greensara wrote: ↑Oct 30, 2024 4:04 am
I've been really busy lately so I just happened to scroll across the Xenoblade X news and excitement this morning on Twitter and I decided to pop in here since I remembered it was Kikki's favorite. I've only played the DE version of the original, but I liked it ok, especially the beautiful world and snappy music. Haven't really planned to play 2 or 3, but I have heard multiple people praising Xenoblade X as way better, so I am very curious now that it would be accessible to try. The story is stand-alone right?
X is very DIFFERENT.
First of all...yes, it stands alone. If that's your only concern, then there's the short answer and the rest can be skipped, lol.
It is 100% unconnected, at least as things stand now. I suppose they could cook up some jiggery pokery in the future and force a connection, but nothing in X
now is connected to the numbered Xenoblade games (1, 2, or 3.) The biggest connection is some silly references. For example, the character Lin. Her barrette is shaped like the Monado. That kind of thing is the only connection between the numbered games and X. And the Nopon exist in X as well, though they're a Xenoblade staple. Apparently nopon must be in every game.
X is also very sci-fi in comparison, where the other Xenoblades would be fantasy, especially to begin, gradually moving into science fantasy as you progress.
And most importantly I think is that you play an AVATAR character that you make for yourself, male or female, not a defined character that has a story written by the devs. So your character isn't exactly the MC, not the same way Shulk is, or Rex or Noah. I mean, they're there for everything and gradually regarded as a great fighter/etc, but they're a character you make up and name, so they don't receive much character development. They aren't part of a story, exactly. I think this really threw people after playing Shulk as the MC.
I think it works really well, as the story is about humanity as a whole. You're just a little part of it, doing your best, and you're unusually good...but even so, you're one tiny person and it needs every last existing human to do their best, to be able to survive in such overwhelming circumstances. You see the game through your character's eyes, but it's a very different kind of main character, and I think it really knocked people off balance, expecting something a lot more like the first Xenoblade game.
Mira (the world of X) is even more beautiful than the Bionis/Mechonis, and the music is, imo, also even better, though I do think that XC1 has the next most beautiful world and music. (The music was really toned down in 2 and 3.)
The overwhelming standout of X is the exploration. It's fantastic. The best game of exploration I've ever played, more than BotW (or TotK), for me, though I do also love those games. I love the probes and the scenic viewpoints and all the little hidden places you can find, and the things you can salvage. I like the MMO-style combat, too, and the general MMO feel of the gameplay. Think WoW or FFXIV, kind of, in gameplay feel, except without actual humans waiting their turn in your game.
But I certainly can't guarantee that lovers of the numbered Xenoblades will love X. It's got a different vibe. The combat is most similar to 1.
They've got some pretty nice stuff, so that might be worth checking out.