Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the fourth chapter of the "Xenoblade Chronicles" sub-set of the Xeno series (which includes the completely unrelated Xenogears and the three Xenosaga games), and it's the end of the Xenoblade trilogy since Xenoblade Chronicles X isn't related at all despite sharing the title. Up until this game, Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 weren't related to one another, either, but this game bridges the two and ties them together into a (mostly) cohesive trilogy. I wasn't sure exactly how this would connect XC1 and XC2, and the fact that I haven't played either of those games since their launch years didn't help that. You notice pretty much right off the bat, though, that one of the two factions in the game - Keves - has races seen in Xenoblade Chronicles whereas the other faction - Agnus - has races seen in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Still, though, that doesn't necessarily mean they're connected; Final Fantasy games have a lot of references to one another (Cid, anyone?) without being directly related via narrative. Throughout the game, though, there are numerous other relatively minor nods to the other two games. I won't spoil it, but in the latter half of the game, the whole picture starts to take shape, and the curtain is slowly lifted on the overarching narrative and exactly how Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 tie together in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. If you haven't played the other two games recently (or just have a terrible memory like me), you may be grasping at straws to remember all of the details being referenced, but even then, there are some parts that you'll definitely recognize unless you straight up have Alzheimer's. XC3 makes a lot of improvements over the previous two games and continues some of the quality of life improvements that XC2 started. The music here is the best of the series yet (although I have a soft spot for the bizarre soundtrack in XCX), and the characters are right up there with XC2's character. Rex annoyed me a bit in 2, but Noah is a significantly better protagonist, and the supporting characters in 3 are every bit as fantastic as they were in 2. Especially Mio. Gotta love a girl with cat ears. The quests, while still a bit monotonous after a while, are a massive improvement over the previous two games. They're significantly easier to track and not nearly as tedious as in the first game. The strongest point of XC3 in my opinion, however, is the cast of supporting characters. They are all compelling with interesting backstories and are fully voice acted. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is definitely one of the best JRPGs on the Switch if not the best. It has pretty much everything you want in a JRPG - interesting characters, a fun world to explore, epic monsters to fight, and MORE than enough content to get your money's worth. My biggest complaint is that it's a little *too* massive in my opinion. I also think - and this goes for all series, not just Xenoblade - that they need a recap at the beginning of the of the series so far so I'm not depending on either having replayed the series recently or having a significantly better memory than I do. Either way, though, the game is absolutely phenomenal. It looks astounding for the Switch, and aside from a few performance hiccups, it runs extremely well, too, although the loading times are a bit excessive at times. If you have a Switch, this game deserves as spot on your shelf (or your SD card). My Rating - A |
I'm a teacher.And I like to play video games. I like to collect video games. I like to talk about video games, and I like to write about video games. During the day, I teach high school history; during the night, I spend my spare time gaming. Then I write about it. Archives
April 2024
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