Xenoblade Chronicles 3

 Switch
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1372 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,137 out of 1372
  2. Mixed: 79 out of 1372
  3. Negative: 156 out of 1372
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  1. HunterSeeker
    Apr 6, 2023
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a game that has many good ideas but the execution of it is rather sloppy. First off, it's really cool that you get up to 7 characters on screen at once all participating in battle. However, the story wants to be a super complex story but has many plot holes and contrivances. For instance, the game basically says someone has 3 months to live, yet the party is okay meandering around doing things that aren't their main objective despite their time constraints. There's a moment where the main character summons a sword from his chest; yet never explained why this happens. Sometimes, the plot only moves forward because the writers force characters to make absolutely asinine decisions. For example, the party finds themselves in the heart of enemy territory and all agree that they have to get away as soon as possible. But no, the protagonist walks more into the territory rather than running; he does this for no reason and it's never explained. The game features completely one dimensional and overdramatic villains. It's a darn shame that the counsel of villains all have extremely similar personalities. There's even a scene where one of the characters tells the villain that they would join their side cuz of "friendship" even though the villain murdered all the character's friends. Let me tell you, if one of my friends murdered my other friends, I'd be pretty pissed about that. There's a part where one character switches bodies with another character. It's never explained why this can occur and how this is possible. It just happens because the writers needed a way to progress the plot and couldn't think of a logical way to do it somehow.

    The gameplay itself is really fun. If you love tab targeting MMO's, you'll like the gameplay of this game. Exploration feels smooth, but some of the maps have issues telling the players which items are on which floor. One of the biggest foibles of this class based game is that when a new class is unlocked, it's not unlocked for every character. This is huge oversight because other games in this genre will allow all characters to use a class once it's unlocked. Why this game went against that good game design is beyond me. Also, the game fails to explain that you can't unlock classes if you're fighting mobs that are 5+ levels lower than you. This is awful design to an otherwise well designed class system.

    Overall, there's nothing wrong with a straightforward story. If the writers wanted to make a complex story, they can do so without having so many plot contrivances and plot holes.    … Expand
  2. Rockboss
    Aug 10, 2022
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After being so overwhelmend with XBC 1 and especially 2 this game is such a downer. The characters are boring as hell. No jokes at all because everyone is sooooo sensitive and woke and thus maximum boring and unapproachable. One might almost think it was produced for the new western market where every character needs to be totally correct and mindful so that no gamer might be offended in some way. The result are shallow characters. And then the world. Damn, I mean, big worlds are nice but this is just running and running and running for nothing. Maybe the story is thrilling? Not yet. I am in chapter 4 now. But so far it could be a more stupid and artificial narrative of good and evil (oooh, humans fight each other but it turns out they are just the puppets of some evil masters... laaaame). It is just so predictable that even a spin will not be satisfiying. But maybe the combat and looting system is fun? NO! It is just repetitive and intransparent. I mean a group of 6 + 1 hero whereby 6 are controlled by AI. Wow. When the combat system in XBC 2 was fun as hell imo this one is kind of the opposite. Even the chain attacks are just not satisfying. After Monolith soft convinced me with XBC 1 and 2 and even their assistance in Zelda Breath of the Wild I bought the game plus the extension pass for 100 Euro. Well, a huge disappointment. I dont get why so many people here rate that game so high. I don't play that many games but if this is considered great for the majority I don't wanna know how bad it can be on the market. Maybe some positive thing: The side quest are not that useless as in XBC 1 and 2. Thus 5 points as I am playing it but always with a bad feeling in the gut and unsure to continue.… Expand
  3. PacoHolliday
    Aug 25, 2022
    4
    The story may be ok, but there wouldn't be anything good left if it wasn't. The game is more or less a movie.
    The combat system is ok, too. But not great.
    And there's nothing else. No game play. No crafting. No gear. No puzzles. No choices or decision, it's all linear. You follow a red line, fight a bunch, watch a cut-scene. Rinse and repeat. I loved XC1, liked XCX, still enjoyed XC2;    The story may be ok, but there wouldn't be anything good left if it wasn't. The game is more or less a movie.
    The combat system is ok, too. But not great.
    And there's nothing else. No game play. No crafting. No gear. No puzzles. No choices or decision, it's all linear.
    You follow a red line, fight a bunch, watch a cut-scene. Rinse and repeat.
    I loved XC1, liked XCX, still enjoyed XC2; but I can't go any lower; won't finish this boring game.    … Expand
  4. Aboughtcritic
    Aug 29, 2022
    4
    Best comedy game i played in years but after awhile it gets hard to enjoy the terrible dialog and cringy moments cause characters constantly repeated the same 2 lines and everything takes to long.
  5. Chero123
    Aug 2, 2022
    4
    It's a disappointing game, its tempo is so bad, boring bridges fill the entire gameplay, I can't imagine the loss of the advantages of the previous one so completely
  6. MarkussLugia
    Aug 12, 2022
    4
    Nice music, mediocre storytelling, and stinky, unreliable, nonsensical autosave rendering my whole-hour gameplay of exploration into nothing.
  7. Lecum
    Sep 30, 2022
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Chapter 5 had a 1hour cutscene to explain something we could know in 10 minutes. I think they treated the player as he/she wasnt smart enough to understand the story… Expand
  8. DJBobRokk
    Jun 8, 2023
    4
    Just One Word: BORING.. nothing more than boring.. silly story/dialogues, totally unrewarding gameplay and terrible graphic quality (on TV)
    let me go to play another Yakuza..
  9. TheXxchaKing
    Jul 7, 2023
    4
    + Soundtrack is nice, though it still pales in comparison to XC1, XC2 and even XCX
    + World and enemy design are exactly what you would expect from a Xenoblade title
    - Storytelling and dialogue is absolute drivel that makes no sense - Protagonists and villains alike are utterly unlikeable - Character class systems are too malleable, making every character play the same - Chain attack    + Soundtrack is nice, though it still pales in comparison to XC1, XC2 and even XCX
    + World and enemy design are exactly what you would expect from a Xenoblade title

