Xenoblade Chronicles X Impressions

            After all of the stir that Operation Rainfall caused, I came to know about Xenoblade. I eventually gave the game a shot and fell in love. I adored the huge open world environments, combat system, characters, and story. I sunk a grand total of 70 hours into the game. So naturally, I was extremely excited when Xenoblade Chronicles X was unveiled in January 2013’s Nintendo Direct (where it was known only as "X"). The open world and combat system seemed to be making a triumphant return in HD, and it was the biggest reason I wanted to get a Wii U.

            The E3 2014 gameplay footage and trailer certainly showed a lot more info on the game. The character designs seem to draw from Xenosaga, while the giant mechs seem to draw from Xenogears. The plot is supposedly completely independent from Xenoblade, though the Nopon at the end of the trailer casts some doubt on that fact. The premise is that two warring alien races engage in a battle with each other - and Earth happens to be their battlefield. As they duke it out in the atmosphere, their debris falls and devastates numerous locations on the planet, forcing humanity to evacuate. Each ship carries a city pod (at least I think that’s what they were called) that looks suspiciously similar to the Ft. Jasper in Xenogears. A ship belonging to the U.S crash lands on planet Mira, and the passengers build Neo Los Angeles from the wreckage. Story-wise, no one can say for certain how it will turn out. But judging from both the intro and gameplay footage, Xenoblade Chronicles X seems to take a decisively Sci-Fi approach in regards to the setting.

            The gameplay seems to have gotten quite a number of changes. First of all, the protagonist is a customizable character, allowing you to choose various features like gender, voice, tattoos, etc. This contrasts with the protagonists of previous Xeno games, since the protagonist here seems to be silent. However, there appears to be various dialogue choices throughout the game. I really hope that they manage to pull off the character as well as Atlus did with the Persona series.

            Anyways, the battle and customization systems seem to offer a lot more options. Right from the start, you can switch between a melee and ranged mode at will, with arts to match. You can also issue tactics or orders to allies, and each character is able to switch between different jobs or classes to use different arts. Enemies seem to be more animated in this game, with a few of the battles in the E3 demo getting somewhat hectic as the enemy flung around. Fall damage was also removed, and the area as a whole seemed to be a lot more expansive than Xenoblade’s areas. Honestly, I think I’m going to have a hard time coming back to the original Xenoblade after having played Xenoblade X thanks to the new improvements they’ve made so far.

            With all of the upcoming stuff that’s been announced, late 2014 to 2015 will be amazing in terms of games. Xenoblade Chronicles X is also confirmed to be coming to the West, so I’m glad we won’t have to make another stir just to get it localized. In my opinion, this game is shaping up to be a title that will decisively surpass the original.