Xenoblade Chronicles 2

 Switch
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2500 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,077 out of 2500
  2. Mixed: 183 out of 2500
  3. Negative: 240 out of 2500
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  1. Cehanson
    Aug 29, 2023
    7
    Solid game. Story was not as good as xc1, but I still enjoyed it. Combat was a lot of fun, better than xc2. Problem is the game has arbitrary game mechanics that seem to only hurt the player and make the game artificially longer. Such as the whole gatcha mechanic for getting new blades. Would be a solid 8/10 without these meaningless mechanics
  2. Sensou
    Jul 23, 2023
    6
    Strong First Impression but....

    Many things to hate or dislike from Xenoblade 2 but I can still say I enjoy my time with it. Although, I will never play it again. Things that went wrong in my opinion: - The Worst Navigation system in gaming I've ever experienced so far. - Rough texture on handheld mode. If they go with Zelda kind of art style, it should be fine, but they go with    Strong First Impression but....

    Many things to hate or dislike from Xenoblade 2 but I can still say I enjoy my time with it. Although, I will never play it again.

    Things that went wrong in my opinion:
    - The Worst Navigation system in gaming I've ever experienced so far.
    - Rough texture on handheld mode. If they go with Zelda kind of art style, it should be fine, but they go with realistic kind of look and it's make things worst from visual perspective.
    - Way too complex for Blade/ Drive/ Combat mechanic. Many features should be always good for players but in this case, it's not necessary in my opinion.
    - Weird EXP system where they separate the one you gain from combat and the one you gain from Quests. You have to rest at the in to claim that EXP from Quests
    - One of the worst quest design. You can accept some side quests and somehow you are not able to complete that, yet. Why don't you unlock the side quests once we are fully compatible for it? On top of that, way too many "subs" in those side quests which makes it very lengthy + with that bad navigation system, it's a complete nightmare to do the side quests.
    - Story is debatable but I skip it after Chapter 6 due to overloaded dialogues here and there, lengthy cutscenes and overload of information as well which left me with "huh?". So, it's just unappealing story for me. All I know is we are trying to get to Elysium with our lovely blade but some bad guy got in your way by wanting to stole your lovely blade. The end of the story.

    Besides that, it's a great game that I believe for JRPG fans, you'll definitely able to enjoy it. But this game completely kills of my intention to try Xenoblade 3.    … Expand
  3. thompmi
    Jul 16, 2023
    7
    Really fun and endearing, but it's definitely got problems. Some sections of the story and gameplay really drag on, and there is much more awkward delivery and dialogue than you can find in any of the other MAIN Xenoblade games (we don't talk about X). However, the gameplay may be even better than the original and story-wise, the ending is fantastic.
  4. CyberPhoenix1
    May 16, 2023
    7
    Xenoblade Chronicles 2 suffers from a lot of problems such as the bad tutorials and the field skill system, but even still it's not that bad. The story is great, the characters are great, and the combat is great. I would not recommend this game as a starting point, however. Start with Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition.
  5. aaronsanders769
    May 12, 2023
    7
    A solid sequel with its flaws. Right off the bat the art style and mechanics are completely different from the first. This isn't a bad thing by any means but it took a second to get used to. I feel like at the start of the game there a good amount of cringe moments but as you progressed they were far and few in-between. For me personally it took about 10ish hours to really get hooked butA solid sequel with its flaws. Right off the bat the art style and mechanics are completely different from the first. This isn't a bad thing by any means but it took a second to get used to. I feel like at the start of the game there a good amount of cringe moments but as you progressed they were far and few in-between. For me personally it took about 10ish hours to really get hooked but once I was I couldn't put it down. Just as the first one the the story is immersive and a joy to get through. I wish that the after credit scene wasn't there but I get why it was put in, just a personal preference is all. If you like the first game you'll find enjoyment in this as well.… Expand
  6. megabusterx
    Jan 25, 2023
    6
    Rex is pretty unbearable as far as main characters go, and a lot of the dialog feels like typical anime schlock. The gameplay wasn't that engaging but the music is very good.
  7. ZYMROD
    Nov 24, 2022
    7
    Un gran juego que se ve menoscabado por su horrible tutorial y protagonista que le quita gracia a la historia.
  8. stupidopinion
    Oct 23, 2022
    6
    There is so much to love here which makes the pitfalls of this game so utterly painful to me. The story and gameplay mechanics are strong, but cringey dialogue and moments make me question why I'm playing. I took several month long breaks from the game throughout my playthrough because of this, which may have further contributed to my negative feelings about the experience as a whole. I'mThere is so much to love here which makes the pitfalls of this game so utterly painful to me. The story and gameplay mechanics are strong, but cringey dialogue and moments make me question why I'm playing. I took several month long breaks from the game throughout my playthrough because of this, which may have further contributed to my negative feelings about the experience as a whole. I'm still glad I got to the end though, it's conclusion impactful and beautiful in a way, retroactively improving the first Chronicles game, which I love. Has its issues but if you can sit down for a 60 hour game and get past the bad moments, there is something truly enjoyable here.

