Xenoblade Chronicles - Getting Lost in the Worlds I Love
Xenoblade Chronicles is hands down one of my favorite traditional RPG series. I've played and completed every installment - except X - despite pouring 40 hours into it, I never finished it. So you can imagine how thrilled I am about the upcoming Switch port! I've been port-begging for the game for years.
That said, my love for the Xenoblade Chronicles series is rooted entirely in its gameplay and the breathtaking beauty of its game world. By the latter, I mean these game worlds are masterfully crafted and aurally mesmerizing—I just love immersing myself in them.
But here’s the thing: I’m generally terrible at following RPG storylines, especially ones as intricate as those in the Xenoblade games. The way I approach these games makes it nearly impossible for me to keep track of their sprawling narratives during a playthrough.
Why? Because the way I play Xenoblade games is far from linear. I make my way through the game world at my own pace, which means I see the main story beats very few and far between hours upon hours of side content. My completion stats for Xenoblade games are as follows:
Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
Started: 05/05/12; ended: 08/05/12
-total playtime: 121:47
-Level: 95 (Shulk)
-Colony 6 completely rebuilt
Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)
started: 12/4/15; ended: N/A
-Did not finish the game
-40+ hours in
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch)
Started: 4/1/18; ended: 8/6/18
-Time: 226:35:21
-Levels: Rex: lv 8
Nia: lv 84
Tora: lv 83
Morag: lv 83
Zeke: lv 85
(DLC) Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country (Switch)
Started: 7/2/22; ended: 7/24/22
Last save: 27:0447
Lv: 59: Lora
58: Addam
58: Hugo
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (Switch)
Started: 5/30/20; ended: 10/10/20
-total playtime: 115:36
-Level: 99 (Shulk)
-Colony 6 completely rebuilt
-Max affinity with settlements
-Achievements: 156/200 (Records: 110/150 / Trials: 46/50)
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Switch)
started: 7/31/22; ended: 10/30/22
-Time: 143:35
-Level: 79
Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected (Switch)
Started: Not Started; ended: N/A
So looking at the completion stats - you see how long it takes me to get through these games. Like I said, I enjoy the gameplay and the game world very much, so I spend a lot of time in them! Here’s how I play Xenoblade:
I’m OBSESSED with filling out and completing every single map.
I spend the majority of my play time tackling a TON of sidequests.
As a result, by the time I return to the main story, I've forgotten most of the plot. Case in point: I still have no idea what really happened in the first Xenoblade Chronicles game. There were so many twists and turns that I just couldn’t keep up. The same thing happened with Xenoblade Chronicles 2. And while I made a solid effort to stay engaged with the story in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, I eventually lost track of the plot there after spending a ton of time doing a bunch of sidequests in that title too.
I’m not complaining though; I *love* the gameplay loop and the game worlds so much that I happily spend countless hours doing side content (fun fact: I’m always ridiculously overpowered by the time I reach the final boss because of all the side content I do), but it does mean that the main story ends up taking a backseat for me.
Now that the Xenoblade Chronicles X port is on the horizon, I’m starting to wonder: should I do a series-wide story-focused run? Maybe play through all the games back-to-back, this time paying closer attention to the overarching narrative? Alternatively, I know there are tons of Xenoblade theorists out there who’ve pieced together the series’ intricate storyline. Perhaps it’s time to dive into some of their content and finally make sense of it all!
Either way, I’m excited to return to these worlds once again, especially to re-explore Xenoblade Chronicles X on the Switch. Who knows? I’ll definitely finish the game this time—and at least figure out what’s going on!