- 533
- Posts
- 12
- Years
- Seen Nov 4, 2017
Developer: Monolith Soft
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Released: April 6
During 2011 the Wii introduced 3 RPG's that are considered to be the Wii's Hidden Gems. These games were The Last Story, Pandora's Tower, and Xenoblade Chronicles. Since these games have been through a lot of trouble attempting to get an American release, these games are very difficult to find. One of those games being Xenoblade Chronicles. Xenoblade Chronicles throws you into a universe bursting with imagination. Take hold of an ancient sword that offers glimpses of the future and discover a world where your relationships with others matter. Let The Review Begin!
The Story
Xenoblade chronicles is about an 18-year-old young man named Shulk, who lives in Colony 9 of the Bionis. When the colony is attacked by the Mechon, he obtains the Monado, the legendary energy blade capable of severely damaging the Mechon. After devastating fight Shulk and his companion Reyn set off to defeat the Mechon. To me the story is perfect, you have those moment that make you feel empty inside and those Heart Dropping moments. It's not a story that tries to be something it's not and that's what get's me hooked into it. There are those occasional fillers, but those exact fillers become key points in the development of the plot. Each character fit's into the plot so it doesn't feel like they are just there. You may think you have completed the story of one of your allies, but then you realize it continues in later in the story. The character are sometimes irritating. They say the stupidest catchphrases that make you just facepalm at the screen, thinking 'WHY?'
I'll be giving the story a 8/10
Gameplay
Action takes place in real time, with enemies immediately visible in the field. Most enemies are aggressive, others passive, enabling you to pick your fights wisely. In the beginning, fighting involves choosing one of a series of attacks. Rather than simply requiring you to choose a command then sit back and watch, each attack has certain criteria that can be met to power it up or achieve a status effect. This system adds a hands-on, real-time element to the combat that while menu-based is easily accessible. You'll eventually find yourself falling into the same patterns every time you fight. This is not exactly unpleasant if you get into it. You'll be mashing the A and B buttons quite a bit during Xenoblade's many, many battles. B lets you revive and boost your allies, while A selects through your lead character's special abilities, each of which has a damage or healing effect and a cooldown. You'll also have to use the powers of your main character's sword, the Monado, to weaken and eliminate the giant robots that serve as this game's Main Enemies.
There are the character-specific moves, the chain attacks in which you can link moves between all three active characters, and the enemies that require specific means of defeat, and that's just to begin with. It's a complex and rewarding system that makes getting into fights a joy. Dying in itself isn't really a problem; you simply reappear at the last landmark you passed, all loot, health and stats intact. What I dislike is the variety of attacks that Sharla has, she is only focused on Healing VERY BADLY. It makes it difficult to do massive damage if your healer only heals a does absolutely nothing else. I also had a huge problem with Melia, here AI is terrible. Unleass your going to play as Melia you may as well leave her out of your party since the AI was not programmed to use her right. Unlike in the majority of RPGs, most of Xenoblade's side quests don't require you to return to the quest giver upon completion. For the most part you can stack up on fetch or kill quests, and then as soon as you complete them in the field, you receive the rewards.
I especially love the Day/Night and weather system which triggers different enemies and side quests. Item management is pain, an unforgivable blunder for a game that seems to have tens of thousands of unique items. You can't equip new weapons at a shop. You can't optimize your characters' equipment. The fact that Sharla has no Physical moves causing battles to drag out and Melia's AI being broken even though she is the most OP character in the game, turns me off. The bad equipment handling and poor optimization of equipment makes battles twice as difficult.
I have decided to give the Gameplay a 7.5/10
Art
The Art in Xenoblade Chronicles is outstanding and what could be the best looking Wii game of all time. Each area feels different from the other due to the different colors and animations used in each area . As beautiful as the lush, expansive vistas are, it's hard to turn a blind eye to the muddy textures and low-detail models that pepper the land. The whole time I played Xenoblade, I kept wishing that I could play an RPG this expansive and awesome in current-generation high-definition graphics. This is as beautiful as 480p can get. If it was not for the Wii not being able to handle 720 and 1080p I would give this game a 10.
For Art I'll gove Xenoblade Chronicles a 9/10
Sound
Alright, Yoko Shimomura had done it again. You know this soundtrack is good if it has the creator of the Kingdom Hearts OST masterpiece. Not only did they bring in Shimomura but also Yasunori Mitsuda who is responsible for the Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger OST. Together these two made yet another masterpiece. Each song fit's with every cutscene and especially the Hub World making traversing through it much more worth it. The OST is a MUST. I would even say the OST is just as good if not better than the game. Gentle guitar strings strum as you wander around your hometown in the middle of the night. A purring violin accompanies your treks through mountains and caverns. Funky jazz tunes bop and boop while you jump down waterfalls and bounce through teleporters. I hope director Tetsuya Takahashi gave whopping high-fives to all six composers that dreamed up the glorious soundtrack to Xenoblade Chronicles. Wow what inaccurate sources I have for finding out about the music. Credit mostly goes to Ace+ they are the team that created most of the music
Everyone working on the music made a wonderful OST that I like right next to Shadow Of The Colossus. 10/10
Final Verdict
Xenoblade Chronicles is a must buy for anyone who is a fan of JRPG's. It is completely amazing and worth the long play. There may be a few quirks with the characters but the OST, non linear World, and Art definitely makes up for every flaw. The gorgeous, eclectic, sweeping, stirring soundtrack, composed by a stunningly talented team of six. The massive world, set atop two frozen titans and littered with lovely caves, swamps, and oceans. That is what really pulled me into the game. Xenoblade's qualities is it's world, its music, its spectacular views and splendid landscapes—deserve better than its tepid combat system and irritating characters.
Despite its many flaws, Xenoblade is a great fix for MMO junkies and sidequest nuts. This is a world you'll want to breathe in. In the end I give Xenoblade Chronicles a 9/10
Rating Chart:
Spoiler:
If you enjoy Xenoblade Chronicles, I recommend that you buy Pandora's Tower, and The Last Story. They are tough to find, but it is worth it.
Sorry If I misspelled anything, English isn't my first Language. I would love to hear your opinions in the section below! ♥
Last edited:
