Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is my first ever non-Pokémon RPG that I have completed, and I absolutely loved it. First, I will go through my gameplay history of the series

When it comes to the Xenoblade franchise, I have only played a brief part of 1, and a good bit of 2, although still in the beginning of that game. As for X, I unfortunately never played it, but I do hope it is ported to Switch someday. So for a disclaimer, I won't be comparing the combat. The story however, I have watched Chuggaaconroy's playthrough of both games, and I found the story in both games to be rather great. As for the DLC, I have seen the cutscenes for the XBC1DE DLC. As for Torna, I have not seen anything of it yet. With that said, now onto the review.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead

Story, Soundtrack & Visuals:
When it comes to the story, I loved it. I prefer it over 2, although when compared to 1, I don't know which one to choose. The soundtrack is amazing, with some amazing vocal pieces as well in the final two chapters. The sidequests are pretty great, especially the hero quests. Not sure what else to say really without getting into characters, but it is a pretty great story, and it has me questioning a lot of things. As for the Visuals, well, they are just as awe-striking & amazing.

Combat:
While I won't be comparing it to XBC1 & XBC2, I do love the combat a lot in the game. Its really easy to get used to, and unlike XBC2 (minus the Torna DLC), the tutorials can easily be accessed. There is also a Training option in the menu, but I did not go into this mode mainly due to not been interested in it. Now, I did go easy and overlevel a lot due to doing sidequests & exploring the map, so I didn't have that much difficulty in the game. I did lose once, but that was due to me not having any healers on me at the time. I also had great usage of the heroes too. Now, time to talk characters:

Ouroborus:
When it comes to the main six, I loved them all. I loved the Kevesi trio once they were introduced.

As for the Agnian Trio, while I did love Mio & Sena right away, it did take me a while get get a liking to Taion as at first, he gave me the Tenya Ida/Uryu Ishida trope vibes, but by Chapter 3, my love for Taion grew. He has some good funny moments, especially with Eunie (them saying goodbye to each other is a funny moment), along with Tiaon's reaction to see a baby, that scene certainly made me chuckle.

Lanz, is just Reyn, and is just as funny. Not much to say about him, but I do love his older brother relationship with Valdi & Fiona.

As for Noah, while I did love him initially, I kind of found him kind of a "forced protagonist" (the Alexandria Ascension Quest comes to mind) as time went on, while I still prefer him over Rex, I do prefer Shulk.

Now for the girls, and for me, Sena was my personal best girl for the longest time. I just love the "Genki Girl" trope when, and Sena is full of that. Also love her relationship with Segiri & Shania as the story progresses.

However, it did dip. Eunie I did love a lot too, but as time went on, she slowly replaced Sena as best girl for me, especially when it comes to her interaction with Ashera & Colony Eleven.

Mio, while I did love her, kind of felt a bit boring at first, but as the story progresses, my love for grew more. Honestly, she could easily be best girl for me. Her character arc is really interesting, with her "dying" then revealed to have swapped places with M, and her reuniting with Miyabi too.

The character dynamics are fun too, between Eunie's banter with Taion, Sena & Mio's adorable friendship (which could easily be looked as les-yay moments at times imo) & Lanz's loyalty to Noah, its a pretty amazing cast of characters.

Heroes:
Let's talk about the main feature of the game, Heroes, which helped me out a lot. As for their role in story, I'm mixed, there are heroes that I do wish did more, especially in the final battle, or if we saw cutscenes of them defending their colonies.

Riku & Manana:
First, I keep calling Riku, Rex cause of that Haircut. Anyway, I liked Riku & Manana, they were fun characters. Manana could very easily be annoying to some people, but I was not annoyed by her at all, and she had funny moments. As for Riku, it took me a while to like him due to his seemingly cold demeanor, but as time went on, my love for him grew, also, love how his voice is so deep compared to Nopon. As for their role as heroes, it confuses me as they are always with you, but they are not unlocked until the 3rd Chapter. Also, regardless if you have a hero on your team or none, they are still with you. It does bother me a tad if I'm been honest. Also, there is a moment when Riku & Melia both nod to each other, as if they might know each other. We know that from XBC1, that Melia knows the Nopon well, and there is a cute dynamic between her & Riki aswell.

Ethel:
The first hero you get, for a bit. She is an interesting character, and I do love her character. She gives me Erza Scarlet vibes, a strong warrior with a kind heart. I do love her, and was sad that she died, kind off (I will get to that when I talk about Camuravi thou). When she is later revived in a hero quest, I was happy to see her back and still have her personality, and had some funny moments. Her later been aged up (which is optional) is something I feel mixed on thou.

Valdi:
Man, I loved Valdi, he is such a funny hero. His sidequest (which I'm surprised weren't Hero Quests honestly) with Dorrick were fun. He is just a optimistic kid. Not much to say about him really. Also, I love how he is very "Steven Universe" in forgiving people.

