Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country

 Switch
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 446 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 376 out of 446
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 446
  3. Negative: 36 out of 446
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  1. toonlinkman
    Sep 16, 2018
    10
    I am enjoying better than the base game. Combat is better. Story is better. Side quests are better. Game play is about 20+ hours not 40 but this is the best DLC on a Nintendo platform.
  2. salzidu
    Sep 21, 2018
    10
    A must buy for fans of the maingame Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I would highly recommend to play the maingame before the DLC, cause Torna spoils many things.

    Music is fantastic, graphics are a bit better than in Xenoblade 2, the characters are a joy to watch, especially Lora and Jin, story is good, you have to do some sidequests for progression, but they are more fun than in Xenoblade 2.    A must buy for fans of the maingame Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I would highly recommend to play the maingame before the DLC, cause Torna spoils many things.

    Music is fantastic, graphics are a bit better than in Xenoblade 2, the characters are a joy to watch, especially Lora and Jin, story is good, you have to do some sidequests for progression, but they are more fun than in Xenoblade 2. One of thebest DLCs ever, i mean it's like a full game and when you don't rush through it it will entertain you for 25-40 hours. The titan Torna is also one of the best designed titans. Enjoy!    … Expand
  3. facepwnage
    Oct 1, 2018
    9
    The best Nintendo DLC ever made, perhaps some of the best of all time. Torna The Golden Country takes nearly everything setup by Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and improves upon it. If you enjoyed Xenoblade Chronicles 2 or found yourself somewhat wanting, you owe it to yourself to pick up this full fledged game.

    As i played the original Xenoblade Chronicles 2 i had 3 big complaints. Poor    The best Nintendo DLC ever made, perhaps some of the best of all time. Torna The Golden Country takes nearly everything setup by Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and improves upon it. If you enjoyed Xenoblade Chronicles 2 or found yourself somewhat wanting, you owe it to yourself to pick up this full fledged game.

    As i played the original Xenoblade Chronicles 2 i had 3 big complaints. Poor localization with moments of sub par dubbing, Tedious grinding for side quests and unlocking blades, and generally slow pacing before combat becomes interesting. Torna The Golden Country improves on all of these areas. A new game engine has the character expressions feeling vibrant. The voice cast gives a remarkable performance (brought a tear to my eyes at moments). All blades available are thrown into your party without tedium. Some may find the mandatory nature of side quests to be a downside, but the majority are interesting and help contribute to the games overall narrative. Finally near everything you need for interesting combat is given within the first few hours of the game.

    I only have a few nagging issues concerning Torna the Golden Country. As stated before some of the side quests can be generic MMO type quests that don't contribute much to the story. And even though the tedium has been cut back, some requirements like specific tasks for completing blade affinity charts, or gathering specific ingredients for crafting can become laborious if your attempting to fully complete the game.

    At the end of the day Torna The Golden Country is DLC done right. The story is compelling and heartfelt, adding context to events of the base game. Characters are well voiced and written. The design and aesthetics are gorgeous and memorable. Music composition adds stellar original scores and remixes. Combat is improved and streamlined. I really had to stretch to fined things i didn't love about this game. Definitely the best additional content Nintendo and Monolith Soft have ever released.    … Expand
  4. TheRedHood1
    Nov 14, 2018
    8
    This was an amazing experience and was a joy to play. This was money well spent and I was very happy with the new spin on the xenoblade 2 battle system. My one complaint is the forced community building. The side quest are not bad but they do get repetitive after doing for around 3 hours of doing them.
  5. Natorules
    Sep 28, 2018
    9
    Honestly, Torna - The Golden Country is almost as good as Xenoblade 2 with my only complaint being that it wasn't longer! (Even though for DLC the rough 15+ hours spent on the main story alone is quite impressive) This DLC managed to improve upon some issues from Xenoblade 2 and even managed to make the battle system more enjoyable by adding new mechanics such as switching between driverHonestly, Torna - The Golden Country is almost as good as Xenoblade 2 with my only complaint being that it wasn't longer! (Even though for DLC the rough 15+ hours spent on the main story alone is quite impressive) This DLC managed to improve upon some issues from Xenoblade 2 and even managed to make the battle system more enjoyable by adding new mechanics such as switching between driver and blade.

