Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Review - The Final Verdict

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a culmination of everything that is good about this series. The excellent cast of characters, the boundlessly imaginative and grandiose world, the captivating and ambitious narrative, the dense and deeply engaging combat, progression, and exploration- this is a game that shines bright in almost every area that matters. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is not just the best game in its series and by its developer, but also arguably among the greatest games on its system and in its genre.

[@NigelThrashner]

The side quests I like because they’re often tied to relationship building and side characters personal journeys. Ease someone’s anxiety, help star-crossed lovers, and so on.

[@vivid8979]

Highly agreed alot of sidequests in my opinion can be a part of the Main Quests specially with how some of the cutscenes are so well-animated and well-voiced.. The interactions inside the colonies are really well done as well.

[@susano.o]

i like gamma colony side quest especially when they ask for lanz for help lol

[@NigelThrashner]

@@susano.o Poor Lanz can’t catch a break. I wish someone would throw him something a bit meeteah 🥺.

[@gabrieltodesco-bond]

Hello there, my name is Gabriel and I play the character of young Noah in Xenoblade 3. It's AWESOME to see my character, to actually hear my voice and, to see the finished product! It's been an absolute privilege to be involved in this and it's VERY exciting to see everything come together in this way.

[@markxv2267]

Yeah right

[@LuckyOwI777]

@@markxv2267 yeah....he did. Why are you questioning him? It's very easy to look up......

[@larrywaller2154]

Killer man! You did a great job! I hope to see you continue your journey in voice acting! =)

[@lambiepie6436]

@@LuckyOwI777 I think it’s just getting weird that this VA has copy and pasted this same comment on any XC3 video.

[@lambiepie6436]

@Alan Bond but theyre copy and pasted. Just seems a little disingenuous. I can see people getting weirded out.

[@captainfach]

This is by far the best review of this game that I have seen. All the other reviews that I have seen don't really mention the exploration or how the questing is. And those were my biggest questions about getting the game. I loved definitive edition, but the exploration was pointless and I felt like I was just walking around giant empty spaces collecting orbs and Quest markers. Thank you so much for going deep into the questing and the exploration

[@afix2285]

70 hours in and I think I'm about halfway through chapter 5. Games have been pretty stale lately so I'm glad I can count on Xenoblade to HOOK me in all over again

[@reinaldopereira1268]

I feel the same way. 😊

[@MelbourneExclusive0]

How would you describe this game to someone who's never played any Xenoblade before? I like it

[@UrSuLeTzU7777]

@@MelbourneExclusive0 As a veteran, my heart sings when exploring this massive game and listening to it's sublime soundtrack while appreciating all the lore and easter eggs from previous games. If you're not afraid of a deep, mechanically amazing jrpg with amazing music and plot that challenges your expectations at every turn then you'll be right at home with XC3!

[@fihyrulesmonado7659]

@@MelbourneExclusive0 Star Wars as a JRPG, with a little Zelda, and a smidge of Fire Emblem, all wrapped up in an amazingly complicated story that feels like putting together a huge but beautiful puzzle.

[@harrybaque5502]

Xenoblade Chronicles The Movie The Game! For me the most engaging and enjoyable gaming experience in a decade.

[@harrybaque5502]

And BTW, not experiencing ANY of the performance issues this review refers to…

[@Riophi]

Damn near 50 hours in and have been enjoying the hell out of it.

[@Coughingcatbleh]

I've seen comments like this several times. I'm excited to start it but I'm about to start 1 then 2 after

[@Manu-vm4wb]

@@Coughingcatbleh Don't forget future connected and Torna.

[@IndigoOverdrive]

You can skip FC, it's literally just showing Melia becoming Queen.

[@Manu-vm4wb]

@@IndigoOverdrive 1. Spoilers 2.You Don't Skip Queen day

[@hartfantom]

I’m 80 hours in, this beat Elden Ring for me. Even with its pretty major hits to performance, it is still such a INSANE game.

[@TimoNaaro]

What do you like best?

[@dariushines1251]

💪🏿

[@updaterequired1173]

That's good to hear... I only ever played the first one (still going through it) I decided to pick this up and will start playing sometime today.

[@perrydunetz882]

@@updaterequired1173 I reccomend playing 2 first, 2 is divisive but it has great gameplay and characters from 2 do turn up in this

[@updaterequired1173]

@@perrydunetz882 ya I know but I don't own 2 and I just bought 3... Wanted a reason to enjoy my switch again... Since Metroid dread I've barely touched it aside from some Mario party fun here and there. Is it really that crucial to play 2? Or can't I just get a recap on KZbin? Pretty sure the stories are standalone no?

[@WowUrFcknHxC]

Consul J legit pissed me off. I don't think a game has evoked as much emotion from me as this game. It's possible one of my top 5 games of all time.

[@ExZibbit]

Just beat fought J and was in awe I literally was late to my own savage raid in ff14 cause I didnt wanna stop

[@hellgast0]

I hate that fucker too xD Playing on hard mode and even 5 levels higher than him, he wrecked me multiple times until I finally figured it out how to counter the BS.

