Xenoblade Chronicles 2 befuddles me. I am perplexed with how I am supposed to rate this game, this utter rollercoaster ride of quality with peaks and valleys that alternate so much that it would give the rocky mountains a run for their money. Where to even start? There is so much to unpack here that I fear I might end up writing too much, so I'll try to keep my thoughts prompt and streamlined.
The story, if pretty solid for the most part, is a bit of a mess. While it actually starts pretty interestingly, things become cluttered and markedly less interesting as you begin to learn more about the villains and their motivations, which is disappointing. Things devolve into a power struggle that feels like it has lost the plot and what made it originally interesting in the first place. By the time you reach some of the big and cool revelations at the end, things feel hollow and not really impactful at all. If there is one positive thing about the story, it would absolutely be Jin, who is the best character in the game and it isn't really close. The main villain, Malos, is not really very interesting at all, and the side villain whom I will not spoil has some interesting things going on but is thrown into the plot pretty haphazardly without allowing for a lot of time for them to develop. Additionally, there are some plot twists that seem like they would be big folds in the story but ultimately don't amount to much in terms of impact on the cast and plot, which confuses me. Overall, I think there are some great things going on here, but the execution flops in pretty key places. The world is well-established, the conflicts are interesting throughout, but they get bogged down by the harem anime wish fulfillment nonsense that centers in on Rex and his seemingly irresistible charisma about halfway through the game. There is a lot of wasted time and tasks that feel like they meant nothing in the long run of the story, which is disappointing. The final boss is also a flop. Something dumb also happens at the very end that makes for a funny writing decision, but I was expecting it so whatever.
I do actually like the main cast quite a bit, but Rex as a main character really is nothing more than a self-insert protag-kun pulled straight from whatever isekai seasonal anime just aired last month. His relationships with the main cast didn't really land for me and his importance and the admiration he draws from his friends, while necessary, felt unearned and shallow, especially his relationship with Pyra and Mythra, which is the least subtle wish fulfillment fantasy I think I've ever seen. The rest of the main cast is honestly great and the main party has good chemistry with one another.
The combat is quite fun actually. While it does take time to click, it is incredibly rewarding when it does. The only issues I have here are the vague explanation of how to actually do the combat and some of the bosses. While the combat may be rewarding, any kind of fun that could be had from taking down the bosses is snatched when a boss has abilities that can nullify all of the cool stuff you just learned how to do and makes the fights a slog of reviving your party and starting over. This isn't too common and is far from a death sentence for the game but it is frustrating when it feels like the game is sometimes blocking me from exploring the mechanics of the combat in the scenarios when they would be most satisfying to execute.
The level design is mostly ass. I'm sorry to all the explorers out there, but I have absolutely zero incentive to explore these areas when the only good loot for me to find is above some air duct the requires multiple field skills up to level 5 to access. Whoever made field skills and thought they were a good idea in any capacity is an idiot. Hell is hot. I'm looking at you, Cliffs of Morytha. Other than field skills, the worlds are just not that interesting. They aren't the worst thing in the world, the scenery can be completely gorgeous in some areas, but I just feel adverse to exploring when I'm punished for wanting to find stuff.
The gacha system sucks, plain and simple. Who knows why they though this was a good idea. A gacha system that can't be monetized exists only to inflict pain on the player; there is no financial incentive, so why in the world is it here? To waste my time? Fun fact: every legendary core crystal I got gave me a shitty normal tier blade. What the fuck, guys? What is the point of implementing a gacha system if you aren't making the players give you money to get their anime waifus? The motivation here isn't greed, it's just blackhearted evil. I don't understand. That's all there is to say.
This review seems like it's really harsh and that I hated the game. The truth is, I actually liked this game a solid amount when it was on. When I was in the groove of playing this game, I was having a blast. Setting up elemental burst and seeing the biggest number you've ever seen appear on your screen at the end of a chain attack is so unbelievably fun. There is a surprising amount of depth here too when you add equipment, aux cores, pouch items, and blade combos into the mix here too. I don't think I have the patience to explore all of it to its very ends, but there is enough I can grasp for me to appreciate it. The story is not the worst thing in the world, it just has a complete tonal imbalance and tends to meander away from what I got hooked on to begin with. Again, the world and cast are both really solid but it's what the plot decides to do with those that makes me unhappy in some places. The locales are beautiful, but exploring them is a chore. The soundtrack is spectacular, btw. I don't know man, this game is so confusing. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. All I can say is how in the world could people give this a 10 and declare it better than the masterpiece that is the first game? You might need to get your eyes checked if you think this one is better.
