Why You Should Play Xenoblade 2: A Guide for Gamers

In the year 2017 we had great games like zelda, horizon, nier:automata and persona 5. All these games can be portrayed as a kind of RPG or Action/RPG with an epic story. Both have earned the position of best games of the year from many people. I loved all these games, but in this article I want to say that my game of the year was Xenoblade 2, exclusive to Nintendo Switch.

Zelda stood out for its infinite range of possibilities, horizon for its graphics and story, Nier and persona 5 for tackling philosophical questions. Personally, none of these games managed to top the story of Xenoblade (Wii) released in 2010 with an open world and beautiful graphics for its time. It's 10 hours of story scenes and real-time tactical gameplay that distanced itself from the herd of similar games.

I thought nothing could be better than the story of the first Xenoblade. When I saw the trailer for the second game (other than the spin off X), I thought it would be “aaaah cool”. I didn't even want to accept that the soundtrack would be better, even with composer Yasunori Mitsuda. I thought the idea of having pilots and blades would be a bit bizarre.

Xenoblade 2 - why should you play it?

The graphics didn't seem to be any better than Xenoblade X (Wii U), the world also seemed to be a lot smaller. The characters changed their faces to look like anime, at first I thought it was strange, but even with that they managed to get it right. Glad I was wrong.

Of course Xenoblade 2 it's not for everyone. The game is a JRPG aimed mainly at the Japanese audience and full of anime references and clichés. The battle system doesn't suit everyone, but I personally consider it to be much better than playing a traditional turn-based RPG.

The story of Xenoblade 2

The game consists of 10 chapters, making it possible to navigate the entire world of Alrest whenever you want, even after entering places that theoretically would be impossible to leave. Allowing you to improve your skills to fight bosses. I'm terrible at talking about synopsis of things, let's try:

The game's universe takes place in a sea of clouds that have giant titans that serve as islands and countries where humans live. The story begins with a diver named Rex who lives on a small titan and joins a group called Torna in search of a shipwreck. There he meets the protagonist Pyra (Homura in Japanese).

The protagonist promises to take this girl to the top of the world tree in a place called Elysium (rakuen in Japanese which means paradise). On the way other people appear to help in this impossible mission. In the game you use primordial crystals to release blades that are characters that help you in battle.

It sounds cliché, but just playing for you to understand the depth of the story, how much it touches the background and questions things about life, truth and the universe. Each character can use 3 arts (skill) and 3 blades. Each blade has its weapon that you wield, they also have 4 special arts. The battle system is complex and requires patience and time to get the hang of it.

Xenoblade 2 - why should you play it?

Me and most people who played didn't expect anything from this cliché story. Just playing for you to delve deeper into the universe and see how epic it becomes. There are issues involving politics, war and especially the relationship between humans, blades and titans. The game is full of religious, mythological and cultural references everywhere.

Some may consider spoiler: Like the first game, Xenoblade 2 mixes science with fantasy. heavy spoiler: The creation of the universe was done by the same scientist from the first Klaus game.

Why is Xenoblade 2 the best?

While the second game in the franchise (X) of wii u took a different route and provided an entire planet to explore, leaving history entirely behind. Xenoblade 2 managed to rescue all the essence of the franchise from the first game in every way. If I were to list the reasons:

  • Improved battle system;
  • More charismatic characters;
  • Infinite characters to battle (blades);
  • Combo system;
  • Chain attack system;
  • Over 14 gigantic locations/worlds to explore;
  • Huge replay factor;
  • It surpassed Level 60 (something that was not possible in X);
  • Perfect soundtrack;
  • Side-Quests rich in details and dialogues;

Just like the first game, Xenoblade 2 gives an idea that it's ending but it's not. The feeling of playing it is the same as watching a high quality anime with an epic story. I have already expressed in another article my wish that this franchise gets a TV adaptation. (See some of the soundtrack below:)

Xenoblade 2 manages to be one of the most ambitious games on the Nintendo Switch. The game has thousands of things to do, the universe is beautiful and whimsical, with epic eye-catching scenarios, with a unique and living ecosystem. Don't let gossip about performance in handheld mode or 720p docked put you off buying this masterpiece.

Xenoblade 2 is a must!

Having played all these epic games in 2017, I can still say that Xenoblade 2 was the one that stuck me the most in the universe. There are still thousands of things to do that provide more than 300 hours of quiet gameplay. The game has its flaws like any game, but it should be a must-have on your Nintendo Switch.

I'm not very good at writing detailed game reviews. I'm just telling you to buy this game without fear! If you were in doubt about buying the switch just because of Zelda and Mario, you can add this and several other releases to your priority list.

Xenoblade 2 - why should you play it?

While most of today's games don't teach people anything but violence and doom, with Xenoblade 2 you'll have a different and totally fun experience with an epic story that Nintendo games don't usually deliver. The game manages to deliver an action and adventure in a unique universe full of possibilities.

Congratulations to Monolith Software for once again delivering an epic story that makes you think about life. Hopefully this time this game will reach more people, something that Xenoblade 1 was unable to do because it was released at the end of the WII's life and because it felt like a niche game.

Did you beat Xenoblade 1 and 2? Share your opinion about this franchise in the comments. Thanks for the comments and shares. We also recommend reading:

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