The six main characters in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 come from both nations Noah, Eunie, and Lanz are from Keves, while Mio, Taion, and Sena are from Agnus. I have previously covered the basic premise in much more detail with my Xenoblade Chronicles 3 preview a few weeks ago, so I urge you to give that a quick read if you want to know more, since there is a lot more to say about the game beyond that. Upon each person’s death, whether in battle or at the end of their ten-year lifespan, they are artificially reborn in pods, though the people themselves are unaware of that. Besides food and water, keeping Flame Clocks sufficiently “fed” with life energy is a necessity in order to continue living murdering is as natural as eating and sleeping.Īs introduced in the game’s opening, the people of Keves and Agnus are all clones that have a fixed lifespan of ten years. In order to stay alive, it is imperative that troops from each side must kill each other to reap the life energy from the opposition’s dying bodies. Players find themselves in the grim world of Aionios, a land filled with endless war from top to bottom between the two massive nations of Keves and Agnus.
It is an absolutely massive game filled to the brim with content I was shocked because I thought it’d be roughly the same size as Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2, but Monolith Soft dared to dream bigger. I completed as much of it as I could find before wrapping it up, and when I hit credits, I was over 143 hours in.
Right off the bat, I think Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the longest game in the series on a first-time blind, thorough playthrough. This might be our largest review ever on the site. No significant story revelations or reveals will be spoiled here, so consider this the final warning before I delve into it. I will keep this review of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 as spoiler-free as possible, though keep in mind that some minor story elements will be mentioned to explain the gameplay loop of what players will be doing. Although it may exhibit, streamline, and combine many mechanics in previous titles, it manages to forge its own identity and blazes a new path in one of the most impressive Japanese RPGs I have ever played. This next entry in the Xenoblade series honors the legacy of all the Xenoblade titles that have come before it. The point is, I generally love each of the Xenoblade games in its own way, but there has always been something in each that has been remarkable enough to hold them back from absolute greatness to me.Įach entry has been a stepping stone for Monolith Soft, though.Īfter years of inventing, iterating, reinventing, reiterating, and refining systems throughout the series, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 feels like the ultimate title Monolith Soft has been striving towards.
Obviously, these few bits I pointed out aren’t the only things I find vexing about them, and others may have different grievances.
Whether it is the gem crafting system from the first Xenoblade Chronicles, the barren main storyline in Xenoblade Chronicles X until its finale, the Field Skills from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, or even the Community system that gatekept main story progression in Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country, there always seems to be a handful of annoying quirks in each Xenoblade game. Monolith Soft does so much to make them great, yet they also implement some systems in frustrating ways that are significant enough to dampen the overall experience. There are various aspects of each that are often irritating, needlessly obtuse, or downright tedious.
Of course, their greatest success is with their RPG series that has lasted for 12 years now - Xenoblade.Īdmittedly, I am deeply fond of all the Xenoblade titles that have been released thus far, but I am willing to accept that each game is far from perfect. They have gradually become one of the most revered developers in the Japanese RPG community with the Xenosaga trilogy, the Baten Kaitos duology, and the crossover strategy RPGs that brought a ton of gaming legends together in Namco X Capcom and the two Project X Zone installments. If there is one thing that has remained consistent about Monolith Soft since its founding over two decades ago, it’s the studio’s immense ambition in game design and storytelling - no matter what their target platforms are.