[@geezus7833]

joran literally saves yo ass

[@Hiruma_]

Finished the main story like 2-3 days after official release after years of waiting. The ending had me in tears (just like XC1 and XC2). A must play for people who love JRPGs and like the anime-aesthetic. Even the Nopon's are likeable this time!! My game of the year, hands down. Nintendo should never stop funding Monolithsoft. I can't get enough of their games.

[@asnlunatic]

Without spoiling anything...will I be happy if I'm expecting a tie in to the previous game? Also I'm lv 50 at chapter 3. Am I overleveled?

[@vinnythen00b]

@@asnlunatic Yes you are very overleveled, you can check the Quest log and see the recommended levels for each quest including the main story. And to answer the other question, you'll unfortunately find that a lot of questions from XC1 and XC2 are not answered by the end of XC3. It tends to focus very much on the story and character development rather than the world's lore.

[@nivi_in]

This is 100% my game of the year. The first hour blew me away.

[@kobexxballer]

Lol relax the first hr was not all that

[@jeremywininger694]

I came 9 minutes in

[@joshuarogers5563]

@@kobexxballer the first hour set the tone. By the end of chapter 2, the stakes went through the roof

[@ZsH85]

i thought this maybe a bit of a strech but 26 hours in and now i started to slow down a bit and take a closer look on everything. grass land armus and frogs blow me away. this game is fking beutiful

[@ElliotScottDating]

Really? I'm 10 hours in and think it's boring. Please tell me it gets better. I can only play it an hour at a time before getting super bored

[@jeddediajohnson9179]

This is my personal game of the year. Sorry Elden Ring I'm having way more fun playing Xenoblade 3

[@andrews4731]

I absolutely agree 👍

[@fullmetalvash]

Same

[@batman10011]

Thank you for continuing to put out great reviews I can trust.

[@Maremacbmf]

Glad to hear they include a tutorial playover option. When playing big games like this it is hard to stick with from start to finish .. being able to review tutorials will make jumping back in easier! Thanks for all the details.

[@eliaslo0p310]

Just finished chapter 5 definitely the best on yet

[@liamminnihan9021]

One of my biggest complaints with this game is that this was constantly advertised as the end of the Klaus saga. A game that connects xenoblade 1 and 2. Yet we didn't really have any of that in the game. If this really is the end, then it is kind of an unsatisfactory end of it.

[@Corpsecreate]

Agreed. I thought the story went downhill really fast after chapter 4

[@21minute]

There's still a DLC story a la Torna on the way. So maybe that will tie in the trilogy better.

[@DuffCallan]

I'm not sure if we played the same game or not, but there were definitely connections between the two games from the beginning of the game all the way to the very end. It just wasn't on the nose like XC2's ending was.

[@williansdeoliveirasantos5242]

Quite in-depth review, nice. Bit weird that you calim it is the best in the franchise but gives it the same mark as the site gave for the previous ones though. Just a few heads up, Xenoblade X also had a class system, so this is not quite a frst for the franchise, although 3 does it a bit different (in X oly Cross can swap classes, while in 3 all six party members can). Remember to turn off your switch (rather than put to sleep mode) from time to time to prevent memory leak, your footage had the grass dissapearing on the characters foot due to that, if you actually turn the switch off, when you go back to the game, this does not happen anymore, please give a try on this.

[@Grautwok]

My biggest complaint about 1 and 2 was that, for how vast and beautiful the worlds are, they felt empty. Meanwhile in 3, it took me about 30 hours to just reach Valdi because of how much I enjoyed exploring the world.

[@mmm4093]

Easily the best game this year, and I thought nothing would surpass Elden Ring.

[@michelletackett9489]

Great review. And Monolith Soft is the GOAT. Their RPGs are heads and shoulders above everyone else's output. Yes, even Square Enix. This should be the game that puts Xenoblade in the upper tier of Nintendo franchises. I can see 3-5 million in sales for this game. GOTY if you ask me.

[@exalted_space9224]

I only wished it was on console cause it feels like my Switch Battery drains so fast (no room for dock), I wanna play longer.

[@michelletackett9489]

@@exalted_space9224 I just keep the charger in my Switch.

[@nobodyhere6991]

Probably not even gonna come close if god of war comes out

[@nobodyhere6991]

Hell maybe even elden ring

[@michelletackett9489]

@@nobodyhere6991 XC is better than GOW. But, the media drools over Sony movie games.

[@jesseangeles2475]

Just a picked this up today. Xenoblade 2 was absolutely amazing. Feeling like this one will exceed my expectations 😉

[@joshuarogers5563]

The only game I have played the last month was Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive. I beat it the day before 3 came out as I have already beaten 2 in 2018. Now I’m working through 3! This is THE Japanese Role Playing games to beat, and every entry is an experience.

[@hoihoi13]

How would u rank them? I only beat 1 and started 2 not long ago, but am tempting to play 3 instead now

[@joshuarogers5563]

@@hoihoi13 honestly I adored all the games equally. But 3 is easily the best one yet. Lots to do, tons of customization, and just an overall joy. I joke not, it’s on the way to becoming my favorite game of all time

[@lorenzmartincruz]

I usually lose interest when playing my RPGs mid-game but XC3 got me hooked! The story, music, graphics as well as simplicity of its customization mechanics are all perfect for my liking and I'm currently on my 2nd playthrough for some reason I want to replay their journey right away.