    However, even though this game is amazing as an expansion for Xenoblade 2 I'm not sure if I'd rate it so highly if I hadn't played Xenoblade 2 meaning that I'd have trouble recommending the game as a standalone.

    Overall, if you played Xenoblade 2 and enjoyed it you'll almost certainly enjoy Torna, but if you haven't played Xenoblade 2 some parts of the story may make less sense giving you a somewhat lesser experience than if you had played Xenoblade 2.    … Expand
  6. DrZomboid
    Jan 17, 2022
    4
    Disappointing prequel of great game. Boring story and half of game is doing side quest. Deleted after 10 hours
  7. Kosama
    Oct 19, 2018
    10
    Mejor que el contenido principal!! mejor jugabilidad, mejor rendimiento y mejor historia.
    Mejores misiones.
  8. mneideng
    Sep 28, 2018
    10
    Season-pass holders have been rewarded with many morsels since XC2 launched, but this 50+ hour DLC is an entire additional meal. Seamlessly fleshing out the backstory and cast of the main game, extending the worldview, exploring a high-energy variant of the stellar combat engine -- not to mention serving up more of the transcendent soundtrack -- this DLC decisively claims the crownSeason-pass holders have been rewarded with many morsels since XC2 launched, but this 50+ hour DLC is an entire additional meal. Seamlessly fleshing out the backstory and cast of the main game, extending the worldview, exploring a high-energy variant of the stellar combat engine -- not to mention serving up more of the transcendent soundtrack -- this DLC decisively claims the crown formerly worn by Witcher 3's "Blood and Wine". There can be no further doubt that XC2 is the best RPG currently available for the Switch, and is indeed one of the all-time greats on any platform. 10/10.… Expand
  9. VG_maniac
    Sep 15, 2018
    10
    Battle system fun, story is awesome, music is masterpiece! My only complain: game force you to play side-quests. But at the same time quests very fun. 10/10
  10. Mythra
    Sep 14, 2018
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Xenoblade 2 was a wonderful game but this standalone pretty much refined everything: the game has better visuals, is far better in handheld mode, the battle system is more streamlined and the content is really huge for a story DLC (17-20 hours to complete the main story, 35-40 hours to complete all the side quests).

    Xenoblade Chronicles 2 : Torna - The Golden Country is a masterpiece every RPG fan should buy!    … Expand
  11. Yomama100
    Sep 15, 2018
    10
    Truly a 10/10 game.

    Interesting characters, amazing music, better plot, and an improved battle system. If you're a JRPG fan, don't miss out on it!
  12. Logos100
    Sep 14, 2018
    9
    Hands out, a soild 9/10 game and significantly improves upon a lot of things than base game.

    > The characters are all interesting and well developed topped with a better protagonist than Rex > The narrative of the game is miles better than the base game and wraps everything in a nice little ribbon > A much faster pace and revamped battle system allowing you to take control of both    Hands out, a soild 9/10 game and significantly improves upon a lot of things than base game.

    > The characters are all interesting and well developed topped with a better protagonist than Rex
    > The narrative of the game is miles better than the base game and wraps everything in a nice little ribbon
    > A much faster pace and revamped battle system allowing you to take control of both Driver and Blade.
    > No Gacha and a cleaner UI
    > Performance is much better and graphics are prettier.

    Cons

    > Unfortunately, to continue on with the story it requires the player to build up the Community Level. A mechanic similar to Xenoblade X's Affinity character side missions.    … Expand
  13. Morag
    Sep 16, 2018
    10
    *I rated this game as a DLC, even if it's a new game on it's own!*
    -The new batttle system made us create new strategies 10/10
    -Strong characters personnalities, including Lora, my new favorite Nintendo female protagonist! 10/10 -The tornian totan made us discover new places, so new possibilities! 10/10 -Short but great story with 3 hours of cutscenes, more than any Fire Emblem! 10/10    *I rated this game as a DLC, even if it's a new game on it's own!*
    -The new batttle system made us create new strategies 10/10
    -Strong characters personnalities, including Lora, my new favorite Nintendo female protagonist! 10/10
    -The tornian totan made us discover new places, so new possibilities! 10/10
    -Short but great story with 3 hours of cutscenes, more than any Fire Emblem! 10/10
    -Tragic end that made me seriously cried! 10/10
    If you didn't play the main game yes, I can definitively tell you that you can start with the prequel first! Some minors spoilers from the main games, but the bigger ones aren't here, so go!    … Expand
  14. Rozy22
    Sep 14, 2018
    10
    Possibly, one of the greatest expansions in the history of video games.

