Xenoblade Chronicles X Review

Overview:

I've played this game over 100 hours already and it still feels like I only barely scratched the surface. This alone shows what a massive game Xenoblade Chronicles X is. The spiritual prequel of this game on the Wii (Xenoblade Chronicles) is lauded as on of the best games of the previous generation. In a year that is quite loaded with RPG and open world games, can Xenoblade hold its own?

Story:

The Earth is destroyed! This game starts with quite the grim outlook. The Story follows one of the few Arcs that managed to avoid the Earths destruction. The White Whale, as it's called, wandered space for two years before the Aliens caught up to them and shot the Arc down over a unknown Planet called Mira. From there on Xenoblade Chronicles X tells a story of survival in an unkown world against all odds. The Story of the game takes its time to wind up and if you only play the Story Missions you miss a huge chunk of it, but it kept me on the edge from start to finish. Unexpected twists and turns coupled with some awe inspiring cut scenes (for example all of Chapter Eight) really pull you into the foreign world of Mira.

Also the characters are damn likeable. Some people may get annoyed by Tatsu and/or Lin, but to me these two were among the highlights of the game. Another unique aspect of Xenoblade is that you Avatar isn't considered the main protagonist. This role is filled by Elma and in my opinion she fills it quite well. A negative aspect of this is, that although your Character is often offered decisions, in the End they don't truly matter. They have another important role however, but more on that later.

The biggest chunk of Xenoblade Chronicles isn't the main quest, but the countless affinity and side quests that tell the story of New L.A., its residents and how they all try to survive in this new unknown world. There is also a big chunk of quests that only open up after you finished the main story, so the epilogue in this game is quite extensive.

Gameplay:

Xenoblade Chronicles X is huge. Often times overwhelmingly huge. And it doesn't do the best work in explaining everything to the player. This can lead to a lot of confusion, and some features I still don't fully understand, even after 100 hours of play time. Generally speaking X feels more like an MMO than a classic single player game. From the Combat, to the exploration and, sadly, most of the quests. That, by no means, should imply that the Quests are badly written. Far from it. But most of them boil down to simple kill and collect missions.

But lets start with the basics first. Your Avatar is fully customizable and offers tons of possibilities. Even a fierce warrior with a Panda face. Some may say that the Anime Style of the characters clashes with the beauty of the immense landscapes. I don't think that, but I can't deny that it took some time getting used to the presentation of humans in this game.

After getting picked up by Elma and naming your character, you're then thrown out into the first tutorial area. This is a good chance for getting used to the controls and movements of your character. Jumping several feet high into the air feels great. And it helps a lot in traversing the huge word.

Planet Mira is absolutely enormous. Gigantic doesn't do it justice. Exploring this beautiful alien Planet is one of X strongest points. While many of the continents may feel familiar at first sight, Monolith Soft managed to give them a unique alien twist.

These continents are also littered with things to explore. From Hidden caves to majestic peaks there is something to satisfy every inner explorer. Scattered across the land you'll find small blue orbs, which symbolize different collectible items. These are used for Quests, Crafting or just to complete your Encyclopedia. You'll also find tons of treasures. These come in three categories, which also require a matching skill level.

The Way you traverse the terrain is heavily changed two times in the game. Once you acquire your Skell (huge humanoid Mechs) and once you unlock the flight module and start conquering the skies of Mira. Flying high above the lands and taking in the impressive view distance and beautiful landscapes was truly awe inspiring.

All across the land you'll also find points where you can use probes. These probes have different offer different bonuses, but mostly they are used to mine Miranium, credits and other scarce materials. Miranium is used to refill the tank of your Skell, upgrade Arms Manufacturer or research new weapons and armor. Different Probes offer different bonuses and if you use several probes of the same category next to each other they form a link and improve their performance. Generally it's important to install many probes early on, because they not only supply you with Miranium, but each probe also unlocks surrounding areas on the map, showing you the location of treasures, quests or Tyrants (Elite Enemies).

One Issue you'll most likely run into, while exploring the land, is the vastly varying level of the fauna on Mira. It sometimes happens that Level 10 and Level 40 creatures live in the same vicinity. This can be quite frustrating, when your team members keep pulling these high level monsters, which kill you in one hit. It also happens during some story missions. One mission still sticks to my mind. You'll have to destroy three Anti-Air cannons. Inside the base you'll mostly find level 19-22 enemies, which was also roughly the level of my crew. However there are also a couple of Level 30 fiends patrolling through the area. This inconsistency between levels is an issue that often dampens the enjoyment of the game.

But before we delve too deep into the Wildlife of Mira, lets first talk about the people exploring the planet. Like it said in the beginning, your character is fully customizable. This even includes the things you wear. Xenoblade Chronicles X offers a option to change the look of your character, without actually changing the armor. In World of Warcraft it's called Transmogrification. This basically means that, even if you war a full on body armor, your character can still look like he's wearing Jeans and a Hoodie. It's a great way to see the faces of your crew during cut scenes, which are all Ingame.

The casual clothes are mostly earned through side missions, so this is another incentive to do them.