[@robertwahlstrom]

Best game I ever played.

[@sciencethygod]

One thing to note they have a 20 year life span, the 10 year is when they go into service at age 10. The official JP twitter states the main 6s ages and they where all 18 besides Mio who is 19. I know Japan normally does crazy things with ages, but come on Ethal being 9 with her figure is a bit dicey lol for a mainstream/nintendo title.

[@neme6ben]

55 hours in, its my goty for sure, and also my favourite jrpg ever

[@joshuarogers5563]

I have to concur with you. This franchise is a top-tier masterclass

[@gmotsjr13]

“One of the best games on the console!” 9 out of 10 I don’t know what they have given 10/10 for, but that statement to me garners a 10/10. But again it’s just opinions here.

[@williansdeoliveirasantos5242]

yeah I found that to be pretty weird too

[@dgross2009]

As I play this I can't help thinking that instead of a port of Xenoblade X to the Switch I would rather have a sequel or prequel. I loved the experience on the Wii U, in fact one of my favorite games of all time, but many ports like this disappoint when ported to a system they were not designed for. The Wii U was a unique system with its gamepad.

[@pramath1605]

This isn’t a port

[@dgross2009]

@@pramath1605 I know. Playing this, a non-port, got me thinking that I don't want a port of X but a new game

[@pramath1605]

@@dgross2009 Ah gotcha. Yeah, a new game in the style of X would be great. Hopefully Monolith can try something in that vein again now that the trilogy is done

[@Mojo1356]

Especially since X’s story ended on a cliffhanger.

[@21minute]

I think it will have a Definitive Edition treatment like the first game.

[@stephenray5559]

I played through the all three xenoblade as of now and will playing x3 I felt that there was something OFF. That something was missing despite it clearing being better than 1 and 2. Thanks to I found it it like you side their are aspects and things that happen in the story that didn't quit land as you'd expect given the context you have!

[@faulsname8869]

Why did they get rid of salvaging? Just running around finding containers and picking up items off the ground gets old after a while. Also wish they kept chip mods. Only having accessories to customize sucks.

[@TevyaSmolka]

I love this game its really awesome and badass

[@TheAchilles285]

I don't understand the load times complaint. I've been playing this game and the load times feel nowhere near as bad as games of long ago, is it really considered "long load times" when something takes 5 to 15 seconds to load?

[@Mojo1356]

They’re probably referring to the Pentas region. For some reason, it takes as long to load as Sonic 06 sometimes when you’re skip traveling in Maktha Wildwoods.

[@andrewclear8905]

X had a class system

[@microzach3499]

We got the "This is the manado's power" then the "This is power of the master blade" and the "MANADO EAAAAAATTTTEEEEERRRRR" then we got the "lucky seven" then we got low budget Nopon manado

[@1wayroad935]

It's pretty impressive how well it runs on the Switch

[@Tharosthegreat]

So here is a question... If i beat the game... Get xxx And queen xxx and do all sidequests including rings (7) and Nopon hammers... do i need to finish the game again to get them alkl in new game + ? Or do i just load the postgame save with all the extra postgame stuff?

[@kingarth0r]

90 hrs in, still have a bunch to do.

[@gameregression539]

Other thing of note: the obligatory nopon party members are actually great characters with almost nothing annoying. Riku in particular has quite a few moments to shine and is an even better mentor to Noah than Vandahm was.

[@TimoNaaro]

Can I jump into this after the first game or should I play second? I don't really care either way. I will play the second sometime. Just feels weird to pay full price on it when the third one is allready out so I would rather wait for sale on that one.

[@vantagehgc3499]

technically you can play 3 without playing 1 or 2, you just wont understand the returning characters from 2 and you wont get some minor plot points. otherwise you are free to enjoy 3 without playing 2

[@pramath1605]

You can theoretically play it without having played 1 and/or 2, but you *really* should play 2. It’s great. 2 has never once gone on sale in almost five years on the market. I don’t think that’s going to change, so just try and find a cheap used copy or something if you don’t want to pay full price.

[@eeeeggnog._.]

@@pramath1605 I have definitely seen 2 on sale. But now that it's rare physically it might not any more

[@pramath1605]

@@eeeeggnog._. Yeah, sorry, I meant an official Nintendo price drop rather than a Nintendo promotion

[@IndigoOverdrive]

You can but 2 is the black sheep of the three (X isn't canon). You're not missing much story wise, 2 doesn't add much outside of a motive for Klaus and the introduction of Blades and the Conduit. Everything else is self contained.

[@squand3r]

Elden Ring gets mentioned a lot these days and imo for a certain reason. It is hands down one of the most satisfying „in-the-moment“ games but ultimately fails to leave a lasting „emotional“ impression. The game is built upon instant gratification but severely lacks active story-telling (which is bizarre considering Martin was involved). Thats why XBC3 is so captivating and, much more important: feels more purposeful.