    The amount of content that is overflowing is amazing, but it is more the intrinsic quality of it. In the case of Torna, it is a sum of a solid story, charismatic characters, improved combat system and a lot of additional content to make this adventure an unforgettable experience. The best Switch game released in    Possibly, one of the greatest expansions in the history of video games.

    The amount of content that is overflowing is amazing, but it is more the intrinsic quality of it. In the case of Torna, it is a sum of a solid story, charismatic characters, improved combat system and a lot of additional content to make this adventure an unforgettable experience.

    The best Switch game released in 2018 without a doubt, and # 1 at GOTY 2018 at the moment.    … Expand
  15. Dany96
    Sep 14, 2018
    10
    Review made with a copy provided by Nintendo.

    It is amazing and very satisfying to see the amount of constant support Monolith Soft projects are receiving from Nintendo. So much so that I even felt that the game was quite short, despite having invested +30 hours in my game in normal mode. I suppose the Monolith guys have accustomed us to games of more than 100 hours as if it were    Review made with a copy provided by Nintendo.

    It is amazing and very satisfying to see the amount of constant support Monolith Soft projects are receiving from Nintendo.

    So much so that I even felt that the game was quite short, despite having invested +30 hours in my game in normal mode. I suppose the Monolith guys have accustomed us to games of more than 100 hours as if it were something normal.

    Torna: The Golden Country, improves in various aspects to the base game that was the colossus of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, such as the non-existence of tutorials, problems with the quality of dubbing and synchronization of voices, an interface and a generally cleaner world ( since it uses a new graphic engine) and the elimination of "grinding" that has certain annoying "critics"; opting to be a more direct and focused story-driven game.

    The expansion pass, with this aggregate in particular, becomes the best expansion in the history of Nintendo and not only stays there; It is one of the best expansions in the history of video games. If all the expansions were like that, I think nobody would complain about them.    … Expand
  16. Kuroro96
    Sep 14, 2018
    10
    Creo que Monolith Soft nunca dejará de sorprendernos; por eso le tengo tanto aprecio a este estudio en particular.

    Son capaces de experimentar con diversas fuentes para crear estructuras reconocibles y con personalidad; al punto de lograr hacer ver a una práctica, que en teoría es nociva, como increíble. Honestamente, me sentí un poco triste al saber que esta historia no dura más de    Creo que Monolith Soft nunca dejará de sorprendernos; por eso le tengo tanto aprecio a este estudio en particular.

    Son capaces de experimentar con diversas fuentes para crear estructuras reconocibles y con personalidad; al punto de lograr hacer ver a una práctica, que en teoría es nociva, como increíble.

    Honestamente, me sentí un poco triste al saber que esta historia no dura más de unas 20 horas, pero es que si te pones a pensarlo, dura más que el 90% de juegos que hay por ahí, y no solo es que la duración sea similar, sino que la calidad que desprende es sustancialmente superior a la de la mayoría de juegos que hay en el mercado actualmente (claro, esta de más decir que esto solo es "parte" de la expansión completa).

    Me limitaré solo ha expresarme de forma superficial para no entrar en ningún tipo de spoiler, sin embargo, no esta de más decir, que Tetsuya Takahashi esta intentando recrear una especie de "Xenogears 2.0" con el mundo que ha creado con la franquicia arábiga de Xenoblade (sin contar a X); lo cual me ilusiona bastante de cara al futuro que le depara a esta saga.

    La historia ayuda a aclarar varios huecos que dejo la historia principal, generando al mismo tiempo, que empaticemos con el reparto de personajes presentados. Esto funciona en gran medida porque la historia es bastante más enfocada, y dado el ambiente hostil que se presenta de inmediato (a diferencia de en Xenoblade Chronicles 2, donde el ritmo iba en crecimiento), hace que sea bastante más sencillo generar un sentido de inmersión mas orgánico.