But enough with the aesthetics, let us talk about the meaty part of the game. Classes, Talents and Techniques. Your character has three parts in which he can raise his level. Firstly the classic level, making him stronger and more endurable until he reaches the max level of 60. Secondly his Class Level, which unlocks new skills and talents and is capped at Level 10. And lastly his Blade Level, which unlocks different options to design your barrack and improves your skill in Mechanics, Biology and Archeology. After reaching Class Level 10 as Novice you then can choose between three branching paths, which also branch of into two paths each. This decision, however, isn't permanent. You can change your Class at any moment outside of battle. Classes determine, apart from the abilities you'll use of course, what weapons you'll use.

Techniques also come in two general flavors. Normal abilities and attacks which use Special Points. More on that later during the talk about combat.

Next come Talents. Talents are passive traits that are always active. For example 30% more laser damage or 12% accuracy while using a melee weapon. These talents also remain active while you're inside your Skell, so keep that in mind.

Talents and Techniques can be upgraded a maximum of five times.

Your party members are also customizable. The only thing you can't change are their classes.

The most amazing part about Xenoblade are without a doubt the Skells. After earning your Skell license, you're finally allowed to pilot your very own Mech. Later on you can even take to the skies, aerial combat included.

One part about Skells, which I didn't like, but also adds some tactical depth, is the fuel system. Flying and the use of Arts during combat drain Fuel. Refilling happens passively while your outside your Skell or actively through Miranium. This leads to you planning the use of your Skell, but also slightly punishes aimless exploration, because flying costs a lot fuel.

Skells are a different entity from your Character. They come in three different classes. Light, which is focused on avoidance and melee attacks. Medium, which are range specialists, but sill well rounded in other departments. And Heavy, which are classic tanks with a bulk of armor and health. This allows you to build a well rounded team or One that excels in a special department.

Skells come with their own weapons, Arts and even level. Your character does need to have at least the same level as the Skell, if he wants to use it. Arts do function quite different. They are determined through the weapon you equip. Skells can equip a total of eight weapons plus two used exclusively for auto attacks. This can be quite overwhelming and confusing. It took me a while till I got the hang of it, also because the game does once again offer you little to no explanation.

However getting your Skell does drastically change the way you approach situations. You now have an even wider array of combat options, because you can exit and enter your Skell fluently during battles. It also allows you to tackle many of the huge creatures that roam Mira. And lastly you can even build your equipment in a way that further supports your Skell, although it limits your own combat possibilities.

Finally lets talk about the combat. Just like in it's Quest department (more on that later) Xenoblade Chronicles X feels like an MMO during battles. Like in its predecessor on the Wii the battles run in real time. You can fluently switch between melee and range auto attacks. These build Special Points which can be used on special techniques, which require them. Normal techniques don't need special points, but simply time to recharge after using them.

There are many things to consider during battle. Most attacks have a second or even third charge. These slowly fill up, while using the corresponding weapon. These extra charges buff the damage of the technique or allow several consecutive uses. During battle you're often faced with the decision between using the attack right away or waiting for a stronger effect.

Positioning is also very important. Each Monster has several points, which can be attacked. You can lock onto this attack points and tell your team to focus on them. This is especially important, because some attacks can only be used as long as the corresponding body part is intact. A Grex can only Tail Swipe as long as he has a tail. Also your critical chance is increased while attacking from behind.

You also should keep in mind how your attacks interact with each other. One techniques, for example, lowers the laser resistance of the enemy and you melee weapon deals laser damage. Then you should build corresponding combinations to maximize your damage.

Through a simple button press you can also open up a menu to give your team rudimentary orders like, Focus, Melee Attacks or use your Skells. It offers a nice possibilities for a more tactical approach, but apart from the focus command I hardly used them.

Special Points can be used on techniques which require them, or you'll wait till you acquired 3000 and activate Overdrive. This greatly boosts your combat abilities. Your techniques recharge faster, you'll deal more damage and you'll take less. Knowing when to use your Overdrive can tip a hard battle in your favour.

Skell combat works just like regular battles, with the added possibilities of flight. The Overdrive System is also present, but functions slightly different. Instead of a simple boost of your abilities each Skell Model has it's own overdrive, with different effects.

The last part about battles is the soul voice system. Once again the game doesn’t really explain this feature, but it's essential to build a well rounded character and team. You may recognize your teammates or your own character shouting commands during battle. For example: Now is the time to strike. Focus on Melee attacks. These so called Soul Voices award you with different benefits, if you follow the commands. On your own character this is highlighted by the corresponding attacks blinking for a short period of time. These Soul Voices offer buffs like 50% Melee damage or a good chunk of Special Points.

These Effects can be customized. For example, opening a battle with a Melee attack can either award 200 Special Points, a short term damage boost or a guaranteed stagger to the enemy. With this in mind you can further customize your character beyond your class choice. Heavy Melee Hitter, cautions Sniper or Supporter. Anything is possible and mastering Soul Voices is the key to mastering the combat of Xenoblade Chronciles X.