The story, if pretty solid for the most part, is a bit of a mess. While it actually starts pretty interestingly, things become cluttered and markedly less interesting as you begin to learn more about the villains and their motivations, which is disappointing. Things devolve into a power struggle that feels like it has lost the plot and what made it originally interesting in the first place. By the time you reach some of the big and cool revelations at the end, things feel hollow and not really impactful at all. If there is one positive thing about the story, it would absolutely be Jin, who is the best character in the game and it isn't really close. The main villain, Malos, is not really very interesting at all, and the side villain whom I will not spoil has some interesting things going on but is thrown into the plot pretty haphazardly without allowing for a lot of time for them to develop. Additionally, there are some plot twists that seem like they would be big folds in the story but ultimately don't amount to much in terms of impact on the cast and plot, which confuses me. Overall, I think there are some great things going on here, but the execution flops in pretty key places. The world is well-established, the conflicts are interesting throughout, but they get bogged down by the harem anime wish fulfillment nonsense that centers in on Rex and his seemingly irresistible charisma about halfway through the game. There is a lot of wasted time and tasks that feel like they meant nothing in the long run of the story, which is disappointing. The final boss is also a flop. Something dumb also happens at the very end that makes for a funny writing decision, but I was expecting it so whatever.
I do actually like the main cast quite a bit, but Rex as a main character really is nothing more than a self-insert protag-kun pulled straight from whatever isekai seasonal anime just aired last month. His relationships with the main cast didn't really land for me and his importance and the admiration he draws from his friends, while necessary, felt unearned and shallow, especially his relationship with Pyra and Mythra, which is the least subtle wish fulfillment fantasy I think I've ever seen. The rest of the main cast is honestly great and the main party has good chemistry with one another.
The combat is quite fun actually. While it does take time to click, it is incredibly rewarding when it does. The only issues I have here are the vague explanation of how to actually do the combat and some of the bosses. While the combat may be rewarding, any kind of fun that could be had from taking down the bosses is snatched when a boss has abilities that can nullify all of the cool stuff you just learned how to do and makes the fights a slog of reviving your party and starting over. This isn't too common and is far from a death sentence for the game but it is frustrating when it feels like the game is sometimes blocking me from exploring the mechanics of the combat in the scenarios when they would be most satisfying to execute.
The level design is mostly ass. I'm sorry to all the explorers out there, but I have absolutely zero incentive to explore these areas when the only good loot for me to find is above some air duct the requires multiple field skills up to level 5 to access. Whoever made field skills and thought they were a good idea in any capacity is an idiot. Hell is hot. I'm looking at you, Cliffs of Morytha. Other than field skills, the worlds are just not that interesting. They aren't the worst thing in the world, the scenery can be completely gorgeous in some areas, but I just feel adverse to exploring when I'm punished for wanting to find stuff.
The gacha system sucks, plain and simple. Who knows why they though this was a good idea. A gacha system that can't be monetized exists only to inflict pain on the player; there is no financial incentive, so why in the world is it here? To waste my time? Fun fact: every legendary core crystal I got gave me a shitty normal tier blade. What the fuck, guys? What is the point of implementing a gacha system if you aren't making the players give you money to get their anime waifus? The motivation here isn't greed, it's just blackhearted evil. I don't understand. That's all there is to say.
This review seems like it's really harsh and that I hated the game. The truth is, I actually liked this game a solid amount when it was on. When I was in the groove of playing this game, I was having a blast. Setting up elemental burst and seeing the biggest number you've ever seen appear on your screen at the end of a chain attack is so unbelievably fun. There is a surprising amount of depth here too when you add equipment, aux cores, pouch items, and blade combos into the mix here too. I don't think I have the patience to explore all of it to its very ends, but there is enough I can grasp for me to appreciate it. The story is not the worst thing in the world, it just has a complete tonal imbalance and tends to meander away from what I got hooked on to begin with. Again, the world and cast are both really solid but it's what the plot decides to do with those that makes me unhappy in some places. The locales are beautiful, but exploring them is a chore. The soundtrack is spectacular, btw. I don't know man, this game is so confusing. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. All I can say is how in the world could people give this a 10 and declare it better than the masterpiece that is the first game? You might need to get your eyes checked if you think this one is better.
guah
10 months ago