While I was originally unsure of how I would like Xenoblade Chronicles 3 upon its reveal, it didn't take long for me to become more optimistic about it. More and more information about it was released, with a lot of it appearing to be exactly what I wanted from a new Xenoblade game. It soon became one of my most anticipated video games ever. I am extremely glad I am able to say it still surpassed my expectations despite them being so high.

The gameplay here is easily one of its strongest points, as it's pretty much exactly what I wanted from the next Xenoblade game. The world is vast and expansive with lots of interesting areas to explore. It was especially enjoyable finding all the small references to the previous Xenoblade games sprinkled throughout each area. The combat is also incredible, and I'm surprised by how well they were able to combine elements from the first and second game. The addition of classes is also one of my favorite parts of the game, as it allows for tons of customization without feeling overwhelming. Switching classes to learn arts and skills from them also kept the combat constantly feeling fresh and interesting. Even the side quests feel more interesting than ever, as they all relate in some way to the actions of the party members or other parts of the story.

Never before I have experienced such an emotional story as the one in this game. I've never cried as hard or as many times due to a piece of media as I did with Xenoblade Chronicles 3. It contains some of my favorite moments from the series, and this is thanks to the wonderful cast of characters. Since all six main party members join together near the very start of the game, each of them get a great amount of screentime with plenty of interactions with the other characters. They had become one of my favorite casts of characters by the end of the game, with it being hard who to pick who I liked the most out of them. However, while I did find the story to be excellent, it suffers from pacing issues or lack of smaller explanations at points.

As to be expected with an entry in the Xenoblade series, the soundtrack is phenomenal. The many battle themes stand out in this regard, as each of them are extremely memorable and set the tone perfectly. I do wish there was option to turn off the menu/chain attack music, because while these are incredible tracks, there were many points where I didn't want them to interrupt the song that was currently playing. Hopefully MonolithSoft will acknowledge this in a future update. I also had one more small issue with the music, which is that some of the area themes are more atmospheric instead of featuring a prominent melody. These songs are by no means bad, but I just prefer Xenoblade's typical style for area music as it allows for more memorable tracks.

I am beyond thrilled that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 turned out to be nearly a perfect replica of what I wanted. I even found the game's central message to be especially inspiring for me, which I can't say has happened with anything I've experience before. Between that, the expertly crafted gameplay, and the incredible story with spectacular characters, this game was a magical experience that I will no doubt cherish for a very long time.

Takes its sweet time to get going but god it doesn't fucking stop once it starts.

Very good time travel concepts and one of the most terrifying concepts of fate that I've seen.

I could go on, but it's just a really good traditional visual novel.

True ending route is admittedly a bit silly with the way you reach it though.