hopefully these examples better illustrate what I’m referring to here. I’m not even saying all of these points can be inherently considered “flaws” to begin with, rather, things I enjoyed enough to wish there were more of. But for the sake of the argument and for brevity (Queen knows this review needs more of it), let’s just call them shortcomings for now. Nearly all of these issues are relatively major shortcomings for examples of media which place great emphasis on painting dense and well-developed worlds. And yet, what I find fascinating about “Wano Syndrome” is that it seems to be present ONLY in media I have considerable narrative investment within despite these shortcomings. In other words, while “Wano Syndrome” is at its core a wholly negative affliction, I’ve only found examples of it exclusively within games I don’t just enjoy, but LOVE.

By now, I do think I’ve done a decent job explaining what sort of media I’d consider worthy of the “Wano Syndrome” moniker, but here’s one more analogy that takes media out of the equation entirely. Think of this comparison in terms of paintings. Just uh, keep in mind I don’t know shit about paintings. Anyway, Painting A is a photorealistic landscape painting- hell, if this is too generic, let’s use the Mona Lisa. All the theoretical detail is right there for you to see, it’s mechanically sound, and technically speaking, it’s highly impressive to the point of perhaps even being “flawless” to some. Personally, outside its mysterious history of theft, I find it boring as shit.

Painting B, on the other hand, is a surrealist landscape- let’s use the Persistence of Time if you’d prefer a real example (I know, two of the most normcore paintings of all time. I warned yall). It’s obviously rather abstract, to the point whereupon one’s initial viewing, its thematic depth might be too ambiguous to be immediately communicable. But given the proper engagement, there’s a lot more density and value one can glean from observing it, no matter if you ever “truly understand” the entire breadth of the painting’s meaning or intent in the end. Now, “Wano Syndrome” applies more to a work’s density of ideas and the meticulousness by which they’re explored, but there’s a comparable sentiment to be considered here.

Compared to the painting example, the ambiguity of these game examples are a bit more of an objective shortcoming, as the depth that IS there simply isn’t as thorough as it could’ve been. But the biggest takeaway I’d like you to absorb from this explanation is this: XC3 made me realize that the “objective” shortcoming of this aforementioned ambiguity might not be a bad thing whatsoever.

I know this chapter probably feels a bit abstract even now, but please, bear with me a bit longer as I break down its significance. By now, you’re probably asking: why is this important? Well, as I just alluded to, XC3 was THE single game which I feel helped me better understand the implications of “Wano Syndrome”- more so than any other piece of media I’ve ever experienced. It single-handedly provided me with a revelation that this shortcoming has virtually no negative bearing on how much I will end up enjoying or resonating with a fictional world as a whole.

In a vacuum, XC3’s worldbuilding proved thoroughly lackluster through its absence of meticulously detailed / organized concepts, character backgrounds, and so on. Admittedly, the ambiguity in character writing is where this shortcoming is felt most negatively. But even in spite of this, I can probably count on one hand the number of fictional worlds I’ve found myself more overall enthralled and invested in than XC3’s Aionios: Its fascinatingly unique world concepts, weird approach to continuity and interconnectivity, the sheer quantity and density of its countless compelling plot threads, the worldbuilding which spans more than two dozen unique settlements under two diametrically opposed banners, a mysterious organization of conceptually vague antagonists, the direct political intrigue of Swordmarch City via the Six Houses and their respective Founders, the indirect political intrigue found in the composition of Keves and Agnus’ castle/colony structure, the interlaced threads of narrative and theming found in every seam of the game’s design… I could keep going, but you get the point. It’s irrefutable that just about every aspect of XC3’s world and narrative are criminally undercooked or left out of the spotlight entirely. Yet, in spite of each facet of XC3’s construction falling short of what it theoretically could’ve been, it still manages to be unrelentingly compelling and enthralling from the strength and density of its ideas alone.

