Xenoblade Chronicles 3
It was a slow journey, as I became a dad less than a month after the game was released, and a new Pokémon game came out in the middle of my playthrough, but oh boy was this the best thing I've played in a long time. It took a good while for me to understand my feelings about this game, but I can now confidently say that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (specifically in combination with its DLC side-story, Future Redeemed) is my favorite game, hands down.
I won't delve too much into the specifics of the story; it really should be experienced with as little foreknowledge as possible, preferably after playing the other mainline games. I will say though that there was a narrative pattern set by the previous two games that I was excited to see repeated here, and I was substantially disappointed when it never materialized. In fact, after beating the game, I told my wife that I was underwhelmed, even dissatisfied, by the game's conclusion. That was stupid of me. After thinking about the ending nonstop for the next week, and rewatching some of the pivotal moments in the game, I realized just how perfect of an ending it was and am now, thankfully, a very happy camper. The ending isn't the only part of the narrative worthy of recognition, though.
All throughout Xenoblade Chronicles 3, you get to watch the main characters grow and develop in response to their rapidly changing lives and worldviews. Despite the rather fantastical circumstances, I can't think of a more human cast in any game. Their hopes, dreams, struggles, insecurities, and pains all feel remarkably familiar, and I identified with everyone in the main party at least a little. I especially loved seeing how their relationships with one another developed throughout the story. Their growing bonds through both the successes and struggles of the adventure helped me to feel even more connected to them, and I smiled like an idiot every time they acted a little bit more like family. I did all of the game's side content though, and there are some really special interactions that you'll miss if you just do what the game requires. However, even that is another thing in XC3's favor.
In typical JRPG fashion, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a fairly linear game, directing you from place to place and major event to major event in order to tell a compelling story. However, the world expands far beyond the places you are required to visit, and in between those major events, you have a lot of freedom to explore. While not technically necessary to beat the game, you have the opportunity to meet fascinating new characters, experience additional side stories, unlock new classes to expand your combat capabilities, and more. Monolith Soft truly created an amazing world here, but they gave players the freedom to decide how much of it they want to see and interact with, rewarding those who explore, but not punishing those who stick to the main story. All this freedom would mean nothing though if the mechanics weren't any fun. Luckily, this is the most refined Xenoblade game yet, and the combat absolutely rocks!
Combat in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will be very familiar to anyone who has played either of the previous entries, with your character auto-attacking until you direct them to use an art. Arts are special attacks that need to be charged up before they are used, but they can deal massive damage, buff the party, debuff the opponent, heal party members, or trigger combos. Each character has six arts, with three charging over time like those in XC1, and three charging with every attack that connects as they do in XC2. Which arts compose a character's primary set is determined by their class. Classes can be earned through side quests, and each character can master each class, allowing them to take advantage of the class's abilities, even when it isn't selected. On top of all of that, XC3 now has the interlink system, that allows the characters to fuse with one another into their very powerful Ouroboros forms which can completely alter the tide of a battle when used wisely. While that may seem like a lot to keep track of, it all comes together seamlessly and creates what is easily the best combat system in the entire franchise.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the perfect ending to the main Xenoblade trilogy. It learned from the successes and downfalls of the previous games in order to create a truly definitive Xenoblade experience. I could never suggest playing this as your introduction to the franchise since I'm a stickler for the story and believe it will be far more impactful if you have the full background. However, once you eventually get to it, I don't know how you could possibly enjoy either of the first two games (or their extra chapters) more than this. With a beautiful world, relatable characters, compelling narratives, and the most refined gameplay yet, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has dug its roots deep and become my favorite video game, possibly of all time, and it's going to take a lot to top it.