[@nobodyhere6991]

Literally most of elden rings story is in its lore

[@squand3r]

@@nobodyhere6991 same with Destiny which has an unbelievably great story, but its mostly hidden in endless texts and item descriptions

[@mattsmokes2505]

Game is proof graphics over gameplay. And it’s not even an ugly looking game it’s just held back by the switch. Absolute phenomenal ride so far about 40 hours and cannot put it down absolutely love everything from the setting to the story to the characters to the gameplay and the way it all clicks. It’s the game I always wanted final fantasy 15 to be.

[@iyeetpaste3797]

I'm ~20 hours in. I definitely like this better than the previous installments. I find the story and characters to be a _BIG_ improvement. The others were so lackluster in that area that I didn't have the interest in finishing them.

[@ZsH85]

i finished them but just as you said. its still under X tho

[@TheScar3cro]

I'm about 30 hours in and I enjoy it so much. But saying both other games were lackluster in story and characters is wrong in my opinion. XC1 had a great cast of characters with Shulk, Reyn, Dunban, Fiora, Dickson and so on. Also the story was amazing. What put 1 down in contrast to XC2 was, that the gameplay wasn't that complex. The characters and story in XC2 were relatively lackluster to that I have to agree

[@ZsH85]

26 hours in and now i started to slow down a bit and take a closer look on everything. grass land armus and frogs blow me away. this game is fking beutiful

[@Mojo1356]

@@TheScar3cro I think 2 has great writing and some great characters, but the problem is that 2 relies on typical anime tropes a lot more than 1 and 3- especially with the rare blades you can pull from gacha cores. For 1’s gameplay, I think it’s better because of its simplicity. It makes it easier to dive into compared to 2. Especially when you take 2’s awful tutorial system into account.

[@selimb5235]

This game looks great. It looks very good.

[@dyreckta23]

Getting alot of vibes from Xenogears from this story

[@nathanorwick3671]

They are technically in the same franchise. The Xeno- series encompasses gears, saga, and blade, so there's a lot of motifs, callbacks, and vibes the subsequent games can pull from their predecessors.

[@Coolsomething100]

61 hours in still not done…..damn I love it!

[@medalgearsalad1419]

I didn't like the cast in X2, they were too anime for my taste. Is this one better character wise?

[@SamTalksGames]

Yes, they’re more serious and all

[@medalgearsalad1419]

@@SamTalksGames Thats good to hear. I may give this one a try. Thanks

[@IndigoOverdrive]

Way way way way better. They actually give a shit about eachother and aren't spewing jokes left and right for le funnies and le anime. I've had one 'anime' moment with a side character in a side quest.

[@Mojo1356]

Yes. The party and heroes don’t rely on tropes nearly as much as 2 does. I can’t say the same for the villains though unfortunately.

[@PillsburyNinjaKneadingJustice]

I love this game so far. Only issue I am having is some vocals don't play (like the first couple words in a sentence). It happened alot in the "forest" map before you fight 2 ferronis

[@yoyomama99]

spoiler much dude?

[@catatonic165]

Great review!

[@angusc1983]

Xenoblade 3 is like the FFX of the Xenoblade series.

[@makasete30]

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

[@The_Ostrich]

Its a really good game, damn good even, but not quite as good as the first. The cutscenes are too frequent and long, the framerate is choppy and chain attacks slow the flow of battle. Other than that the game is a blast.

[@fernandojaqueparra1433]

The framerate is choppy, yeah. But cutscenes aren't a bad thing...i've spent 42 h and still un chapter 4 (most of the time exploring new zones). About chain attacks, they are optional and You can end them whenever you want

[@blakefenslerjr4858]

Way better then the first one hands down so much more you can do with characters then the xb1 characters. Want to change the healer into attacker boom and vise versa lol

[@nasis.]

@@blakefenslerjr4858 You wish

[@blakefenslerjr4858]

@@nasis. Did you even play it?

[@joshuarogers5563]

@@blakefenslerjr4858 Don’t feed the troll. The customization in XC3 is truly in-depth. Each character has their own skills, gems and accessories to manage. Then you have each ouroborous to manage with their skill trees. Plenty to do!

[@WowUrFcknHxC]

How do all these game journalists keep mispronouncing Keves and Nopon?

[@mikikiki4524]

IM THINKING TO BUY SWITCH BUT IM RLY AFRAID OF DRIFT

[@westonmeyer3110]

I have never had drift and I got my Switch during Christmas in 2018.

[@dannyo.9276]

Joycons are fine, but they will drift eventually especially if you're playing games like smash that require button mashing. Xb3 isnt one of them, so I think you'll be fibe.

[@vemaxonful]

It’s not near as bad as they make it sound. It’s about as much of an issue as any other console.

[@biggiebutters2251]

Bought the game! Playing the game! and Loving the game! Right now!

[@King_platano420]

Who else does pushing while auto battling? Can't just be me .

[@Lexyvil]

I started playing this game on the Switch, and I'm curious to know if it's normal that there's not a lot of strategy involved during battles. I'm only almost 8 hours in the game on hard mode, and so far when I die, I can't seem to have many options in how to change the way I fight to avoid dying, since it always results to using skills as soon as they light up.

