Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Genre: JRPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Xenoblade Chronicles 3, released on Nintendo Switch in 2022, is a game that acts as sort of a mix of all the prior games in the Xenoblade franchise. For those who haven’t yet played a Xenoblade game yet, know that for the most part this is a self-contained story… much as was the case in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, there are late-game story elements that tie directly into the worlds of the prior two numbered Xenoblade games (Xenoblade Chronicles X is not connected to the other titles in any way beyond some gameplay, themes, and common races that appear in the game). Meanwhile, the combat feels similar to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (with a bit of X) and the game’s tone seems closer to the original Xenoblade. And… wow, I just used the word “Xenoblade” more times in the last paragraph than I think I have used that word altogether elsewhere.

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A Chronicle of a New Story

The game’s fantasy/sci-fi plot focuses on the two warring colonies of Keves and Agnus, whose people are all evidently engineered soldiers, created with only ten-year lifespans (apparently the teenage years), and destined to live a life of conflict with each other as each side seeks to fill a “flame clock” with the life force of their defeated enemies. While on its face, this situation may seem absurd, but both sides of this war have never known anything but this conflict, and as such never really thought to question it, until one day an elite combat team from each side is sent to secure a mysterious power source.

Reaching it at the same time, these six youngsters come to blows as each tries to claim the power source for their side, only for their fates to be irrevocably altered as a mysterious enemy comes to fight them, with the ensuing fight resulting in all of them being some how marked or altered in a way that results in them now being hunted by their former allies. Without anywhere else to turn, these former enemies grudgingly team up with one another to discover the identity of this “true enemy”, and to seek out a city where they’re told they may find a way to finally put an end to the fighting.

While this game’s story definitely has elements that seem reminiscent of Logan’s Run (along with other sci-fi stories), and it could have easily been just as silly and cheesy as that film, this game manages to avoid this fate with its well-crafted characters and somber story. This game’s characters are, after all, all teenagers who have been traumatized by a life of endless war, and one of the best parts of this game is seeing the uneasy peace slowly forming between the two groups of bitter enemies, and the unlikely bonds they form because of it.

While I thoroughly liked elements of all of the previous Xenoblade games, I think this one has my favorite characters by far. The contemplative and stoic Noah, the brash and confident Eunie, the combative Lanz, the tomboy Sena, the cautious and logical Taion, and the determined Mio… these characters could have all easily been stock archetypes, but a combination of exceptional three-dimensional writing and superb voice acting not only make this group extremely likable, but also make their interactions with each other a constant delight through the game. It doesn’t take long for Noah and Mio to recognize that they are kindred spirits, while Lanz and Taion are the holdouts from each respective group… though Lanz seem to quickly grow fond of Sena, given how much the two have in common, and Eunie seems to naturally feel at ease with the two ladies of the other group after spending so much time in the company of the two guys of her group. In short, the chemistry these characters have with one another is one of the biggest selling points of this game, in my opinion.

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”You Hear That, Noah…?”

As mentioned, this is partly due to the great voice acting in this game, with Nintendo’s European branch once again handling localization, ensuring the game’s anime-style characters are all voiced by actors with native European accents, resulting in a feel that is truly unique to the Xenoblade franchise. I will say that I did get a bit tired of repeated lines, particularly post-battle quotes like “You hear that, Noah? Lanz wants something meatier…”

Meanwhile, Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s soundtrack brings together a team of musicians led by Yasunori Mitsuda, known for his music from the Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, and Xenosaga games. While I ordinarily absolutely adore Mitsuda’s work, here I find it to be somewhat subdued and somber – very befitting this game’s themes, but not anything truly memorable.

In terms of graphics, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has a lot of good going for it, but doesn’t impress in the same way its two predecessors did. This game’s character designs and 3D characters are absolutely gorgeous, and while the large and often alien-looking environments are nice, they don’t impress in the same way the Wii and Wii U entries in the franchise did back in the day, nor do they have a brilliant effect like the volumetric clouds that made Xenoblade Chronicles 2 such a joy to look at. And honestly, I’m a little disappointed that this game’s dynamic resolution is so low, and that the environmental details become so scarce not too far in the distance. Make no mistake, this game still looks great, but in 2022 it doesn’t present us with anything truly groundbreaking.

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”I’m really feeling it!”

However, I’m grateful that the developers at Monolith Soft have learned their lessons from the prior games, because Xenoblade Chronicles 3 doesn’t suffer from any of the overly-confusing elements that plagued nearly every prior game in the series. Oh, the game’s combat system is still somewhat over-complicated, but players who don’t want to dig into the tremendous depth this game’s real-time combat offers can simply choose one or two characters whose combat style they enjoy, and just stick with those characters rather than cycling through the party – the AI controlling the other characters in your party is at least somewhat competent, although at one point my party’s tank kept running off for no apparent reason, dragging the fight across the landscape until I swapped to her to get her to cut it out.

The other thing that works much better this time around is the game’s mission markers, which are more direct and often simplified – if you’re collecting items for a side-quest, the game will even mark them on your screen so you can see where they are, and you can turn in the side-quest from your menu rather than having to seek out the one who gave you the quest.

I will say that those hoping that this game might be open world like Xenoblade Chronicles X will be somewhat disappointed. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 does feature some massive environments, and its world is contiguous without loading screens, but you won’t be choosing your own path across the countryside to get from point A to point B – there is nearly always just one route to take… or if you’re looking to make things easier, you can simply fast-travel. Given that the world is still large and there’s still plenty to discover here, I think RPG fans in general will be pleased, but if you’re wanting an open world… well, this ain’t it.

That’s not my biggest complaint with this game, though. I do wish there were more ability to customize your party and their individual loadouts. But probably my biggest gripe is that the game doesn’t really seem to open up until about 4-5 hours in, when you finally gain access to the game’s full party of characters. Prior to that, things often seem far too linear and rigidly-structured.

Overall, there are definitely elements in each of the prior Xenoblade games that I like better than what is in Xenoblade Chronicles 3. However, when it comes to the overall package, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is my favorite game in the series. The gameplay feels like it’s gotten just the right amount of streamlining to make it easier to slip into, and the story and characters are my favorite in the whole franchise. If you’re a JRPG fan, this is definitely a game you’ll want to check out on Nintendo Switch. And if you’re a Xenoblade fan, this is an absolute must-buy.

tl;dr – Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a JRPG that features a story about two teams of soldiers on opposite sides of a bitter war who find themselves forced to work together as they’re hunted by their former comrades and try to find the truth behind their endless struggle. While Xenoblade Chronicles 3 may not be quite as impressive as any of the prior games in the series, it features the series’ most well-rounded gameplay, and an outstanding cast of characters in an excellent story, making this my favorite game in the franchise. If you’re a JRPG fan on Nintendo Switch, this is definitely worth a look.

Grade: A-

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2022 Game Awards:

Winner:

Best RPG – In terms of awe and spectacle, I found Xenoblade Chronicles 3 lacking compared to its predecessors. However, I also feel that it is overall a much better game in nearly every way, with excellent gameplay, a wonderful world to explore, and a truly gripping and epic story with memorable and endearing characters. No other RPG this year gave us the full package the way Xenoblade Chronicles 3 did.

Runner-Up: Game of the Year, Best Music, Best Story, Best New Character (Noah, Eunie, Lanz, Sena, Taion, and Mio)

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