    Also this game has the worst tutorial of all time, I'd recommend Chuggaaconroy's "Everything I wish I knew about Xenoblade Chronicles 2" guide video as it clears up a ton of stuff the tutorial utterly fails to properly explain.    … Expand
  9. kinsang
    Oct 11, 2022
    7
    ยกระดับเกมเพลย์จากภาคแรกขึ้นมาได้น่าสนใจ โครงเรื่องและไอเดียดี แต่กลับเขียนบทออกมาได้แย่และโบราณไปหน่อยในหลายจุด
  10. Vinzkill
    Sep 16, 2022
    7
    Im almost 40+hours in the game and I cant push myself further to finish it. I wanted to love it and finish it because I wanted to finish xb1 and 2 before i play XB3. Too much emphasis on boobs and sexy body of the female characters (can be good for some folks) but for me its like drinking coffee with ten spoons of sugar. Rex's voice acting is the worst. The only thing "good"in the VA isIm almost 40+hours in the game and I cant push myself further to finish it. I wanted to love it and finish it because I wanted to finish xb1 and 2 before i play XB3. Too much emphasis on boobs and sexy body of the female characters (can be good for some folks) but for me its like drinking coffee with ten spoons of sugar. Rex's voice acting is the worst. The only thing "good"in the VA is the accent, other than that there is no emotion. storyis uninteresting and unable to hook my attention and make me want to play it nonstop. I personally dont like the blade driver style of gameplay, map navigation is a mess which Im glad they fixed on 3.Xeno 1 and xeno 3 are GREAT. 2 is meh meh meh. Its not a bad game, its just not for me.… Expand
  11. Gutoso
    Jul 31, 2022
    5
    This game is a shame in so many ways that is hard to say. The storyline is childish. The story is **** The gameplay is confusing. I don't know what the hell happened from the frist game, which is a masterpiece. But I would feel ashamed if I was the director of this.
  12. neko555
    Sep 17, 2022
    5
    Es una autentica pena lo de este juego. La historia, sin ser gran cosa, no es mala, y la jugabilidad de los combates, una vez lo pillas, es muy divertida. Pero tiene puntos negativos que, al menos a mí, me han hecho plantearme dejar el juego a medias en varias ocasiones.

    Quizás el más grave es que te hace perder el tiempo, muchísimo. Las primeras horas pensé que simplemente tenía    Es una autentica pena lo de este juego. La historia, sin ser gran cosa, no es mala, y la jugabilidad de los combates, una vez lo pillas, es muy divertida. Pero tiene puntos negativos que, al menos a mí, me han hecho plantearme dejar el juego a medias en varias ocasiones.

    Quizás el más grave es que te hace perder el tiempo, muchísimo. Las primeras horas pensé que simplemente tenía mecánicas algo anticuadas, falta de pulido, que se solía ver más en juegos de PS1 o PS2. Después te das cuenta que es totalmente deliberado. No se si querían ostentar el récord de juego offline más largo de la historia, pero es lo que parece. Algunos ejemplos:
    Cada situación que requiere de habilidades de blade tiene que reproducirse una animación de cada uno de los blades, cuando avanzas algo en el juego esto puede significar hasta 15 animaciones solo para extraer un mísero material.

    Muchos de los artículos, en lugar de poder venderse en bloque, hay que ir vendiéndolos de uno en uno, artículos que los enemigos sueltan a patadas, 99,9% repetidos y casi inservibles, he llegado a estar 10-12 minutos vendiendo equipamiento hasta que me he cansado y lo he dejado.