[@nunomfalmeida]

My experience on hard was that you have less options in the beginning so the game is harder. Also side quests can unlock jobs so rather than grinding I found myself exploring (in mid late game) and got rly leveled up. Strategy mostly comes from character building and making sure u have a decent fusion art per person for chain attacks.

[@minos121]

xenoblade x has the best soundtrack

[@ericgrenda2450]

Not that this is at all a bad thing but did anyone else get big ffxv vibes while they were playing this? I can’t put this game down.

[@Kerryg64]

"Sparks"

[@marcrics]

"Nintendo didn't want to release globally" you mean just the US then 😂 everywhere else was good lol

[@notimeforcreativenamesjust3034]

No it was literally only releasing in Japan, nowhere else

[@marcrics]

@@notimeforcreativenamesjust3034 it was localized by Nintendo of Europe in 2011 and released everywhere in Europe. It was released in the US in 2012. A lot of the reasoning behind project rainfall was because the games had already been localized for English speaking regions.

[@Jenema2]

Even EU didnt get the game until later.

[@marcrics]

@@Jenema2 as is usually the case with localising RPGs. Especially at the time. Only in recent times JRPGs have started coming day and date with Japan tbh

[@ElderSign32]

i kinda like the game, but there's WAY too much going on with so many character on screen, the multiple gundam forms that you have to switch to specific characters for, on top of the usual conditional skills. it feels like im playing 2 or 3 games at once and it makes every single fight feel like a huge ordeal

[@Mojo1356]

I think that’s why the game pauses for a minute whenever a combo lands or agro changes. To give you time to catch your bearings.

[@champunagchave7828]

You might already have made one. But could you please make a video for games like saintsrow / sleeping dogs

[@GrimAbstract]

Bro sleeping dogs is so old, so many videos already made on that game lol.

[@toralbonds3330]

You can go to Savage Life channel he has both Saints Row and Sleeping Dogs he still plays them right now as of today.

[@champunagchave7828]

@@GrimAbstract agreed they r way old. But I want games of such gameplay.madmax or batman r such too but batman doesn't have much place to explore.

[@champunagchave7828]

@@toralbonds3330 I l check it. Thanx for letting me know.

[@earthtree7638]

I agree with alot of what you're saying, but I gotta say I disagree with the music and level design, and think 1 was better, maybe 2. Not that this one is bad, it's absolutely not, but saying my thoughts as well is all

[@dooroofoo6512]

How much will I be missing if I don’t play the first 2? They’re just so long but I hate jumping into a series late

[@LuckyOwI777]

You can play Xenoblade 3 on it's own. You don't _need_ to know anything about the first 2 games to play the third. You will, however, miss some really cool and big easter eggs and connections, that would add to the experience

[@dooroofoo6512]

@@LuckyOwI777 yeah I hate missing stuff like that especially if it’s story/lore related in a big way. It just might be a while before I actually get to 3. So you think I should wait?

[@jeremywininger694]

This looks excellent. Thinking of playing 1-3

[@jorgealfy]

Big words for someone who calls it a “Xenoblades” game. @5:55

[@grahfkarate1799]

7 hours in and love it but is it just me or does it kind of visually look the worst of the series minus XB on Wii. Could be because I just finished horizon on ps5?

[@updaterequired1173]

I would imagine that to be the case... Going from a ps5 game to a switch game will never be comparable... Aside from that game looks amazing to play I just picked it up earlier gonna dive in soon... Been only on my ps5 the last year so this game is reason enough to get back on that switch.

[@grahfkarate1799]

@@updaterequired1173 same. I legit only play switch to play Mario kart with my kids 😂. Nintendo need a new system asap. Imagine what monolithsoft can do on a stronger system

[@grahfkarate1799]

@Meridias Watchtower for sure. Most recent Xenoblade game I played was definitive and maybe I feel this way because the color pallet was brighter in that one? The tone both physically and spiritually is darker

[@Katie-hb8iq]

I kind of disagree about the development of the characters. The 4 supporting cast characters have very little development. Sena turns out to be shy and low confidence despite her happy and strong outward appearance and that's about it after 90 hours of gameplay for me so far. Lanz continues to act stupid and act first before thinking well into the 90 hour mark. I'm struggling to really think of anything unique about Eunie other than her constant banter - that's basically what her role is. Taion is a bit more developed than the other 3, having a bit more backstory and connection to the world in more ways than their own colony. Honestly, I don't think they develop nearly as well as Nia, Morag, Zeke, and several of the blades did in the past game. Mio and Noah are the only characters that actually get multiple arcs of development. I can see how people might like this cast more than XC2 if they dislike the more expressive and anime qualities in the writing, but in terms of actual development, XC2 did this stuff a lot better. XC3's characters are pretty flat and one-note emotionally by comparison - it's a bit jarring. I don't blame the writers for this entirely - the entire world is one-note too. But even the light-hearted sections are very infrequent and often fail to make me feel anything at all. This was something XC2 was much better at doing - getting emotional responses of a large variety. XC3 rarely does that. I agree that the story pacing is really poor. After chapter 1, further chapters simply reinforce or provide a slightly different nuance to the things you already know. Outside of maybe 1 thing with Eunie, feel like the story doesn't really pick up the pace until the very end of Chapter 4, which could be 40-50 hours into the game. That is far too long to provide new information to the player. Past games did a much better job changing the status quo and how you viewed the world and its characters from chapter to chapter. It takes a long time for that to happen in XC3. One you're into Chapter 5, the story is really quite good, but wow does it take a big investment to get there. I just wish the story provided new information rather than just reinforce things you already know or things you probably already deduced yourself.

