Xenoblade Chronicles X, arguably the most anticipated Wii U release for this Holiday season, was released on Monday. With such an anticipated release and ( for a game that’s incredibly large) reviews play an important part for a consumer due to both the large finanical and time investment required.
So what did the reviewers think? Is Monlith Soft’s latest worth your time. To summarise breifly, most reviewers were very impressed by the sheer scale and beauty of Xenoblade’s world. Furthermorethey enjoyed as the mechanical depth and rewarding combat. Most negative feelings about the game were cut from the same cloth as the positives. Many reviewers felt overwhelmed at times from the scale as well as feeling mechanics were not as well explained as they could’ve been. Many of the systems in the game were also perceived as fairly obtuse.
Read on for a excerpts from a variety of reviews as well as links to the full reviews themselves.
Nintendo World Review:
It’s not often that Wii U owners and Nintendo fans get to celebrate a release that’s not from Nintendo themselves. Fortunately for Donald Theirut Xenoblade Chronicles X gave him a reason to:
I don’t tend to play games for extended periods of time – between work and a generally jumpy attention span, I usually top out at a few hours at a stretch even if I’m really feeling it. I got Xenoblade Chronicles X on a Wednesday, and over the next eight days I played for at least four to five hours a night, with three different days of 13-14 hour play sessions. Part of it was the crunch for review, but Xenoblade Chronicles X is so engrossing I didn’t actually miss that I had skipped a meal or two playing.
Score 9.5/10, [Full Review]
Eurogamer
Eurogamer’s Simon Parkin was equally, if not more enamoured by Xenoblade. Giving it Eurogamer’s ‘Essential’ tag, equivalent to a perfect score.
Majestic, vibrant, almost peerlessly handsome, Xenoblade Chronicles X is Japanese RPG-making at its most ambitious and determined.
Score: Essential (5/5) [Full Review]
The Jimquisition
Even the frequently cynical and hard to please Jim Sterling was impressed by just what Monlolith Soft managed to achieve in terms of scale.
A good sequel understands what made its predecessor so successful and builds upon it. In that regard, Xenoblade Chronicles X is a truly impressive triumph, since it took a single key section of the original Xenoblade, a single map, and used it as the basis for an entire game. Chronicles X is Gaur Plains turned into not just one environment, but an entire planet of five continents, bursting with things to uncover and bizarre creatures to face. It’s every bit as good as it sounds.
Score: 9/10 [Full Review]
GamesRadar+
GamesRadar+’s David Roberts was a bit more critical than most, but still thoroughly enjoyed his time with the game.
Xenoblade Chronicles X is a strange game, even by JRPG standards. The distant planet of Mira is harsh and unforgiving, filled with verdant plains and giant beasts, and Xenoblade unceremoniously plops you into the middle of it all and expects you to figure most of it out on your own. It’s a lot to take in, and its opening hours are often as overwhelming as they are awe-inspiring. But if you can sift through its bewildering, convoluted systems and its lackluster plot, you’ll find an adventure that’s still well worth undertaking – and you’ll get to pilot a giant mech while you do it, too.
Score: 3.5/5 [Full Review]
Hopefully these reviews will help some of you make up your mind as to whether to get Xenoblade Chronicles X. On another note the soundtrack for the game is glorious. Even if you’re not interested in the game itself, I highly recommend listening to it.