    Creación de blades lo mismo que el anterior punto. Hay que ir de uno en uno, haciendo varias selecciones de por medio y luego aguantando otra animación. Esto sumado a la ridícula probabilidad de que no te salga un blade genérico lo convierte en un auténtico dolor de cabeza. Con cheats he llegado a usar más de 100 cristales legendarios sin obtener un solo blade raro, a pesar de faltarme un tercio de la lista. Añadir también la imposibilidad de eliminarlos en bloque y, de nuevo, necesidad de aguantar una animación de 2-5s por cada eliminación.

    El juego triger, necesario para una adecuada evolución de varios de los blades, requiere de miles de partidas (cosa que ya me parece totalmente innecesaria). Cada maldita partida tienes que ver la animación de inicio, las puntuaciones, la recogida de "premios"...

    Cada blade raro requiere de misiones secundarios propias para su desarrollo. Misiones que son en su práctica totalidad insufribles por aburridas y por largas, como repetir un millón de veces la misma misión de mercenario para que, al terminar, te digan que tienes que repetirte otro millón de veces otras 10 misiones; tener que patearte todos los continentes 1000 veces probando una y otra vez puntos de extracción cada una de las veces, y así un largo etc. Si a esto sumamos que cada blade tiene 0 profundad de personaje e historia y que no se molestan en que estas misiones tengan el más mínimo interés esto no es más que un suplicio.
    El punto anterior lleva a las misiones secundarias. No pido que tengan la calidad de las de The Witcher 3 (no es ni mucho menos de mis juegos favoritos, pero en este punto era brillante), pero al menos pediría misiones que no despierten en mi ansias asesinas por largas y aburridas. Diría que en todo el juego a penas han despertado en mi algo de interés las misiones de Blades de Dagos y algún otro más.
    Llegamos a encontrar misiones secundarias en las que los puntos de transporte no funcionan, con el único objetivo de hacernos perder el tiempo recorriendo el mapa entero.
    Con respecto a la pérdida de tiempo en este juego podría hablar casi tanto como el tiempo que hace perder el juego, por ello no me extenderé más.
    Otro punto negativo es lo irritante que puede ser el juego en muchos momentos, diría que precisamente con la intención de prolongarlo. Por ejemplo, poniendo enemigos que multiplican por 2-10 tu nivel en lugares de tránsito habitual con el añadido que se mueven casi buscándote. En cuanto te matan, vuelta automática al punto del que venías.
    Otro ejemplo que a mi me saca de mis casillas es la cantidad de enemigos que están al borde de precipicios, al borde del agua, en cuestas...intentas farmear algo y pierdes la mitad o la totalidad del botín por este motivo. Si intentas sacarlos de estas zonas con el método de llamarlos, además de tirarte un buen rato, encontraras que el enemigo ni se inmuta, que practicamente no se mueve nada o que cuando se mueve se desvanece y vuelve a su punto de origen.
    Por último, y mira que es algo que me suele dar bastante igual, lo de este juego con el sexismo es de juzgado de guardia, y mira que no soy ningún woke. Misiones como la de "Femineidad" entre Mythra y la otra eléctrica, las proporciones de Dahlia o el hecho de que en plena escena dramática solo se preocupen en sacar planos del culo y las tetas de un personaje, incluso recreándose haciéndolas botar como flanes en ese preciso instante...no se a los demás, pero lo único que produce en mi es ganas de agachar la cabeza por vergüenza ajena.

