Xenoblade Chronicles 2

82%
Game Brain Score Based on 78 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Game Cover
XC2 puts forward a strong message of what the Switch is capable of. Providing a full JRPG experience, in tandem with lush visual and audio design both on the go and at home, it sets the bar for future games to grace the system; and it sets it high.
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Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is an RPG for the Nintendo Switch, where players explore a world on the backs of massive Titans, forming bonds with weaponized Blades to discover Alrest's history and secrets. The Collector's Edition offers a 220-page art book, a metal game case, and a sound selection CD, in addition to the game. Embark on a cloud-ocean adventure, unraveling the mysteries of this living world and its Titans.

  • Nintendo Switch
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

82%
Audience ScoreBased on 78 reviews
story25 positive mentions
optimization2 negative mentions
  • Torna - The Golden Country is a fantastic standalone expansion that enhances the original Xenoblade Chronicles 2 experience with improved combat mechanics and a compelling story.
  • The game features a rich narrative that builds upon the lore of the Xenoblade universe, providing depth to characters and events without spoiling the main game.
  • The combat system is highly praised for being fast-paced and strategic, allowing players to directly control characters and execute satisfying combos.
  • Some players found the mandatory side quests to be tedious and felt that they detracted from the overall pacing of the main story.
  • The game may be confusing for newcomers to the series, as it heavily references events and characters from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, potentially leaving them lost.
  • There are criticisms regarding the production values, particularly in animation and framerate stability, which some felt did not match the quality of the original game.
  • story61 mentions

    The story of "Torna" is generally praised for its engaging narrative and character development, effectively expanding on the lore of "Xenoblade Chronicles 2" while offering a more grim tone. Players appreciate the impactful storytelling and well-paced quests, although some note that familiarity with the base game is essential to fully grasp the plot. While the story has its high points and emotional depth, some reviewers feel it doesn't quite reach the unforgettable heights of its predecessor, "Xenoblade 1."

    • “The story is amazing, there's plenty of enemies to fight, places to go, and quests to do; the cutscenes are great, and the characters are really awesome.”
    • “Torna really pulls you in from the second you start playing, with its refined combat, great characters, amazing locations, and engaging story.”
    • “The story focuses on several key antagonists' backstories, ultimately showing just how tragic of beings they are.”
    • “Even if you've played Xenoblade 1, implications of major story elements from Xenoblade 2 are prevalent in Torna, which will leave you confused about the world of Xenoblade 2.”
    • “The first half of the story is filled with clichés and bland plot points, many characters backed by poor voice acting, and common blades are boring to look at and difficult to differentiate within menus.”
    • “You would think that something so hyped in the game would be made with a bit more story 'bang'.”
  • gameplay18 mentions

    The gameplay in "Torna" is highly praised for its engaging and addictive combat system, which is both easy to learn and challenging to master, complemented by a vibrant art style and a well-paced story. While it retains many mechanics from "Xenoblade 2," it introduces key tweaks that enhance player control and simplify gameplay for newcomers. Despite some minor criticisms regarding fetch quests and character design, the overall experience is enjoyable, offering around 20-40 hours of gameplay that keeps players returning for more.

    • “The combat system is maybe the best I've ever seen in an RPG, and while I could see it possibly getting stale in a 100-hour game, the Torna story is short enough and paced well enough to make every new mechanics development feel fresh and timely.”
    • “The music, sound effects, mechanics, animations, moves, etc. all work so well and are, most importantly, fun to deal with.”
    • “Torna's story and characters are alright, but its addictive gameplay is what keeps me coming back for more.”
    • “The non-battle gameplay in Torna is essentially the same as Xenoblade 2.”
    • “Playing Xenoblade 1, I grinded through the gameplay to get to the story.”
    • “Mechanics feel overly complicated at times; character design is very generically anime; annoying texture and object pop-in bugs.”
  • music13 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised as one of its standout features, with many reviewers calling it "arguably the best soundtrack ever." The soundtrack complements the engaging combat and beautifully animated cutscenes, enhancing the overall experience and encouraging players to seek out the music after playing. Its jazzy and sweeping compositions effectively capture the game's diverse world and emotional narrative, making it a memorable aspect of the gameplay.

    • “There are also newly added songs that are beautiful and you'll find yourself looking up the soundtrack after playing.”
    • “From the intro where Jin was like '500 years ago something crazy happened,' and then Lora and Jin are running and fighting and then the music kicks in like 'pa dun pa dun pa dun pa dun dun duun!' it's so good.”
    • “[arguably the best soundtrack ever, diverse world, fresh and engaging combat, thrilling storyline]”
    • “The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it feel stale after a short period of time.”
    • “The soundtrack doesn't match the intensity of the gameplay, leading to a disjointed experience.”
    • “The sound effects are poorly mixed, often drowning out the music and making it hard to enjoy.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    Overall, the optimization of the game has been criticized for its noticeable performance issues, including unstable framerates and frequent drops, particularly compared to the original. Players have also reported that the game feels restrictive and tutorial-heavy in the beginning, with inconsistent localization and performance problems in specific areas further detracting from the experience.

    • “While I can't say for certain without an analysis tool of some kind, the framerate also seems noticeably less stable than the original game, leading me to believe Torna simply didn't get the same kind of optimization love.”
    • “Easy to be overwhelmed in the opening hours, inconsistent localization, performance problems in certain areas.”
  • graphics4 mentions

    The graphics of the game are praised for their vibrant art style and beautiful settings that enhance exploration, contributing to an immersive experience. However, some technical issues, such as low-resolution textures and frame-rate drops, detract from the overall visual quality, and certain character designs and voice acting have been criticized as subpar. Overall, while the visuals are striking, they are somewhat undermined by inconsistent technical performance.

    • “A beautiful setting that makes exploration an absolute joy.”
    • “Vibrant and amazing art style that helps bring the world to life.”
    • “Most of the cutscenes are slickly and stylishly directed.”
    • “In doing so, though, whilst still wonderfully vast in its scale, and gripping in how things play out for the most part, it has lost its way slightly, becoming bogged down by an overly complex pre-battle system, marred by fights that mostly feel too hands-off/automated, and some terrible character visuals and voice work.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development in the game has been criticized for its reliance on generic anime designs and a lack of depth, with performance issues and repetitive dialogue detracting from the experience. Additionally, overly complicated mechanics and technical bugs further hinder the player's connection to the characters.

    • “The character design is very generically anime, lacking any unique traits or depth.”
    • “The mechanics feel overly complicated at times, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “Performance drops and annoying texture and object pop-in bugs detract from the overall character experience.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

81% average critic score

Buy Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Play time

36hMedian play time
33hAverage play time
63hMain story
257hCompletionist
25-40hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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