    El sistema de combate es una gozada. Es más ágil, más rápido y más dinámico, no solo desde un punto de vista netamente mecánico, sino desde un punto de vista narrativo, generando una sinergia bastante gratificante. Al ser un juego relativamente corto, implica que los personajes también lo serán, más esto NO se ve reflejado en la variedad de posibilidades que el juego ofrece en combate, lo cual es un plus a tener en cuenta.

    Nuevas mecánicas son incluidas, como la mecánica de acampar (que vendría a sustituir a las conversaciones) o la mecánica de la comunidad (que sería un reemplazo de la compañía de mercenarios en pos de lograr desarrollo en los lugares explorables), los cuales otorgan una experiencia completamente refrescante de lo ya visto en el juego base, así como coherencia, de nuevo, desde un punto de vista narrativo.

    En Torna se corrigen varios de los "problemas" que el juego base tuvo, como lo son la no existencia de una opción para revisar los tutoriales, los actores de doblaje para ciertos personajes, la sincronización de voces en el idioma ingles y la eliminación de un "grindeo" fuerte (dada la naturaleza propia de la historia del juego, que repito, es más enfocada y directa), así como la utilización de un nuevo motor gráfico que ayuda a que toda la belleza del juego se vea bastante más clara y limpia en ambos modos (portátil y en televisión).

    Me podría tirar varias líneas más hablando de las nuevas zonas o de la genial y enganchante nueva música añadida, pero creo que eso es mejor que lo descubran por su cuenta, ya que experimentar directamente con ambas es casi una experiencia religiosa.

    Enhorabuena a Monolith Soft. De verdad que los adjetivos calificativos se quedan cortos para esta genialidad.    … Expand
  17. 00-z3N
    Sep 14, 2018
    10
    Review/Reseña (English/Español)

    Score/Nota: 10/10 Hands down, for the best expansion of Nintendo's history; even superior to other popular ones like The Witcher 3. It almost took a year of updates after the updates, where problems and errors are corrected and, simplified mechanisms and new customization elements were added, for free. However, when it comes to the expansion itself,    Review/Reseña (English/Español)

    Score/Nota: 10/10

    Hands down, for the best expansion of Nintendo's history; even superior to other popular ones like The Witcher 3.

    It almost took a year of updates after the updates, where problems and errors are corrected and, simplified mechanisms and new customization elements were added, for free. However, when it comes to the expansion itself, the amount of substantial content that was added is brutal so that the time you spend at Alrest never ends.

    The icing on the cake is Torna; This kind of independent "mini" Xenoblade, which, in its 20-22 hrs for complete the main story with a couple of things in the middle (45-50 hrs if you want to complete it at 100%), is undoubtedly the aggregate that was needed to close with classy, the better and bigger story that the Switch catalog has to offer.

    With a more obscure and focused narrative of story (that seemed to be a kind of attempt to generate reminiscence towards Xenogears), a cast of solid and endearing characters, new elite music, refreshing zones for explore, refined combat system (more agile and dynamic), new mechanics (camping and communities), and a lot of aditional content, like secondary missions, as well as monsters and objects to be achieved, they build a spectacular conglomerate, that does not do more than grant applause and congratulations to the boys of Monolith for tremendous "opus".

    It seemed that 2018 would be decaffeinated for Nintendo and its console, but seeing that among its arsenal is the Genial "Octopath Traveler", the glorious "Ultimate" in Christmast, and the best expansion in the last decade; we could say that it will come out very well, facing the promising and bright future that will be 2019. 10/10

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Manos hacia abajo, para la mejor expansión de la historia de Nintendo; incluso superior a otras populares como las de The Witcher 3.

    Tomo casi un año de actualizaciones, donde se corregían problemas o bugs, y se añadían mecánicas simplificadas y nuevos elementos de personalización, de forma gratuita. Sin embargo, en cuanto a lo que la expansión en sí se refiere, es brutal la cantidad de contenido sustancial que se agregó para hacer que el tiempo que pases en Alrest nunca termine.