    Como ya he dicho, creo que podría ser un grandísimo juego, pero se cargan lo que podría ser una experiencia de juego genial con estas decisiones tan absurdas.    … Expand
  13. cfc1998
    May 17, 2022
    7
    Good game with lovely characters and great open world, combat system its very complex and the story is confusing. Overall not my kind of game but enjoyed it a lot.
  14. Cinept
    Mar 7, 2022
    6
    6/10. Tutorial lasts 10 years, story and characters are uninteresting. Combat gets relatively fun and engaging once an understanding is reached which takes 25 hours. JRPG shenanigans.
  15. Lucas359
    Feb 17, 2022
    7
    Luego de que Monolith Soft nos entregara su magnifica y aclamada obra Xenoblade Chronicles en 2010 uno vería con demasiada expectativa y emoción su 2da entrega de la saga luego de 7 años en su lanzamiento en 2017.Contradictoriamente esta secuela toma casi todo lo que logro convertir a su anterior entrega en una de semejante calibre y lo vuelve un juego mediocre en todos esos aspectos. LaLuego de que Monolith Soft nos entregara su magnifica y aclamada obra Xenoblade Chronicles en 2010 uno vería con demasiada expectativa y emoción su 2da entrega de la saga luego de 7 años en su lanzamiento en 2017.Contradictoriamente esta secuela toma casi todo lo que logro convertir a su anterior entrega en una de semejante calibre y lo vuelve un juego mediocre en todos esos aspectos. La historia se vuelve la de un anime (me gusta y veo mucho anime/manga) estándar sin una premisa interesante o llamativa que ofrecer, los personajes son planos con personalidades sacadas de los prototipos que cualquier historia de anime te puede mostrar sin nada único o carismático en ellos, la sobre sexualisacion/ecchi y fanservice puestas en las 2 protagonistas principales (y en otros secundarios mas) sumado a las escenas y momentos clichés con el MC y en el resto de la historia es algo que implementaron para atraer mas a este tipo de publico y consumidor pero que la esencia y encanto de la saga nunca necesito,ni hablar del bajon impresionante de calidad en el villano principal. Curiosamente lo que mejoro fue su sistema de combate al volverlo mas dinámico, pero nada mas.
    Como fan de la saga, esperando que la nueva entrega prevista en septiembre aprenda de estos errores y nos ofrezca un 3er titulo a la altura de lo que fue el 1ro y a lo que el potencial de la serie puede dar.    … Expand
  16. LuckyMeybFan
    Dec 10, 2021
    7
    After 150 hours of gameplay, I figured it's time to write a review for Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

    Sadly, XC2's story failed to amaze me. It was a good emotional ride; there were goosebumps here and there but there was nothing that made me think that the story is exceptional. The pace was not good in my opinion, and the overall tone of the game is a bit inconsistent with the narrative.    After 150 hours of gameplay, I figured it's time to write a review for Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

    Sadly, XC2's story failed to amaze me. It was a good emotional ride; there were goosebumps here and there but there was nothing that made me think that the story is exceptional. The pace was not good in my opinion, and the overall tone of the game is a bit inconsistent with the narrative.

    The world was very good, but it's not as good as the world of XC1 which was incredible.

    Most of the characters have enough quirks to be memorable... but I didn't appreciate the anime character archetypes that were a bit too cheesy at times.

    I don't like Rex as much as I like Shulk from XC1. To me, Rex is a stale, typical Shonen protagonist fighting against the odds with the power of friendship, recklessness, stubbornness, naivety, and optimism. There is a sweet spot in every character that lies between ideal and flawed. Rex is a character more skewed towards the former, which I didn't like simply because I couldn't connect with his struggle. His struggles were only ever fleshed out whenever the "boy meets girl" theme comes into place. I loved how Shulk reacted to the things around him the same way me and other people normally would; Rex lacked that authenticity. Also... Shulk's growth with the monado is incorporated in the gameplay which I think is very cool.

    I love the music! I really hated the background music for two locations but aside from that, the music in this game are EARGASMIC.

    The gameplay is nice. I just hate the grind because some of my experience with it are ridiculous... jump from a high point, jump 6,000 times, walk a lot. What the heck, game? Can't you think of something else to do? (I grinded hours to unlocked all blades, except for the ones you can get from new game plus.)

    Overall, I think the game is mediocre because of the emotional but average Shonen story and the main character BUT...
    The sheer amount of work put into this game is amazing. There is a ton of side content in the base game, and I am looking forward to playing the DLC. If you love JRPGs, you should not miss this one. It's great, but it's far from being a masterpiece. I don't hate the game, I was just a tad disappointed with the main character, the grind, and the story; the most important RPG elements to me... I felt like they could've been executed a lot better.

