Board 8 > Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Review Zone

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https://opencritic.com/game/13148/xenoblade-chronicles-3/reviews

Currently an 86 on OC and a 89 on MC, Xenoblade 3 brings together the best aspects of Xenoblade 1 and 2 and refines them into a 150 hour adventure with some of the best combat and characters in the series. A game of this length though the story does take some detours here and there and you'll still be getting tutorials 40 hours in so how you feel about things like those may affect your enjoyment somewhat.

Digitally Downloaded - 10/10
Taken by itself, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a spectacular example of an epic JRPG. Yes, the combat system is a little too overcooked for its own good, but the developer holds your hand nicely so that by the 40th hour the explosion of numbers, flashy attacks, and intertwined systems somehow makes sense. Aside from that, though, its a game that, for its size, is one of elegance and maturity. And thats when you take it by itself. Philosophical, humorous, emotional, dramatic and always entertaining, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is going to be better remembered not for being its own entity, but rather like the third chapter in any great trilogy; as the perfect escalation to an enormously satisfying and appropriately epic conclusion.

NintendoLife - 10/10
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a genuine masterpiece and the highlight of Monolith Soft's superb series thus far. There's an emotionally-charged and surprisingly edgy epic to get stuck into here, a sprawling and hugely engaging narrative populated by a cast of unforgettable characters that's backed up by some of the very best combat we've had the pleasure of getting to grips with in this genre to date. Over 100 hours into this one, we're as captivated now as we were when we first booted it up and it has more than delivered every bit of the adventure, emotion, and action that its signature start screen promised it might. Aionios awaits, it's time to seize the future.

VGC - 10/10
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 delivers a massive world, and more than enough story and character to fill it, combined with the series most reactive combat system to date. While certainly a monster commitment, Aionios is an incredible place to live for a month or two.

WellPlayed - 9/10
It's not perfect, but Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a confident sequel that's best-in-class in the ways that matter most. Your favourite bits of the first two games are here, cherry-picked and placed into a narrative with a tasteful balance of earnest ideas and anime bullshit.

My Nintendo News - 9/10
Quite frankly, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is unequivocally astonishing in regards to both its gameplay and scope. Its not only the best game in the series thus far, but also my favorite game of the entire year as of yet. Every second spent in the world of Aionios feels like being a kid in the worlds biggest candy store; from beginning to end, there was never a dull moment. An interesting and complex battle system, exceptionally directed cutscenes, and genuinely well-written characters filled with unique personalities, are just a few of the reasons why I adore this JRPG. I couldnt be happier that Xenoblade as a franchise has grown in popularity in recent years, as its certainly become one of Nintendos greatest series thanks to the fantabulously impressive development work by Monolith Soft.

IGN - 8/10
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 can take some meandering detours across its massive 150-hour campaign, but great characters and addictive tactical combat make it all well worth the time.

Gamespot - 8/10
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 feels like the game Monolith Soft has been trying to craft for years. While its dialogue could have used an extra pass, it more than makes up for it with its wonderful story and superb combat. It's rare for a JRPG to hold my attention for a 100-hour runtime, but Xenoblade Chronicles 3 did it with confidence.

Game Informer - 7.3/10
My party of seven felt like a little army when explosive Arts and flashy Ouroboros combos lit up an already-chaotic battlefield. And the quality-of-life improvements like customizable shortcut hotbars and in-game GPS streamlined menu-surfing and traversal. Still, the narrative and world designs left much to be desired as critical plot twists are frustratingly obvious, character growth is virtually nonexistent, and navigation in each uninspired environment proves to be a tiring exercise. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a double-edged sword that needs a bit more sharpening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzYc7u0eZJ0

a lot of 10's rolling into MC all of a sudden boosting it up from 88 to 89. These scores not reflected on OC yet.

RPG Site - 10/10
Though it borrows and evolves many of its foundations from other previous titles, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 finds numerous ways to distinguish itself from the rest. Its battle system has an ocean of depth, but it is genuinely fun to experiment with all the options it provides to players. I think the title is perfectly fine as a standalone experience to newcomers, but returning Xenoblade players will certainly be rewarded in several ways. For those that have stuck with Executive Director Tetsuya Takahashis grand Xeno project since Xenogears, there are numerous winks and nods in store for them too. I strongly believe that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a modern JRPG masterpiece.

Nintendo Insider - 10/10
What Monolith Soft has achieved with Xenoblade Chronicles 3 went far beyond my expectations. The developers masterful approach to character development and world-building results in an unforgettable adventure that is set in a world that is just as remarkable to explore. It is the emotional storytelling that makes it an unmissable journey thats worth undertaking, elevating the experience to not only be considered as a Game of the Year contender but an all-time classic that will be remembered for decades to come.

TheGamer - 10/10
Monolith Soft has crafted a JRPG that is so colossal yet also intricately focused. It delivers an experience that iterates upon everything its predecessors managed to achieve, resulting in a masterpiece that I am utterly enraptured by. Part of me feels like Im still stewing in a cauldron of hyperbole, but in terms of characters, themes, and a world that I never want to leave behind - this is the series at its very best, and I cant wait to see where it goes next.

And if you needed a reminder of previous Xenoblade review zones

Xenoblade 1 - 92
Xenoblade X - 84
Xenoblade 2 - 83
Torna - 81
Definitive Edition - 89

Can anybody defeat the power of the Monado?!

Torna scored that low?

lol the awkward cutscene 22 minutes into the gamexplain review

glad that's the only one that's like that

89 MC now so if is on par with Definitive Edition. Good stuff.

HanOfTheNekos posted...

Torna scored that low?

Its an expansion with few reviews. 80 is a bit better than expected given that the main game got an 83.