And now lastly a brief overview about Quests in the game. And these prove to be a sword with two edges. There are actually four kinds of quests in the game. At the bottom there are the standard Blade quests offered at the Blade Terminal. These are standard, MMO Cookie cutter quests. Gather ten of Item X or kill five of enemy Y or hunt down Tyrant Z. These are only good to farm some exp or affinity with your team. They have, however, a very confusing difficulty curve. I've been offered quests to kill level 81 Tyrants, while being only level 40 myself. Also it doesn't tell you the level of the enemy at the Terminal, but you'll have to find out the hard way. And if you find yourself in over your head you can only abandon the quest at the Terminal, which just adds an unnecessary trip back to the city.

The next kind of Quests are those, who tell a small story. These quests can be found all over New L.A. and Mira and are marked through a red question mark. These are used to flesh out the inhabitants of New L.A. and show their daily struggles. The objectives, remain simple however. There is hardly more than collecting specific objects or killing a special enemy. But the small stories are told engagingly and even build upon one another. These Quests really are the main part of the game, telling the story a an ever evolving city, where Aliens and Humans have to live together and the struggles this creates.

Next up are Affinity Missions. By completing standard Quests or choosing specific dialog options you build affinity towards the members in your team. Once you filled the affinity meter of a specific character enough, you'll unlock an affinity mission. These flesh out the character of your team and tell their story. They are fully voice acted and often start with a little Ingame cinematic. If the normal story missions are the meat of the game, then these quests are the garnish. You'll learn much about the characters you travel with. The objectives are once again pretty standard, but the presentation will let you forget about that. There are also affinity missions, which aren't tied to a specific character and just develop the story of New L.A. further.

Lastly there are the big Main Story Missions. Xenoblade Chronicles X has 12 chapters, but it's pretty clear that the Main Story is not truly the main story of the game. It's engaging, but the main part of the game lies in the affinity and small story missions. Nearly each Main Story Mission can be completed in about half an hour.

Xenoblade Chronicles X also offers a nice online part. You can form squads with your friends, which hold up to 32 members. You then can tackle specific squad missions, which range from simple kill quests to time trials. It's a nice breath of fresh air and offers tickets, which you can exchange for several rare crafting materials. I haven't played to much of the online multiplayer, but it adds another layer to this already huge and complex game.

Presentation:

Presentation and music wise Xenoblade Chronicles X is a sword with two edges. The landscapes, viewing distances and general world design are beyond beautiful and don't have to hide behind comparable titles on the X-Box One or PS 4. The characters however look Doll like and often lack any visible emotion. In my opinion the Anime Style of the characters doesn't mesh well with the realistic design of the surrounding world.

From a technical standpoint it is impressive what Monolith Soft managed to produce on the Wii-U. Apart from Cut Scenes and one or two Areas the whole world is completely seamless and without any loading times. This is achieved through several tricks, which you'll hardly recognize out in the wild. Inside New L.A. they become more apparent however. Pop-Ups and blurry, low resolution textures, which only get replaced by high definition ones after you come close, are a common sight inside the city. There is also no collision detection with moving objects. Outside in the World you won't recognize this problems, and if, only when traveling at high speed with your skell.

Another issue, which you probably won't notice, but should be mentioned anyway, is the absence of intelligent shadows. Xenoblade features a dynamic day and night cycle. But while the sun moves across the sky, the shadows don't follow. They remain stationary the whole day and simply fade out when the evening dawns.

The game runs at a stable 30 Frames per Second with only slight drops and offers 720p resolution.

Music wise I have to say that I love the tracks, but others addressed the fact that the Hip-Hop heavy soundtrack doesn't feel right on such an alien world. Apart from the Battle Theme Black Tar I can't share their conclusion. There are some incredible songs in this Game and they complement the feeling of Xenoblade perfectly.

Bonusround or the game after the game:

(Small) Spoiler Warning:

After you finish the final boss a lot of questions remain. These will probably (and hopefully) get answered in a sequel. Finishing the Main Story also unlocks Level 60 skells for you to use and opens up several new Affinity Missions, which act as sort of epilogue, showing you how the story continued after the ''End.''

Apart from that there is still lot's to do. I was Level 54 when I finished the final boss. After that the game can become a little bit grindy. Especially when you're aiming to defeat the strong level 90+ Tyrants that hide all across Mira.

Conclusion:

Xenoblade Chronicles X is one of the biggest games released this year. You can easily spend over 200 hours before even coming close to finishing 100% of it. Some times it overwhelms you with its sheer size and complexity. And it doesn’t a good job at explaining things to you. But it also creates a feeling, where you just want to explore this huge alien world.

It often feels like an Offline MMO. This is both, good and bad, but most of the time the Good wins outright. Quest tracking is very sub par and the sometimes strange enemy placement can really dampen your enjoyment some times, but nonetheless you'll always return for another round of exploration.

The combat is very complex and you'll need some time to get the hang of it, but it's also extremely rewarding once you know how to utilize the countless tools the game offers you.

Presentation wise the incredible beautiful World of Mira often clashes with an Anime inspired character design, which often lacks emotion.

Conclusion (One Sentence):

Xenoblade Chronicles X is a huge game, which often infuriates me with small details, but always has me return to explore more of its magnificent alien world.

Source of all Pictures: https://miiverse.nintendo.net/users/Dillian