    La guinda del pastel es Torna; esta especie de "mini" Xenoblade independiente, el cual, en sus 20-22 hrs de duración de partida (45-50 hrs si quieres completarlo al 100%), es sin dudas el agregado que hacía falta para cerrar con broche de oro la mejor y más grande historia que el catálogo de Switch tiene que ofrecer.

    Con una narrativa más oscura y enfocada (que pareciera fuese una especie de intento por generar reminiscencia hacia Xenogears), un cast de personajes sólidos y entrañables, nueva música de élite, zonas explorables refrescantes, sistema de combate refinado (más agíl y dinámico), nuevas mécanicas (acampar y comunidades) y toneladas de contenido secundario, como misiones, así como monstruos y objetos por conseguir; construyen un conglomerado que no hace más que otorgar aplausos y felicitaciones a los chicos de Monolith por tremenda "opus".

    Parecía que el 2018 sería descafeinado para Nintendo y su consola, pero viendo que entre su arsenal está el genial “Octopath Traveler", el glorioso “Ultimate” en las navidades, y la mejor expansión en la última década; podríamos decir que saldrá bastante bien parado, de cara al prometedor y brillante futuro que se dislumbra en el 2019. 10/10    … Expand
  18. Ferb2012
    Sep 20, 2018
    9
    充满探索感的地图，更加细致完善的战斗，强化支线的人和系统，听不腻的BGM，对本篇剧情的补充，给异度神剑2的冒险画上了完美的句号。
  19. MSVELGND
    Sep 26, 2018
    10
    This game manages to be an expansion on the first game whilst also managing to be a separate game.
    The Music is amazing, and graphics a slight improvement from Xenoblade 2.
    The story expands on the first game and provides extra details of Jin's journey to becoming who he is in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The story is around 25 hours and is, in my opinion, one of the greatest Nintendo DLC    This game manages to be an expansion on the first game whilst also managing to be a separate game.
    The Music is amazing, and graphics a slight improvement from Xenoblade 2.
    The story expands on the first game and provides extra details of Jin's journey to becoming who he is in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The story is around 25 hours and is, in my opinion, one of the greatest Nintendo DLC released to this date. My only complaint is the addition which makes you complete sidequests to advance. Otherwise, this is a 10/10.    … Expand
  20. ReyalsfoSwodahs
    Sep 14, 2018
    10
    This expansion adds an entire games worth of content. If you played and enjoyed Xenoblade Chronicles 2, this should be at the top of your priority list!
  21. michellelynn097
    Sep 16, 2018
    10
    If it wasn't clear before, it should be now. XC 2 is simply the greatest RPG of all time on any system. The characters, story, game play and art style are simply unmatched by any other RPG (Or game even). The amount of love Monolith Soft and Nintendo has given this game has been amazing. I am not gonna spoil this for people, but all I am gonna say is, you will get some really emotionalIf it wasn't clear before, it should be now. XC 2 is simply the greatest RPG of all time on any system. The characters, story, game play and art style are simply unmatched by any other RPG (Or game even). The amount of love Monolith Soft and Nintendo has given this game has been amazing. I am not gonna spoil this for people, but all I am gonna say is, you will get some really emotional scenes in this game that will make you cry hard, a story that makes you think on who is really good and who is bad. A better understanding of some of the characters from the main XC2 game and it will give you over 30 hours of game play. This is simply the best DLC ever for any video game.

    The combat has a nicer flow to it, it is easier to swap out blades and use their abilities. The swapping technique adds so many layers of strategy to the already deep combat system. The graphics are better especially in handheld mode where the graphics are much cleaner this time around. The music is on fire of course and each track not only fits each situation, level and character; the tunes are just memorable and will stick in your head.