    I thought the English dub was horrible in general... but Japanese voice DLC fixed it for me, at least there's that.    … Expand
  17. emeyece
    Dec 5, 2021
    5
    I don‘t get it. This is a masterpiece for many? The story is dumb and flat, also the characters are one-dimensional. And then they are constantly shouting the same one liners at you. Like „with the power of friendship“. Oh Man! Graphics are mediocre and stylewise it’s that typical Japanese obersexualized anime look; horny but desperate. Man, I don‘t know where to start. The map and evenI don‘t get it. This is a masterpiece for many? The story is dumb and flat, also the characters are one-dimensional. And then they are constantly shouting the same one liners at you. Like „with the power of friendship“. Oh Man! Graphics are mediocre and stylewise it’s that typical Japanese obersexualized anime look; horny but desperate. Man, I don‘t know where to start. The map and even the compass are the worst. You‘re constantly running around, don‘t know where to go. And these things just don‘t help. The fights are sooooo boring and most of the time you’re loosing because, yeah why exactly? Because you don‘t know what is happening. Wtf!?… Expand
  18. fsq111111
    Oct 10, 2021
    5
    I think the plot of Xenoblade 2 is well written, and the performance and music are very good. On the contrary, the map and combat system are not very good. It's really boring in the first 10 hours. If it is optimized, it can sell better.
  19. Gramscci
    Jun 22, 2021
    7
    Un juego que de inicio me dio la impresión de ser un doble AA; sin embargo nadie me había calladonla boca tan rápido y contundentemente, es una delicia poder perderse en un mundo tan grande como el que ofrece este juego, respecto al sistema de combate en realidad no es tan complicado como muchos analistas se quejan, aunque efectivamente pudo explicarse de mejor forma, sobre quieres perderUn juego que de inicio me dio la impresión de ser un doble AA; sin embargo nadie me había calladonla boca tan rápido y contundentemente, es una delicia poder perderse en un mundo tan grande como el que ofrece este juego, respecto al sistema de combate en realidad no es tan complicado como muchos analistas se quejan, aunque efectivamente pudo explicarse de mejor forma, sobre quieres perder en una historia genia y disfrutar de un juegazo no lo dudes y prueba está joya.… Expand
  20. Zethor
    May 25, 2021
    7
    Xenoblade 2 retains many of its predecessor's great traits, such as a beautiful open world to explore, and a (mostly) fantastic soundtrack. The combat remains strong, with some major improvements to things such as auto attacks, and major downgrades such as the time-wasting, irritating chain attacks. The mechanic also comes with a great perk in the new overkill feature, which curbsXenoblade 2 retains many of its predecessor's great traits, such as a beautiful open world to explore, and a (mostly) fantastic soundtrack. The combat remains strong, with some major improvements to things such as auto attacks, and major downgrades such as the time-wasting, irritating chain attacks. The mechanic also comes with a great perk in the new overkill feature, which curbs xenoblade chronicles' 1's only notable flaw in forcing exploration for the sake of not having to grind, but also makes the game a bit on the easy side. Overall, I see this as a bit of a sidegrade, and the series retains a similar level of quality here to before.

    However, the game falls flat on its face in the story, a core element of JRPGs, and delivers a story I'd expect to see out of only the most horrendous anime the world has to offer. It truly feels as though you're playing through something like Sword Art Online, and I detest most of what this story has to offer. There are still some enjoyable characters, but just as many irritating, annoying ones on top of it. Overall, I understand the shift in style, but I feel it to be a bit of a betrayal to those who fell in love with the well-crafted story and incredible characters of the first game. The game's still enjoyable despite this, thankfully, but it serves as a major hit to the game's quality.    … Expand
  21. thilg881
    May 1, 2021
    6
    The Good:
    - The art style;
    - A bit slow at the beginning, but it get better; - Great soundtrack; - Tons of side quests; - A fantastic world to explore; - The story and the characters; - If you liked Xenoblade Chronicles 1, you will like this sequel too; The Bad: - Even after beating the game, I can't see a good reason why Rex is the protagonist instead of Pyra; - Tutorial    The Good:
    - The art style;
    - A bit slow at the beginning, but it get better;
    - Great soundtrack;
    - Tons of side quests;
    - A fantastic world to explore;
    - The story and the characters;
    - If you liked Xenoblade Chronicles 1, you will like this sequel too;

