95%Nintendo Switch

Xenoblade Chronicles, arguably one of the greatest JRPGs of the past 2 decades, a game that I never got to play when it came out but I always wanted to play sometime, which is why I'm really glad the Definitive Edition for the Switch came out.
Now, to be honest, I couldn't get into the game at first because it felt slow, but I tried pushing through the story recently and I finally managed to finish the game.
The story does feel quite slow at times but the premise and the build-up are so intriguing in this game, they kept me playing for many hours even when the story was getting slow. Aside from the pacing though, the story is actually one of the best I've experienced in a JRPG, a massive surprise that I didn't expect at all.
The gameplay feels a bit dated and basic in some instances but it's enjoyable for the most part and it has some interesting mechanics.
The characters are very good; they're surprisingly grounded, smart, funny and self-aware, and their dialogue is very coherent without relying on generic tropes. I'm very impressed!
As much as I liked the story and the characters in Xenoblade Chronicles though, the highlight of the game is the concept of the game's world and the premise of the story, a world made from 2 frozen Titans; it's one of the coolest and most epic things I've seen in a videogame, period. It's an absolutely fascinating idea and it makes up for breathtaking environments and world design.
Also, the music in this game is absolutely fantastic for sure!
The side-quests are uninspired, unfortunately, but it's not a big deal though.

Pros:
+ Compelling story with many twists and turns
+ Great characters
+ Serviceable gameplay
+ Incredible concept and world design
+ Awesome music

Cons:
- Slow pacing
- Boring side-quests

Narrative: 9/10
Gameplay: 6/10
Content: 9/10
Characters: 8/10
Music: 10/10
Art Style: ?/10

Final Rating: 9.5/10
- Outstanding -
Xenoblade Chronicles is one of the best JRPGs of all time and a wonderful videogame experience even to this day.

Do I recommend it?:
Must-play for JRPG fans and highly recommended for Switch owners.

90%Nintendo Switch

Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition offers a captivating world, engaging combat, and memorable characters. While the side quests may feel repetitive, and the endgame grind can be excessive, the overall experience is well worth it. Fans of JRPGs and exploration-driven games should definitely give this title a try.

75%Nintendo Switch

The JRPG genre is in a pretty healthy state in the west right now, possibly as good of a state as it's been since the 4th and 5th generation of consoles. With all that success, however, it's easy to forget just how different things were a decade ago. Perhaps there's no better example of the desperate state of the genre at that time than Xenoblade Chronicles. Despite debuting to stellar reviews in Japan, there were no plans for it to be brought to North America, even after its release in Europe and Australia. It took nearly 2 years of fan pressure, via a group called Operation Rainfall, to ensure an NA release—a sign of the times that it took so much effort for such a lauded game. It's no doubt that Xenoblade was good for the genre, though, and it's garnered a steady fanbase since its initial release, both in Japan and worldwide.

One of the more common criticisms of the JRPG genre is their lack of variety; in a genre with a lot of history that caters to a lot of nostalgia, similarities are bound to crop up. Xenoblade Chronicles, then, was a breath of fresh air at the time. While it retained the larger-than-life, party-of-misfits fighting to save humanity (or homanity) that is present in so many JRPGs, its introduction and setting truly are unique. Traversing the body of a giant, long-dead god is such an inherently interesting setting, and it gives your progress a tangible and impressive sense of scale. Reaching Gaur Plain for the first time is an inspiring sight and conveys the magnitude of the task at hand extraordinarily well, and each new area is bound to fascinate just as much as the last. The shimmering beauty of Satorl Marsh at night, the density of Makna Forest, and the Central Factory of the Mechonis all inspire visually, especially in this remake. And even beyond their visuals, this world breathes personality, and it's immensely satisfying to explore it in intense detail.

