Review of Xenoblade Sword 3: An Excellent Ending Without Regrets

After being addicted for nearly 80 hours, I still have no intention of working and just want to continue adventuring in the world of Ionion. But now, I would like to use this review to tell everyone that Xenoblade Sword 3 is the most unmissable JRPG of the year and the best gift for all fans of the series.

Flawless scenes and music

The most undisputed advantage of the Xenoblade Sword series, in my opinion, is the setting and the music. The unstoppable and stable performance of Xenoblade Sword 3 has created a world of Aeonion that is incredibly beautiful from top to bottom. When I entered the first big map with mountains and water, I only had one feeling - it was really "The Sword of the Abyss".

An endless wilderness surrounded by monsters waiting for me to turn into an EXP; The BGM that immediately enters the play seems to still have some familiar melodies; When you are immersed in it, a gorilla that you can't afford to provoke now is slowly approaching in the distance.

Compared with the countless map guidance systems roast about in "Heterogeneous Sword 2", the three generations did not make the same mistake again. As long as you set the target and turn on navigation, Navi On will light up in the bottom right corner, and a fairly intuitive navigation route will appear, even the height difference is clear at a glance. If there are friends who have been tricked by the navigation of Xenoblade Sword 2, don't panic! Just follow boldly this time and it's done.

In terms of the number of maps, Xenoblade Sword 3 does not have many advantages compared to its predecessor, but it wins by being "big". It was really hard to imagine before that mountains, waterfalls, and wilderness could coexist on the same map as the desert, with several strongholds scattered throughout. Some maps even had to rely on external forces to assist exploration due to insufficient legs. In terms of running maps in one breath, besides the seamless Xenoblade Sword X, it should be the most satisfying of Xenoblade Sword 3.

As the adventure progresses, almost any scene you can imagine, such as forests, snow capped mountains, caves, etc., will gradually appear in the world of Ionion. Every new map unfolds, and every discovery of a unique attraction is worth pressing the screenshot shortcut key. Moreover, this is a world that is more vibrant than any previous work.

The Xenoblade Sword series has always had some simple ecosystems, which can affect the types of monsters and even the appearance of the entire map day and night. The phosphorescent land in Xenoblade Sword 1 is a good example. During the day, the mist is slightly gloomy, while at night, the style is reversed. Coupled with the amazing BGM, it is incredibly beautiful.

And Xenoblade Sword 3 wants to present this world more vividly to everyone. So, we often see conflicts between two different waves of monsters or forces on the map, and at this point, we can come forward to physically persuade them to fight.

When they don't fight, they don't idle either. Many monsters have their own special habits, such as gorillas taking out apples and nibbling on them. If we happen to be nearby, we can also pick up the material items dropped by these monsters.

Even though it is still too young compared to games like Monster Hunter that truly focus on environmental ecology, it is precisely this series of newly added small details that have added a bit of vitality to our long journey. Unfortunately, the design issues on the map system have made this journey somewhat imperfect.

Because this game cannot scale the mini map as before, and after using the default shortcut combination to open the map, only quick transfers can be made within this map. To cross maps, you must perform operations such as "Open Menu - Map". The way to change the shortcut key so that it can directly open the big map requires pressing the+key after ZL to enter the shortcut key editing. The prompt is only in the bottom right corner, which is very inconspicuous. Perhaps many people are still unaware until they pass the level (such as myself).

If some people find map design too uncomfortable, then the music aspect is truly impeccable. The Yidu Sword series has received unanimous praise, except for the controversial music of Yidu Sword X, which was led by Hiroshi Sawano.

When I entered "Xenoblade Sword 3" and saw the MUSIC column in STAFF, below were Mitsuda Yasuda, ACE, Hiramatsu Jianji, Kiyoda Aiwei, and Mariam Abounanasr, all I had in my mind was one thought - when will OST come out? I'm buying explosive!

