Year 2017 is the year of Nintendo, this one sentence can not be denied anymore. To make sure it does not repeat the same mistake that happened in Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo managed to make the first year's release game line fantastic ending Switch. Not only bombarded with indie games who try their luck here, but also exclusive game projects with quality that can not be underestimated. More cool? This happens throughout the year. Opened with Breath of the Wild, filled with Splatoon 2, reinforced with Super Mario Odyssey, and finally closed with one of the most anticipated exclusive games for JRPG gamers - Xenoblade Chronicles 2. A game with a hum of weak popularity but provoked curiosity big.
You who have read our preview related to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 seems to have got a pretty clear picture about the game formulated by Monolith Soft this. We pay particular attention to the design of his character, especially to the seductive female protagonist figure, as well as the MMO-like battle system but with slower pacing. Trope anime cliches are scattered and felt so familiar, above a world that holds the mystery and at the same time a challenge waiting to be conquered. There are many other activities that you can pursue through a series of side missions on offer. Admittedly, this execution is not perfect. Some feel right on target, but others deserve to trigger their own criticism.
So, what is actually offered by Xenoblade Chronicles 2 this? Why do we call it an imperfect game that keeps flirting? This review will discuss it more deeply for you.
Design
But there is something strange about the character design of the Blade side or enemies that you face in this one game. The design of the supporting characters in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 feels like a collaboration of so many ideas and designers, rather than just one person with the same brain. Why? Because you can notice and find that there are some designs that are not consistent with each other. Example? There is one Bless named Vess for example, which is obviously inspired or designed by not the same designer who designed Pyra. This case also occurred in another Blade. The worst part? The two main antagonists joined in an organization called Torna that was blended by the brains behind the Kingdom Hearts III series - Tetsuya Nomura. Nomura always has a distinctive characteristic design identity, and when he sees his character live and side by side in the story along with Rex or Pyra, you can clearly see that both are born from different hands.
At least, there is consistency in the world's problems that you find. Unlike the X series where the existing worlds are connected to each other on an ongoing basis, this second series breaks it up as the plot on offer does mention that cities live on different Titans. Each city with Titan is of course present with different themes, with a wide area that is quite wide. As is the custom of Xenoblade, they also come with different ecosystems. Although like a typical JRPG game that often presents the same basic design of the same monster but with status, color, name, and slightly different viewing structure, this ecosystem feels alive. No matter the level of character, you will be able to find monsters that have many times the level of free movement and not impossible, pounce and kill you just as a surprise attack.
Game Play side?
So, what about the side of the gameplay itself? Regardless of the impression on the surface that it is an RPG action game that will consistently ask you to press a button to attack and survive, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is actually a turn-based JRPG game presented in a different user-interface. You will be provided with a normal attack button that will be executed automatically after the first attack with a definite interval. The rest? You will get the game format ala MMORPG game.
Along with regular attacks that continue to happen, the characters in a party that are limited to 3 people will gradually meet their active skills. Each regular attack will contribute one portion of cooldown to the existing skill. Once it is full, you can activate the skill to not only generate more damage, but also the opportunity to activate certain unique effects. If you press this skill button right after a regular attack, you can generate a "Cancel" effect that will drive damage to your skill attack.
As we discussed earlier, this skill does not just work to generate more damage than just normal attacks. Some of them can also produce certain status effects which of course will make it easier for you to win the battle. There are attacks that can produce small potions that if picked up will heal a little portion of your HP, there are attacks that if executed on a particular timing can make the enemy fell by experiencing the stun in a short time, until variants of other status effects that for example, can make enemies can not call companion to help them. But remember, whatever you can do to the enemy, enemy can also do to you.
One unique thing is the fact that the fight in an open area, will never be "safe". If you are just trying to kill monsters in a limited number of closed spaces, there will be no threat coming from the enemy you are trying to subdue. However once you enter the battlefield in an open area, there is one extra thing you have to look at - the neighborhood. Not on behalf of because the environment itself has a dangerous design, but it prevents you from being attacked by higher-level monsters who usually pace about ignoring you for granted. Somehow the aggro system that Monolith implements here, but not an unfamiliar sight to see the level monsters that while passing through suddenly involved in your battle action against other monsters. The result? It's not impossible that the fight becomes more tough.
Because the monsters in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 are not the type of monster you can take for granted, even though they are already in the lower level of the average Party you choose. Most of these monsters, according to their size, have a large amount of HP that can take up to minute battles to get done. You may think and ask, that should not the Party contain at least 6 people who are actively fighting every Driver in the Party always carry their own Blade? The system is not so.
The Blades who participated in the battle and accompany Drivers are not actively generating damage to the enemies encountered. They play a role like the support character at the back of which only one task - help the Driver with the ability they have. Depending on the type of Blade you carry, they can sometimes protect you with a shield blanket, helping you generate greater damage, to simply offering buffs that will make the fight easier. The Blade also will not automatically unleash their full capabilities from the start of the fight. As time goes by, the relationship between Drivers and Blades shown through a blue thread between them will slowly but surely turn into gold. When this happens, this means that coordination is happening at the most optimal level and Blade will support you Driver's action better.
So like RPG games in general, there is a chance to strengthen the character here, even if it is not at the level of the complex you imagine. This reinforcement is divided into several categories. For equipment business for example, you can embed a variety of accessories with a variety of effects to the Driver. While the Blade should be reinforced with something called Chip Core which will also affect the status of Driver and their fighting ability. Both the Driver and the Blade will also each be reinforced with a sizable skill tree that each also demands a different resource. For Driver, the resource can be obtained by eliminating the story in the main mission, just kill the monsters you meet, or complete the existing side mission. Progress for Blade's own skill or "Affinity" emphasizes the need to meet certain requirements, such as using a skill in a predetermined amount, or simply doing existing side activities.
As the level increases that will also determine your endurance and attack ability, you will be more "safe" to move on exploring every world that this Xenoblade Chronicles 2 offers. Although it must be admitted, unlike the X series that allows you to move with mecha and fight quickly with it, pacing on Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is indeed quite slow. Animation battles are slow, heavy HP enemies also make a fight against one monster can take a long time, until the fact that you have to trace everything on foot that of course, takes time. Pacing this game battle in our eyes, is indeed one of the biggest weaknesses.
Conclusion
Of course, beyond those weaknesses, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 still appears as a stunning JRPG game. Although he is not perfect, he carries an attraction that will be hard to ignore. A JRPG game that offers hundreds of hours of gameplay from the content side, with super tempting character designs, compelling stories, and a fairly complex gameplay system. A "classic" JRPG appeal in a unique and different format.