The combat system of XC is also unique from other JRPGs but isn't executed quite as brilliantly as its setting. Combat starts out simple but engaging, as you're constantly trying to position your character in the right place to maximize damage or take advantage of status effects. Shulk's future vision becomes a key part of combat, prompting the player to make quick decisions in search of the best outcome. Boss fights will keep players on their toes, and setting up massive combos to do tremendous damage is satisfying, but combat can get mundane after a while, especially if grinding for levels or farming items. The system is also more convoluted than it needs to be, too; crafting gems, leveling up skill trees, and earning affinity coins can all be a bit much. The affinity links do give some interesting dialogue sometimes, but rarely feel worthy of the required grinding. Speaking of dialogue, combat dialogue is incredibly repetitive, and while it can be amusing initially, it is likely to wear out its welcome before the credits roll.

Luckily, the non-combat dialogue is actually quite good for an early 2010s-era JRPG. It can also be repetitive, but a lot of it is smartly written and, more importantly, delivered well. JRPGs are known for having less than stellar vocal delivery, especially in English; XC is a massive exception. The voice acting in this game is exceptional, most notably from Shulk's VA, Adam Howden. The overall story of the game is just as convoluted (yet still enjoyable) as you might expect, but there's plenty of room for poignant and impactful moments, and a lot of that is owed to the voice cast. Even still, the overall compelling story tends to be dragged down by the game's length, which feels like it overstays its welcome a bit. The beginning and ending are both excellent, and there are plenty of great moments in between, but the mid-section of the game is much less consistent with its exciting moments. The stakes of the story are always high, but they sometimes don't feel so because the agency of the story is always waxing and waning. Cutting down on grinding and reducing repetitive sidequests would go a long way in helping this experience feel more compact, as it still sometimes feels like a game that doesn't quite justify its length.

Criticisms aside, Xenoblade Chronicles was still a great game for the genre and came out at a time when the genre needed a success story. Some of its features have dulled between the time of its original release and the release of the definitive edition, but it's still an overall great JRPG with the capacity to delight and surprise. It also helped put Monolift Soft on the map, who've grown Xenoblade into a full-fledged series in its own right. For players who very much enjoy JRPGs, Xenoblade Chronicles is an excellent game and something enthusiasts can sink a hundred or more hours into easily. For everyone else, there's still a great game here with a distinct and thought-provoking premise, and the definitive edition gives Xenoblade Chronicles the vibrance that it fully deserves.

80%Nintendo 3DS

Great Start to the trilogy

85%Nintendo Switch

Decent game, great story. Gameplay and combat are showing their age, but I'm sure it was fantastic when it was originally released.

100%Nintendo Switch

I can see into the futcha!

100%Nintendo 3DS

A good game is a game you enjoyed
A great game is a game you replay to enjoy
A masterpiece is a game you never want to finish

Greatest of all time.

60%Nintendo Switch

I'm going to be pretty divisive about this one.
It was okay. From all the hype and all much better everyone puts this game on a pedestal in comparison to the second one, it was just okay.
But it's also possible that this shit just isn't for me. In comparison to the second game the characters and story just take a HUGE back seat to the world. Which I know won't be a problem to some people. The world is this game IS amazing. It sets a VERY high bar for all games. The music is also glorious.
Buuut being me and the kinds of games I like. I need lore, and this game just didn't deliver. The characters were very flat to me. Which sucks because I REALLY wanted to like them. Give me some novellas to flesh them out or something. Like the groundwork for something really great is here, but it just misses the mark.

My perfect game would be taking the story and characters from the second and just smashing them into the world and music of the first. I really have high expectations for a 3rd if we ever get it. So close but not quite there.

80%Nintendo Switch

Good game but long and slow at times

90%Nintendo Switch

just beat the main story but still need to play future connected dlc and post game content

85%Nintendo Switch

Fantastic game. Great story, enviorments are amazing.

Sidequests a bit bland, fighting system good, whith depth but tedious at times.

80%Nintendo Switch

Fun combat. Basic but engaging story. Too much filler. 50h would have been enough. Did not have it in me to play the epilogue.

95%Nintendo Switch

One of the best JRPGs on a Nintendo console. From a casual standpoint, it is very near perfection.
However from a completionist standpoint, it is not one that I would recommend for newcomers.