[@MGM_Think]

The game is overhyped, and fanboys are spamming 10/10 scores on Metacritic while the game is flawed as you implied (I think you held back a little) It's inferior to the previous games narratively, musically, and the ending is outright bad in this one, ... I give it a fair 6/10, and I think its review scores will decrease with time as more people finish the game and reach the disappointing ending.

[@dycu]

The combat systeme would be greater & more fluid if they make use of the touch screen. There is too many button combination like hold this button to access to those action. Touch the character stat screen on the left. It will move up with his action menu on the top screen. Move the camera using the multi-touch; leave the Right Stick for another action menu. Touch and drag this character to make him move in the circle. If the Switch Pro could use a second Switch as a controller that would be like having a WiiUSwitch.

[@Mojo1356]

Dude- they specifically don’t use the touch pad when they can get away with it so it isn’t Wii U Gamepad 2.0.

[@davelee1935]

Snuff off

[@obzen901]

Great game. Just wish it had better graphics. They are NOT good at all unfortunately.

[@xBetterxDays]

20+ hours in on hard and I still think the combat is absolute trash compared to Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

[@IndigoOverdrive]

Well 2 is trash so yeah I can see why it would've tainted your taste in games.

[@markxv2267]

Yes 2 is trash indeed

[@xBetterxDays]

@@markxv2267 ew.

[@xBetterxDays]

@@IndigoOverdrive ew

[@SENATORPAIN1]

English voice acting is terrible

[@Mojo1356]

That’s weeb talk. Admittedly, I do think 1 still has the best English voice acting in Xenoblade still.

[@deusvlad2.083]

I could say a lot that I don't like about the game I will probably just say a few for now. 1: The game stutters when there is either a crit attack or a change in aggro, I think it also stutters for other reasons can't remember what it was though. I find this really annoying and not fluent it feels like there is frame drops. 2: Its lost its sex appeal xenoblade 2 has. 3: The character designs aren't as good as the rare blades in xenoblade 2 4: There is no mechs you can use to fly around jump and transform into land vehicle and pilot around a large open world. To make exploration more fun! 5: The graphics aren't upgraded they just look the same as all the others. 6: It's not open world 7: I'm spending too much time in my inventory changing class and re-equipping per accessories, gems, arts etc.. per class as well. 8: You cannot control your addon hero 9: The outfits clothes are boring and cleaning is a silly waste of time game mechanic when it should have been armor damage instead, then I would understand clean/fix clothes otherwise dust and dirt should automatically fade when you jump in the water, or when it rains. 10: the game pauses when blowing the whistle for dead people on the world, pauses are annoying. ok I'm sure I can find more flaws in the game did I miss anything? The best in the series is Xenoblade Chronicles X then 1 then 2 then 3 it just got worse after X. Though I praise 2 for having a smaashing amount of cool sexy design characters with best storyline overall.

[@MGM_Think]

It absolutely DOES NOT deserve a 9/10 , if only for the stupid dialogue alone! it's unfortunate but I don't like this game as much as I thought I would, I give it a fair 6/10, CONS: - The written dialogue is atrocious, easily the worst in any game I have played in recent memory, I assume this problem is only in the localized version. - Unsatisfactory ending. The story is not concluded and a lot of questions are left unanswered. The whole thing is supposed to be about two worlds from XC1 and XC2 colliding and all life ending, then starting life again after the collision is over and earth stable again, ... yet the ending isn't about that. - Characters having to be re-equipped frequently, and auto-equip AI isn't good at picking the best for each character, so I have to do it again and again and again whenever I change class. it get's really old very fast and is time consuming. - Too many equippable things, equip class, skills, accessories, arts, gems and interlink and 6 characters, ... it is too much to manage, micro-managing everything sucking the fun out of changing classes. PROS: - The battle system is the best in the series. General criticism in comparison to XC1 & XC2: - The music is a stepdown from previous installments. - Noah (and the whole cast honestly) is a stepdown from previous installments. All and all, it was an alright ride but XC1 and XC2 are better games narratively.

[@Corpsecreate]

I liked Noah up until about Chapter 3. Suddenly he becomes a bland protagonist after that and quite suddenly develops love for Mio, even though I got the impression in the bath scene near the start of the game that neither male or females experience romantic attraction between each other (since they arent normal humans).

[@MGM_Think]

​@@Corpsecreate You are right, I think that is a plot hole.

[@blackswelproductions3876]

It fo

[@blackswelproductions3876]

It do

[@Primo-on6fc]

It's not better than it's predecessor. Not better than Chronicles X. Nothing is better than that.

