Sequel fails to live up to its name

In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, everybody lives on the body of giant creatures. Cities, towns, forests, caves are all found on the arms, legs, shoulders and even stomachs of these titans, floating high in the sky.

The problem is, the game itself is standing on the shoulders of giants too. Not only does Xenoblade Chronicles 2 have two excellent predecessors to be measured against, it also draws heavily from Final Fantasy games and anime. To add even more expectation to the mix, this is Nintendo’s last big Switch game of an incredible 2017. Like those titans in the sky, hopes were high.

It’s no surprise, then, that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 doesn’t quite live up to the pressure. This is a really good game with a superb world to explore, bogged down by what seems like a mismatch of story and gameplay. The gameplay encourages long hours of grinding and accumulation, while the anime plot feels like it should be moving at a far quicker pace than the gameplay allows for. In the first Xenoblade, the plot felt a little more intimate, managing to be both epic and even handed at once. In this sequel, things take a turn for excess, both in terms of characters and combat.