    The Bad:
    - Even after beating the game, I can't see a good reason why Rex is the protagonist instead of Pyra;
    - Tutorial heavy;
    - Combat system takes a really long time to get into it;
    - Combat takes extremely long, even against weaker enemies;
    - Some game mechanics are not explained in game;
    - Excessive use of grinding in almost every aspect of the game;
    - Getting rare blades is extremely luck dependant, some blades, have a 1/1000 spawn chance;
    - Terrible voice sync, but the voice actors did a great job;
    - The line: you win the boss fight, just to lose in the cutscene right after it, happens too many times and gets really frustrating/annoying later on;
    - Some graphics elements could be better;
    - The textures takes some time to load randomly.    … Expand
  22. Traumvita
    Apr 30, 2021
    6
    Not horrible. Rex is annoying, combat is meh. Appeals to sex addict weebs too much. World is cool tho
  23. MaddoxWhite
    Apr 25, 2021
    7
    Here I am again, trying an RPG, and not understanding why people like RPGs. Putting aside that I don't care for these kinda games and anime women, (sword things...?) it seems pretty good in terms of design and graphics. Not for me at all though. You guys do you.
  24. hinst
    Mar 7, 2021
    5
    Pros:
    + Character design; and I mean not only visual but all together: voice, personality, story and such
    Cons: - Blurry image & stuttering because of underpowered hardware of Nintendo Switch - Territorial Rotbart runs wild around the green plain and kills you with just one hit. Is there any sense in this design decision? Any at all? - To find items required for a quest you have run    Pros:
    + Character design; and I mean not only visual but all together: voice, personality, story and such

    Cons:
    - Blurry image & stuttering because of underpowered hardware of Nintendo Switch
    - Territorial Rotbart runs wild around the green plain and kills you with just one hit. Is there any sense in this design decision? Any at all?
    - To find items required for a quest you have run around and guess where they are
    - Level grind level grind level grind; as soon as the 2nd chapter starts, you have to grind from level 15 to level 35 to progress further. Why???
    - Only one save slot. Why?
    - Random blades -> lootbox mechanics bad. Get the same blade 6 times? Yes. Exactly what I want to see in a game (no it's not).
    - Most battles are boring because you're either level above so you kill the foes easily or the foes are level above so you run away which is not fun. When the level is close or the same then it's not boring but it happens rarely

    Overall the two biggest problems are: poor tech (blurry, stutter) and level grind. Both need to be solved for this game to be even considered remotely good. Perhaps SwitchPro will fix the tech side but it's too late anyway for a 2017 game. It should be good when it's released and not 4 years later. Level grind is awful, it needs to go away. From all games, not from just this one!    … Expand
  25. WakeUpJeff
    Feb 18, 2021
    5
    Xenoblade 2 is simply "ok" at almost everything it tries to do and is bogged down by convoluted and tedious systems. It's soundtrack is the only thing I would call a standout (Torigoth Day is a particularly nice song). While not a bad game, it does not, as a whole, do anything remarkable enough to warrant the 60 hour time-sink.
  26. Eienmatt
    Feb 5, 2021
    6
    Anyone who gave this game a 10 has never played more than 20 hours of it. This was the RPG for my switch that i was most excited about and after over 120 hours in, i can say that the game has so much charm but just falls to pieces under its ridiculously messy systems. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 starts off and really wows you with the sheer size of the titans and the interesting storyline. ForAnyone who gave this game a 10 has never played more than 20 hours of it. This was the RPG for my switch that i was most excited about and after over 120 hours in, i can say that the game has so much charm but just falls to pieces under its ridiculously messy systems. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 starts off and really wows you with the sheer size of the titans and the interesting storyline. For a majority of the game, the storyline remains decent though a tad predictable. As you start to approach Chapter 7, things start to fall flat and the tedium really starts to weigh you down. The battle system (once you finally figure out how it all works - probably with the help of a youtube video or 2) starts to feel a bit boring. This sounds crazy as it really shouldn't be since you're constantly busy doing driver combos, blade combos, fusion combos, breaking elementals and moving around to flank enemies. However, it turns into a wash/rinse/repeat process that drags on as you consistently run into enemies with tons of health even though they may be several levels beneath you. To mix it up, get ready for bosses and enemies who do things like 'burst damage' with no obvious heads up or information that this damage is happening differently from normal damage - nor a tutorial on what it is and how to stop it. Imagine my surprise when i kept dying and had to consult the internet to figure out why i suddenly went from winning a battle to dying in about 5 seconds. This continues with bosses that start to interrupt your combos by sealing you in the most wonderfully inconvenient of times. There are also weird glitches such as enemies/yourself falling to a lower level and becoming unreachable, hard won rare items falling off the side of structures only to be uncollectable as they've landed in water or on a ledge that is hard to reach (not to mention, they only last onscreen for a short period of time so you'd better be close enough to reach them somehow).

    The weapon collection/blade system is a gatcha game (albeit, no real money is needed) that feels out of place and unhelpful to the purpose of gaining new blades. Locking them behind subquests would at least have been more logical as the several sidequests in that vein work well and provide backgrounds for each blade. Transfering them amongst team members is complicated and limited. Which makes it hard to really enjoy blade collecting.