Naturally, the first takeaway from exploring this idea of “Wano Syndrome'' would be that narratives which are large in scope and meticulously detailed resonate deeply with ME specifically. Well, yeah, that much is obvious and not particularly helpful in a more broad sense. I’ll often still resonate with art which prioritizes these goals. Even when it definitively fails in living up to the level of thoroughness which it could theoretically have achieved. More importantly, though, I don’t think this is just a result of my own personal taste- rather, it’s more of a baseline truth than one might expect.

Put simply, this shortcoming might not be an inherent negative. Consider the nature of mystique and the ongoing narrative examination which stems from this form of ambiguity. One could reasonably conclude that, by taking “Wano Syndrome” to its logical extreme, an afflicted work’s own shortcoming can paradoxically work in its own favor through this ambiguity rather than against it.

…Still with me? I know that was hella weird and probably the closest I’ll come to incomprehensible rambling. Don’t worry, none of the other chapters are like this. I think.

CHAPTER 8 - HOLDIN OUT FOR A HERO (QUEST)
[Heroes, Ascension Quests, Side Quests]

Although XC3’s major story beats do hit the mark near universally, there are several points where things felt decidedly rushed. Aside from the brevity of Chapters 6 and 7, the one area I felt this most clearly was in the Hero characters’ “Main Story” involvement. The early game especially was the biggest culprit of this. I would’ve been hugely appreciative of Ouroboros getting more time to spend with Ethel. But immediately after her Hero Quest, she fucks off to the Castle and later dies before getting a chance to rejoin. This really minimized her potential for relationship building (especially among the three Agnians, who only knew of her prior through battle rumors). The Kevesi party’s attachment to her did provide some emotional weight to her death scene. But given that most of our time interacting with Ethel is as an antagonist under the influence of Consul K’s iris manipulation, there wasn’t enough time to develop a true emotional attachment to her character in the way our party, particularly Noah, had.

Isurugi’s early game stuff flew by way too quickly as well, and for similar reasons. The iris manipulation poised him as an antagonist for most of his involvement in the “main story”. He is then immediately punted to the sidelines once Consul J reveals himself to be Joran. Not only did this lack of screentime and focus harm Isurugi’s character, but Taion’s by proxy. I do feel Taion’s character eventually got the satisfaction it needed through his Side Story. However, because of Isurugi’s guilt for the role he played in supporting Nami’s dream to see the world, an act which led to her eventual death, he keeps himself out of her new life in the Lost Colony. This does feel appropriate in terms of his character and their history. Unfortunately, though, this doesn’t do him any favors in terms of providing him with the screen time he desperately needed (and deserved, frankly).

This probably would’ve been less egregious if Isurugi’s own ascension quest was more character driven, but it just wasn’t. Well, at least for him specifically, anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I love this quest. It not only does a great job at providing much-needed levity before the bombastic climax against Z, but it highlights the growth of Ouroboros’ quite brilliantly.

Think back to the “clothes changing scene” at Gura Flava when the group first came together as Ouroboros. They feel shame over their newfound knowledge, but do not understand why (this will be more important and expounded upon later on). But in this scene, after having traveled together and in some cases fallen in love (not to mention learning what sex is), they are entirely cognizant of why stripping down would lead them to becoming flustered around one another. On the surface, one could brush this off as tropey fanservice. But as the game bluntly hits you over the face with during the initial bathhouse scene in Chapter 1, that is never the case. This scene, without any dialogue to directly suggest as much, illustrates their growth as a family, their growing romantic bonds, and most importantly, their growing humanity; all of which come full circle in this scene despite its unassuming simplicity.

I know Monolith Soft was probably hesitant to make any more of the side content mandatory, given the fact that the game is already so incredibly long. But I really do wish that heroes were made Mandatory. It might sound like a rather arbitrary thing to suggest, but it would only serve to benefit their corresponding relationships, scenes, and interactions. By not having to account for the players who might not yet have a specific hero in their arsenal, more pre rendered cutscenes and main-story dialogue could’ve incorporated various heroes in order to provide them with more screentime and interactions amongst each other. Think of Rudi’s partnership with Isurugi and Nina, Zeon and Yuzuriha’s (absolutely blessed) bond, Monica and Gray’s mutual trust and respect, Miyabi’s apprenticeship under Manana, and the budding camaraderie between Triton and (his adopted daughter idc) Fiona. These are great, but I would’ve loved to see more relationships in this vein.