[@thoru4367]

Looks like a PS3 game

[@The_Ostrich]

Love it, makes me feel younger.

[@nattobaby]

ps3 has much better looking graphics than this. come on now

[@jeddediajohnson9179]

The beginning starts with drab colors. As you advance the story things get more and more colorful. This has some of the best graphics on switch.

[@mikikiki4524]

more like PS2

[@jeddediajohnson9179]

@@mikikiki4524 lol if you really think this your memories of what games looked like on those systems sucks. Nice troll though.

[@finalfayth9165]

This game sucks just because there is no equipment like xeno 1!!! ,and there is no tactic for each character in the combat idont talk about the team tactic no ,tactic for every character alone what i wante him to do or not to do and when to do it ,play with 7 character in an action rpg need more intelligence and hard work to perfect the gamplay i dont see that in this game !!! Xenoblad 1 is the best , xeno2 is good , the 3rd one naaa even the class systm is bad . This game has just a massive world and good music thats all ,even the story not strong as the xenoblad 1

[@Maikeru101]

First off you need to learn how to spell you damn troll, second, your opinion matters not here. There is a reason this game got great reviews and plays like a dream for a lot of people, just because it doesn’t have what you like an action rpgs doesn’t make it a bad game

[@LuckyOwI777]

sounds like you just don't know how to play the game, lol

[@finalfayth9165]

@@LuckyOwI777 no i played 20 hours , i konw exactly how to play the game , its easy to understand , man i have said whats wrong with the game, it doesn't worth my time , im a true jrpg player ,i have played more than 70 jrpg in my whole experience, there is only the chain ataque in xeno3 what i found realy good and technical much better than xeno 1

[@monoxzide1073]

Loved the series until now, but it simply looks like shit..and the characters are boring as hell

[@aintthatapotofeffluck8926]

Contrarians.

[@IndigoOverdrive]

Xenoblade 2 tainted your taste in the good shit

[@gravityfallscanada]

From mixed bath scenes to down right promoting polygamy. How repulsive can this game get. At least it not as bad as the fan service in XC2. What a mess, this series needs to end especially with all the occult symbols...

[@Jenema2]

There's no such thing as sex in this world since everyone is born at age 10 after being grown in a test tube.

[@DavidWoodMusic]

Lol ok buddy

[@gravityfallscanada]

@@DavidWoodMusic Play the game...

[@DavidWoodMusic]

@@gravityfallscanada I don't understand

[@vemaxonful]

Found the Christian.

[@GeorgieTheBurritoDog]