The music of Xenoblade Sword 3 has maintained a consistently high level in the series. "A Life Sent On (おくられる Life)" and each of its remixes are so pleasant to listen to that it is worth repeating the single. What's even more surprising is that this song "The Weight of Life", if you listen carefully, you can easily find a few familiar melodies inserted.

you 're right! They are "Enemy Confrontation" from "Xenoblade Sword 1" and "Counterstack" from "Xenoblade Sword 2". I believe that if players still remember these two BGM songs, when they hear them while playing, they will have a feeling of a dead memory suddenly attacking me.

What is the power of music? For "The Sword of Alienation", the power of music is that when you hear these melodies again a few years later, your mind will come up with those stories that you have walked on maps, experienced, and fought against bosses. I want to give the music of Xenoblade Sword 3 a score of 10, and it's because the upper limit is only 10 points.

Systematize complexity into simplicity, combat from simplicity to complexity

How to roughly introduce the system of Xenoblade Sword 3? Adventure: 1+2> 3. Battle: 1+2< 3.

From adventure to battle, you can find shadows of Xenoblade Sword 1 and Xenoblade Sword 2 in almost every system. Whenever a new mechanism is unlocked, as long as you are an old player, 80% of you will sigh: sigh~I know this! The difference between the two may only lie in one being to simplify complexity, and the other being to simplify complexity.

Let's first talk about the adventure system that simplifies complexity. Do you still remember the first encounter with the bewildering pearl melting system in Xenoblade Sword 1? Crystallization, purity, high heat, low heat, low heat I really had a hard time refining a high-end gem back then.

In Xenoblade Sword 3, the bead melting system is still retained. However, now only the corresponding beads can be melted, each from level 1 to level 10. You can directly input the corresponding materials to complete the melting, and as long as you melt it once, you can equip everyone. If the bead grandpa had seen how easy it would be to refine beads in the future, I don't know what he would think.

Another significant adventure system is the cuisine from Xenoblade Sword 2.

Do you still remember the day when I went back and forth to the fields to pick vegetables and cook in order to give my character a chance? In Xenoblade Sword 3, most of the cooking systems in Xenoblade Sword 2 are still retained, but the production difficulty is much lower. Learning the recipe only requires spending money in the corresponding cafeteria to have a meal, and there is no need to worry about combining the dishes. After finishing it, you can still see the chef Manana dancing and bringing out the dishes. It's really a bit deadly when it's quiet at night.

In addition to these two feature systems, other aspects of Xenoblade Sword 3 are also being simplified as much as possible.

The map of Xenoblade Sword 2 always likes to arrange interactive mechanisms that require corresponding Xenoblade skills to trigger. Although it improves the game's durability, it also increases the level of annoyance. Xenoblade Sword 3 also features many interactive mechanisms on the map, but they can either be triggered directly without any conditions, such as lowering a ladder to take shortcuts, or simply utilize the adventure abilities obtained from missions such as climbing.

In terms of adventure, various interactive mechanisms are more fun than the first generation and not as annoying as the second generation. In addition, after defeating the title monster in this game, its stone tablet can be used as a teleportation point, and mining and collection can be deleted and replaced by directly picking up highlight marked items on the ground. The experience of exploring the entire map in one breath is still very comfortable.

If the description of simplifying complexity above is not direct enough, then we can only offer the final trump card - the Nopen coin system. After opening the treasure chest and killing elite monsters, a Nopen coin will drop, which is quite powerful.

Silver coins can be used for cooking, completing tasks, and leveling up professions. Gold coins can also be used to directly cross low-level beads and melt high-level beads without consuming materials. It can almost be seen as a mechanism for skipping classes, and the feeling of skipping classes is really enjoyable!

Contrary to the increasingly simple and convenient adventure system, the combat system of Xenoblade Sword 3 is not just 1+2. Before discussing the combat system of Xenoblade Sword 3, we must first understand the core gameplay of this generation, which is the career system.

Each character has a profession, and like most traditional MMOs, this generation is directly divided into tanks, healing, and output. Each profession has its own set of skills and martial arts, and upgrading can bring out individual skills of corresponding professions and install them on other professions.