    There is not enough great things to say about this DLC except that it is my GOTY for 2018, yes over Octopath, that is how good XC2TTGC is. Some may not like how the game demands you to finish so many side quest before you move on, but that is a very minor issue when you look at how great the game is overall. There is no equal for this game right now. If you do not buy this, you're missing out on one of the greatest game experiences of all time. There is not another game like this, (I'm talking about the whole game of XC2). How many games do you know where you can spend over 500 hours on the game and STILL not be finished? That is how big and deep this game is. This DLC is just the icing on the cake. A lot of people now call XC2 the best game on the Switch, I don't know about that, (I tie it with a few others), but it sure is right in there with the best. Get this game, get the DLC and be sucked away for months, heck maybe even a year in one of the greatest experiences of all time.    … Expand
  22. lalahand
    Mar 7, 2021
    0
    You need to complete all the boring side quests to advance the main story. I stopped playing and watched the remaining story on YouTube.
  23. hkjhkjh
    Sep 17, 2018
    8
    in general a very good dlc, with interesting story (about 22 hours), characters, good music, good combat sytem
    but note that the game forces u to do a lot of (sometimes very boring) side quests in order to continue the main quest(took me about 7 hours to do all the requested sidequest)
  24. smahlt
    Oct 8, 2018
    7
    Good:
    - Delves into more of the backstory and characters of XC2
    - Interesting to wander around Torna - Tweaked the battle system to feel fresh without reinventing the wheel Bad: - Forced sidequesting to advance the main story (the Community) - Pouch items and some non essential upgrades now locked behind a crafting system, which makes money worthless and requires you to go grind    Good:
    - Delves into more of the backstory and characters of XC2
    - Interesting to wander around Torna
    - Tweaked the battle system to feel fresh without reinventing the wheel

    Bad:
    - Forced sidequesting to advance the main story (the Community)
    - Pouch items and some non essential upgrades now locked behind a crafting system, which makes money worthless and requires you to go grind gathering spots
    - Only one new titan

    Worth playing if you liked XC2. If not, there's nothing here for you.    … Expand
  25. vahn
    Oct 17, 2018
    5
    Well I hate to say this, but this game is ACTUALLY a lot better than the main game Xenoblade 2: in fact if I had to review this expansion on its own I'd gladly say that this was a "fun" jrpgs with a fun combat, some good story bits, and overall a decent narrative, basically everything that the main game missed.

    I mean, this game LITERALLY fixes every issue I had in the main version:    Well I hate to say this, but this game is ACTUALLY a lot better than the main game Xenoblade 2: in fact if I had to review this expansion on its own I'd gladly say that this was a "fun" jrpgs with a fun combat, some good story bits, and overall a decent narrative, basically everything that the main game missed.

    I mean, this game LITERALLY fixes every issue I had in the main version: combat is actually faster, and fun, and exciting, and rewarding, gathering is not a chore anymore because with fewer blades (6, 2 for each character) it's much easier to gather stuff up and the game even tells you what the node gives you. Quests are MUCH more precise and tell you everything to do, including where and who to speak, and AUX CORES ARE ALREADY FILLED WHEN YOU GET THEM! Holy **** **** I can't believe they've fixed it in an expansion but not in the god-forsaken main game! Nobody knows how many empty cores I had because I couldn't be fussed to fill them up.

    Blades are less now, only 6 like I said, which means less convoluted gameplay and less RNG: combos are easier to do and doesn't require those long and unnecessary complex moves you need to do to put an orb: you just need to use an elemental skill. On the other hand, breaking SAID orbs is much harder...but I think it's a nice change.

    The Affinity chart still sucks as usual BUT this is the thing: in here it's better because you only have 6 blades and not only that some charts FINALLY TELL YOU where to go for killing enemies and tyrants! Again, where the **** was this in the main game?!

    And to top all of this, the story is actually good and more interesting...I mean not that it required a lot of work mind you but Addam is a FAR superior character than Rex, Lora is interesting and her relationship with Jin is also intriguing (especially if you played the main game), and the Niall-clone is...well okay, Aegeon has more personality here and Brighid is okay too. Mythra is as bad as always.

    In addition, you have fewer skills (one less even though you could only put 3) but instead, each blade and character have a passive - THAT'S RIGHT, someone actually got the brilliant idea to finally make each character unique with a passive (or talent). It was too common to see blades with basically the same exact skills with only a few of them being actually unique (I can only think of Perceval and Finch right now) but in here while they do have some similar traits, their unique passives does help differentiate them!
    Also you can ACTUALLY play as a blade during fights...I mean that's pretty obvious but not obvious enough to be in the main freaking game!

