What you're about to read is a stream of consciousness that I typed into a Reddit comment box when someone asked me on a random games thread to explain what I liked about Xenoblade Chronicles X. I kind of word vomited it out, but after posting the reply, I felt it was kind of a waste to just let it sit forever, so I tweaked it a bit, fixed some errors, and I'm posting it here. I'm hoping someone reads this and is convinced to go check out this game. Who knows, maybe with a bigger audience, Monolith Soft will reconsider a Switch port, or even a sequel. Please let me know what you think.
I've played all 3 Xenoblade Chronicles titles, and they all have strengths and weaknesses, but I'd have to say that X is probably my personal favorite.
All 3 games have lots of areas to explore, but X is the only one that's truly open-world. In fact, it's one of the only JRPGs ever that's truly open world. You're not gated from getting to new areas until certain points in the story. From the beginning, pretty much the entire map is available to you, save a few areas that you can't get to until you can fly. And this world is really big too. It's loaded with monsters and beautiful scenery. There's 5 distinct continents to explore, each with unique design and aethetics. There's a real sense of danger, as even the low level areas have the occasional high level beast that can totally ruin your day.
Speaking of ruining your day, that's actually usually avoided, because Xenoblade games want you to explore. Dying simply throws you back to the last checkpoint you passed. You don't lose anything you collected, not even XP. So while it can be hair raising trying to sneak through a cave filled with monsters 20 levels over you, you never feel afraid to go check something out. You're free from the sinking feeling you usually get when you get taken out by something unexpectedly and realize it's been over 2 hours since you last saved your game. Which is totally plausible, since it's so easy to lose track of time when you're out in the world. You can sprint at high speeds, and there's no fall damage either. Everything has been designed to make exploring the focus of the gameplay. I once spent an hour just trying to see if I could jump my way to the top of a rock structure I thought was interesting, and at no point did I feel it was a waste of time.
As some have said, the main story for X is pretty barebones. There's some really cool twists, but if you're used to the typically long JRPG campaigns, this one is pretty short by comparison. The real meat of the story is the worldbuilding found in the sidequests, which often have a noticeable impact on the area that serves as your home base. People move in, start businesses, new buildings appear, etc. I don't think I'd like this in every game, but I appreciate it here. One of my main complaints about a lot of JRPGs is that they have cool sidequests and places to explore, but the main campaign sets such an urgent tone that it feels oddly wrong to pursue them. Like it breaks the immersion.
Like, yeah, I'm being told that we have to get to the demon's cave right now or he's going to literally summon Cthulhu and the world is going to be eaten and dragged into the hell dimension, but this guy lost his favorite buttplug. And dammit, he's really bummed. We gotta help him out! And hey, that waterfall looks really interesting, wonder what's up there? Wait, what were we supposed to be doing again?
Yes, this has become a huge cliche, and all the jokes about it have been done to death already, but X actually avoids this, and I'm honestly kind of surprised it hasn't gotten more recognition for doing so. Story chapters in X are pretty much self-contained. You head into your barracks for a mission briefing, and the chapter starts there. Once it's done, you're free to do whatever you wish. No guilt for ignoring the plight of the world needed. As someone who like to feel immersed in the world I'm exploring, this is awesome.
Combat in X is great, once you get used to it. You can get by fine by leveling and just buying whatever the shops are selling, but the potential for disgustingly broken character builds is there too, and if you like a challenge, the postgame content pretty much requires them too, with enemies to fight that are way over your maximum level cap. There's also some online features that, as I understand it, are still active. You can even put together a party and take on bosses with other players.
Oh, and have I mentioned you get a mech? That you can fly? It's seriously the coolest thing. Although I'd recommend not just rushing to get it as fast as possible. It does make the world start to seem a bit smaller when you no longer have to traverse it on foot.
Well, I think I've rambled on long enough. I hope I've given you enough info to at least pique your interest. Hope to catch you in New LA!
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