    The map is awful. Figuring out where you need to go (for side quests in particular) is just brutal. I cannot stress this issue enough. The mapping system in this game is atrocious.

    The UI is so cumbersome and unfriendly. Managing blades and then needing to go back into the character select menu to equip them made no sense to me. Nor did the million different items with near identical effects that could be bought from the many stores (yay - two different things that reduce damage by 1.0%! thanks?). Nor did the various key items that give bonuses when you get them but seem to be trivial in application (increasing my item collection reach by 50cm? That sounds tiny - and you're right it is! I still need to be on top of an item to pick it up!).

    I was so saddened by how messy this game was and am praying xenoblade chronicles definitive edition is not burdened with the same issues. Really saddened by how this turned out.    … Expand
  27. abYss123
    Jan 27, 2021
    7
    This is one of or the best arpg on the switch. The characters are fun and well developed. Get this game now! You won’t regret it! The voice actors in English aren't the best and the nopons are super annoying.
  28. mattlarrubia
    Sep 24, 2020
    7
    Delete Rex and the game would be really great. The gameplay is one of the best in the genre.
  29. moothemagiccow
    Aug 29, 2020
    7
    =OVERWHELMING.=
    I loved Xenoblade 1 and Xenoblade X but this game is overwhelming. If there was a player's guide, it would be the size of an encyclopedia. There are too many options, too many items, too many things to upgrade, too many menus to manage.
    Even watching the battles is overwhelming. You control one character, who has a partner character ("Blade"), and you're on a team with    =OVERWHELMING.=
    I loved Xenoblade 1 and Xenoblade X but this game is overwhelming. If there was a player's guide, it would be the size of an encyclopedia. There are too many options, too many items, too many things to upgrade, too many menus to manage.

    Even watching the battles is overwhelming. You control one character, who has a partner character ("Blade"), and you're on a team with two other people who also have partners. Often the people you are battling also have these partners. It's a mess to watch.

    Each of these characters and each of these partner Blades have items/weapons you can equip, with skill trees that you upgrade.

    You don't just get those items from beating enemies or doing quests. After you get them from enemies or quests, you have to find spots around the map, press the buttons right on time, and dig up materials that activate the items you can equip. To dig up materials, you have to buy a kind of digging license. You can sell excess materials at a specific shop, but there's no real way to remember which materials are important.

    You can upgrade your skill trees by simply playing the game, or you can do discrete tasks like "go talk to people" or "collect and use this kind of potion."

    You can also use multiple "Blades" in the same battle, and there are more Blades than you can realistically manage. You get them in a kind of lottery system that is similar to micro-transaction RPGs (which does NOT cost real money, just in-game items). One goal is to get "rare" blades rather than throwaway, weaker blades. The lottery is another dimension to the game that no one really understands.

    There is a lot more - quests, where you collect items or talk to characters or go places or kill things, then Mercenary Quests where you deploy your blades for 10-45 minutes at a time and can't use them, pouch items that give you temporary upgrades, and I'm sure I'm forgetting like five things!

    =NO EXPLANATIONS=
    I have no idea how much all of this effort actually has on playing the game, because the game is so overwhelming that no player really understands what they're doing. Is this weapon better than the other? Is this skill more worthwhile? It's often too complicated to figure out. When I look something up on google, I see contradictory answers in the same thread. That means people who think they know how to play and are giving advice don't actually know.

    This is because the game RARELY EXPLAINS what is happening or how to play. In the first ten or so hours of the game, you're bombarded with new systems, and the tutorials don't really give you a baseline understanding of what you're doing. Even some of the terms have really similar names. A skill with a Smash effect has a particular effect on enemies, but many skills are called "Quick Smash" etc without having the Smash effect. There are Blade Arts and Blade Combos and Arts Combos and I can't remember which is which.

    =MISSTEPS=
    What's strange is that the game is lacking in a few basic areas. You can't control the rest of your party (much different than previous Xenoblade games) and their AI is stupid. They will, for example, walk off a cliff and die in the middle of a battle. When enemies drop items, sometimes the items will fall off a cliff or fall onto a spot that you can't jump to because you're still fighting. The map is a total mess, and the great little arrow from Xenoblade 1 is replaced with a kind of countdown radar that I regularly get lost with. The big map when you hit X is also really bad. It's very small and has no real detail on it.