This game sucked, character wise, story-wise, and game mechanic. The reason I didn't like the game was that there was little to no character development whatsoever. The chemistry between the 6 members of the cast was practically non existent. They never had any bonding moments, they were just forced to be with one another but there were no moments where their respect and care for one another were ever earned. The characters were also very bland, one dimensional, and tame. They're was nothing special about them, nothing that made them entertaining or that made you want to learn about more them. As someone who plays a lot of jrpgs, the characters were just common tropes. Even there backstories we're plagues with the same problems. Even the one on one moments with each were dull seeing as though they were never any moments where they truly shared there deep emotional turmoil with each other. Each character is a literally a slave to war and they never talk or communicate through their actions how hurt and hateful and oppressed and angry they are about their circumstances. They're all just likeable but that's it honestly the scene where they introduce themselves to one another and talk about their interests and who they are as people is as much as you're going to get out of these characters. They're the book that you only look at the cover of Noah is just your typical Protagonist with no real thought put into him, he had the opportunity to be the character who consistently asks questions as to why the world is the way that it is, why the consoles do what they do, what freedom really is, and what it means to him. Like he only starts questioning things about why he's fighting or what's the point of being an offseer because of his tutor and that's not even explained until you get into like way later in the game Mio had the opportunity to be more emotional and the most downtrodden seeing as though she only had 3 months to live, but instead she just becomes very nonchalant about it except for that one scene where her and Noah are expressing their feelings to one another and that scene was good but the game should have had way more scenes where all the characters were describing their feelings to that extent and that loudly. Instead of her being upset and falling into despair and then maybe rising past it and finding hope through her friends she just accepts the fact that she's going to die which really just kills the direction where she could have had more development. She was definitely the only one in the team that ever shared their raw intense feelings Eunie should have been a lot more like Ghondor, as in very abrasive, outspoken, loud, vulgar, blunt, "say what she means and means what she said". They described her that way in the direct but she was very tame and it's honestly a shame because it seems as though they wanted to make her the character that was very tough and sturdy personality wise. But they didn't really go in that direction with her which would have been great if they did because of that whole moment when she was very fearful of the Consuls, that was also a missed opportunity because they never intrinsically explained through her words and even through her actions how she overcame that fear. Like she just did overcome it but using context clues it was because she had to because she can't let herself lose. But it would have been great to see her being such a strong independent woman and then seeing her vulnerability through her fear and then realizing that she has to rise above her fear in order to get her freedom and the best way to illustrate that to us as players would have been for her to actually say what she was thinking and feeling when she was fighting the Consuls. Taion's backstory seemed very rushed to me, because for they never showed him meeting Sena and Mio, or even why he was so attached to the two of them but yet they gave us scenes of Mio and Sena building a (sort of) bond. Like his backstory was just him losing the girl he was I guess in love with and his friendship with his Commander but they never really stayed why he was so connected to them in the first place nor did they go into detail about how deeply it affected him. Out of all the characters he was my favorite but that was only because he was hyper intelligent and I have a thing for characters like that Sena is honestly the most disappointing character amongst the six. She barely had a presence in the game until later chapters where she was shown to be insecure, unsure of herself, a people pleaser and socially awkward. They never went anywhere with that, nor did they have a moment in the game where she expressed how she felt as a member of the group or even as a person so that then her teammates could reassure her and help her to feel better about herself and to learn how to be comfortable and confident in / with herself. They also tried to make a weird comparison between her and Shania but they don't have anything in common with each other. Shania wanted to be a soldier but everyone told her that she couldn't be because she wasn't cut out for it instead of encouraging her and helping her along the way. Sena's problem was her social skills and her insecurities. Shania was not insecure about herself. She knew what she wanted but everyone else told her that she couldn't be that. Sena didn't have that problem. The only moment that she expressed herself was with Lanz and even then, it didn't go anywhere. She continued to be the same way up until the end of the game even when Mio tried to help her feel better. Lanz was a lot like Reyn in many ways except he wasn't stupid and he wasn't a comedic relief. He was just tough and strong-willed and spoke his mind but yet he suffers a lot of what Eunie suffers as a character. I was so happy when him and Sena were about to relate to one another about how insecure they were but it still didn't go anywhere after that either. And him being insecure was very left field because nothing that ever happened in the game ever pointed to him feeling less of himself even afterwards. And last but not least the character designs as in the outfits and hairstyles were absolutely garbage and very simplistic. I would not be surprised if weeks later I forget their designs. There was nothing detailed or special in the clothing or the color schemes and honestly especially Mio. The color schemes were off and the clothing items were clashing. Like that stupid jacket and skirt that Mio wears, omg it was so ugly to look at for me. And why were the heroes and their personalities more entertaining and pleasing to look at then the main cast, I can't even tell you how many times I looked at one of the side characters and was like I wish that she or he was one of the main six, especially Ghondor and Shania designs. These are just my gripes with the characters, I have so many issues with the story too. Bottom line is that the characters didn't seem like they had much thought put into them, especially Sena because she was definitely an afterthought. Her design was honestly the best

[@anabelanguyen1748]

While I don’t agree with everything you said, I do think that the plot ultimately hinders the characters a lot. The best thing about the characters from the previous games is that they’re all from different nations and meeting them comes with learning about their nation’s politics and each beat in the story being dedicated to them as you progress the story. They also have their own reasons for joining your party. In this universe, everyone has the same backstory. They’re born a soldier and… that’s it. Meeting Ethel was cool because she actually felt like a typical Xenoblade character. She had her own thing going on and a mythos surrounding her and I really wish she had been a part of the main party. Since all of our party members are struggling with the same thing it really makes for blander character interactions. I’m still not through with the game, but I can say this is my biggest gripe. And the Heroes aren’t interesting enough to make up for it.

[@anabelanguyen1748]

Also! I think the only thing that’s really pushing me to finish this game is to see how it ties into the other two. I’m not really pushed to do side content or explore, especially since these areas are just too large.

[@medalgearsalad1419]

Since you played the game, are the characters too anime? You know tropes, and all that nonsense or do they lean towards more mature vibe?

[@jarndelacierra2968]

I think you need to finished some side quest and hero quest since more character bonds and character background explained their.

[@GeorgieTheBurritoDog]

@@anabelanguyen1748 i thought it was crazy how many of the heroes personalities were actually more expressive and interesting then the main cast, I feel that the main cast was crafted to be likeable tropes of already established character concepts we've all been familiarized with and that's about it. They're not expanded upon or built up from there. Which doesn't make sense to me because a story is driven and enjoyed through it's characters.

[@turkishbatman6901]

The Xenoblade Games have terrible pacing and are basically single player mmo‘s. Only jrpg weebs are enjoying this mess.

[@shark_bytes_666]

As opposed to people like you who play MMOs and live in your mothers basement still?

[@ItsGalex]

No one is falling for this bait

[@OtterloopB]

🚨TRYING TOO HARD ALERT🚨

[@jeddediajohnson9179]

Sounds like you have not played this....

[@hellgast0]

I'm a proud jrpg weeb 😁

[@OuTrAgEoUs62312]

one of the best games ever 🤍

[@GrimAbstract]

I’m really liking it! Do you know if combat gets quicker? I feel like I take a long time killing basic mobs but I’m in chapter 1 lol

[@OuTrAgEoUs62312]

@@GrimAbstract yesss I’m in chapter 4 it has so much stuff do to like each battle feels different with all the new mechanics 😊 fast and quick and fun to strategize

[@golfer435]

@@GrimAbstract keep in mind that in the first chapter you only have half your party.