    - Storytelling and dialogue is absolute drivel that makes no sense
    - Protagonists and villains alike are utterly unlikeable
    - Character class systems are too malleable, making every character play the same
    - Chain attack system breaks boss fights in an unforgiveable manner
    - Graphics and abysmal draw distance somehow look worse than XC2    … Expand
  10. Mitthrawnuruodo
    Jul 29, 2023
    3
    The music may be the only redeeming thing of this entire game. An overcomplicated combat system that you can just ignore and let it auto-attack for the vast majority of your fights. When you do have to use it, you can largely just sit and smash all the buttons while doing something else on your phone so you can actually be entertained until the fight ends. It has an open world that feelsThe music may be the only redeeming thing of this entire game. An overcomplicated combat system that you can just ignore and let it auto-attack for the vast majority of your fights. When you do have to use it, you can largely just sit and smash all the buttons while doing something else on your phone so you can actually be entertained until the fight ends. It has an open world that feels copy and pasted repeatedly, and largely empty. All exploration gets you is hundreds of different items that are so numerous and so frequent none of it feels interesting or special. They seemed to have taken some bits from MMO style gameplay, but only the most boring bits. A story that can't seem to decide on it's pacing, with many of the characters being very bland stereotypes. You have so many cutscenes that they become a boring slog to even put up with and you groan every time you have to sit through one, or just start skipping them completely. The boss enemies are just terrible attempts at I think being funny mustache twisting evil and instead are just cringy and comical in a very bad way. Hours and hours of voice acting, yet in combat and overworld you'll hear the same half a dozen lines repeated over, and over, and over.

    Save yourself the time and money and play almost any other game in the series instead, or really any other JRPG instead.    … Expand
  11. Tehemai
    Jul 30, 2022
    3
    Very boring generic main cast with unlikeable sensitive guy protagonist. Some of the side characters are alright but they're relegated to heroes which you cannot properly customize or control.

    As for the plot, it's so scripted and trope-y that it's almost satirical. There's no spoilers you could ever read that the game won't spoil you themselves because of how poorly written the    Very boring generic main cast with unlikeable sensitive guy protagonist. Some of the side characters are alright but they're relegated to heroes which you cannot properly customize or control.

    As for the plot, it's so scripted and trope-y that it's almost satirical. There's no spoilers you could ever read that the game won't spoil you themselves because of how poorly written the foreshadowing is. And of course the whole thing is toned down for modern sensibilities to the point where they have nothing interesting or unique to say. Did you guys know pointless fighting is bad? Yea, I thought so.

    Gameplay-wise, while there are some few QoL improvements to gameplay, it's completely invalidated by some of the worst ally AI of any game. The tutorial also just never seems to end. And the active party is quite frankly just too large.

