Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Review: Grand Epic and Handheld Charm - Echoes of the Nintendo Switch 2 Era

Hello everyone, I'm your old friend, a seasoned gamer with ten years of experience. Today, I'll take you back to a classic JRPG on the Nintendo Switch – Xenoblade Chronicles 2. This game was both controversial and praised back in the day. Now, as we approach the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2, revisiting it might bring a different perspective. At the same time, let's look forward to how a sequel or remake of this game might perform on the Nintendo Switch 2.

1. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Game Introduction: An Epic Adventure Above the Misty Cloud Sea

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a role-playing game developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo, released on the Nintendo Switch platform in 2017. The game tells the story of the protagonist Rex meeting Pyra and embarking on a journey to find humanity's homeland, "Elysium." The game is known for its grand world view, profound story, unique characters, and distinctive combat system.

It is set in a world filled with a cloud sea, where Titans carry civilizations on their backs, and humans live on these Titans. Rex, a simple salvager, encounters Pyra, the "Aegis," during an accidental salvage mission and becomes her Driver. Pyra possesses immense power but also carries a heavy destiny. To uncover the truth, Rex and Pyra decide to travel to Elysium, located at the center of the world, and meet a variety of companions, jointly fighting against enemies threatening the world.

2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Comprehensive Review: A Classic with Both Strengths and Weaknesses

Next, I will conduct a detailed review of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 from aspects such as gameplay, graphics, sound effects, story, and controls, striving to present the game's advantages and disadvantages objectively and fairly.

2.1. Gameplay: Unique Combat System and Exploration Fun

Xenoblade Chronicles 2's combat system is very distinctive, blending action and command elements. Players need to control the protagonist Rex and fight alongside Blades. By accumulating Art energy through auto-attacks, they can then unleash various flashy Arts. Blades can be switched, and different Blades have different attributes and skills, requiring players to flexibly adjust based on the enemy's weaknesses and the battle situation. The Affinity system in combat is also very important. Increasing Affinity unlocks more powerful skills and Fusion Combos. This combat style requires both the player's reaction speed and strategic thinking, making it challenging and fun.

The game's exploration elements are also very rich. The vast map hides various secrets, including hidden areas, treasures, rare monsters, and more. Players can discover new quests, collect materials, and improve character abilities through exploration. The ecosystems between the Titans are different, with beautiful scenery that makes you want to linger.

2.2. Graphics: Unique Style, Details Still Need Polishing

Xenoblade Chronicles 2's graphics style is unique, with characters adopting a Japanese anime style, with bright colors and exaggerated shapes. The design of the game scenes is also full of imagination, with cloud seas, Titans, ruins, and more, all showcasing Monolith Soft's excellent artistic skills.

However, due to the limitations of the Nintendo Switch's hardware, the graphic details of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 are not entirely satisfactory. Especially in handheld mode, aliasing is more obvious, and distant views are also relatively blurry. However, considering that this is an open-world game, it is already remarkable that it can run smoothly on a handheld. If Xenoblade Chronicles 2 could launch a high-definition remake on the Nintendo Switch 2, it is believed that the graphics performance would have a qualitative leap. For information on the performance improvements of the Nintendo Switch 2, please refer to the nintendo switch2 first look report.

2.3. Sound Effects: Music by Joe Hisaishi, Heartwarming

The music of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is led by the famous composer Joe Hisaishi, and the quality is beyond doubt. The game's soundtrack is majestic, with beautiful and moving melodies, perfectly integrated with the game's world view and story. Different scenes and battles have different music, which can well enhance the atmosphere and immerse players in it.

The game's voice cast is also very strong. The Japanese dubbing is natural and smooth, and the English dubbing also has its own characteristics. The character's voice acting matches the character's personality, which can well show the character's emotions.

2.4. Story: Profound Themes and Slightly Cliched Development

The story of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has profound themes, exploring issues such as life, faith, race, and war. The characters in the game have their own beliefs and pursuits, and their choices and actions affect the fate of the world. The overall direction of the plot is relatively typical, but it is interspersed with many touching plots, which can trigger players' thoughts and resonance.

However, there are also some shortcomings in the development of the game's plot. The early plot is slightly cliched and the pace is slow, which can easily make players feel tired. The shaping of some characters is also slightly stereotypical, lacking depth.

2.5. Controls: Slightly Cumbersome, Requires Time to Adapt

The controls of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 are slightly cumbersome, requiring players to spend some time to adapt. In battle, you need to simultaneously control character movement, attack, release Arts, switch Blades, etc., requiring a large amount of operation. The menu interface is also more complicated, requiring players to spend time getting familiar with it.