    This was how Xenoblade 2 should've been! Fun and fast combat, interesting characters, relaxing and rewarding quests (seriously the filled aux cores makes everything better) and rewarding characters to play with...so why I'm giving this game a 5? Because this is a goddamn expansion ONLY!

    When I saw all of these features I couldn't help but scream "WHY!" every second, because these changes could've made the main game a lot better but instead we had these changes in a 40 buck (or 30 if you got season pass) standalone expansion that barely lasts 10-20 hours.
    In addition, this was CLEARLY a playable flashback that was supposed to be played between chapter 5 and 6, it's so clearly obvious: in the main game that was a part of the game where essentially nothing of importance happened and I can bet anything that this was supposed to be a part playable in the main game but they had to scrap for time restraints.

    A truly big shame to see what Xenoblade 2 could've actually become, but instead, we have a mediocre semi-action jrpg that is so grindy and unfocused on every level on one hand (XB2), and a good and very well balanced and shaped actual combat jrpg on the other (Torna).

    So I'll give this a 5 only because not only it's short (but good), but because if you play this game you will NOT enjoy how backward and how underdeveloped the main game is...but you must play that as well if you want to continue the story and it's hard not to resist.

    5+5 is a 10 so in a way, this is a good thing, but it could've been much more than just this...    … Expand
  26. 0wls
    Jul 13, 2019
    4
    As a big fan of XC2 I was fairly disappointed with Torna. This review is aimed at people who played XC2 and are deciding on whether to check out Torna. What I loved about XC2:
    -Deep and complex combat system
    -Customizability -Music -Incredible locations -Options to play as you see fit with many tasks In all 5 of these areas, Torna is a watered down version of XC2. Yes I know    As a big fan of XC2 I was fairly disappointed with Torna. This review is aimed at people who played XC2 and are deciding on whether to check out Torna. What I loved about XC2:
    -Deep and complex combat system
    -Customizability
    -Music
    -Incredible locations
    -Options to play as you see fit with many tasks

    In all 5 of these areas, Torna is a watered down version of XC2. Yes I know it's a less expensive game, but the amount of things that are poorly executed made me choose not to finish it, even though it's a much shorter game. Let me go through each point.

    Combat: There are no different options for blades, so you can't do things like in XC2 like choose whether to give Rex a healing blade or go full fighter, so the roles are blurred and your focus on what you should be doing in combat isn't clear. Blade combos are now anything combos into anything, so there is much less strategy. Every blade special attack adds an orb to the enemy (at level 1, 2 and 3 specials rather than just level 3) so the excitement and strategy of building up to a big chain attack is dumbed down.

    Customizability:
    One of my favorite things about XC2 was collecting core crystals and hoping to find a way to make a team that had ideal balance of healing blades on Nia, tank blades on Morag and fighter blades on Rex, to be able to create all 8 elemental orbs and also do driver combos (break, topple, launch, smash). This game gives you no say in your team, you get 3 drivers who each have 3 blades, you got each element represented and you have your driver combos, so no challenge or strategy there.

    Music:
    I loved the soundtrack to XC2. This game's new tracks are mostly forgettable, and it recycles a lot of XC2 or in at least one case, just remixes XC2 music. If you've finished XC2 you've probably spent 80 hours or so listening to those amazing songs so the effect has worn off a bit, and there is not much here to recreate the excitement of that score.

    Locations:
    Torna's environments are nowhere near as expansive, graphically beautiful or impressive as they are in XC2. Again, I know it's a cheaper game but there was not one area that was a "wow" moment for me, it's a lot more linear and a lot of the textures seem likely recycled from XC2 so they don't have the same impact on someone who completed that game. Also, much fewer titans (I won't spoil the number).