    TLDR: If you're going to dump hours into grinding an rpg like this, there are quite literally hundreds of better jrpgs to do it in.    … Expand
  12. revs077
    Aug 15, 2022
    3
    Sacrificaron todo el producto para mejorar el gameplay. Si, tenemos la mejor jugabilidad de la saga, realmente increíble. Pero sacrificaron todo lo demás. El 1 tiene la mejor historia, el 2 es el más balanceado. El 3 tiene el mejor gameplay. Sin embargo, sumaron 20hs más al anterior de puro relleno con secundarias vacías. Sacaron las waifus, los gachas, etc. El desarrollo de personajes esSacrificaron todo el producto para mejorar el gameplay. Si, tenemos la mejor jugabilidad de la saga, realmente increíble. Pero sacrificaron todo lo demás. El 1 tiene la mejor historia, el 2 es el más balanceado. El 3 tiene el mejor gameplay. Sin embargo, sumaron 20hs más al anterior de puro relleno con secundarias vacías. Sacaron las waifus, los gachas, etc. El desarrollo de personajes es un chiste. Intenta varios plots pero no concreta ninguno, da marcha atrás en todos porque tiene miedo de salirse de los estandares de los JRPG modernos. No se arriesga. Es super genérico, con un gameplay muy bien pulido para que estés grindeando más de 100hs, pero con una historia vacía, repetitiva, genérica, aburrida, alargada y con un final pésimo. Una decepción para lo que esperábamos que supere a la anterior entrega. Otro JRPG más para el montón, una lástima.… Expand
  13. ecgbox
    Aug 5, 2022
    3
    Está bien, pero no es para la importancia que se le ha dado, cualquier J-RPG de los conocidos le da 1000 vueltas, yakuza, ff, liveAlive, etc etc es un RPG con diseño de personajes animes raros, guion para niños mongos de 5 años y diseño de arte y ambientación algo pobre y tosca. Con los juegos que hay ahora no tiene nada especial, sólo el argumento original y el estilo de batalla, nadaEstá bien, pero no es para la importancia que se le ha dado, cualquier J-RPG de los conocidos le da 1000 vueltas, yakuza, ff, liveAlive, etc etc es un RPG con diseño de personajes animes raros, guion para niños mongos de 5 años y diseño de arte y ambientación algo pobre y tosca. Con los juegos que hay ahora no tiene nada especial, sólo el argumento original y el estilo de batalla, nada más....… Expand
  14. papa_zebra
    Sep 12, 2022
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pros: lots of cool classes to play; good voice acting

    Cons: I really don't understand how anyone can give this game a good review, unless you just really like to watch people die for fun, especially young people. I mean there a lot of people like that, so I guess that explains a lot. The story is a complete mess, the music is usually dry (some tracks are good), and the gameplay is kind of boring. But my main issue is that the main bad guys are so generically bad, 2D, and mono-black morally that it's kind of hilarious. Like watching an old Disney movie where the bad guy is just pure evil for the shock of it. I prefer stories with a least a little substance and antagonists, not villians who want nothing more than to see the world burn for absolutely no reason. This game is like burnt, stale bread.    … Expand
  15. Jofe
    Aug 12, 2022
    3
    Garbage writing. It's been a while since I see a mediocre story like that, completely incoherent. Ainoios is a uninteresting world which absolutely does not compare with Bionis, Mekonis and Alrest.
  16. yoh457
    Apr 26, 2023
    3
    I was really disappointed with this one. It was like torture treatment playing through it mainly because it was just so boring. The combat is not very interactive or interesting and the story and cutscenes drag on and on and aren't even interesting. The open world felt bland and lifeless just going from point a to b fighting enemies with barely any variety. The characters were allI was really disappointed with this one. It was like torture treatment playing through it mainly because it was just so boring. The combat is not very interactive or interesting and the story and cutscenes drag on and on and aren't even interesting. The open world felt bland and lifeless just going from point a to b fighting enemies with barely any variety. The characters were all uninteresting. It took me a year after it came out of playing it barely off and on to finally finish it and I had to force myself to finish it. This was actually the first Xenoblade Chronicles game I played and it makes me shudder thinking about playing the others. Games like these that get good critic reviews anyway make me wonder if critics just like garbage.… Expand
  17. kazama0
    Sep 4, 2022
    3
    I do not recommend playing unless you are a fan of this game series. I've been playing for over 20 hours and still get boring tutorials.
  18. Joxpe
    Feb 26, 2023
    3
    pues lo jugué más de 10 horas, ya no lo soporte más, los niveles se suben sin ningún chiste, subes exp por hacer nada, llego un momento que ya no me interesaba saber de la historia y solo le adelantaba y aun así subía experiencia sin hacer nada más. gráficamente no me gusto, El Xenoblade 1 me había encantado por eso empecé a jugar este, pero no lo aguante, y luego las miles depues lo jugué más de 10 horas, ya no lo soporte más, los niveles se suben sin ningún chiste, subes exp por hacer nada, llego un momento que ya no me interesaba saber de la historia y solo le adelantaba y aun así subía experiencia sin hacer nada más. gráficamente no me gusto, El Xenoblade 1 me había encantado por eso empecé a jugar este, pero no lo aguante, y luego las miles de configuraciones de personajes me abrumo. total este juego no es para mi.… Expand
  19. Flippoo
    Jun 11, 2023
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I played and finished both XB1 and XB2 and really enjoyed both. So I thought there was no way XB3 could fail. Unfortunately XB3 made several design and story decisions that did not captivate me.

