Playing this game again when I was a game design student and learning how to program made me realize how artful every small aspect of this game is; its journey, its dialogue, the battles, the world design, and graphics, everything just clicks in favor of a singular vision and message.
While I couldn't appreciate it until years after I loved its sequel, the prequel still managed to be a formative experience for me.
I love that magicant becomes a place you visit multiple times as a home world in the pink clouds of fantasy creatures, cloud swimming cats, and just strange people, living beneath a sad queen. The armor shops in this place have multiple tiers and variations of equipment that can be useful all game, and the tons of stuff in the treasury in the queens castle combined with the limited inventory makes it so you have incentive to come back and return to this place, to relax from the real world of physical objects and people that might want to harm you while you search for the eight things that will sing you a portion of a melody to save the world.
I won't forget the dance sequence, the singing cactus, driving a tank, taking the train across the world and through the most dangerous tunnel, running from giant creatures and machines in the endgame, teaming up with a gangster that became bedridden from injury he took by helping me, having to deal with asthma, catching a cold from an npc, the list goes on.
This game might live in the shadow of its superior sequel, but it's a totally different and fantastic experience on its own, despite sharing a lot of similar flavors and ideas.
Also, after playing other rpg's from this era, the crit SMAAASH system in this game adds so much needed unpredictability to battles that it keeps them from getting stale. You can always crit an enemy for a ton of damage, or they can crit you and you have to make do with the turn-around. Having to deal with unexpected situations are what rpg's are all about.

An extremely misunderstood game, way ahead of it's time. I love the leveling system in this game, it makes you prioritize what you have and decide how to build your characters by making them capable at everything but grow to master specific weapons and spells, so it feels like the classes are naturally evolved into. My firion was a fierce dual-wielding rogue, a stalwart sword and shield knight, and a capable white mage with fire magic. Maria a bow and staff black mage, and Guy a two-handed axe berserker white mage.

It tells a lot of story with just stats of guest characters, short but memorable scenes, and a keyword system.

The dungeons are a bit lengthy, but the real issue is a lack of variety in both music tracks and enemy design. Too many designs get repeated over the encounters, and they're spread rather thin. There's also not enough downtime between dungeons. Towns are small (although a huge step-up in dialogue and flavor from the previous game), and as a result the gameplay is a little bit too tense too long with few breaks.

This is still my favorite of the original trilogy

Pretty damn cool story but the gunplay was very mediocre. Fighting aliens was a lot more pleasant than the marines and their cheesy ass AI. More importantly for me though, my god was it difficult to figure out what I needed to do next just to progress sometimes. Half the places I got stuck weren't even intended to be puzzles; rather, it was just some totally nondescript object I had to interact with or something. Even I can tell the creators were being super faithful to the OG based on that aspect alone lul. No hand holding whatsoever, I respect it.

Also most levels felt longer than they needed to be (especially Interloper, christ alive what a slog that was). The music in Interloper combined with its environment design heavily reminded me of trips to Hell in Doom 2016 lol. Some odd hard rock music choices in other chapters as well.

Might've platinumed if not for those ridiculous time sink pizza and hat transport achievements where you have to replay 90% of the game carrying a dumb object unable to shoot, cba with that!!

[my first ever experience with anything Half-Life]

The toughest part of writing a review is deciding how to start it, so let's go with this: Should you buy this game if you've never played any other Xenoblade title? This seems to be the most pressing question Xenoblade Chronicles 3 faces and I'm happy to answer that yes, you should. Obviously both other games (sorry X) are on the Switch already, so if you felt so inclined, you could go play them now too, but if you're just too excited for the newest, shiniest thing, by all means you can jump in here. In fact, I envy you if that's the case.

Xenoblade suffers from what I like to call Persona Syndrome, in which a person's favorite game in the series often tends to their first one. When you play something so unique and different from anything else, that resonates with you, and that initial experience will form an impression that's almost impossible to top, even if, from a technical perspective, later games surpass it. I formed that bond with Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and thus a lot of this review will be written with comparisons to that game, so do consider that as you read, but I also think it's worth discussing this now because some of my issues with Xeno 3 come from the weight of expectations placed upon it by its predecessor.

That said, if you've seen the score I've given this game, it should be obvious that it's something I would still highly recommend. Monolith Soft are masters of their craft and part of why these games generate such a strong emotional response is that there's almost nothing like them out there. They are sprawling, massive single-player RPG experiences that effortlessly capture the feeling of being in another world and exploring every inch of it. They have rich and addicting combat that is built upon systems layered upon other systems that all combine to form fun and challenging gameplay. And of course they have stories with memorable characters and detailed worlds with hidden truths waiting to be uncovered.

