Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed
Serving as a prequel to Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Future Redeemed answers a lot of questions that players may have formed about the world and its history when playing the main game. The "Aha!" moments and surprising connections alone could carry this story, but it has two more big things going for it. For starters, Future Redeemed just has a great story in its own right. While not all of the characters are as relatable as those in XC3, I connected with a couple of characters far more than I could have ever expected, and the twists were so startling and exciting that my jaw actually dropped! It's the next thing, however, that truly makes Future Redeemed the cherry on top of such a fantastic series.
While I expect most people who bought the base game planned on getting this DLC chapter no matter what, I think its biggest selling point is that it's an absolute nostalgia machine. Everything from the story to the characters to the world itself draws on the three numbered games, creating something both comfortable and familiar, yet exciting and unexpected. I absolutely need to talk about some of that, but it's going to be quite spoiler-y. If you haven't played this game yet, just skip the next paragraph. Otherwise, here we go!
Future Redeemed had a pretty exciting start and some stellar character introductions, but it wasn't until I stepped into XC1's Colony 9 that it really sunk in what kind of game this was going to be. It was incredible, albeit somewhat emotionally distressing, how the game perfectly mirrored my bittersweet feelings towards this familiar, now dilapidated, city through Shulk and Panacea, bringing up our shared memories and tugging mercilessly at my heartstrings. The reveal of Riku's true identity was also an exciting moment, but then I thought about his family whom I had grown to love, and got a hint of how much he might be missing them. The real kicker for me was a little closer to home though. When I first played through XC1 and XC2, I was just a young guy, not far in age from Shulk or Rex. Come Future Redeemed, all three of us had a kid that we would do anything to protect, and it was crazy seeing my newfound fatherly instincts shine through two of my favorite characters. Our shared journeys made their struggles as fathers in the world of XC3 that much more impactful, and I feel fortunate that I got to experience this game in a way I expect most others did not.
While not nearly as important to me throughout this game as the story was, I believe the combat deserves a mention too. It's a little strange to me since the only major differences compared to the main game are the lack of interlinking and some modifications to chain attacks, but I fought entirely differently in Future Redeemed. In the base XC3, I almost exclusively controlled defenders. It didn't matter who was assigned the class, I just loved being able to distract the opponents and tank their hits. Switching classes was removed this time around, so maybe I just didn't like my two defender options, but I fully pivoted to favoring attackers. Playing as Matthew and Rex just felt too good! Their destructive power was overwhelming, and I was hooked. I preferred playing as attackers in most of the other games, so maybe XC3 was just a strange outlier, but I was still surprised that Future Redeemed managed to convert me so completely.
Even though it is just a DLC side-story to Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Future Redeemed is an absolutely fantastic experience. In a Xenoblade Chronicles banana split, it would be the whipped cream, cherries, and chocolate drizzle. Sure, without it, you'll still have an excellent dessert, full of variety and flavor. However, with it, you'll have both an optical and gustatory masterpiece. Future Redeemed ties together all of the disparate pieces created by the rest of the series and shows you just how special they truly are when combined while being an enjoyable element of the whole in its own right. This game came out at the perfect time to have the biggest impact on me as possible, and I have developed a deep affection for it and its characters as a result, but I think anyone who has played the rest of the series can find just as much to appreciate here. If you are still undecided about whether the DLC is worth it, please take this as your sign to go for it. Dive headfirst into this beautiful world of bittersweet memories and soak in every moment. I expect it will be a long time before something like this will come around again.
The game is available for Switch here (as of 8/15/23): https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/xenoblade-chronicles-3-expansion-pass-70070000014643-switch/
