Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Reviews
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a vast open-world RPG which takes place in the world of Alrest. A setting where civilisations live on the back of huge beasts, also known as Titans. You take control of Rex, a young salvager who finds himself unlocking the power of an incredibly strong weapon, also known as ‘the Aegis’.
Despite all of its flaws, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is still a very enjoyable experience. The battle system is as fun as ever, and you will still get that satisfaction from mastering the system and taking down a tough foe. The team at Monolith Soft also stay in top form when it comes to integrating gameplay and world-building.
In my last few words of this perhaps suitably long-winded review for such a long-winded game, I want to make something clear. All of my descriptions of these seemingly convoluted mechanics and length might lead some to think that this is a game for ‘experts,” people who have been playing JRPGs for years and thus know what to do. Not necessarily. If you have never played a JRPG, but you have a willingness to experience all that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has to offer with an open mind, you might just fall in love with a whole new genre. After all, that’s what happened when I played my first non-Pokémon JRPG, Xenoblade Chronicles X. I haven’t looked back since.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 does a lot of things right, but suffers under its own weight and poor design decisions. Despite everything it's the first exclusive jRPG worth owning for the Switch, and with a little more polish it could be one of the best jRPGs of the last few years.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is flawed, as tragically as the heroes and villains it portrays.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 doesn't captivate like its predecessor namely due to a messy learning curve and a story that doesn't quite draw you in as well. But from a JRPG standpoint, it's still a win for series fans and Nintendo Switch owners.
This is my favourite game on the Switch. I really loved Zelda and Mario, but neither one of those games managed to capture my attention nearly as much as this game did. I literally could not put it down for weeks. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 set itself as a cut above the rest on this platform primarily thanks to its magnificent story, fantastic music, its deep and cinematic combat system and its stellar art direction. This game is not perfect by any means. It has some issues such as its mediocre side quests and that the battle system can feel rather slow until you learn how to fully take advantage of it. It takes a hit in its visual fidelity while in handheld mode, but if that is a great concern to you then just play it docked. Despite some of these above issues, I have absolutely no qualms about recommending this game. It is a phenomenal experience that is worth being experienced provided you don’t mind a somewhat slow start.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is the full package. It has a compelling story, fun combat, likable characters, amazing music, nice visuals, and rewards exploration. One could easily spend over 100 hours in the world of Alrest, and we wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted to leave. An excellent choice for your Switch!
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is the biggest game on Nintendo Switch, which lacks polishing of individual elements. Nevertheless, thanks to the unique world, the best combat system in the series, beautiful music, great characters and spectacular vistas - it's really difficult to stop playing and enjoying. Even in spite of some strangeness, gameplay limitations and excessive anime vibes, we spent about 150 hours in Xenoblade 2 and look forward to the new game Monolith Soft.
Review in Russian | Read full review
While a few things stop just stop it from being something truly special, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 feels like the first true successor to the Wii cult hit, and should not be missed by RPG fans.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is overall mostly a quality RPG that has charm and character, while making up for some of the lacking aspects of Xenoblade Chronicles X, but small issues stop it from hitting the heights of Xenoblade Chronicles, sitting in between the two games in this trio series.
"Traditional and emotional Japanese RPG."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Overall, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a very good role-playing game and one that not only is a proud addition to the Xeno series but also adds another great game to the library of the already buoyant Switch. That said, the discrepancy in performance between the docked and portable versions of the game is somewhat unfortunate and may limit your enjoyment.
Monolith Soft has done an awesome job portraying the world of Alrest and its story. Every chapter feels like it could have its own game, complete with their own twists and turns.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 sets a tremendously high bar for the genre.
Don't let your first impressions deceive you: If you look behind the curtains, what you'll find here is an excellent JRPG with a great story, fantastic music and a world that's a joy to roam around in and explore. It's just a shame that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 suffers from technical issues, a bad lootbox-like reward system and too much fanservice.
Review in German | Read full review
You could theoretically play Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for months and not only find more things to do, but likely still enjoy doing them. It's a robust, well-crafted, and enjoyably addictive ride that JRPG fans, and even some WRPG diehards, should enjoy.
Any fan of the original Xenoblade will find very little to turn them off from this sequel, and to be honest, most JRPG fans in general will walk away with at least a few good memories by the time the credits roll.
It's been an extremely long time since I've played an RPG that's scratched an adventure itch in a classic sense.
With more than 60 hours of game time and a ton to do, anyone looking for an entertaining timesink over any long break should pick this game up.