    Options:
    In XC2, I love that on top of customizing your blades and your team, you can then choose whatever you want to do with progression. Go straight through the story? Great. Focus on leveling up your blades' affinity chart? Do it. Sidequests? Go for it. Community level? Sure! Torna fails the most severely in this category. The game literally stops you from continuing the story unless you do sidequests and raise community levels. And not just a few. A TON. I just wanted to go through the story, so I ignored sidequests. Big mistake. At a certain point, the game told me I had to complete 15 sidequests before continuing. I hadn't even added that many to my quest log. The majority of these are very boring. An example: someone is hungry for a certain dish. So you have to go to a campsite to see if you can make that dish. Nope, don't have the ingredients. So I have to Google where I can find that ingredient. Then I fast travel to that location, look around, walk over and press A to grab the ingredient. Oh, but I need 5, and I only have 2. So I fast travel away, and fast travel back 2 more times to get enough. Then I fast travel back to my campsite, create the dish and then fast travel back to the NPC to give him the dish. He decides he wants a different dish. I repeat the boring process that has no sense of progression or excitement. Ok, now I have 1 sidequest done. This is about the average effort needed for sidequests, some are quicker and some are *shudders* longer. So I spend many hours frustrated that the energy of the game is being spent on fetchquests and finally complete 15. But THEN. I Google just to make sure this is the only time this will happen. NOPE. You're gonna have to complete 40ish slow sidequests to finish the game, in a game that doesn't dazzle with combat, music, or character options in a very limited number of locations.

    If you absolutely need more XC lore, this game has some but didn't dazzle me with story or characters. Everything that I loved about XC2 is worse in this game and while I completed that game twice I dropped this game at about 75% completion and don't care to finish it. Pretty disappointed.    … Expand
  27. Gamexpert
    Aug 17, 2019
    0
    DONT BUY if you dislike MMO-fetchquests.
    I never hated agame so much as Torna, and i loved the maingame very much.
    But they actually put a mainquest at the end of the game, before the final clash where you have to do 40-50 Sidequests to progess the story. And these sidequests are not interesting at all, almost all of them are MMO-like fetchquests, some of them with small dropchances. It    DONT BUY if you dislike MMO-fetchquests.
    I never hated agame so much as Torna, and i loved the maingame very much.
    But they actually put a mainquest at the end of the game, before the final clash where you have to do 40-50 Sidequests to progess the story. And these sidequests are not interesting at all, almost all of them are MMO-like fetchquests, some of them with small dropchances. It completly broke this game for me.    … Expand
  28. Nowakowski
    Nov 2, 2018
    1
    First off.. This game does nothing new. If you like quirky characters you might like this ever but and still very bad design...a waste of time....it is not a complete game in some way.
  29. macunix
    Oct 19, 2018
    0
    still very bad map (guide) design...a waste of time....it is not a complete game in some way.
  30. acoolguy
    Jun 12, 2019
    9
    A must play for those who enjoyed the original and worth looking into for anyone whose been curious about the series. Torna fixes most of the biggest flaws from the original; no more gacha, an improved battle system, specialized collect-points that can be viewed from the map, more interesting side quests, and a better core party.
    The only real weaknesses here are the rather short and    A must play for those who enjoyed the original and worth looking into for anyone whose been curious about the series. Torna fixes most of the biggest flaws from the original; no more gacha, an improved battle system, specialized collect-points that can be viewed from the map, more interesting side quests, and a better core party.
    The only real weaknesses here are the rather short and simplistic story in comparison to the main game, which is to be expected, and the hefty sidequest completion requirement right at the game's climax.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

87
#87 Best Switch Game of 2018
19
#19 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
89
#89 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 41 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 41
  3. Negative: 0 out of 41
  1. FNintendo
    Mar 13, 2019
    80
    Torna is a marvelous expansion of the no less amazing Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Adding to what the original game already does good, Torna manages to improve the combat system and acts as a very good buildup on the original game's plot. This is an especially recommended additional experience to those who enjoyed Xenoblade Chronicles 2, as it is designed to be especially appealing to fans of the original game.
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  2. Vooks
    Feb 21, 2019
    60
    While Torna’s story unfortunately turned out to be a huge let down, the gameplay does more than enough to pick up the pieces. Ultimately, exploring the world of Alrest is still a delight, and any excuse to re-enter this gorgeous universe is one worth taking.
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  3. Cubed3
    Dec 27, 2018
    80
    With refined combat, a far tighter script, and an infinitely more likable cast, Torna - The Golden Country manages to address almost all of Xenoblade Chronicles 2's core problems without ever straying too far from its source.
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