Similarly to both Ethel and Isurugi, the sheer number of supporting characters and their respective plot threads lead to quite a few major plot beats getting shafted. Joran is another strong example of this, though I didn’t feel his character was impacted as substantially as the former two. I was invested in Joran’s character arc from the moment of the initial reveal, especially since it formed a compelling and surprisingly sensitive foundation for Lanz’ character arc. But by the time his emotional payoff came to fruition at the Cloudkeep in Chapter 6 (despite being a phenomenal scene in hindsight) it didn’t quite hit as hard since, well… I hadn't seen Joran more than once or twice in the past 75 hours.

Beyond these three, I’d say this applies to Cammunabi (alright he and Ethel kinda get a pass for having literally been dead), Monica, Ghondor, and Ashera to name a few. I'm not saying ALL of these characters needed more, as I thoroughly enjoyed every single one of them. But more scenes of just about any sort- be they dramatic or casual party interactions, anything would’ve been welcome. Hell, I'd even take the Chrono Cross approach of “your chosen party member will say the same sort of generic thing regardless of who it is during cutscenes” cheap shot. Plus, it’s not like they couldn’t throw some flavor text in their given how many fewer party members this game has compared to Chrono Cross. Anyway, the point is that seeing Ethel stand around in the background while the entire game goes on like she isn’t there just… doesn’t sit well with me.

To speak generally about the sidequests in this game for a bit: They’re incomparably better and more interesting than the side quests of prior Xenoblade games. Like holy shit. Here's a completely random example of a XC3 quest premise I've pulled straight out of my ass: Some Swordmarch City Lost Numbers rando wants to propose to his rich gf with a literal rock from a distant island because it's shiny or whatever. So he’s training to swim 10 straight days to reach it. He then asked the resident furby for advice on endurance training, who recommended repeatedly jumping off a 3rd story balcony. Sounds like a hell of an outlier, right? Well, not really, actually. This is one of the most irrelevant and straightforward fetch quests in the whole game. Yet, even something THIS pointless still gets some weirdo shit thrown on top of it to make it genuinely fun and worth your time.

Perhaps my single biggest disappointment in terms of character writing was the lack of proper ascension quests for the dead duo. Er, the dynamic.. defiant… dead… fuck it, Ethel and Cammunabi. To be fair, Cammunabi KINDA got something resembling a substantial conclusion, I guess? But Ethel really didn’t get anything other than a quick cutscene or two. Her revival and maturation should’ve been a HUGE deal, when in reality, it ended up feeling more like a gameplay bonus than a proper story beat.

While it’s certainly a very welcome gameplay bonus, I was a bit let down that her job rank immediately shot to 20 without getting any sort of quest upon rejoining the party. Even if it was just something basic or lighthearted to make up for lost time and catch her up to speed with everything that transpired in her absence. Though, I definitely do concede that looking back and telling her EVERYTHING would be thematically counterproductive. The game constantly pushes a core principle of “never looking back”- a fact which is very consistently upheld through these revivals.

For example, Taion never explains everything to Nami, nor does Isurugi ever come to visit and talk to her for his own satisfaction and resolution. Garvel and his crew DO go back to the original colony eventually, but it’s never strictly to return to their old lives. Miyabi, despite her partial understanding of past events, moves on with her new life by taking on responsibilities as a Lost Number and general member of society within Swordmarch City. Mwamba and Hackt are uh… there, I guess? Kinda, but not really? Can’t say it isn’t in-character for them…

Likewise, Ethel and Cammunabi are committed to using their new lives to look straight ahead to the future. Ethel’s conviction with this goal is particularly compelling. She actively chose to shorten her own lifespan and sacrifice a potentially safe and peaceful life within the City just so she could contribute to the party and look after herself- rather than shackling someone else to do so on her behalf. Again, this conclusion to her arc was INSANELY brief to the point where it’s basically just a footnote. Still though, the substance behind this abrupt conclusion to her character is more than adequate in terms of thematic and emotional weight.

