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Xenoblade Chronicles X is one of the games of 2015 which I was most eagerly awaiting. It’s predecessor, Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii, was probably my favorite game of 2012, and this game looked to build upon many of the things which made its forerunner so great. Its dramatic gameplay reveal at E3 in 2014 knocked me off my feet and left me anxious for any new piece of information over the next year and a half. Having poured an obscene amount of time into it, I can genuinely say that Xenoblade Chronicles X manages to build on a winning formula, and has been well worth the anticipation.

Xenoblade Chronicles X opens with a stunning scene -- the destruction of Earth. Two massive and technologically advanced alien armadas are engaged in combat, and soon the Earth is caught between them and destroyed. Humanity attempts to flee the planet aboard massive Ark Ships, but most are caught in the crossfire and are destroyed. Xenoblade Chronicles X tells the story of the White Whale, a colony ship which succeeded in escaping, only to be pursued by one of the aliens, and then crashed on the mysterious planet Mira. Players take on the role of the Rook, a silent protagonist found in one of the White Whale’s lifepods with no memory of his or her life prior to that point. The Rook is brought to humanity’s last city, New LA, by Elma, colonel of BLADE. BLADE is a military organization dedicated to defending the city and securing humanity’s future, and the Rook soon joins the fight for humanity’s survival. Throughout the game, players work to help the residents of the city, defend against hostile threats, and search for pieces of the White Whale. The Rook is primarily joined by Elma and Lin, a brilliant young engineer, in addition to various other survivors with their own goals and motivations.

For RPG and MMO fans, Xenoblade Chronicles had a phenomenal battle system which has seen some significant updates for Xenoblade Chronicles X. Like many MMOs, players engage foes and do damage through auto attacks with offensive and defensive abilities (Arts) on timers. Players are able to pick and change the class of their characters to fill a wide variety of rolls. The class tree starts with a basic class which can be best utilized after mastering other classes. From there, players can choose one of three basic classes, which evolve into six specialized classes, and finally six advanced classes. Some are damage dealers, some can enfeeble foes, and some have healing abilities. Players also have access to both long-range and close range weapons which can be freely switch to at any point during combat. Since each class within a branch has access to unique weapons, both the weapons and class inspire the different Arts and skills available to characters. In addition, the party has been upped from three to four members. For story missions, two of the extra spots are filled by Elma and Lin, with the last spot typically available to be filled from a selection of over a dozen different characters. One of the major changes in Xenoblade Chronicles X is that healing abilities are significantly weaker. Instead, players need to coordinate with their allies and rely on prompts during battle for the majority of healing. For instance, executing combos with another character or providing a buff at their request will heal both characters. If the image above failed to convey it, that means there’s a lot of information to process during battle and players need to be constantly ready for such prompts, especially during the game's more difficult battles.

Of course, the biggest change from Xenoblade Chronicles is the introduction of Skells -- humanoid machines which players can use to travel the world and battle Mira’s foes. Skell combat is similar to normal combat -- Skells have both melee and long-range weapons, auto attack once engaged, can use Arts, and rely on coordination with allies for healing. However, Arts aren’t unlocked, and are instead associated with equipment slots on the Skell. In the first few minutes of the game, players are greeted by the sight of massive creatures walking across Mira. Xenoblade Chronicles had big enemies, but the number and size pale in comparison to Mira’s occupants. To challenge many of these enormous foes really requires Skells, and as much as I loved gaining access to them and using them pretty much whenever I could, there is no doubt that Skells definitely make the game easier. Mira is a massive, mostly seamless world. To help cross the world, Skells can transform into a vehicle mode which allows them to rapidly traverse the landscape of Mira. Progressing through the story eventually unlocks a flight module which allows players to take to the skies to travel faster than ever and reach new locations. Of course, players who want to quickly jump from one location to another can rely on the game’s numerous fast travel points, but I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times when I relied on my Skell to cross multiple continents (the flight music certainly didn't hurt).

Like its predecessor on the Wii, the voice acting in Xenoblade Chronicles X is, for the most part, just as brilliant. Admittedly, there are no Reyn-level characters (although I never got tired of hearing my character shout “Who built this clunker, just shoot it!” during battle). Some of the best voice acting comes from the various residents who can be recruited to New LA over the course of the game, although at least one of those characters has a voice that’s a bit too high, given his stature. The one caveat to the talented voice acting is, unfortunately, the Rook. When you create your character, players are given the option to pick a voice. However, this voice is only used during combat as the rook is largely a silent protagonist. Yes, there is some input thanks to conversation prompts, but for the most part, they don’t convey the same effect as the conversations between the other characters. It’s especially disappointing coming from Xenoblade Chronicles where the group of characters all had great chemistry. Largely making up for this one audio-based weakness is Xenoblade Chronicles X’s exceptional soundtrack. Xeno-games have historically had amazing soundtracks -- honestly, the Xenosaga trilogy has, in my opinion, some of the best music in gaming, and this latest entry certainly carries that torch. While there aren’t any tracks like the Xenoblade Chronicle’s Mechonis Field theme (meaning there aren’t any tracks I can put on loop for over an hour straight..), it certainly has more than its share of amazing standouts.

Visually, a game on the Wii U just is not going to be able to compete with many games produced for other systems. However, that's not to say Xenoblade Chronicles X is not still a gorgeous game. As I said earlier, Mira is a seamless world comprised of five distinct continents. These include the plains of Primordia, the forests of Noctilum, the deserts of Oblivia, the fires of Cauldros, and whatever Sylvalum is. Honestly, I’d say the game’s biggest visual weakness isn’t the graphics, but that the Wii U can’t keep up with the game at all times. Especially after using fast travel, textures can take a few moments to properly load, and if you’re flying around with your Skell, there’s a good chance enemies won’t always appear immediately. Beyond that, however, I can think of very few visual flaws to be overly critical. It’s not just the scenery, but also the various life forms inhabiting each locale which work to craft the world. While there are certainly some creatures which have worked their way to all corners of Mira (like the giant spiders.. so many giant spiders..), each of the continents also has its share of unique inhabitants. Monolith did an exceptional job of developing a world which feels truly alive and untouched.

As much as I loved playing Xenoblade Chronicles X, the game certainly is not without its flaws. Arguably the biggest is the number of questions left open at the game’s conclusion. Now, I’m used to Xeno-games leaving players with more than a few questions, even after a healthy dose of exposition near the end. However, Xenoblade Chronicles X feels like it barely scratches the surface of Mira. Part of me can’t help feeling this is due to the narrative’s singular focus on survival with a seeming disregard for anything else (maybe I should blame Maslow for that). Supposedly there is a sequel in the works which will have a greater focus on the story (although I still have a concern there..). A few months ago, I selected Xenoblade Chronicles X as my favorite game of 2015. At the time, I admittedly had some reservations due to only being able to put around ten hours into the game at that point. Having now put over one-hundred hours into it to complete the story (with plenty of side quests and optional bosses and quest remaining to on my agenda), I feel far more comfortable with that decision. Xenoblade Chronicles X has been a phenomenal game to end to 2015 and start 2016 and I recommend it to everyone with a love for RPGs.

When faced with extinction, every alternative is preferable. ~ Doctor Leonard Church

All images owned by Monolith Soft