90%Nintendo Switch

I sat on this game for literal years. Most games I buy on sale and Xenoblade never gets discounted. They finally had a small sale on the game and I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm so happy I did.

I wish I could explain why this game is good but it doesn't really make sense to me. The plot is simple but feels different than a lot of other JRPGs. Two creatures were fighting it out and then became landmasses for other creatures to dwell. I rolled my eyes when I first heard the name Bionis and Mechonis but it's grown on me over time.

Shulk is a typical protagonist who gets the magical ability to wield a special sword and take down baddies. Looks it's not that creative but the characters and voice acting are top notch. That and the world is gorgeous and fun to explore. This is one of those "cozy" games that you just keep plowing through and enjoying what comes next.

The battle system is fun and relatively complex. If you only play as one character you might not think so but every character plays wildly different and has their own strengths and weaknesses. There's a bit of strategy but like many RPGs you can also grind out levels if you need to.

Speaking of grinding... this game has a trillion fetch quests. I usually hate these but for whatever reason I've been playing through most of them. I think it's because the quest is typically "go fight this monster x number of times" and I'm already going out to fight monsters so it incentivizes doing that. However, if you don't like these kinds of quests you should probably avoid the game because it requires a lot of them to be done.

80%Nintendo Switch

Nice story and nice cut scenes. It took a while to really understand the combat scene and had some grinding that I didn't like. There's nothing really interesting to do on the maps aside from the main quest and the side quests were basically collect items, but in general a fun game that I would recommend. Loved the story and was a nice introduction to the series

95%Nintendo Switch

66.5 hours on my second attempt. What an incredible story. I'm glad that I took a chance to play it again. On to the epilogue!
11 hours on the epilogue. Great way to expand on the initial story.

90%Nintendo Switch

This is a very very very good game, but with that being said oh my god is it to long.

Do NOT do what I do and if you run into a wall, just turn on Casual Mode, it'll make the pace actually bearable because there are WAY to many road blocks and way to many times where stuff get locked out forever.

It's fine if you want to lock out stuff for story reasons, I get it. but I really want to experience your game in its full without having to play the entire game again. (Something like Nier Automata comes to mind)

It's a very good story, but dude some of these games have the weirdest reactions and dialouge??? Also the voice acting at times turns serious moments into genuinely halarious moments.

But with that said WOW THIS GAME IS SO COOL????? HOW WAS THIS ON THE WII???????
The Scale of the Environments is CRAZY the setting of the story is one of the coolest I've ever seen and the Music is :000000

This game feels like a very flawed 9/10 for me, it was a few wrong decisions from becoming a 4/10. I don't regret playing this at all, but gosh I hope Xenoblade 2 and 3 have more refined combat because this got so tiring after awhile, I don't think I fully grasped this combat system at all, which I guess is a good thing for some, but if you're gonna have a combat system like this it better be fun even when you suck ass at it (which I most likely did)

I'd say give this game a chance if you're at all intrested, but it WILL test your patience.

85%Nintendo Switch

A damn good RPG. Play it if you haven’t.

100%Nintendo Switch

One Blade to Rule Them All

~Story & World~
When it comes to this category, Xenoblade Chronicles shines. Who doesn't get chills from the main concept of a world containing a vast ocean and two warrior Titans serving as landmasses?

There are epic, breathtaking moments scattered throughout this game that keep you hooked and wanting more information and resolution until the very end. The main cast manages to be both relatable and badass, and their development and interactions are believable. My favorite in the main party are Shulk and Dunban; they have great characterizations and compelling arcs! But honestly, everyone is great here.

Creative, intricate, and believable worldbuilding abounds. Seriously, the writing in this game is more akin to an epic fantasy novel, resonating with you and containing exquisite details that just can't be included in a movie, or even in a more cinematic action game.

This game is so grand in scope, that many of the various side quests aren't just random fetch quests; instead, multiple miniature sagas are playing out among living-and-breathing NPCs while the party traverses the Bionis.