Story, however, is what I'd point to as Xenoblade 3's biggest weakness, and where comparisons to past games come up the strongest. It's not that it isn't compelling, or there aren't strong, world-shattering events (the ending of Chapter 5 is the game's high point and one of the best moments in the series), but I sadly never found myself as emotionally invested in these characters and their adventure as I did with Shulk, Rex, and their respective crews. This is in large part because the game and its story are structured around these characters as a unit and less as individuals. They come across as more interchangeable than anything; despite being on two different sides of a war, they all possess very common trauma which allows them to coalesce together very early on, but that hurts the dynamic in my mind more than anything. Noah, Mio, and the rest lack the eccentricities or the internal conflict of past Xenoblade parties, and while I did like all these characters to some extent, I never came to love them.

This was perhaps best reflected at the end of the game, which despite its best efforts to illicit tears from me, failed to do so. In contrast, I was a blubbering mess at the end of Xenoblade 2. In fact, Xenoblade 3's most emotional moment (for me) had little to do with its own merits, and more because a certain song played at a certain time and was a gut-punch to me in the best possible way. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was a game I was satisfied to see its conclusion, as opposed to Xeno 2 which I never wanted to end. I suppose that's the best way I can put it.

Further compounding the issues with story was the lack of a compelling villain. I don't want this review to deviate too far into spoiler territory, so there's only so much I can say here, but my core issue is I really felt no connection between them and the main cast (and, by proxy, myself). This comes in sharp contrast with Xenoblade 2, where the villain had immensely personal ties to your party, and confrontations with them only furthered your desire to emerge victorious in the end. Xenoblade 3 kind of ends on flat note, and revelations about the villain's identity paint him and his group as little more than something that exists to justify the plot, rather than a more concrete obstacle that felt good to overcome. It certainly doesn't help that the final boss fight is excruciatingly long and far too scripted at times; heaven help you if you lose at any point and have to start over again.

I realize I'm being fairly harsh towards something I did genuinely really enjoy so I should also say there is plenty about the story that does work. Xenoblade 3 is ultimately a narrative about life, death, and the passage of time, and how it weaves those concepts throughout its runtime is incredibly well done. It exists on a strong foundational message of hope for the future and the desire for humanity to move forward, which goes a long way in a world that is otherwise extremely dour and bleak, much more than anything else found in these games prior. Its use of the Ouroboros as its primary theming device couldn't be more appropriate and the way the game begins and ends only further cements that. However, if you're holding out on true finality here, you might be disappointed, and there's more than a fair share of loose ends along the way.

Switching (Xeno)gears here for a moment, let's talk about gameplay and combat. One thing Monolith has always excelled at in this department is variety, and that continues to be the case here. Though only three roles, Xenoblade 3 features over 20 different classes which you can easily apply to any character you like, so whomever you gravitate toward and whatever playstyle you like, you'll find you can make that work. Unlocking more roles, levelling them up, and acquiring moves from them gives you a lot of flexibility in customizing your character, and although it takes a while into the game before you feel like you have enough to fully gauge the combat system, once you hit that, it's incredibly satisfying. Combine this with the mini-game like element of cancelling your attacks with good timing and you've got a really engaging combat system despite how automated much of it is.

While on the surface the combat looks fairly similar to Xenoblade 2, battles actually play out more like Xenoblade 1, so if you were more a fan of the first game you'll probably resonate greater with 3 (this is true in a lot of respects, really). For me, however, it sacrificed some of that flexibility in battle that Xenoblade 2 had. 2's combat was more adaptable on the fly, allowing you to switch your weapons/blades mid-fight while zeroing in on enemy elemental weaknesses. This meant each encounter felt more unique in how you approached it when deciding which blades to use and which branches you'd follow in your blade combo tree. In Xenoblade 3 every encounter plays out largely the same; once you develop your strategy it's merely a matter of executing it over and over. It's more than enough to carry the game but not quite as enjoyable or satisfying as Xenoblade 2's was for me.

Another area where the game suffers slightly in this department is combat readability. If you've ever seen a screenshot of a battle in Xenoblade it can look almost indecipherable in terms of how much is going on and how many UI elements it uses. Traditionally once you get into things, though, it's not much of an issue. Xeno 3, however, ups the ante with six party members at once (with an optional seventh you can add), the result of which can devolve into a visual mess when everyone is grouped up, or when the camera pulls out for battles against larger monsters. It can be incredibly difficult to keep track of your own character at times, not to mention timing your weapon cancelling, so the overabundance of things on screen might have finally caught up to them here.

