I'm always happy to run around in a world designed by Monolith Soft and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is no exception. The setting isn't as instantly intriguing as some of their previous worlds with XC1 being set on two massive gods, XC2 being set on living titans and XCX having you explore this crazy alien planet. This game does have the hook of being made up of the XC1 and XC2 worlds smashing together which is somewhat exciting as a fan of the series but it doesn't light up your imagination like the previous games. All that said, the world design is absolutely up to the excellent standard of Monolith Soft and is a joy to explore.
The individual biomes that make up the world are massive and quite a bit more varied than previous games. Whereas previous games had fairly seperated areas that were disgnated as the grassy plains area or snowy area, they feel a bit more mixed up here. I kept being surprisde but just how extensive each biome was. Somes areas take a while to reveal themselves. The first area in the game appears pretty linear which is fine for the more story driven opening but going back to explore more afterwards, it just keeps getting bigger and bigger with nooks and crannies you wouldn't have noticed the first time.
The MMO like combat is not going to be for everyone and it can be a bit overwhelming especially when you have six characters fighting at the same time. I did really enjoy it. There is a class system that encourages you to keep switching which can possibly get a bit tedious and can be quite slow to level when you make little XP when you're over-leveled which is going to be for most of the game. There is a ton of classes and I really liked finding the best way to use a class. It was the most I've been into theory crafting and working on builds in a game in quite some time. The classes definitely don't play astronomically different from one another but there's enough there for them to be distinctive. The tank classes are lacking a bit but there's plenty of cool stuff to do with damage dealers and healers; the latter of which feeling a first for the series since their healers are usually terrible.
There are a lot of systems that you probably don't have to dive too deep into since the game isn't that challenging since you'll be over leveled but I had fun digging into them. Working out how to get the most out of your chain attacks is really fun even if it can get a bit repetitive throughout the long game and you'll likely get sick of the music that plays during it by the end. Speaking of music, it is excellent throughout. The tracks may not be as bombastic and instantly memorable as those heard in previous games but there is a lot of great stuff in there.
Although you have to be willing to stomach some anime nonsense, the Xenoblade stories have all been really fun with some crazy twists in them. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 probably has some of the more mature writing in the series especially in regards to the main cast. It's easily the strongest cast of main characters in the series even if one or two are a bit underwritten. Unfortunately, the strength of the main cast is not extended to the villains who range from uninteresting non-characters to stupidly over-the-top moustache twirling villains. I suppose they wanted a set of villains that they could easily slot into side content to make it more interconnected with the main story but they're just boring. XC2 had a fantastic set of villains so it feels like quite a downgrade.
I did really enjoy the story. It has an amazing peak three quarters of the way into story and fizzles a bit out at the end. I don't think they make good on the set-up of the worlds fom XC1 and XC2 crashing into each other. Still, with the main characters being so good, you can still emotionally invested all the way up to the final cutscene. There was a bit of annoying cutscene pacing with one popping up every few steps when I just wanted to explore this beautiful world but the cutscene quality is high. The writing for the side quests is also of high quality and is some of the best content in the series. It's actually surprising that some of it isn't mandatory. There's a lot of good side characters (dumb villains aside) that give you the new classes and you can put them on your team and they have a ton of unique dialogue for different scenarios.
Overall, the game is fantastic. The story may be a bit disappointing if you were expecting a climatic end to a trilogy (although we'll see if they'll continue the story or start a new one for future games) but the game is exemplary of all the strengths of the series. Absolutely one of the best JRPGs you can play.
The individual biomes that make up the world are massive and quite a bit more varied than previous games. Whereas previous games had fairly seperated areas that were disgnated as the grassy plains area or snowy area, they feel a bit more mixed up here. I kept being surprisde but just how extensive each biome was. Somes areas take a while to reveal themselves. The first area in the game appears pretty linear which is fine for the more story driven opening but going back to explore more afterwards, it just keeps getting bigger and bigger with nooks and crannies you wouldn't have noticed the first time.
The MMO like combat is not going to be for everyone and it can be a bit overwhelming especially when you have six characters fighting at the same time. I did really enjoy it. There is a class system that encourages you to keep switching which can possibly get a bit tedious and can be quite slow to level when you make little XP when you're over-leveled which is going to be for most of the game. There is a ton of classes and I really liked finding the best way to use a class. It was the most I've been into theory crafting and working on builds in a game in quite some time. The classes definitely don't play astronomically different from one another but there's enough there for them to be distinctive. The tank classes are lacking a bit but there's plenty of cool stuff to do with damage dealers and healers; the latter of which feeling a first for the series since their healers are usually terrible.
There are a lot of systems that you probably don't have to dive too deep into since the game isn't that challenging since you'll be over leveled but I had fun digging into them. Working out how to get the most out of your chain attacks is really fun even if it can get a bit repetitive throughout the long game and you'll likely get sick of the music that plays during it by the end. Speaking of music, it is excellent throughout. The tracks may not be as bombastic and instantly memorable as those heard in previous games but there is a lot of great stuff in there.
Although you have to be willing to stomach some anime nonsense, the Xenoblade stories have all been really fun with some crazy twists in them. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 probably has some of the more mature writing in the series especially in regards to the main cast. It's easily the strongest cast of main characters in the series even if one or two are a bit underwritten. Unfortunately, the strength of the main cast is not extended to the villains who range from uninteresting non-characters to stupidly over-the-top moustache twirling villains. I suppose they wanted a set of villains that they could easily slot into side content to make it more interconnected with the main story but they're just boring. XC2 had a fantastic set of villains so it feels like quite a downgrade.
I did really enjoy the story. It has an amazing peak three quarters of the way into story and fizzles a bit out at the end. I don't think they make good on the set-up of the worlds fom XC1 and XC2 crashing into each other. Still, with the main characters being so good, you can still emotionally invested all the way up to the final cutscene. There was a bit of annoying cutscene pacing with one popping up every few steps when I just wanted to explore this beautiful world but the cutscene quality is high. The writing for the side quests is also of high quality and is some of the best content in the series. It's actually surprising that some of it isn't mandatory. There's a lot of good side characters (dumb villains aside) that give you the new classes and you can put them on your team and they have a ton of unique dialogue for different scenarios.
Overall, the game is fantastic. The story may be a bit disappointing if you were expecting a climatic end to a trilogy (although we'll see if they'll continue the story or start a new one for future games) but the game is exemplary of all the strengths of the series. Absolutely one of the best JRPGs you can play.