Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is an interesting subject to tackle. It is an epic story to rival its predecessor and will surely be engaging for most fans of the genre. That being said, it is not without flaws.

For starters, the story is incredibly convoluted, even by average JRPG standards. For some reason, JRPGs never seem satisfied until they throw in 17 nonsensical plot twists and over-complications, and XBC2 is no exception. On top of that, the fanservice is pretty cringey and excessive, and often distracts from what would otherwise be very emotionally poignant moments. Finally, the main antagonist is hellishly irritating and unlikeable (enough to rival Seymour from Final Fantasy X), and any scene he was in had me nearly clawing my eyes out and ears off.

And yet, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is fantastic in so many other ways. The soundtrack is absolutely brilliant, and is perfectly matched to the gorgeous landscapes throughout the entire game. The world-exploration in particular felt noticeably improved from the first game, as I noticed that I spent much less time walking through empty spaces in my 72-hour play-through. The combat system is less clunky and gameplay in general feels more fluid. The characters seem very well fleshed-out for the most part, and despite some cheesy dialogue here and there, a good balance between levity and seriousness kept me very invested in the story and protagonists.

Ultimately, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a great, if not quite as awe-inspiring, follow-up to the original. Yes, it commits some of the typical JRPG tropes (i.e. Excessive fanservice, annoying villains with idiotic motivations, and an unnecessarily complicated plot), but if one looks past these flaws, a truly enjoyable and rewarding adventure is to be found. Just be prepared to hear the same battle-dialogue lines a good 7000 times.