    First was the military theme, just didn't enjoy that aspect of it. XB games are more fun and interesting when they have a more homey or medieval theme. Could just be me that feels that way, I don't know.

    I also didn't like the whiny lead character Noah. So weak. I mean I didn't like Rex that much either at first but at least he was tenacious so I had to give him respect for that - and eventually Rex won me over. Noah just wants to talk about emotions the whole time and I want to roll my eyes.

    Also the UI felt like a step backwards, the combat also wasn't better than XB2, the villains were stupid, and the environments seemed dark and ugly. Not an enjoyable universe to be in at all. Somehow they did the impossible and released a terrible XB game.    … Expand
  20. Lil_Dierk
    Jul 29, 2023
    3
    What a heavily disappointing game. I started the xenoblade franchise in 2020 when xenoblade chronicles definitive edition was released on the switch, and I instantly fell in love. Xenoblade 2 was alright, but not nearly as bad as this game. At the time of release, I was not a legal adult, and had no source of reliable income, I saved for months to buy this game on release day with the dlc.What a heavily disappointing game. I started the xenoblade franchise in 2020 when xenoblade chronicles definitive edition was released on the switch, and I instantly fell in love. Xenoblade 2 was alright, but not nearly as bad as this game. At the time of release, I was not a legal adult, and had no source of reliable income, I saved for months to buy this game on release day with the dlc. You could only imagine my disappointment. Let's start on the story. I love the story. But actually playing through it, sucked. It was really hard to follow for some reason, and I found myself googling about the part that I was at. Now let’s begin on the gameplay. All the past battle mechanics we know and love are still here. However, the auto attacks were my biggest problem in this game and xenoblade 2. If auto attacking builds your team gauge, then why is it required for me to stand stationary when positioning is so crucial in xenoblade games? This was not a problem in xenoblade definitive edition, as you were able to auto attack while moving to position yourself better, which, as previously stated, is a crucial part of battle in these games. This auto attacking problem is auto attacking this game’s rating (Mediocre attempt at humor). Other than auto attacking, there were a few gameplay mechanics that are new, but poorly designed. One of which being the weapon class system. Every character in this game has a unique weapon that they use. While that is all well and good, you can also SWITCH any character’s weapon class to the weapon of another character. That makes any strategy of who to play, completely irrelevant since you can use any weapon as any character. It also has a level system for ALL the characters and for ALL the weapons. That adds more playtime to the game that just is not fun. This mechanic also makes the characters less diversified, as the weapon you see them use in the cutscenes has no meaning to the character anymore. Which perfectly segways this review into the characters. They are really not that bad, but the character designs are amazing, but way too detailed for the switch to handle, along with the environment. It feels as if this is meant to be played on a PS5. It runs horribly. Even the menu lags due to too much detail. Now we can talk about the dlc. The hype train for the dlc fell off because of how long the waves are taking to come out. I sadly can not recommend this game to xenoblade newcomers, or anyone for that matter. Just go buy Xenoblade definitive edition.… Expand
  21. disposable
    Aug 19, 2022
    2
    The combat is like playing WoW with the worst party to ever walk the earth. The story is the usual "win the fight lose the cutscene" fare this series likes to use. Needs a rebalance.
  22. Ewas228
    Jul 31, 2022
    2
    In every chapter of Xenoblade, game getting worse. Lather image quality, secondary plot, annoying grind. In AAA game we don’t have voiced side quests... 10 years ago in Skyrim every quest was voiced)