Ashera:
As I have already said regarding Eunie, I love Ashera's relationship with Eunie. Ashera is an interesting character, and a character I wish we got more details on. She is such an interesting character. I love how its hinted she might remember her past, and her bloodlust reminds me of the "Sadistic Fighter" esque trope from anime, with characters like Mereoleona Vermilion coming to mind. I also love how her sadistic nature is reflected onto her own Colony & Reputation too.

Segiri:
Segiri is yet another hero I love, when Ouroborus kept getting attacked by mysterious levnises, I was very curious, and seeing it lead up to a hero quest was really interesting (although, I am surprised it was a hero quest and not a story quest). Segiri, and the residents of Colony 0 are such interesting characters honestly. Her interactions with Sena, and her character arc is interesting, as she goes from been robotic, to been her own person.

Juniper:
Man, I love Juniper, and also, awesome non-binary representation too. I had Juniper as my hero for the longest time, as I did find them really useful. I love how calm they are in troublesome situations, such as in their Ascension Quest. Their colony as a whole is interesting, as the colony is different from other colonies. Also, love their design, the hair reminds me a lot of Shaymin, which is cool.

Alexandria:
I love Alexandria, although it did take a while. At first, she came off as uninteresting, but as I continued playing the game and doing quests that involved her, my appreciation & love for her continued. I do love how she is introduced as well.

Fiona:
Fiona, & Colony Mu is really interesting. Fiona is definitely overpowered (at least for now), as I did use her in the final boss battle. Not much else to say really, but I do love her relationship with Lanz & Triton.

Miyabi:
Miyabi is a character I wish did more after Mio's Side Quest in Chapter 6, as aside from her Ascension Quest (which is just adorable and hilarious), she doesn't really appear much. However, it doesn't ruin her character for me, and I do love the impact she had left on Mio.

Camuravi:
Well, Camuravi was disappointing. The trailers & cutscenes implied him to be a big part in the story, but his role is rather minor, only really having 2 big moments, first in a boss battle alongside Ethel, and the second when he is revived alongside Hackt & Mwamba in the boss battle, alongside Miyabi. I do love his design, and fiery elements that go with it.

Gray:
Kaka-I mean Gray is an cool character. I love how he is a essentially an early tease for the City, but I do with he had a role in the story thou. He only really appears in the hero quests. I do love his ascension quest thou, I was so confused on if to trust Rozana or not, and felt so bad for Gray, only for it to be revealed that Rozana was in fact helping the heroes.

Monica:
When Vandham died shortly after he was introduced, I was sad as we didn't get to see him as much as Vandham in XBC2. That is until Monica is introduced, with the Vandham name been a family one. Monica is a cool leader-esque character imo, and I do love her a lot. She is stern, but has everyone's best interests. Not much else to say about her really.

Ghondor:
Man, I love Ghondor, she is hilarious. With how she refers to her mother & how she acts towards the Oruborus when they first meet. I do love her character arc, and her relationship with Shania, and with how it ends with the two reconciling (although, I do wish it happened in a story-related quest and not a Sena Ascension Side-Quest). Also, I love how foul mouthed she is, reminds me of Tayuya & Nia honestly.

Zeon, Teach & Isurd:
So, these heroes are what I would call the "blank slate" heroes, as I don't really have an opinion on them. They do have good moments, Zeon's love for potatoes did make me laugh, along with Isurd's search for a spa. Teach's past did also interest me, along with it not been his real name. However, aside from these moments, I honestly didn't think about them much. Zeon especially, I kind of forgot he was a Hero I had for a bit. Teach is similar too. Isurd is a bit more memorable, as he does have his relationship with Taion & history with Nimue. Also, there is the final Dorrick quest where Isurd appears, but he does nothing, at least Alexandria has a brief conversation with Pulipuli, yet Isurd....just, does, nothing.

Triton:
Ah, Triton. I love Triton, he is hilarious, and an interesting character given he is technically a Moebius. However, if I'm been honest, I didn't really care for his sidequests, the only one that interested me wasn't even his, but Fiona's. Don't have anything else to say about Triton honestly.

Melia:
From watching the playthrough of XBC1, Melia became a character that slowly grew on me, and I did love her by the game's end. I loved her in the game too, and the cameo of Shulk's weapon was awesome to see. I've only just unlocked her as a Hero, so I don't really have much else to say at the moment. Also, I love how Melia is still the same old Melia we know from XBC1.

