Xenoblade Chronicles 3 it is the culmination of a story of dedication. Dedication to a genre, that of Japanese role-playing games that make the plot and the combat system their pillars. Dedication to an idea, that of the saga Xeno, which began in 1998 on the first PlayStation and continued over the decades according to tracks that write one of the most interesting chapters in the history of video games. Monolith Soft reaches here the culmination of its art, in a game that transcends the technical limits of the hardware that hosts it exclusively, Switch. Xenoblade Chronicles is in fact the arc of the saga produced by Nintendo, and this game shares the same world with three other titles released since Wii. However, as per tradition in the series, the stories of the various chapters are unrelated to each other and
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
it is also perfectly enjoyable as a first game. The protagonist of the story is Noah, a soldier born as such and destined to serve his queen for ten years, after which he will be annihilated by the “return”. Encountering a rival faction and uncovering a shocking secret will lead a group of six soldiers in search of the truth, beyond the fate that someone else has decided for them. More than ever in the series, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 it has a gloomy and extremely adult setting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhQOnhPWsVY
Each of the main six characters has their own story. It is literally impossible not to get passionate and empathize with each of them, whose writing is flawless. While falling within some clichés of the genre, their psychology is excellently deepened by very long, but never banal, dialogues. There is time to deepen: the main story alone requires at least about sixty hours to complete. And many of these hours are spent admiring the non-interactive interludes, most of which are dubbed (in Japanese or British English). Obviously you need to be passionate about the JRPG genre and become attached to the story to endure such a large amount of pauses between one playable section and another. However, the direction of some scenes is truly spectacular, on par with the best giant robot anime ever seen. Why in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 there is another element that achieves excellence: the design of mechanical creatures, never so inspired.
The combat system of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 it is almost verbose in its entirety. It relies on automatic attack and freedom of movement when battling enemies, but adds to this a skill tree to be completed with gem making, effect changes depending on which side you hit, interchangeable abilities and improvable. All multiplied by each variant of the characters, which can merge with each other in super fighting creatures called Uroboros, in turn customizable in every detail. Finally, each of the six main characters can take on and upgrade the class of the others, including a large number of extra heroes that can be encountered along the way. This concise summary of the gameplay component of the game can help you understand its complexity. If you want to play for the sheer pleasure of discovering the story, however, Monolith has come up with an easy mode, which really lightens things up a lot. Otherwise, the level of challenge offered by Xenoblade Chronicles 3 it’s excellent.
Coming to the pain points: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a great game running on dated hardware, however, it returns majestic scenarios and characters characterized excellently and convincingly in their virtual acting. It is impossible not to notice the ruinous drops in resolution in the most agitated situations, the unstable framerate, the angularity of the human figures. But there is the distinct feeling that Switch could not have done more, in the face of a final result that is still appreciable. Even the uploads manage to stay in a range that doesn’t make them annoying. Monolith Soft made the decision to “squeeze” as much as possible rather than simplify or remove, and all in all it was the right choice. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 sits right next to recent such pearls, such as Final Fantasy VII Remake e Tales of Arisewhich run on machines infinitely more powerful than the Switch.
Format: Switch publisher: Nintendo Developer: Monolith Soft Vote: 9/10