Banger game. Gameplay and story isn't as tight as XC1 but that's alright, it's very different and that's fine. It's my favorite open world game by far and away and the characters are actually really really good.
Elma, Lin, Tatsu, and Cross are an actually amazing main cast that play off each other well and Cross is probably the best example of an avatar character I've seen, pulling weight and having agency in the story while not being some overly grand hero.
Elma is an intriguing protagonist as an extreme pragmatist and a mentor figure to Cross.
People often criticize Lin and Tatsu specifically for their played out jokes- but I feel the game would be way too dark without that levity, and I like that they're given a chance to be kids despite the bleak situation they live in. Tatsu is an entertaining subversion of Xenoblade 1's Riki to me and I genuinely think he's underappreciated as the moments he has that actually do carry emotional weight I think added a lot.

The philosophy of the game is legitimately really interesting and made me think a lot, my understanding of the story's world flipping on its head a few times. The music is amazing and unique, the combat is intensely deep and frenetic, some of the best sidequesting in any game, I love it all.

I can see this game not being for everyone, but for the people it does appeal to, they will love it. I'm in the waiting room for an X2 now like everyone else has been for the past 7 years, and it's going to continue being a painful wait.