This is what is so special about Xenoblade Chronicles: the player is given the choice to focus on whichever aspects they like the most. Character development? Sure! Epic plot? Check! Detailed worldbuilding? Oh yeah! Side quests? Why not?! It's all up to you the player to decide.

On the flipside, the story pacing to me feels a little wonky if the player engages in side quests or backtracking in the middle of a plot point in order to gain enough EXP to beat the story-specific boss. This happened to me several times, and while annoying, it's not a huge complaint, being part and parcel to JRPGs in general.

Watch out for those plot twists! They completely blew my mind!

~Gameplay~
The combat, although technically turn-based, still feels action-packed and addicting. Every character plays differently enough that mixing and matching party members is fun in itself. My power team is Shulk, Melia, and Riki!

The affinity chart is a fun way to keep track of relationships between party members and NPCs, as well as where NPCs can be found and what items they are trading.

Exploring areas is rewarding in its own right. Finding secret areas and avoiding scary monsters are great ways to keep players moving forward! I did think some of the later areas were significantly emptier than the previous ones (possibly because they get larger?).

As you can see, there is so much depth in every single feature! But if you're intimidated, you can ignore some features and do just fine.

~Immersion Factor~
You will be immersed. Period.

~Verdict~
Xenoblade Chronicles is a true masterpiece. It transcends the JRPG genre it belongs to and reaches new heights of both story and gameplay. I will forever cite this game’s world as one of the most original and unique fantasy worlds in not only video games, but in all of fantasy fiction. And what’s more, the premise is fully utilized in both the plot and the gameplay! Even character development takes a part in the gameplay, and vice versa.

Absolutely satisfying and immersive. I will definitely be replaying it someday. I'll probably play the Future Connected sequel story later on, too.

(This review counts for both the original Wii game and the Definitive Edition released for the Switch.)

100%Nintendo Switch

Crazy why this is worth at least $150.

80%Nintendo Switch

Stuck on final boss - Zanza

90%Nintendo Switch

Tried playing this on the 3DS but never fully got into it, very glad I gave it another try. This is up there as one of the best JRPG games around and I can see why now.

Definitive edition looks great on the Switch, there's still some areas where it's obvious it's an older game but they've done an amazing job bringing it up to the current generation.

Story is almost standard for a JRPG but with some great additions to how some parts play out and a good twist or two thrown in to keep things interesting.

Combat is incredible. Not once did I find myself getting bored of the systems at play. The so many different talents to choose from, being able to pick which character you play as and a bigger and more diverse party selection than I thought there would be keeps things fresh until the very end. Add to that how different enemies need different tactics and how you have to work around an invisible aggro meter, fights remain interesting throughout the game and boss fights require thought on top of correct party selection and gear to come out on top makes each battle fun to play.

There are a ton of side quests to add to the already expansive main story that provide plenty of opportunities to earn xp, money and extra geara. They also make adventuring around the pretty big open spaces fun and enjoyable, giving most spaces purpose for being there unlike some open world games that can feel empty.

Finally, the music is incredible. I'll never get tired of hearing the battle music and there are some truly amazing pieces that play when in certain areas.

Honestly would recommend this to most JRPG fans and I'm looking forward to jumping in to xenoblade 2 soon

100%Nintendo Switch

It's awesome!

100%Nintendo Switch

I'm really feeling it!

90%Nintendo Switch

Gameplay 2/3 - good at what it is, but can become repetitive.
Story 3/3 - outstanding
Visuals 2/2 - unique and immersive with a large variety of locations
Audio 2/2 - fun and exciting soundtrack which can be beautiful as well. The voice acting is also fun and well done.

Reccomend completing, not 100%

90%Nintendo Switch

Loved the game. I rarely finish games, even when they don't take this long. It had its slow moments and I took some pauses (played it for an hour before bedtime, sometimes falling asleep because it's a slower game) but once the story picked up in the second half of the game I was hooked! Played the last 15 hours within a week, focussing more on story than side quests. Hope I can play this again at some point and make different gameplay decisions! Finishing the trilogy is my 2024 gaming goal.

