Everything degeneracy stuffed into one package. The sexualization and love triangle have gotten to the point where I feel they literally encroach on the story. No, I am not exaggerating. I could write a whole essay on how the character design and writing in XC2 reflect a larger societal issue regarding Japan/nerd&otaku culture and its sexualization + portrayal of relationships and family. The battle system is way better than XC1 but the tutorials are awful. In handheld mode, this is possibly the worst looking game in the Switch's entire library. I hate Tiger Tiger, the sidequests still suck, field skills are awful, and the world still doesn't feel fun to explore. The character designs are terribly inconsistent and there's a gatcha system. The humor and voice acting are super cringeworthy.

The commentary on refugees amidst a climate crisis is one of the most morally depraved viewpoints I've ever seen in a video game. Please watch this cutscene. Essentially, the refugees are being criticized for protesting the Indol government (a powerful theocracy) despite being "fed and watered" by them. They're labeled as lazy and won't take matters into their own hands. What they refuse to explain further in this scene, is that Indol has total control over the distribution of core crystals, effectively giving them a monopoly over the war. Ardanian soldiers colonized Gormott, and these mostly Gormotti residents were displaced in the process. Ardanian presence in Gormott is large and they give core crystals to residents only if those residents enlist for their military. These refugees are literally powerless and you have multiple members of royalty plus a high ranking Ardanian officer complaining that these displaced refugees are lazy for holding up signs begging to stop the war. Asinine.

The soundtrack is great though.