So now the question is does XC3 get a Keighlys nomination?

What a year for video games

God of War Ragnarok and Bayonetta 3 are still to come

gimmie

LightningStrikes posted...

Its an expansion with few reviews. 80 is a bit better than expected given that the main game got an 83.

I've never heard an opinion on Torna that isn't "this is better than the main game" so the low scores are a surprise to me too!

oh god yes 150 hours

Meandering detours ohhhh you know what daddy likes

I can't wait hopefully Amazon has it delivered by the time I get off on Friday

I got a 4 day weekend coming up

that is not even 150 hours v___v

Oh shit.

I still need to play Future Connected.

540p 30fps :wack:

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

its massive 150-hour

I know people are praising this, but it's exactly why I wont prioritize playing it.

Malenia posted...

540p 30fps :wack:

What can you expect of the Switch. It desperately needs an upgrade to handle 60fps among other things

150 hours if you do a load of the side content. It sounds like the main campaign is more in the 50-60 hour range. Sounds like the best side quests yet for the series though.

Hm lower than 1 but above the others. Still gotta decide if I'll play 2 before this but either way it'll be a while before I get around to another massive JRPG.

LightningStrikes posted...

So now the question is does XC3 get a Keighlys nomination?

It does not. It'll be lucky to win Best RPG!

150 hour games are awful.

its why P5 > P5 Royal. The extra 50 hours are not a positive.

andylt posted...

Hm lower than 1 but above the others. Still gotta decide if I'll play 2 before this but either way it'll be a while before I get around to another massive JRPG.

It does not. It'll be lucky to win Best RPG!

LOL absolutely not, Elden Ring has already been decided for the Keighley awards.

Ugh I'm gonna be so busy in a couple weeks, should I take the plunge...

I still haven't played 2. It'd take me like a year to beat both of these games.

Haunter12O posted...

LOL absolutely not, Elden Ring has already been decided for the Keighley awards.

I forgot Elden Ring would be in that category lol. You're right, Xeno will probably go home without any Keighleys! It'll get a nom for RPG, but I still doubt it for GotY. Not that any of that matters.

That IGN review with the 150 hours says that it was a completionist run, but they also hype up the majority of side quests as being very good and rewarding.

SHINE_GET_64 posted...

you'll still be getting tutorials 40 hours in

This would probably piss me off a lot

mnkboy907 posted...

That IGN review with the 150 hours says that it was a completionist run, but they also hype up the majority of side quests as being very good and rewarding.

...oh?

Literally the only thing that might make me interested

I honestly think XBC2 killed my hype for this one, but I'll check it out later

HanOfTheNekos posted...

Torna scored that low?

reviewers be crazy

Hype tag

Let the best girl wars begin.

I'm coming around on Eunie, but Mio has too much drip for me to look away

Any idea how closely this ties in with XC2? I doubt I'll ever play that one.

I'm going to guess the same amount as 2 ties into 1 which is not at all until you get to the end of the game and then it does a lot

Although unlike the marketing of 2, nintendo has been more up front this time saying "Hey you'll get more out of this if you play the previous games"

And at least for my perspective it's been pretty clear since the very first trailer that based on 2's ending that this is probably the world's of 1 and 2 merged together in some way but many years later

andylt posted...

It does not. It'll be lucky to win Best RPG!

Did you forget about Elden Ring? Only top tier Zelda games can top Elden Ring

YoBlazer posted...

Any idea how closely this ties in with XC2? I doubt I'll ever play that one.

Some of the people have cat ears, some of the characters are "blades" which are controlled by possessing their core crystal, and everyone lives on titans (roughly the size of large XBC1 areas).

XBC1 and XBC2 spoilers:
Klaus using the conduit on the orbital station effectively creates a new world (XBC1). Half of him becomes Zanza. The other half, The Architect, (his good side) remains on the orbital station and uses the conduit to create the titans and help revive humankind. When Shulk kills Zanza, it also kills The Architect. When Klaus is dead, the conduit supposedly moves on to a new dimension. XBC2 ends with the titans all merging together to form a new land. Mythra/Pyra and Malos are roughly the same thing as Alvis.

There's way more to XBC2 but I think that'll be the content that matters to XBC3 but honestly I am going in with very little knowledge. Knowing how XBC1 and 2 are connected will likely be important in 3.

But honestly I'm going in mostly blind - I've read about the combat system and I've seen the cover art. I watched the original trailer once.

I have not completed Future Connected and Torna.

I don't know how closely Torna will tie in, but that should be played regardless because it's better than Xenoblade 1 or 2 themselves.

Future Connected I just finished last week....it wasn't terrible but it also wasn't good, and I can't imagine anything in it will matter, or if it does it's nothing that can't be explained in 30 seconds.

The sentiment I'm seeing more, now that reviews and early copies are out, is playing this one without playing the other games is still perfectly fine.

The ponspectors better be in this

Torna is the prequel to XBC2 and really only ties into XBC2. It's a very good prequel.

Future Connected is mostly just a sidequest to XBC1. I think it's good content but I can't see it being meaningful to XBC3 unless the Ponspectors are involved!!!

Oh thank God this is confirmed for 12AM EST digitally.

Very bad news for my Friday morning work shift.

I assume amazon will deliver mine while I'm sleeping friday afternoon so probably not starting until Friday night

although I'll probably try to go to bed a bit earlier than I normally do

Will probably grab it Friday morning at Walmart. Way easier than lolMyNintendoStore failure

don't piss around with my SE nintendo :(

Just over 8 hours left

In an interview, they said the new scenario in the season pass would be comparable in size to Torna, so I went and bought the season pass too. Maybe these $30 release-day costumes will be nice, lol.

Also seems to be sticking well at 89 MC and 88 OC.