80%Nintendo Switch

I had heard so much hype about this game, and after I played it I agreed that this is an all time classic especially with the updates of the definitive version.

It took me a minute to get used to the MMO style of battle but by the end I loved it. The music was also pretty iconic and established that sound for the Xenoblade series. The world building with the Titans and story surrounding it was so immersive, and I was definitely invested in the characters. Shulk isn't the most complicated protag, but he has a good arc and the rest of the cast is also fleshed out. I thought the story in this one was really well done, and I couldn't have predicted some of the twists towards the end.

The only knock I have against this game (& the Xenoblade series as a whole) is the fetch questing. This was my entry to the Xenoblade games, and once I got a grasp of how many fetch quests there are I was a bit confused. I think questing like this worked in World of Warcraft because you're playing online with people, but when it's just you taking an hour to go find 4 of a certain kind of monster, it feels like such a low reward time sink. This is just a personal nitpick because I prefer shorter games. Luckily you don't have to engage in all the quests to beat the game.

Overall a solid RPG and one that I think I will go back to play again.

90%Nintendo Switch

The world of Bionis holds many secrets, and after nearly 80 hours of playing, I still felt there is so much to discover.

Originally, the gameplay really confused me, but I quickly adapted to it. Gem crafting and skill building can be difficult to get into. The arts also require special manuals that are purchasable from various vendors across the story. It also takes a lot of EXP and AP to level up. These aspects of the combat can be very grind-inducing; however, due to the length of the story, it may not be that noticeable.

Both the narrative and characters are very strong and compelling. Xenoblade tells a story of growth, anguish, and independence. The story remains compelling over the course of 70 hours; however, it differs from person to person. The voice performances were impeccable, which impressed me greatly. It was nice playing a game with new talent behind the characters.

The characters' art direction is really well-done; they are recognizable and memorable. I didn't like some of the armor I equipped throughout the game, but it is possible to transmog it using various combinations. Heart-to-hearts are a feature to build affinity among the characters, which allows them to offer and build skills for one another. These are scenes that show character development using meaningful topics, as well as funny banters.

Xenoblade's world, the Bionis, is expansive. It has so many beautiful locations with tons of lore and world-building. It can be extremely breathtaking to explore and look around; it has so much going on at times. It impresses me that this game originally released on the Wii! All in all, Xenoblade Chronicles is an amazing sci-fi RPG, with a gripping narrative and expansive world to explore.

Final Verdict: 9/10 (Phenomenal!)

95%Nintendo Switch

[SPOILER][/SPOILER]
Qué hermoso juego por la ctmmm
Quedé enamorado, con los personajes, con el mundo, con todo. La historia no es nada que no se haya visto antes pero está tan bien construída y tan bien adaptada a la jugabilidad y los tiempos que se siente muy placentera. Con este juego volví a disfrutar el hacer misiones secundarias, dedicarme a vagar horas y horas por el mapa, matando monstruos y buscando acceso a lugares difíciles del mapa (las hidden locations). Asumo que esto en gran parte se debe a lo entretenido del sistema de ataque de juego.
En fin, una experiencia trascendental realmente, el hecho de matar a Dios, entender desde donde vino y cómo refleja los peligros de la ambición humana hace que sea un juego que te deja pensando. Ver todo el proceso que vive Shulk. uf.

90%Nintendo Switch

Absolutely loved the story and characters. Great worldbuilding and massive scope. Beautiful graphics enhanced from the previous versions!!

85%Nintendo Switch

The Game is very good, it may have been great when it came out the first time, but I played it on switch in 2024, so I don't know. The thing is that the machanics are great, the main quest is great and pretty much everything else is great, but the secondary quests. Secondary quests suck so bad. They're literally f2p mmorpg fetch quest (to be honest, the whole game fells like a single player mmorpg, it was probably made with this idea in mind), stuff like "kill 5 of this mob", "collect 10 of this thing" and there are hundreds of them, and they are all the same.
You could, say just skip them, but no, you can't really, because this game is really hard and require a lot of grindig, so you can choose between killng mobs just to level up, or doing the secondary quests (so basically they put so much girnding in it to make you do those side quests). The main story itself is probably about 20 hours long, 30 at the best, the rest of the time is just boring side quests to level up and continue the main story (I mean, that says a lot).