And with that, we can finally move on to the main cast of XC3- Ouroboros. I don’t want to drag this much further, but I will preemptively say that this is easily one of my favorite casts of main characters in any piece of fiction, period. The diversity, the interactions, the growth, Ouroboros has all of it in spades. A huge contributing factor of this is the change in approach to party assembly. Whereas in prior Xenoblade games, you’d slowly assemble a party over the course of most of the main quest, your main party in XC3 is complete about 1% into the game. It might seem anticlimactic, but this massively beneficial towards your growing attachment to them as a set group, it gives each of them time to breathe and be given individual focus, and more.

Not to mention, on the flip side, all six of their character arcs persist throughout the entirety of the game. No more “you got your time to shine, now chill in the back of every cutscene for the last 60 hours” garbage. Each one of them sees gradual growth from beginning to end, never once losing their personal stake in the ongoing narrative. Plus, while getting the entire party at once might appear to have its own set of drawbacks, the Hero system covers its weaknesses beautifully. It allows the party to still “grow” in numbers, and aside from the fact you can’t control them, it does a wonderful job of substituting in for the standard sense of party progression that would have been otherwise lost entirely.

If I had to provide one gripe as to the main cast, it would be their lack of upbringing diversity. I mean, this was inevitable considering the careful deliberation of the world through Moebius’ conspiratorial colony system. The homogenization IS definitely intentional. That said, in comparison to XC2 especially, where characters like Vandham, Morag, and Zeke provided such a dynamic range of experience, maturity, and backgrounds, it’s only natural that this approach would feel a bit flat by comparison. Though the heroes provide a ton of variety, thankfully. Aside from that… I literally have nothing else but the highest praise for Ouroboros. They’re excellent, plain and simple. With that said, let’s tackle them one at a time and get to the heart of why this group is so goddamn special.

(continued in comments lmao)

Con esto doy inicio a mi maratón jugando a todos los Sonic "principales" en 3D por primera vez en mi vida, cada review irá con mi canción favorita de cada juego, además de intentar hacer un breve resumen de que me pareció cada juego.

Acerca de Sonic 3D Blast no sabia absolutamente nada, entonces mi primera toma de contacto fue totalmente ciega así que... Como inicio esto...

En vez de optar por lo que se supone que debería ser la formula que es la velocidad, decidieron irse por la exploración de áreas en busca de enemigos que se puedan matar, los cuales te sueltan pájaros de distintos colores, los cuales debes rescatar para poder ir avanzando por los niveles, esto en si no es malo, sin embargo a un Sonic ser asi de lento no lo favorece.

Jugablemente si me genera conflicto, Sonic tiene mantequilla derretida en sus zapatos, y se nota demasiado en como se resbala, los controles son bastante torpes, y como si fuera poco de repente hay secciones de saltos un tanto precisos, los cuales llegan a ser un infierno hacer, el nivel de hielo ya ni les cuento como se resbala el personaje (aunque no fue tan dificil como esperé), además que las profundidades del juego son muy confusas, muchas veces fallé saltos por no saber donde estaba saltando, ni cuanto tenia que hacerlo, SIN EMBARGO, encuentro que el mapeado de los niveles es bastante bueno, no tengo nada más que decir con respecto a esto.

Donde más destaca el juego es en la música (la cual recuerda demasiado a esa época del Sonic clásico), teniendo canciones muy distintivas y que acompañan bien a los niveles, y personalmente en el arte, es muy bonito gráficamente y como juega con ese tipo de 3D que tiene.

Más allá no puedo decir nada, es un juego bastante corto como suelen ser los Sonic clásicos y que sinceramente, no recomendaría.

Canción Favorita: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys5p4ageAjU