    =FUN=
    Despite all this, I like the game! It's fun, I like watching the numbers go up and pretending I know what I'm doing. I play it on Normal and it's actually not that hard! My characters die with some regularity, but it's not often frustrating. I would say among the Xenoblade games, this is my least favorite. It seems to ignore a lot of the steps forward in playability that Xenoblade X took (e.g. the quest menu and map is worse now), and the story is very awkward, dull, and cringeworthy.

    If you have nothing to do during, say, a pandemic, and nowhere to go, you could easily lose yourself inside this game. You could probably play this for 4 hours a day for years. I am baffled that there is DLC because there is so much to do. I don't know what they would add.    … Expand
  30. Mhaaad
    Aug 25, 2020
    7
    I played this game right after finishing XC;DE (which is a fantastic game. 10/10) , this game's like an MMORPG but for single player, same as the first game,
    I would have given it a 9 if not for the sheer number of unnecessary hindrance and inconveniences this game has, it's like the developers thought: this game is too good, we can't let that happen, let's shackle the players and piss    I played this game right after finishing XC;DE (which is a fantastic game. 10/10) , this game's like an MMORPG but for single player, same as the first game,
    I would have given it a 9 if not for the sheer number of unnecessary hindrance and inconveniences this game has, it's like the developers thought: this game is too good, we can't let that happen, let's shackle the players and piss them off!!
    here are the cons:
    - helpful tips that teach you how to fight and interact with the game are displayed once only, you don't have access to a menu to check if you are stuck later or need a reminder, you have to look it up on google.
    - enemies will detect/fight you unless you are 10 levels higher, it makes exploring sucks.
    - fighting system is too complicated, refined but complicated. (remember, no HELP menu)
    - [[[[ Ursula's side quest, you send her on missions to collect 99 pieces of each three different key items, these missions range from 1 through 5, mission 1 gives you 1 piece of key item, mission 2 gives you 1 piece key item, missions 3 and 4 gives 2 key items , mission 5 gives 3 key item ,,,,, WHY?!!! why doesn't mission 5 give 5! (Ursula isn't even worth it! she's a nightmare to completionists and a proof of developers being bullies!) ]]]]
    - Tiger! Tiger! , a mean mini game.
    - some of the requirements to increase a skill are displayed as question marks [??????] the game won't tell me how and no NPC will tell me what do they want! google everything.
    - no guide to tell you what collectable are where and nothing to keep record of what you collected and what not, just walk in the dark, if an NPC asks you to collect something, go to every region in the game and hope you find it soon by chance, or google it.
    - the menu controls are all over the place, I finished the game and still not used to it.

    I said I would give XC2 a 9 if the above mentioned problems are not present in the game, that's because some problems can't be fixed,
    - music tracks and sound editing in this game is not good. (a region named Tantal has the most intense music ever (day music) it's like you are facing the last boss), (some environmental sounds are just annoying and not immersive (Spirit Crucible Elpys), (sound effects when summoning a blade).
    - voice acting is not the best, weird accents and sometimes it's hard to understand what the pronounced word is (the game Ni No Kuni had different accents but was amazing).

    that's the cons, now let's do the pros:
    - Vast open world to explore (like the first game but better because treasure chests and secret areas)
    - Great detailed world building, you would know how this world came to be when you finish the game.
    - blades are designed by different game designers, cool designs (except Nim).
    - Nopons are hilarious in this game more that the first game, especially their dialogue in side quests.
    - the Gacha system is fun in this game.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Best Switch Game of 2017
3
#3 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2017
3
#3 Most Shared Switch Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 92 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 78 out of 92
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 92
  3. Negative: 1 out of 92
  1. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Mar 2, 2018
    73
    A fight with an ordinary enemy whose level is slightly higher can drag on for minutes, especially if you’re fighting it alone. The combat itself is also rife with problems: sometimes main character even fails to draw his weapon, or locks onto a far-off enemy, while another already is eviscerating him in close combat. [Issue#226, p.64]
  2. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Feb 26, 2018
    80
    Despite some rough patches, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a worthy addition to any Switch owner's library, especially if you have a predilection for RPGs and enjoyed either of the previous entries in the series. [Issue #32 – March/April 2018, p. 75]
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 16, 2018
    80
    Extensive and massive JRPG. Although with a rather cliché story and characters, it comes with a beautiful world and a fighting system growing more and more complex with every hour played. [Issue#282]
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