In addition, the game's guidance system is not perfect enough, and many novice players are prone to getting lost. However, once you are familiar with the operation method, you can experience the fun of combat.

3. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Compared to Similar Games: A Unique JRPG Experience

Compared to similar JRPGs, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has its unique advantages and disadvantages.

• Advantages:
  • Unique world view and setting
  • Challenging and strategic combat system
  • Beautiful music and strong voice cast
  • Rich exploration elements
• Disadvantages:
  • Insufficient graphic detail performance
  • Controls are slightly cumbersome
  • Early plot is slightly cliche

In general, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a JRPG with very obvious advantages and disadvantages. It has a unique world view and combat system, which can bring players a brand new gaming experience. However, its graphics, controls, and plot also have some shortcomings.

4. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Beginner's Guide: An Adventure Journey from Scratch

For novice players, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 may be a relatively difficult game to get started with. Below, I will provide you with a detailed beginner's guide to help you get started with the game quickly.

• Familiarize yourself with the controls: Familiarize yourself with basic operations such as character movement, attack, Art release, and Blade switching.
• Understand the combat system: Understand important mechanisms such as attribute weaknesses, Affinity systems, and Chain Attacks in combat.
• Explore the map: Actively explore the map and discover hidden areas, treasures, and quests.
• Collect resources: Collect various materials for synthesizing items, enhancing equipment, and improving Blade abilities.
• Improve character abilities: Improve character levels and attributes by completing quests, defeating monsters, and using items.
• Reasonably match Blades: According to the enemy's weaknesses and battle situation, reasonably match Blades to maximize combat power.
• Make good use of fast travel: Use the fast travel function to quickly reach areas that have already been explored.

5. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Advanced Tips and Strategies: Become a Top Driver

After mastering the basic operations and gameplay, you can learn some advanced tips and strategies to further improve your game level.

• Master cancel attacks: You can quickly accumulate Art energy by canceling attacks, improving output efficiency.
• Flexibly use Blade Combos: Using Blade Combos can cause a lot of damage and is an important means in battle.
• Master Chain Attacks: Chain Attacks are one of the most powerful attack methods in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and can cause devastating damage.
• Cultivate rare Blades: Rare Blades have powerful abilities and unique skills and are a rare aid in the game.
• Reasonably allocate Auxiliary Cores: Auxiliary Cores can improve the various attributes of Blades, and reasonable allocation can greatly improve the combat power of Blades.
• Utilize terrain advantages: The terrain in the game can affect combat, such as using high ground to gain attack bonuses.

6. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Best Equipment and Skill Combination Recommendations

In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the combination of equipment and skills is crucial and can greatly affect the character's combat power. Below, I will recommend some of the best equipment and skill combinations.

• Rex:
  • Weapon: Sword of the End
  • Armor: Titan Core
  • Auxiliary Core: Attack Power UP, Critical Rate UP
  • Skills: Dexterity Mastery, Courage Inspiration
• Pyra/Mythra:
  • Weapon: Aegis Sword
  • Armor: Ether Core
  • Auxiliary Core: Ether Power UP, Elemental Attack UP
  • Skills: Blade Combo Enhancement, Chain Attack Enhancement

It should be noted that the combination of equipment and skills is not immutable and needs to be adjusted according to the specific battle situation and the characteristics of the enemy.

7. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Score and Summary: A Classic Worth Experiencing

Based on the above review, I will rate Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

Score: 8.5/10

Reason for the score:

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has a unique world view and combat system, beautiful music and a strong voice cast, and rich exploration elements. Although the graphic detail performance is insufficient, the controls are slightly cumbersome, and the early plot is slightly cliche, it is still a classic JRPG worth experiencing. IGN gave it a score of 8.5, and the Metacritic overall score also reached 84 points, which proves its excellence. ign 异度神剑2 评分. Metacritic 异度神剑2 评分.

Nintendo Switch 2 Outlook:

Considering the powerful performance of the Nintendo Switch 2, we have reason to expect that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 can launch a high-definition remake on the Nintendo Switch 2. The remake can not only improve the graphic performance, but also optimize the controls and improve the plot rhythm, allowing this classic to shine with new brilliance. At the same time, we also look forward to Monolith Soft being able to launch a new work in the Xenoblade Chronicles series on the Nintendo Switch 2, bringing players a more exciting adventure experience. Of course, after the new console is released, the compatibility issues of old games also need to be considered, and the relevant information of nintendo switch2 compatibility is worth paying attention to. In addition, players are also concerned about nintendo switch2 price to decide whether to buy it.

All in all, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a game worth trying for all JRPG lovers. If you like a grand world view, a profound story, and a challenging battle, then don't miss this classic. Even as the Nintendo Switch 2 era arrives, it still has its unique charm and is worth savoring.