Nia:
Man, I LOVED Nia in XBC2, and I love her just as much in XBC3. I also love how when you meet her first after you defeat Consuls J & D, she just speaks her mind. Its so clear she doesn't want to do what she does, as its not like her. Not sure what to say, I just love Nia, she is best girl for me in XBC2. Aside from that, not much else to say about Nia, I have only just unlocked her as a hero to. I will say this thou, not sure how to feel about the picture depicting her & the XBC2 cast. Not a fan of older Rex's design, kind of reminds me a lot of the adult Boruto designs. Also, Rex has a poly/harem relationship with Pyra, Mythra & Nia. Also, glad to see Zeke & Morag are still alive and kicking too, Tora too, I guess, and still looking awesome. Along with their blades too. Also, seeing Poppi at the ending cutscene made me smile.

Overview:
So, as a overview, I at least like or love majority of the heroes, with only 3 really been kind of blank slates for me. I do wish a lot of them played more of a role in the story, such as Camuravi, Miyabi, Valdi, Juniper, Fiona, Triton & Ashera, but I still loved how they are all implemented.

Consuls:
Going to talk about them in alphabetical order, at least, the ones that I find notable

Consul C/Crys:
I find Crys to be okay, I do love the impact he brings to Noah, but other than that, I don't have much else to say about him honestly.

Consul D/Dirk:
Man, this guy certainly reminded me a certain someone from XBC1. This is a character that I loathe, he is nothing but a despicable, disgusting character. Nothing else to say about him.

Consul I/Irma:
Out of all the Hero Quest Consuls, Irma is the most interesting one imo. I love how its implied that Irma does not want to harm Fiona & Colony Mu, and she cherished her friendship with Fiona. Irma's story honestly makes me wish Fiona was a mandatory hero, as I felt like it could of impacted the story a bit more. Have Irma be similar to Triton, a Consul that does not wish to do harm. Also, the implication that Triton might of known Irma in the past is one that I like too.

Consul J/Joran:
Joran, was not a character that interested me in the flashbacks honestly. Although, I was surprised that he was Consul J, as for a while, I thought it would of been Garvel as we hadn't seen him or his lackeys (minus Fox) in Colony 9. While I was sad when J sacrificed himself to save the Orouborus, he kind of felt underwhelming. Not sure why thou.

Consul M:
I liked Consul M's design. Given she is a future Mio, I don't really know what else to say. She is similar to Mio in most ways imo, but I do love how its thanks to her that Mio survives from dying. I do wish her outfit was available for Mio thou, as it looked pretty badass.

Consul N:
Man, I'm kind of negative on N. He has a cool design, but, the reasoning, I feel mixed on. It might be my stance on romance and how its portrayed, but I find Consul N pining over romance to be rather annoying. Yes, he was manipulated by Z, but still. I just don't know how to feel about N. My opinion might change, yes, but as for the writing of this review, I don't know how to feel. I will point out, there is Television related reasons why I feel mixed about N too, but I won't get into that here as its recent television, and I don't want to spoil anyone.

Consuls O & P:
Ah, the Jessie & James or Butch & Cassidy of the game. Not really much to say about them really, other than that. They didn't really leave a lasting impact after their defeat honestly.

Consul S/Shania:
Shania, is probably the most interesting Consul outside of Irma & Triton for me. I love how she was driven to do what she did due to her past, due to how her mother looked down upon her. Shania is probably the most tragic character of the game, as if she hadn't listened to her mother, things wouldn't of gone the way it did for her. Her father & Ghondor knew what Shania truly wanted to do. While I expected her to pull a Dickinson, I was still surprised. Her betrayal at the end of Chapter 5 & her death in Chapter 6 was shocking, and I was sad that she died. I do have one complaint about her thou, and its that her story is continued in a Side-Story Hero Quest. I honestly found that to be really annoying, as I feel like if the rest of her story was told in the main story, if would of left more of an impact. Shania is honestly my favorite villain in the game.

Consul W:
A rather minor villain that appears in Ashera's Ascension Quest. I do wish we got more of Consul W as she did interest me. Also, I do love the voice they had for her.

Consuls X & Y: Consuls X & Y.
First, Y is kind of another blank slate for me, He has a role in Mio's Sidequest in Chapter 6, and then is a boss in Chapter 7. Aside from disgusting me, there is not much I can say about him. X on the other hand, kind of feels like wasted potential, and her fate is confusing. After you defeat her in Chapter 7, unlike Y, she just stays there. It might be due to Eunie's & Sena's sidequests are optional ones (although her appearance in Sena's sidequest could easily be a flashback of when Shania is revived). I do like her appearances in the game though, I'm also glad she stopped Lanz & Sena from sacrificing their lives, I would of been sad if that happened.
Update: I have since read that if Eunie doesn't do her ascension quest, instead of X, it is a group of Moebius that you will face.

Consul Z: Z....not really sure how to feel about him honestly. His boss battle was really interesting thou (although it felt like it went on for a long time). As a character, I'm not sure. I did have my hopes that he would be linked to XBC2. He kind of felt underwhelming the more I think about it.

