Xenoblade Chronicles 2: An unexpected crush

This is the game I was telling you about, dear fellow gamers: my very own Switch killer app, the game I wanted to play so badly that no amount of reasoning could deter me from forking out an indecent amount of cash to get my paws on it and its hosting machine.

I had my doubts about this, you know. Heck, I was totally afraid of just throwing my hard-earned money through the window with that move, that's what I was. I mean, the odds were totally stacked against me loving that game at all. For one thing, I hate long story-driven RPGs full of cutscenes as a rule, and open-world games tend to bore and exhaust me at once. For another, I deemed XC2's character design and outfits over-the-top and utterly ridiculous, and the fighting system looked like a hot mess. Last but not least, it so happens that I absolutely loathed the original Xenoblade Chronicles. I just couldn't fathom why my gaming instinct yearned for XC2; and although I finally complied and got my paws on a copy, I half-expected to have a miserable time with the game and give up on it very quickly.

What happened instead is that not only have I been playing XC2 for a couple of hours without a hitch, but I'm also loving it more by the minute. Somehow, all the potential issues that bothered me before purchasing the game were tackled and magically solved:

The cutscenes, pacing and story: The cutscenes are nowhere near as long and numerous as I feared, and they can be paused or skipped entirely. The pacing is certainly slow, but in a mellow, relaxed way: this is not your typical dreadful fake longevity-inducing slowness, but rather the tranquil slowness boasted by games that have a story to tell and an atmosphere to build up and take the time they need to do so. I've encountered that brand of slowness in games like DQIX and Trails in the Sky, and it's a pacing I relish very much indeed — probably because I love taking my sweet time to do things IRL. As for the story, it's as laid-back and unobstrusive as it gets: instead of coercing you into a given course of action, it gives you a general goal at any given time and leaves you free to aim for said goal at your own pace. You're free to go anywhere you want in the meantime and spend as much time doing whatever pleases you. For all intents and purposes, the story and gameplay are completely separate and independent from one another in XC2; and that's something that actually chagrined many a reviewer. As for me, I just love that arrangement, because it allows me to enjoy the better of two worlds at my own pace.

The open world: The notion that XC2 was an open-world game was floating around before the game's release; and after playing it myself, I have to wonder if this was a marketing sham, a concept ditched during development or a misunderstanding of sorts. Because indeed, an open world Alrest is not. It's made of various enclosed and separate islands that only become accessible as you progress the story, and there's no physical in-game way to travel between those islands; instead, you have to use an instant travel system. Sure, the environments are gigantic and bound to give you a heady feeling of freedom; but when all is said and done, XC2's areas function just like traditional dungeons, with their dedicated fauna, decor and inflexible boundaries.

The character design and outfits: Let's be blunt: before playing, I thought the whole crew looked dumb beyond belief. From Pyra's late '90s low-cut hot pants to Rex' spandex shorts, from the copious amounts of inner boob to the Saint Seiya-esque shoulder pads, everything screamed corny and lousy chara design. And yet, weirdly enough, all that corniness and lousiness virtually evaporated once I saw the characters in action. I honestly think Pyra and Rex look darn good in their outfits, and I wouldn't want them to wear anything else. That's not to say that I won't dress them otherwise if I get the opportunity; but if this happens, it will be for the sake of visual change and not because I cannot stand their outfits.

The fighting system: To my utter relief, that whole fighting business was not nearly as messy as it looked on some Let's Play videos. Shutting down all voices during combat was a neat start; and once I got used to adjusting the camera when necessary and visually focusing on Rex while letting the rest of the crew do their thing, fighting became a deliciously smooth and streamlined affair and a continuous source of pleasure and joy. XC2's fighting system does away with mindless button-mashing and chooses instead to showcase and magnify the best elements of real-time combat, which are none other than the sharp timing, the clever positioning, the feverish rythm and the smooth flow of battle. It certainly doesn't hurt that the AI is quite stellar: my crew knows when to avoid blows and when to heal, and I can genuinely trust them and fully rely on them on the battlefield, which is the most wondrous feeling ever. In fact, I daresay that Rex has bitten the dust more often than Nia and Tora despite the fact that he's fully under my control.

The filiation with XC: I didn't play XC enough to compare the two games; but suffice it to say that most of what bothered me in XC is nowhere to be found in XC2. Colours are brighter and prettier, the art style is more distinctive, the learning curve is more forgiving and, last but not least, the fighting system is much easier to grasp. While XC forces the player to scroll through a selection of Arts and select the one they want, XC2 has those same Arts displayed on the screen at all times and tied to specific buttons, and that makes all the difference in the world. As for the huge scales that disorientated me so much when I played XC, well... I somehow got used to them this time around. Maybe that's actually a matter of screen size, now that I think of it.

My playthrough of XC2 is shaping up to be a very long one indeed, and I have tons of things to say about that game, even in these early stages. Expect a lot of posts about that Very First Switch Game of mine, dear fellow gamers! Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!