Speaking of that optional seventh party member, it ties into one of my favorite things about Xenoblade 3 which are Hero Quests. This is the third game's equivalent of your blade side quests from Xenoblade 2, except an actual area of improvement in terms of how the game surfaces them to you. The gacha system is long gone and you don't need to have the character already to trigger the quests. Just go to a ? on the map and there's a good chance it'll give you a quest to add a new character to your repertoire, which is also how you gain your additional classes. These hero quests have the same production values as story quests, featuring fully voiced cut scenes, and they definitely constitute the most interesting side content the game has to offer.

The only downside? These hero characters aren't controllable. You add them to your party, they do their thing in battle, and that's about it. There are additional side quests that feature these heroes though, so there's at least attempts to flesh them out more, but it's almost a shame because these are by far the most interesting characters in the game. The part earlier where I mentioned the lack of eccentricities in the main party? They all went here. In fact you could actually make a really interesting JRPG consisting of a party of just these side characters. Kind of a waste in that sense but also I'm glad they're here.

Exploration is another area I should probably touch on because it is ultimately what I love most about these games. Xenoblade 3 is their biggest one yet, absolutely pushing the Switch to its limits. But, I'll always forgive a little loss of fidelity and framerate for a truly ambitious game, which this absolutely is (not to mention still being quite gorgeous too). I would get lost for hours just meandering around the map, wanting to see what is around every corner, and quite often being handsomely rewarded for it. Even when I thought I had seen it all, the game opens up even further at about the 40 hour mark, in a way I can only describe as Wind Waker-esque. I adored it and had a lot of fun in that section of the game.

And, of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the soundtrack, which remains some of the best music you'll hear in all of video games. I saw a comment about how it sounded like the composers crafted 90% of the music in this game as if they were told it was the last song they'd ever get to make, and that is a perfection summation of it. The sheer breadth and quality of battle themes alone is worthy of praise. There's one minor caveat to this, and as much as I hate to sound like a broken record...Xenoblade 2's music was just a bit better. The emotional musical themes of that game gave its big moments much more of a "pop" than Xenoblade 3's equivalent tracks do.

I really wish I could have written this review from the perspective of someone playing it for the first time because I feel this comes across more negative than I would like. Xenoblade 3 is a genuinely fantastic game and I'd recommend it to anyone but I can't divorce myself from my own experiences which result in feeling like it comes up a bit short compared to the previous game. And while there are twists and turns abound, having played the prior games also makes you a bit more wary of how these games are typically written and you'll come to expect certain elements and moments that would have otherwise been huge surprises if viewed with fresh eyes. Either way, I'd be shocked if anyone walked away from Xenoblade 3 not feeling satisfied. That's how I felt, and the only shame in that is it just didn't leave the same impression Xenoblade 2 did for me. Perhaps there was never any escaping that.

this is a masterpiece. period this is the most beautifully sweet and most heartbreakingly sad visual novel ive ever read in my entire life and a story i will probably think about for decades and decades to come everything in this is crafted wonderfully not a single flaw in character design story music atmosphere writing not a single aspect left undeveloped for an epopee expanding through 3 different ages. i dont usually make heartfelt reviews but this is an incredible experience unlike anything else ive read and probably will ever read. and also i need a refund for the 5kg of tissue paper ive used

my first FF! grabbed me from start to finish. as someone pretty new to party based games i really appreciated how dynamic the learning curve was here. i learned as i went that battles are much easier when switching between characters as needed, using the right tools for the job, and actually putting thought into upgrades and weapon choices! rly amps the reward when you come out a rly tough battle 2 losses later having figured out the perfect strategy, flow state!

the rather conventional story is also greatly uplifted by the deep rooted eco terrorist/activist flavor that provides a real sense of purpose, and just the most wholesome characters. though i'm sure i missed out on tons of insider references sprinkled in relating to the other games, the story never treats you as dumb, having plenty of small moments that purposely leave things at implication.

i know i'm still trash af at game review but this was a blast

Honestly blown away by this and it was genuinely such a shock to actually play this and like sort of get transported to what is just like a dream Sony theme park and I'm not even a fanboy I just have such a soft spot for the PS1 and PS2. It really felt like the video game version of a Disney ride where all the bright lights and the fun music and just exploring these little islands and finding all the easter eggs just warmed my heart. This was such a fun little game and the constant gameplay changes they made were also so great. There's not much to say it's just a really just a celebration of Sony and it's history wrapped in a really fun platformer that showcases the PS5 Hardware so well.