LogFAQs > #933526742

2. Xenoblade Chronicles

I consider Xenoblade Chronicles to be the 'ultimate' modern JRPG. That's not to say its perfect - the gameplay gets old by the end of the game and overall the game has some pacing issues. At the same time, it just feels...complete. The story starts, progresses, and ends all in a satisfying way. The characters are memorable without being caricatures. The environments are beautiful, and so is the music. Its tone is decidedly shonen anime but is still written smartly enough to be taken seriously, letting you invest your emotions and get hyped without having to roll your eyes at times.

And maybe most of all, it's not embarrassing. The older I get, the more I find myself having to ignore certain elements of JRPGs to fully enjoy them. As time has passed, the quality of stories in gaming overall has risen substantially while the quality of stories in JRPGs...kind of hasn't. The melodrama (which I'm all for) in small doses can be taken too far, the writing can be stilted, and the anime weirdness can get a bit too much. Xenoblade takes the emotions that this genre made you feel when you were younger and transplants them into a modernized, non-embarassing game that feels like the natural endgame of what JRPGs are supposed to be. It baffles me that Xenoblade 2 was the follow-up to this.

Also, I absolutely can't wait for the Switch version because it'll let me take in the atmosphere and environments in something above 480p. Absolutely recommend this to anyone who likes JRPGs.

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Black Turtle did a pretty good job.