I've never played a game that I loved and hated so much at the same time. I've been on the edge of dropping it a lot of times, but at the same time I loved it. I don't know if I would have completed it if it wasn't so expensive (I'm quite sure I wouldn't have).

80%Nintendo Switch

original visual style was better and less generic (nintendo Wii version)

aside from that - this is solid JRPG entry with a good story

Tetsuya Takahashi won't dissapoint

80%Nintendo Switch

The scale of this game is enormous and art direction is the best I have seen. Game is really boring for the first half as almost no strategy is needed to win. Auto battling doesn’t feel as rewarding as it would feel if it were a full action rpg or even turn based. Story is interesting, too bad it waited till the very end to be really good.

Overall not my cup of tea but even with the gameplay lacking I still found enough I liked to at least recommend that people try out this game. Feel like a game that looks this good on a console like the switch needs to be studied, unbelievable that a console so small could produce these images!

80%Nintendo Switch

Great game with incredible combat system, fabolous story and a massive quantity of content. The audivisuals in this game are very good with an outstanding soundtrack and decent graphics. The dlc is a good addition but eliminate some goodd mechanics and recycle characters of the main game. The worst part of the game is the end-game because is very tedious as you have to fight continuous bosses with a high level jump with no time to prepare.

70%Nintendo Switch

7/10 but very good ending so 8/10

95%Wii

Unfortunately falls a bit off towards the end of the game, otherwise an amazing RPG in every aspect.

100%Nintendo Switch

Amazing game overall 10/10
The original was great and the Definitive Edition is even better, the visuals got a much needed update and look great compared to their muddy counterparts. Music as always was on point. Being able to relive the story on the go was a huge benefit for me I really enjoyed pouring hours into side questing because unlike other games it is beneficial and helps with world building.

90%Nintendo Switch

A game that is quite hard to describe my feelings for in words. The best word I can use to describe how I feel is mesmermized. Amazing world, story, music, lore, gameplay, and interesting characters, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition has it all. While this isn't a perfect game, it isn't hard to see why this game has elevated the jrpg genre as a whole. The story had crazy twists and turns that had me thinking more deeply about the lore as a whole and how the rest of the games in the series connect together. The gameplay is fun but has a nice level of depth to it that you can gradually master as the game goes along. For me personally, the biggest complaint I had was the extremely slow start to the game. Once you leave the colony, it takes until about a few chapters later for the story and plot to seriously pick up. I was more invested once that happened, but my interest in the game faltered, resulting in me only playing a few hour sessions every now and then. If you are able to overcome the slow pacing at the beginning of the game, it is certainly worth sticking to the end for. I am actually really glad they ended up adding a casual mode as an option for players who aren't as acquainted with the genre or for players who don't want to bang their heads against the wall, as that was happening to me in the beginning. Not being a lover of grinding, I opted to switch on casual mode and it helped me move the story and gameplay along while still being balanced and not overpowering the player. The majority of the quests are grindy monster killing quests or fetch quests, which is definitely not my cup of tea usually. Very mindless and gets repetitive very quickly. I still ended up backtracking and doing a decent portion of them, but as a result of being burned out I ignored the Colony 6 rebuilding questline. I liked it in concept, but just too many random specific items you need to find. Despite some issues with quests and the game overall, this is still a phenomenal experience that any person should give a go, you will definitely not regret it. I am planning to skip the future connected epilogue, as I'm not all that interested, and planning to play Xenoblade 3 at some point. I'm looking forward to seeing how it will all come together. A must play game for anyone who loves RPGs.

80%Nintendo Switch

Love the world, love the characters, love the story.
Then why only 75%? Lot's of grind, battle-system eventually becomes a bit stale.

All in all though, if you love an amazing world with awesome characters, this is amazing.
Not to mention the other Xenoblade Chronicles games that do follow...