    I’ll recommend Shin Megami Tensei V, Persona 5 Royal, NEO: The World Ends With You, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim them much better than xenoblade 3.
  23. mssixi
    Jul 13, 2023
    2
    El peor Xenoblade al que he jugado. Es tremendamente aburrido,lleno de tutoriales,conversaciones de los personajes insustanciales… No es nada desafiante ni en modo difícil. He jugado muchas horas con la esperanza de que fuera a mejorar en algún momento pero vamos….Cinemáticas eternas y tocar la flauta continuamente. No entiendo cómo tiene la nota que tiene.
  24. Luisguerreroa
    Nov 14, 2022
    2
    No me gustó, me parece un juego aburrido y repetitivo, con una historia con potencial desperdiciado y falta de desarrollo en los personajes
  25. MxCarnage
    Sep 23, 2022
    2
    Being totally new to the series I went in fresh. After about a dozen hours of play my thoughts are:

    + Automatic hack & loot action RPG that is easy to pick up and good for on-the-go plays + Nice graphics considering the obvious compromises made to run the game on the legacy hardware. - Terrible storytelling, cliche, slow paced and overwrought. - Emo-teen cast, cliched storylines    Being totally new to the series I went in fresh. After about a dozen hours of play my thoughts are:

    + Automatic hack & loot action RPG that is easy to pick up and good for on-the-go plays
    + Nice graphics considering the obvious compromises made to run the game on the legacy hardware.

    - Terrible storytelling, cliche, slow paced and overwrought.
    - Emo-teen cast, cliched storylines and very repetitive voiced (combat)lines
    - “Open world” blocked by invisible walls and one-shot enemies that forces you to stay on the main route
    - The many systems “layered” upon one another are rather superfluous. The combat mechanics are rather easy and enemies fall (too) quickly. This causes you to level-up (too) fast which in turn means you are overpowered for many encounters.

    Despite the many lack luster elements, the hack & loot mechanic has me hooked and frequently returning. As such, I currently rate this a 6 but perhaps it will improve as the game slowly opens up with more play.    … Expand
  26. Miya233
    Sep 21, 2022
    2
    The plot is OK， but playing method is very poor and boring. I don't recommend this game. Playing this game is a kind of torture. You want to know whether the heroine is dead or not, but the playing process near the end is just miserable. If you really want to play, buy the cassette
    I'm an Asian player, and I don't think this game deserves more than 8 points
  27. gabeee
    Jul 30, 2022
    2
    Game quite boring overall, the scenario worthy of a mario bros, but especially the gameplay is very monotonous despite the variety of the environment, button stuffing and sound.
  28. Daniel_San
    Aug 4, 2022
    2
    Clear downturn in the saga. Instead of making a fun game for everyone, it's only palatable for neogaf and resetera users.
    The design of the characters is bad and does not earn the love and affection of the characters of the other games.
    The story is bad and the gameplay is stuck in JRPG topics.
  29. x7479635
    Aug 9, 2022
    2
    The combat system is too boring and repetitive.
    2 points for Chapter 6.
    The end is so bad.
  30. RicardoDavid
    Jan 17, 2023
    1
    The story is even more stupid than Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and that is saying something. These games are supposed to be good because of the story yet you can feel dumber every hour you spend listening to it.
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best Switch Game of 2022
4
#4 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 122 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 116 out of 122
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 122
  3. Negative: 0 out of 122
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 25, 2024
    100
    Ultimately, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 represents the pinnacle of the series, both gameplay-wise and narratively. The characters are another highlight of the game. They are well-drawn, with only a small amount of formulaicness. [Issue#321]
  2. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Nov 9, 2022
    100
    I began XC3 knowing I'd enjoy it because of the fun I had with the previous games. What I didn't expect was for this to become one of my favorite JPRGs of all-time! With its engaging open world, engrossing combat system, loveable characters and gripping story, this game is a masterpiece of the genre! [Issue #62 – November/December 2022, p. 67]
  3. Easy Allies
    Oct 11, 2022
    90
    Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a clear improvement over its predecessors in almost every way. It streamlines so much and avoids past pitfalls, though there’s still work to be done in terms of balancing the difficulty. There’s a grounded story here with a solid cast of characters, and the basic plot is much easier to digest. The world design exceeds past efforts with ease, and the implementation of Hero Quests is a game changer. While the devs have done an admirable job making the battle system easier to grasp, it feels like the series has fully explored and exhausted these core combat mechanics, signaling it’s time for the next game to change things up. As a whole, it stands as a phenomenal RPG with a one-of-a-kind sense of exploration you can’t find anywhere else.
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