Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a huge game, both in terms of the scope and level of expectations of its dedicated fan base. Its ambitions match! There’s a lot to do, watch and learn. However, with all of this, expectations are high. So does it satisfy them? Take a look at the menu.
Figure
The game’s protagonists, two teams fighting from the game’s main warring factions, are out to… save the world? Handling people’s problems? It’s a pretty standard JRPG setup, though Monolith does a great job of keeping you invested in their adventure and its secrets. The two main heroes, Noah and Mio, are the “forerunners” who are experts at bringing dead warriors into a world so full of them. This is used to focus on the story of life and death, and the consequences of an abbreviated existence.
Voice of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 feels like a blend of the original Xenoblade and Wii U-exclusive X. It’s more serious in tone and more realistic in its visual presentation. It’s also not a “handheld” game. We didn’t have any issues playing it on the Switch Lite, but it’s clear that the game is designed for a larger, TV-based play experience. Xenoblade 2 there’s large text, hidden interface elements and such, and that’s not here. It’s also a darker, more atmospheric game, while 2 Overall a vibrant anime world.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s no anime inspiration. For better or worse! There are tropes. There are a few… you know… character designs. (Though not with the same quality or level of ridiculousness as its predecessor.) But there are also things that are very anime-like that are quite fun! Like riding your big sword like a surfboard in a combo attack. And we won’t spoil how, but the game uses aesthetics to obscure some of its biggest plot twists.
Hero
In Xenoblade Chronicles 3, you manage a team of six warriors. Seven, perhaps? Although the guest’s teammates are less in your control. All of them are very flexible in terms of capabilities, as classes modify your stats in huge ways. That said, each person has strengths through their abilities. While anyone can be any class, if a combo is less suitable, it will take some time to unlock and level up.
This system can be frustrating at times. A party member unlocks a class to start with, but usually fully maxing out with that character won’t gain enough meters for others to start using it. We’re happy with the flexibility, but there was definitely a time when we thought we could be better off if classes were just plainly character locked instead of hanging the ability in front of us and dragging it along for too long. .
Also, in case you need to know: yes, the battles are still as hectic as ever. Team members scream all the time, and with a whole group of seven there, it could really be a symphony. Tip: there is a separate volume control for voice. Is it possible to use it?
Map
Just put, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a huge game. Even by Xenoblade standards! It took us about 80 hours to get to the final battle, and there were plenty of side quests and activities to do as we did. We also did not fully explore the map. There are colonies that can be completely missed. There are areas you will only explore if you are curious about what is there. It’s meant to be a cohesive world, not one designed purely for your adventure.
However, there are many structures. The ring shape means you’re progressing from one area to another with the main story checkpoints between each. It’s an interesting control system, as even the original zones have opponents you just can’t get close to defeating. It serves to make the environment easy to digest, rather than overwhelming, and that’s good.
If you, like us, are more exploratory than combat most of the time, XC3 have a good contact to keep you motivated. Defeat special, powerful monsters? They unlock fast-travel spots at their locations, and often those are pretty handy. Elite and rare enemies also offer more experience and rewards, so focusing on those enemies can limit the number of pure targets you need to take down.
Interest chart
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 put a lot of effort into you to invest in the characters and their relationships. The “Preference chart” option in the menu allows you to keep track of dozens of NPCs and how they feel about each other. If you don’t like the content, you can skip the scenes and keep pushing. But for whom? This is probably nice.
It is interesting to see the focus and attention on these relationships, when the main theme of the game is learning to let go and move on. The warring factions are constantly stressed about their limited ten-year lives and the time pressures that come with it. The enemy is looking to prolong the situation and their power at a cost. Ultimately, the point of the game is not to try to cling to the crumbs of how things used to be, especially if it means working for bad bosses, and it’s best to say mirror others and move forward. This feels especially relevant to us right now. For some reason.
Mission
There is an important path in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 that’s pretty easy to do, but it’s embellished with tons of side quests. Most of these are nothing particularly creative: talk to this person, collect stuff, defeat a specific enemy. But for a game that totally expects you to use its leveling system from one end to the other, it helps if you do these in place of the traditional grinding.
Sure you can just go fight a lot, but with the bonus experience system it won’t be as effective as actually completing everything. Finding new areas, talking to NPCs and completing unnecessary quests earns you more experience points, and you apply those experience points at campsites to level up. Crushing monsters can still be useful for leveling up classes and earning ingredients and the like, but it’s nice when you’re not forced into long study sessions.
Even so, there are still some bugs in the quest lineup. We are particularly annoyed with the “follow people” and “follow” tasks. These require you to walk slower than usual, or you may accidentally miss a trigger point for the next segment to show up. With fetch missions, skipping the scene and moving quickly can make them pretty easy. Here, though? They do not have such solutions.
items
The Xenoblade Chronicles 3 The system is full of things to collect, but surprisingly little to use in combat. Meal ingredients and collectibles can be exchanged for experience and bonuses. And yes, there are equipment and gems? But during our play we noticed that auto-equip almost always gives us the optimal configuration for what we have and our strategy is largely unaffected. by these. For a franchise that often seems overwhelming to newcomers, it does a solid job of cutting out some of the elements that can make it difficult to manage in battle.
Party skills
Like many open world games, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 use unlockable mobility to let you go back to old areas and explore them in a different way. You can grind rails over great distances! Or climb vines! These primarily utilize the game’s growing focus on verticality. Frequently, you will come across a tall tower or floating island, and it will take an hour or two before you can actually get there.
One side skill you can’t unlock? Minimize damage from falls. Much of the gameplay in the early game is based on limiting your progress because you can’t survive the fall. We wish it was a little less punishing, because we slipped off a cliff just ran around and died… so much.
System
Technically, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 It’s a pretty impressive game. There are open-world popups and reduced quality, but it all feels polished and purposeful. It runs better Pokemon Legends Arceus or Breath of the Wild. And load times are generally acceptable. We’ve run into issues with loading for longer after particularly long sessions, to the point where it can feel like it might freeze. However, a hard reboot solved that problem.
And it won’t surprise any veteran player to learn that the soundtrack is top notch. It is full of effort and energy. We feel like we’re focusing more on the atmosphere this time around than the iconic tunes, but with how many hours do you spend on this game? Well, you will get the notes buried in your skull regardless. The dubbing is also charming, as usual, with British sensibilities. (But yeah, like we said earlier, people keep talking too much in battle.)
Although it does not have the ability to pass the category options, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a gift for those who love JRPG pitfalls. There are lands to explore, battle systems to optimize, and lore implications for longtime fans of the franchise. And at least? You definitely get your money’s worth.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo. It debut July 29, 2022. An Expansion card also available.
