GOTY 2015 – Number 5 – Xenoblade Chronicles X

(Song is “Outside of Space and Time” by David Byrne & St. Vincent)

Right, this was always going to be a difficult one to cover. The game’s brand new, and massive, and it would be reasonable to assume I haven’t even seen a tiny portion of it yet. The way I feel about it now might be entirely different from how I feel in a couple of weeks. But right now, I have to put it in my GOTY list.

So, what have I seen? How’s it that good?

Look at it. Xenoblade in HD was always a safe bet, but seeing what MonolithSoft have achieved is incredible. Not just in terms of visuals, but the density and variety in each environment. It’s a fantastic game to explore, and that pulls you into its layers upon layers of depth.

It’s not fair, or particularly helpful to paint X as a Xenoblade Chronicles sequel. The mechanics and systems underpinning the games are often very different, and so is the game’s focus. While the original was focused on a linear story, and built a huge, beautiful world for that to take place in, X seems to do things the other way around. There’s a story here, but the game seems more interested in letting you play around with what they’ve set up. You’re attempting to make an alien planet a home for thousands of stranded humans, while overcoming all the obstacles and threats. You feel much more connected to a community here, and less involved in your character’s personal journey.

That’s not to say this game isn’t interested in showing a personal journey. Just not so much the one pre-written for the main character. Shulk has been replaced with a customisable avatar, and as a new resident of New Los Angeles, you’re given the opportunity to choose your job, and what kind of thing you’ll be doing between the main story missions. This ranges from exploration and combat to helping members of the community with their problems. You’re not locked into anything, and the full range of the game’s content is open to everyone, but it’s good to narrow things down a little when there’s so much on offer.

Ideas from the previous game, like the relationship system and upgradeable combat abilities make a return, but it’s all been changed for the sake of the new game. Some changes are bound to be controversial, while others seem quite obviously better. You can now aim at specific body parts in fights, to topple an enemy, or maybe focus on killing it faster. You can also switch between close-combat weapons and guns at the touch of a button, if you want to pick between ranged attacks, or quicker, wider attacks. They’re good ideas, and easy to welcome. There’s also a lot of things like the online support, data probe management and the heavily-teased skells, which still seem a little bewildering to me at this early point in the game, but will likely add a great deal to the game over the course of the many hours.

For those unfamiliar with the previous game, it’s worth mentioning how Xenoblade avoids so many of the stumbling blocks that often put me off JRPGs. Movement is fast and dynamic, and offers you the freedom to explore everything you can see. Now, you can sprint and jump even further and higher, letting you find cheeky shortcuts and bounce between rooftops. The whole game follows that kind of loose, fun structure. You don’t feel bound to playing the game in a way you don’t like. There’s enough freedom in here to find one little thing you enjoy in the game and just stick to it. Or you can take it all on.

I finally pushed myself into completing Xenoblade Chronicles only two weeks before X’s release, and in that situation, it’s easy to take these games somewhat for granted. It’s only when you take a step back and look at it as a whole, you really appreciate what an incredible piece of work this is, and how big a deal it really is. Grand Theft Auto and its ilk are lauded for their ambition, but Xenoblade matches its grand size with incredible design and art. It’s mad that this game actually exists. I’m not attempting to rush through X. I’m hoping it’ll sit with me for years. I want to play it for years.