XC1 is one of the more interesting experiences I've had with a story. Though I have quite a bit of issues, they feel slightly unfair when looked at in the context of the story this wants to tell.
For nearly the first half of the game, while I was enjoying myself, I felt a disconnect somewhere, like I was just experiencing something but not really having any strong feelings toward any particular aspect. That all changed around chapter 8, specifically the High Entia Tomb section where I started to feel some modicum of attachment to the story. From then on, the story and more importantly, the characters felt a lot more realized.
The combat, while initially I dismissed it as 'good enough' constantly progressed and expanded as subsequent party members joined and learned arts, getting to a point where combat felt extremely rewarding when you completely understood it. I cannot express how fun it is to stun-lock a boss infinitely with chain attacks.
The dub isn't particularly great, I considered switching over to Japanese a few times in the early chapters. Honestly, I'm glad I didn't. While some performances are pretty good and others pretty bad it strangely feels perfect with this type of world and characters. Call it Stockholm syndrome, but I grew to quite like the voice acting with it actually hitting its stride greatly in the last few chapters.
The music is the one thing I never changed my opinion on. From the start, I was blown away by the composition and it only got more and more stellar. This game has a perfect soundtrack and some of the best battle music I've ever heard. The game also looks really good with some stunning areas that really encourage exploration and very dynamic cutscenes with surprisingly fluid action sequences.
The story and characters are where I find myself more or less conflicted. I like them both but have an issue with how they are presented, mainly the dialogue in particular can get pretty silly at times with how on the nose it is. But like I said at the start this feels like an unfair criticism once you look at this game holistically. This game is so unapologetically itself and unabashedly genuine that it becomes contagious. From chapter 12 onward the story REALLY locks in and delivers on a truly epic tale of human perseverance with an ending I comfortably(and kind of surprisingly) say is one of my personal favorites ever. It has such a powerful final say and with the amount of twists and turns in the final act it was mindblowing to think this was the same game as what I played in chapter 1.
I think the correct way to word this game is something that ages beautifully as you play it. It took a while but it ultimately delivered on a powerful story, and one I'm very glad I got to experience. This is a pretty bold way to start a trilogy, but I'm really excited to see where it goes from here.
For nearly the first half of the game, while I was enjoying myself, I felt a disconnect somewhere, like I was just experiencing something but not really having any strong feelings toward any particular aspect. That all changed around chapter 8, specifically the High Entia Tomb section where I started to feel some modicum of attachment to the story. From then on, the story and more importantly, the characters felt a lot more realized.
The combat, while initially I dismissed it as 'good enough' constantly progressed and expanded as subsequent party members joined and learned arts, getting to a point where combat felt extremely rewarding when you completely understood it. I cannot express how fun it is to stun-lock a boss infinitely with chain attacks.
The dub isn't particularly great, I considered switching over to Japanese a few times in the early chapters. Honestly, I'm glad I didn't. While some performances are pretty good and others pretty bad it strangely feels perfect with this type of world and characters. Call it Stockholm syndrome, but I grew to quite like the voice acting with it actually hitting its stride greatly in the last few chapters.
The music is the one thing I never changed my opinion on. From the start, I was blown away by the composition and it only got more and more stellar. This game has a perfect soundtrack and some of the best battle music I've ever heard. The game also looks really good with some stunning areas that really encourage exploration and very dynamic cutscenes with surprisingly fluid action sequences.
The story and characters are where I find myself more or less conflicted. I like them both but have an issue with how they are presented, mainly the dialogue in particular can get pretty silly at times with how on the nose it is. But like I said at the start this feels like an unfair criticism once you look at this game holistically. This game is so unapologetically itself and unabashedly genuine that it becomes contagious. From chapter 12 onward the story REALLY locks in and delivers on a truly epic tale of human perseverance with an ending I comfortably(and kind of surprisingly) say is one of my personal favorites ever. It has such a powerful final say and with the amount of twists and turns in the final act it was mindblowing to think this was the same game as what I played in chapter 1.
I think the correct way to word this game is something that ages beautifully as you play it. It took a while but it ultimately delivered on a powerful story, and one I'm very glad I got to experience. This is a pretty bold way to start a trilogy, but I'm really excited to see where it goes from here.