Blended to perfection
Written by Alicia Tai op Tuesday 26 July 2022 15:00
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Imagine not being born, but waking up as a teenager and then having to fight all your life in a war, only to turn to dust again after exactly ten years. That is the reality of Aionios, the world where Xenoblade Chronicles 3 takes place. It is also the basis for the most intense game in the Xenoblade series to date.
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With that, many comparisons with Xenoblade Chronicles 2 are immediately negated. The sombre and dark tone of this third movement contrasts sharply with the hopeful and unconcerned character of its predecessor. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 tells a more mature story with accompanying adult characters. In that sense it is closer to the first part of the series.
In Xenoblade Chronicles 3, there are no imposing titans to walk on and no disparate cultures or settlements to explore, just small battle camps belonging to either the Keves faction or Agnus’s faction, engaged in eternal warfare with each other. The leading role is reserved for three warriors from Keves and three from Agnus. They meet – where else? – on the battlefield. At first they consider each other enemies, but when a third party introduces themselves, they must learn to work together to survive. Then follows a long search for answers. Why all the bloodshed? And who is the real enemy?
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In my review of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 I suppose that the real leading role is reserved for the game world, because the world you are in is alive. In this game, the world takes a step back and the characters are the driving force behind the story. Since the cast is complete very early in the game, the story also gets room for strong character development. This is reinforced by good and convincing acting, with this time also better fitting lip synchronization. There is also a Japanese language option for enthusiasts.
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Again, battles are real-time and the character you control will automatically attack with his or her weapon, using the Switch’s four-point pushbutton and action buttons to launch powerful Arts in between. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 also adds a lot of new elements to the mix, such as being able to switch between characters during combat, but the highlight is the Ouroboros transformations.
Once you’ve combined enough Arts, the duos Noah and Mio, Eunie and Taion, and Lanz and Sena can Interlink (merge) into grotesque appearances very reminiscent of the Eves from Neon Genesis Evangelion. In this Ouroboros form, you have even more powerful Arts at your disposal, which you can spam without limits until the clock runs out. Stomping around like Ouroboros isn’t just a great power trip, it also opens doors to never-before-seen strategies when combined with the equally new class system.
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Where in previous games each character fulfilled a predetermined role, in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 you can assign them a class yourself, each with a unique play style. Each class falls under one of three overarching roles: Attacker, Defender, and Healer. Defenders are the tanks in mmo terms and take the blows; Healers keep the Defenders alive, while the Attackers deal blows again.
For example, you can assign Taion and Eunie, both originally Healers, a different class so that they are suddenly on the offensive. Do you still need healing and your other Healers are already disabled? Then you can always Interlink Taion and Eunie into their Ouroboros form, which specializes in Healing Arts. So you can mix up your team’s classes and at the same time use the powerful Interlinks between the three duos to master any situation.
Gradually you unlock new classes by recruiting characters that come your way, called Heroes. The seventh place in your team is reserved for such a Hero, but these are not controllable. Finding new Heroes during the adventure is a fun and rewarding activity, as it not only deepens the characters, but also makes them stronger.
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With seven characters on screen at all times, things can quickly get cozy on the small screen of Nintendo Switch (or your TV) – especially in the heat of battle against multiple enemies. Still, we have to compliment Monolith Soft, because technically Xenoblade Chronicles 3 outperforms its predecessors. Yes, the dynamic resolution is noticeable at hectic moments, especially in handheld mode, but in general the graphics are sharper and the action remains uncluttered. In more dense areas, we see the frame rate take a dip faster. That’s unfortunate, but understandable.
The setting of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is less ambitious due to the lack of the iconic titans, but Monolith Soft has done its best to counter that. Aionios is indescribably large, so big that I gave up halfway through looking for the edges of the map, because then I would run out of time for the review. But bigger is not always better, and the extra square meters, however beautiful, cannot completely disguise the lack of the titans and the bustling cities from the previous games.
That does not mean that the game world is not interesting. A feast for the eyes and a feast of recognition for Xenoblade fans, Aionios has fused iconic locations from Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2, like a tasty remix album. Speaking of album: it will come as no surprise to anyone that the soundtrack is once again to kiss.
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Fortunately, exploration has also been made a lot nicer. Handy navigation lines can be set up to guide you to your destination and it is finally possible to fight in the water. They are small optimizations, but little bits add up to a whole lot. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is packed with these kind of nice additions.
It’s clear that Monolith Soft has listened carefully to feedback on previous iterations. For example, those who found the combat system of previous Xenoblade games overwhelming, can breathe a sigh of relief this time. The different layers are built up at a very slow pace in this part and the explanation can be consulted again at any time. In addition, menus have been simplified and made faster, so that you don’t have to micromanage as much. Don’t feel like fine-tuning every character at all? At the touch of a button, the game automatically assigns recommended skills and equipment.
I could go on and on about the many gameplay improvements, but simply put, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is by far the most polished and accessible game in the series. The game plays sublimely and friction has been removed in all kinds of areas, so that you can effortlessly enjoy the world and the story.
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As a final example I would like to mention the side missions. These are woven into the gameplay in a much more natural way, with an emphatic preference for quality over quantity. At various resting points, the characters can camp and discuss topics they’ve noticed during their journey, sometimes leading to a side mission, and sometimes nothing more than an interesting discussion. This gives room for character development and lighter moments.
Those moments are more than welcome, because the story is quite choppy. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 doesn’t shy away from citing heavy themes and Takahashi’s masterful direction in combination with the good writing can easily carry those themes. Half-hour cutscenes are not rare, and you can expect twice that amount once in a while. Don’t worry if this is your first Xenoblade rodeo: knowledge of previous games is not necessary, but of course gives certain scenes some extra weight. Discovering how this part is connected to the other two games is a fun extra mystery for fans to unravel.
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Xenoblade Chronicles 3 thus presents a world that may be less imaginative in design than its predecessors, but more than makes up for it with superb gameplay, a gripping story and captivating characters, who have never before managed to do so in a Xenoblade game. to fascinate. They may not be living giants you walk on, but the more intimate storytelling makes Aionios seem lively. As a result, in the end it doesn’t matter that the world sometimes feels overwhelmingly grand. The game seems infinite in a positive sense, so that I have not been bored for a moment in seventy hours. A greater compliment for a JRPG seems almost impossible.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will be available for Nintendo Switch on July 29.
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