90%Nintendo Switch

This is truly a special JRPG.

I just finished replaying this game for the second time. Although I enjoyed the game on my first play through a few years ago, I feel as though I never really gave an honest attempt at learning all of the mechanics and exploring the world outside of the path the game was asking me to walk. I found the story compelling and I basically just wanted to see it play out. I ONLY controlled Shulk, used the first three characters the game gives you (Shulk, Reyn, Sharla), and would immediately retreat back to the comfort of them whenever I'd try a new character. This time around, I made a conscious effort to break out of my comfort zone by using more characters, LEARN how they work, and actually roam around some of the more open areas to see what they offer. What I found on this replay was that this game has so much more to love than I had initially realized. I used every character the game gave me, swapped them around for fun and for strategy, and found so much more depth in the combat.

The story is one of the most gripping I've experienced not only in the genre, but also in gaming. This game masterfully fits personal character moments and motivations into a much larger macro story that truly makes the world feel daunting to your party, while keeping the stakes both personal and threatening on a grander scale. The premise of the world existing on top of two COLOSSAL titans that went dormant after a battle spanning for what almost seems like an eternity is one of the most interesting concepts I've seen for a fantasy world setting. The size of the world makes you as the player feel tiny. This is intentional, and not only are the stakes seemingly way beyond your characters control, but also the world is absolutely gigantic and expansive, and I always appreciated those moments where I would walk into a giant open area and admire how large and detailed it would be, and then have the secondary realization that it would only be ONE part of the body of the titan that you are inhabiting. These giant open areas are also littered with enemies, and some of them are WAY stronger than you which forces you to play cautiously and stay out of their range. There are plenty of twists throughout the story, and the pacing stays consistently fantastic all the way through the game. Each time you finish a chapter they always dangle another carrot in your face making you want to play more to see what happens next.

Shulk is such an awesome protagonist, he's fun, thoughtful, calculating, caring, and most importantly he evolves meaningfully through the story. The rest of the party is really fun both narratively and functionally, and they all have meaningful arcs throughout the story that drive them further in the plot. Reyn is a great best friend to Shulk and he sort of plays the emotional core of the group, and he's an absolute tank in combat with some of the funniest one liners in the game. Sharla is cool and I appreciate her, though I didn't use her as much on the second play through because she really only operates as a healer and as I got better at the game I didn't have to use that as a crutch like I did on my first play through. Dunban might be my favorite character in the game, he's the wisened mentor character of the group who I kept on my party through most of this replay. Riki did nothing for me when I first played the game, though I grew to love the little guy. He's actually funnier than I remember, he's a goofball, a sweetheart, and he's pretty useful in combat as well. I think I controlled him most during my time playing. I remember trying Melia when I first played this game and she made NO sense to me so I never tried her again up until now. This time I paid attention and learned that she can absolutely break some of these enemies and bosses in ways that no other character can. I gained a completely new appreciation for her.

My only gripes with the game are that sometimes the AI for your party members can be REALLY bad (primarily Melia). Yes, it's cool that you can switch your party around to control whoever you like, but since you can't switch during battle it feels pointless to include some characters in your party unless you plan on directly controlling them during battles. There's also some strange difficulty spikes late into the game that actually had me floored, even on a second attempt, and forced me to do some level grinding just to feel like I could pull it off. The heart-to-heart moments between characters add a lot of great insight and conversations between the party, but they're primarily unlocked through having characters battle with each other in party. This forces you to grind a decent amount to see some pretty important character moments and I wish it came a little more naturally. A lot of the side quests also did nothing for me, I'd only really complete them when they were convenient.

Overall, the story, world, and characters make this one of my favorite JRPG's ever.

80%Nintendo Switch

story and worldbuilding is incredible love the characters and stuff. Some parts of the combat and boss structure pissed me off tho

95%Nintendo Switch

I'm really feeeaaaalin it

+ Shulk is very well written and so far is my favorite protagonist of the XC series.
+ Music is very good, Yoko Shimomura worked on the OST along with some other greats.
+ Favorite combat system so far out of the XC games.
+ Map is very well-designed, and many fast travel points are placed meticulously for faster pacing.
+ Very good plot and characters
+ 'It's Reyn time'

- Heart-to-Heart fleshes out the cast more, and is an optional content chunk that requires a lot of grinding/farming

95%Nintendo Switch

This game is a masterpiece.

