Rate top gamesI blasted my way out through XC2 and by the end, my play time was at 89 hours and I didn't notice at all. I think that Monolith Software is finding the balance between story and characters, my biggest issue with XC1 is that the characters didn't stand on par with the story, they were too generic, but here, even when they represent some cliches, they're likable and charming in their own way. The music is good and some of the tracks are amazing, they remind me a little of crono trigger, but a lot of them are kind of generic. The combat is not as amazing as XC1 or XCX but is still good and it has its own personality thanks to the blades system which is so refreshing, if you're into JoJo's Bizarre Adventure the blades are practically stands, also speaking of JoJo, one of the writers (Soraya Saga) is a big JoJo fan, so I will say that some of the character's backstories are very dark and similar to the ones that appear in parts 7 and 8 of that said manga, but that's just a baseless theory anyway.
My issues with this game are that a lot of the side content is way too boring and generic as the back entries, and it needs a lot of mindless backtracking, the menu and hud are better than past entries but not for much, they need to sort that thing by the next entry. As for the blades, is an amazing system but it also depends a lot on luck, in order to unlock all the extra blades, you rely on certain items that summon by chance rare blades or normal blades, it seems to me more like a P2W mechanic and it also depends a lot on grinding, so I didn't like it at all. At last, the localization team seems to make a lot of changes in the names and some of the dialogue and is pretty noticeable when you play it with Japanese audio, and as far of fan service and anime-japanese things here is a lot of that, I like it but if you're easily triggered by cleavage and non-practical female outfits you may pass on this one.
I think that this entry expands on the universe set by the first game and is better in almost everything, but is still a little far to become a classic, that being said when you finish the 12 hour tutorial is pretty damn fun onwards.
My issues with this game are that a lot of the side content is way too boring and generic as the back entries, and it needs a lot of mindless backtracking, the menu and hud are better than past entries but not for much, they need to sort that thing by the next entry. As for the blades, is an amazing system but it also depends a lot on luck, in order to unlock all the extra blades, you rely on certain items that summon by chance rare blades or normal blades, it seems to me more like a P2W mechanic and it also depends a lot on grinding, so I didn't like it at all. At last, the localization team seems to make a lot of changes in the names and some of the dialogue and is pretty noticeable when you play it with Japanese audio, and as far of fan service and anime-japanese things here is a lot of that, I like it but if you're easily triggered by cleavage and non-practical female outfits you may pass on this one.
I think that this entry expands on the universe set by the first game and is better in almost everything, but is still a little far to become a classic, that being said when you finish the 12 hour tutorial is pretty damn fun onwards.
«Just one more turn»
«Can’t stop playing»
«That ending!»
Other reviews3
This is a game that felt like the magic you see in Sword Art Online or the adventure in Breath of the Wild. The environments are fully realized and always found my jaw dropping when looking over the magnificent titans that roam the planet. Although the story subverts expectations often, I found that the story was the least gripping part of the game. Yes I like the characters; yes I like the driver-blade relationship, but the cringy voice-acting kept me from calling this game a masterpiece. Moments that should be grand and emotional are brought down by awful writing and even worse voice-acting. But along the way, the combat is what shines. The combat system is extremely complex and gives you the entire game to figure out. This is what kept me coming back for more as finding new ways to string attacks never got old and I always found new combinations. Also the music is fire as you'll get.
This game was one of the most frustrating games to play. It was so frustrating because it has so much potential to have a great story. However, it wastes it with bad anime tropes, cringy dialogue and overly complex gameplay that makes it complex for the sake of complex.
3/10 Nothing I'd recommend.
3/10 Nothing I'd recommend.
«Disappointment of the year»
«Waste of time»