January 29, 2015 by

Here are 5 reasons why I am excited for Nintendo's next JRPG.

About two years ago, Nintendo announced that Monolith Soft was working on a new title for the Wii U, a massive open-world JRPG that we now know as Xenoblade Chronicles X. Described as the spiritual successor to the critically-acclaimed Xenoblade Chronicles for Wii, X looks to build upon the solid foundation of the first game and bring Wii U owners a type of game that the console desperately needs. After a number of delays, Xenoblade Chronicles X is slated to release in Japan this April and in other regions by the end of the year. It has also become my most anticipated game of 2015.

In fact, on the long list of games that are launching this year, Xenoblade Chronicles X is the only one that I can truly say I am excited for. Sure, Zelda looks awesome, but I am not the world’s biggest Zelda fan. Yoshi’s Woolly World looks like a blast, but after trudging through Kirby’s Epic Yarn, I still have a few concerns. Splatoon looks like a potential hit, but I want to see more from the game’s single-player campaign before I make a judgment call. In other words, I am ready to put my money down for Xenoblade Chronicles X right now, and here are just a few reasons why.

A Massive World With Stunning Environments

The first Xenoblade Chronicles game had some really expansive areas and vistas, almost despite the Wii’s lackluster hardware. I will always remember walking into Gaur Plain and gawking at how gorgeous it looked. I remember trying to go up every mountain and hugging every all in hopes that I would find even more secrets and treasure. The scope of that game is unbelievable, and X seems to want to do even better—over five times better to be exact.

In an interview with EDGE Magazine, Monolith Soft president Tetsuya Takahashi stated that X’s game world would be “five times bigger” than that of the first game. Keep in mind that original was already massive in and of itself—it took me over 70 hours to complete its main campaign, and that was without doing most of the side quests. Of course, Takahashi is not implying that the game will be over 350 hours long—though it certainly could be if you really wanted to do everything—it does mean that there will be more places to run around and explore, which is honestly what I am excited about the most about this game.

But having an open world is not enough. If you want players to feel completely immersed in the experience, the game needs to be more than just big. Thankfully, the artists at Monolith Soft have conjured up some brilliant environment designs that I simply cannot wait to just sit down and take in. Huge sand dunes, staggering precipices, and expansive poppy fields are just a fraction of what we saw in the game’s latest trailer. I simply cannot wait to see what else X has to offer in terms of world design.

The Music Sounds Amazing

Here is a sample of Xenoblade Chronicles X’s main theme.

In my opinion, the first Xenoblade Chronicles had the best music in a video game ever, which is unsurprising considering Yoko Shimamura (Kingdoms Hearts) and Yasunori Mitsuda (Xenogears/Xenosaga) worked on that soundtrack. One of my favorite aspects about that game was how well the music was paired with the game world. Gaur Plain is perhaps one of the first real open areas in Xenoblade, and its accompanying music track did an excellent job in conveying that feeling of openness and expansiveness. Satorl Marsh transforms into a luminous wonderland after dark, and its night theme perfectly captures its brilliance.

While we only have a small glimpse of what X’s soundtrack will be like, one of its soundtrack composers is already turning heads. Hiroyuki Sawano, the man behind much of the soundtrack of the popular anime Attack on Titan, is writing a lot of the music to be found in this game. Having watched Attack on Titan in its entirety, I have to say that I am excited to see what Sawano has to bring to the table, because he seems like a great fit for a fantasy franchise like Xenoblade.

You Can Fly

The feeling of flight is empowering. I started playing Saints Row IV just the other day, and one of my favorite new features in that game is the ability to just take off and fly. It just feels so good to have virtually unlimited freedom of movement, and it completely changes the way that game is played. From what I have seen of the in-flight mechanics in X, I cannot help but feel the same way.

The fact that you can jump into a giant mech and fly around in it is in and of itself a thrilling idea. Suddenly, your character is no longer limited to the ground on his or her feet. You can go anywhere you want, whether that is up on top of a towering peak or through deep and beautiful canyons. It is yet another feature that I think could become one of the more memorable things about this game, and to see the game’s massive sense of scale is preserved even while controlling inside a mech is astounding. X aims to be larger than life, and it certain feels like it when you are riding inside a giant hunk of metal.

What I am most excited for, however, is the ability to engage in combat while controlling a mech. Battles can now scale vertically, literally adding a new dimension to how they can be fought. In Xenoblade, the position of your character relative to your target determines how much damage you deal. Assuming that this mechanic returns in X—and this is likely—being able to attack from above or below could increase the complexity of what some could argue was a relatively repetitive battle system in the Wii game.

I Want Another Stupid Story

I am not going to spoil Xenoblade Chronicles for you, but its insane, mind-bending, powerful story was certainly one of my favorite aspects of that game. It certainly was not something you could describe as reasonable—hell, the whole game takes place on two giant robots—and it may have about five thousand different unresolved plotholes, but I would not have wanted it any other way.

Producer and writer for the series Tetsuya Takahashi stated in an interview with Game Informer that he plans on “pursuing more mature writing in future projects” after Xenoblade Chronicles. This brings me a lot of joy, because I did enjoy a lot of the more darker themes presented in the first game. If X can keep me engaged for over 70 hours just as the first game did, then I am on board.

It Is A Sequel To Xenoblade Chronicles

If you have not noticed already, I love Xenoblade Chronicles. Xenoblade Chronicles surprised me. As a gamer with many pet peeves, I was not sure as to whether I would even enjoy ten hours of it. Over seventy hours later, I had completed my very first JRPG.

This is perhaps the main reason why I am so excited for Xenoblade Chronicles X. Xenoblade Chronicles was just that good. It made me interested in a genre that I once loathed, and over time I have grown emotionally attached to that game. To see X build upon the original game’s mechanics makes me all the more excited to try the game out. From what I have seen, X looks to be a natural evolution of Nintendo’s latest JRPG franchise—bigger, prettier, and more complex. And to think that we have only seen a small glimpse of what X has to offer.

Of course, I do have a few worries. One of my favorite parts about Xenoblade Chronicles was its story, and that story was about Shulk, the main character. Shulk had a personality that made him immediately likeable, and his unique abilities changed the game’s battle system in significant ways. Shulk, of course, is not in Xenoblade Chronicles X, and that change might be bigger than you think.

That, however, is just a small concern in a game that I really cannot wait to play. Xenoblade Chronicles X releases in Japan this April, and everywhere else by the end of 2015. The only thing I need more of now is time…

Are you excited for Xenoblade Chronicles X? What do you think of the game so far? Discuss in the comments below!

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