Consuls B, E, F, G, H, K, L, Q, R, U & V: =
Honestly, these are mostly nothing but disgusting, blank slates imo, even Consul K, who out of these is the only one who has their face revealed.

Other Characters:
The side characters range from funny to interesting to boring to forgettable for me. Some notable ones include Fox, Kyrie, Trini, Fline, Garvel, Layla, Hoope, Bolearis, Jeremy, Sequioa, Salazar, Chickadee, Shijima, Moraine, Raine, Zoren, Easel, Widow, Hexen, Knoquehardt, Tallow, Nico, Kanata, Tussore, Lotus, Seeker, Soona, Ragzy, Kisame, Aggy, Oggy, Dana, Travis, Neon, Shiner, San, Azalea, Boomer, Rozana, Samon, Gingin, Tempapa & Nimue. Regarding Nimue, another side quest I wish was a story quest was Taion's. Along with Isurd as a mandatory hero, it would of been interesting to see Isurd interacting with a reborn Nimue. Same goes for a reborn Ethel meeting with Bolearis (although, if you go there with her, you will get a unique conversation with is kind of funny).

Top 5/Worst 5:
While I thoroughly enjoyed the game from start to end, I do have a few nitpicks. Some of these might be rectified by future updates or the post game, as I have yet to continue with the post game. I'm going to share my personal 5 highlights & personal 5 nitpicks regarding the game, they are in random order. Starting with the nitpicks:

5. Slowdown: While playing the game, I noticed at times that the screen & music would suddenly stop while playing. This is something I have heard happens often in the game. It might be fixed in the future, but as for now, it is noticeable and rather annoying.

4. The Boat: When I saw the boat in a trailer, I was initially excited, but when I started controlling it, I started to find it really annoying. I found it quite hard to control, especially when revering & trying to turn it around. It is a PAIN when trying to fill the map in, I'd rather be swimming honestly. The only boat controls I can compare it is to GTA V, and I'm not a fan of it in that game either.

3. Heroes lack of role in the final battle: Aside from Monica & Ghondor, and the visions of other heroes appearing alongside you in the final battle, I do wish we saw the Heroes themselves actually partake in the battle, maybe have cutscenes of them defending their colonies. This isn't the only time I wish the heroes appeared, as in Sena's sidequest, the city is attacked, yet Monica is the only other hero that appears to defend it (as Ghondor is on your team). Miyabi, Gray, Camuravi & Ethel are not seen at all, while Miyabi could easily be protecting people in the canteen, it is odd that Gray, Camuravi or Ethel don't go and help defend the city, even if we just saw them frozen in state. Triton has the excuse of been an optional hero, although it would have been interesting seeing him interact with Shania, maybe given some more lore about the Consuls.

2. Consuls: Aside from the ones I have already talked about, I feel like majority of the Consuls are rather forgettable. I do wish we got to know them more, about their past before they were turned into Moebius. Maybe Irma might of been good friends with Fiona in a past live.

1. Lack of Previous Pasts of Ouroborous (minus Mio & Noah): Aside from Eunie, we don't see the previous pasts of Lanz, Taion & Sena. I would of liked to see it honestly, would they of been friends with previous versions of Mio & Noah, or would they be elsewhere and have different lives. Honestly, we don't even see Agnian trio when they are as young as the Kevesi trio when it shows their flashbacks with Joran. I do wish we saw more about their pasts. Maybe they were friends with Heroes. It honestly would of been funny is Eunie at one point was in a colony alongside Ashera, or if Sena wasn't in a colony with Mio.

Now for 5 of my Highlights:
5. Soundtrack: As I've already stated, I love the soundtrack in this game, it is amazing. Two songs, "A Step Away" & "Where We Belong" are amazing vocal songs.

4. Visuals: There is so many breathtaking locations in the game. Not as good as XBC1 & XBC2 the more I think about it, but still, for me, I liked most of the environments in the game.

3. Writing: I think the writing in the game is pretty amazing, and there is a lot of laugh out loud moments in it, especially with Eunie, Lanz & Taion. There is also some very good dramatic moments that are written well too.

2. Sidequests: The Side Quests in this game are pretty amazing honestly, and I do love majority of them. Especially the Hero Quests. Hard to say which one is my favorite thou.

1. Characters: Majority of the characters in this game are amazing, all of them lovable in their unique way. Also, there are so many amazing character designs too.

So overall, I really enjoyed this game. I give it 5 stars (a 10/10 in my own personal ratings). Do I have nitpicks with the game, yes, but I don't think it really downgrades the overall quality of the game, and I still enjoyed it, which to me, is the most important thing of all. I can't wait to see what the DLC brings, and I would highly suggest to play the game. Not much else to say about it really.

Thanks for reading the review, and apologies for its length. Also, apologies for the amount of spelling errors, I did try to keep an eye on majority of spelling errors, but I probably missed a good chunk.