Everything is amazing, the combat is very fun and developed, you unlock skills in combat as the story goes on and those abilities really reflect what the characters have learned narratively, it has really tough fights that I had to repeat many times but they are kinda tricky and doable once you understand them.
The customization is pretty nice, you have normal itemization but you also have affinitties between characters which allows you to choose between skill trees from those characters to share them with the rest, giving you the possibility to try many different viable builds.

Graphically it's outstanding, pushed the Wii to its limits and the Switch remake is truly good, the artistic design is awesome, it's kinda what I wanted for an hypothetical FF XVII haha. The game also has a nice exploration and backgrounds, and the whole idea of the world as we know it, being over massive titans was just mindblowing.

The music is a real banger and absolutely majestic and iconic, this game (and saga) has one of the best current soundtracks in gaming.

Characters are also really interesting and what they teach you is lovely, but especially, the story is absurdly good, it has an amazing pacing, incredible well thought plot, lots of foreshadowing, philosophy, sociology, science and politics, and an incredibly hooking narrative. God, what a story!

Go and play this game, guys!

95%Wii

One of the best, if not the best JRPG´s.
absolutely fantastic music, nice gameplay, good deep story, awesome set of characters.
Cannot recommend enough

70%Nintendo Switch

Un très bon jrpg avec une direction artistique magnifique et un monde ouvert immense, l'histoire est convenue malgré quelques rebondissement intéressant. Le gameplay est bien mais sur le long terme devient redondant et n'ajoute pas beaucoup de stratégie si on conserve le même personnage tout le long de l'aventure.

95%Nintendo Switch

One of my favorite JRPGs in recent memory. I never played the OG Wii version, but instead the 3DS one. Yes, I took an L with the graphics but the story, characters, world, and music was amazing. Monolith Soft did so much with so little with this series. Anyways, the Switch version saw a few more upgrades, notably with the graphics. Divided was the fanbase on a more anime-ish art direction, but it is what they went with. It didn't change the fact that the game is fantastic. Certainly a must play for fans of the genre.

85%Nintendo Switch

Played Definitive Edition. Played a few hours on the Emulated Wii Version. And oof the UI did not hold up.
Then I remembered a remake was released a few years back. Very glad I bought that.

Combat can be a bit odd at first, specially the Aggro system. But it did not stop me from going and making a lot of the side quests.
The story hook you from the start with mysteries and small reveals along the way until the very big one at the end.

The environments are beautiful, but at sometimes on a gameplay perspective way too big for what's in it. That could be a Wii limitation from the original where they needed a lot of time to load stuff or that they wanted to make it as big as they could to show off what they could do. Makes it a burden to go around big cities where the quest givers are super far appart.

And then, Future Connected, made some slight changes to the mechanics that imo made that part even more enjoyable. The side quests for the nopon crew are great and offers nice rewards. The story from it itself was a bit lacking to me though. But it was a fun experience.

Overall, very good game. Recommend to anyone who likes Fantasy RPGs and want to be invested in an amazing world.

90%Nintendo Switch

The most solid 9 I've ever seen.
The story has some pacing problems, but is fantastic and very well made.
The action is kinda repetitive, but the addition of new characters and build variety that the game gives to the player makes it fun in it's own way.
The world is massive and sometimes is a chore to explore, however, is almost without bugs and the vistas are fantastic, it really gives a feel of retro-futurism. The variety and monster design is also stellar.

An excelent JRPG.

90%Wii

Terminei na época a história principal e alguns extras e side quests.

85%Nintendo Switch

One of the best video game storylines of all time, even though the ending is pretty silly. Soundtrack is amazing, and graphics are still good for today's standards. Side quests, however, are boring and will rapidly make characters overpowered.