Numerous NPC (hero) characters who can participate in battles also have their own unique professions. As long as they join the team, they can unlock corresponding professions for the protagonist team to switch careers. The overall team configuration can be described as arbitrary, which is of great research value.

For example, I really enjoy using the martial artist profession in the later stages of the process. Although my combat skills have a short cooldown and high output, the problem is also very obvious. It is easy to deal excessive damage and cause tank hatred to be unable to hold up. Therefore, I need to find solutions in the skills of other professions. So I placed a sword fighter skill called "Shadow Eye" on the martial artist to reduce hatred and make the hatred during battles more stable.

Similarly, other professions also have many unique skills, and how to build a copper walled tank and heal the milk explosive table depends on the player's own combination.

The foundation of the battles in Xenoblade Sword is similar to that of Old MMO: body position, hatred, automatic attack, combat skills, BUFF, and DEBUFF. The first generation combat system utilizes the unique combat skills of each character to effectively unleash anti knock, stun combos, and unleash tons of damage using the Chain Attack Rampage skill.

After adding the alien blade system, the 2nd generation almost redone most of the mechanisms, such as converting regular attacks into multi stage combos, and only carrying 3 combat skills that need to be restored through regular attacks instead of waiting for time CDs, etc. Although the foundation is the same, new tricks have been played.

1. The battles of the second generation each have their own strengths, so the third generation said, "I want everything.". Not long after the game starts, players will find that the male protagonist camp uses the first generation time recovery battle technique, while the female protagonist camp uses the second generation ordinary attack recovery battle technique, the first generation chain attack, and the second generation martial arts cancellation, all of which are added to the third generation and then evolved again.

Integrated martial arts has been added to the martial arts. In addition to the original 3 martial arts on the right, 3 martial arts can also be set on the left as the level increases. These 6 martial arts can not only be released separately normally, but as long as the corresponding 2 martial arts are turned to CD, the integrated martial arts can be launched, and 2 martial arts can be played at the same time. This integrated martial arts can be cancelled from ordinary martial arts. In the early stage, we can play combos such as "General Attack Martial Arts - Integrated Martial Arts - Martial Arts".

The starting point of this system is very innovative, which not only alleviates the awkwardness of only being able to carry 3 martial arts skills, but also allows players to create their own combos through fusion.

Unfortunately, the timeline for unlocking everything was too long, and for a long time we could only use a "half hearted" system. In the early stages, there were not many skills, and only 1 or 2 left side martial arts fields were open. Once the left side skills entered the CD, this new system became a decoration.

Only in the later stages can a large number of skills be unlocked, and various martial arts skills cancel each other, and then combined with the newly added fast stepping movement to adjust back and forth. Even if the traditional QTE of the series is gone, there will be no sense of slackness in the fight.

Chain attack has become a gameplay similar to "playing cards", where using a character once will increase the TP value. As long as the final TP value exceeds 100, you can launch a magnificent kill and continue the next chain attack.

An interesting point is that each character is designed with unique chain skills, some to increase the damage multiplier of chain attacks, and some to restore a slightly strategic skill like the chain gauge in the chain.

Moreover, the chain attack system is closely related to the occupational system mentioned earlier. The most obvious thing is that most healing professions, no matter how high their TP points are, will not exceed 99%. Therefore, we need to consider the number of healing professions in the team. Too many cannot form a chain, and too few are not easy to use its 99 card feature to cause higher damage.

Watching oneself use a chain to directly kill the boss, don't be too decompressed. The flash sale here is really not an exaggeration. When I can only fight a few hundred in regular attacks and can only fight a maximum of 10000 in combat skills, a successful chain attack can cause tens or even millions of output. In addition, with the experience value reward multiplied several times after success, I will try my best to use chain attacks to kill almost every boss battle and elite monster.

However, the relative problem is that the chain attack takes a slightly longer time. After playing a few rounds of cards, it is really tiring to watch the show, especially for the BOSS chain battle that needs to be faced in certain stages of the process. There is no need to lose rewards, and using it means watching the show time and time again. Moreover, once a chain attack is launched, no matter how oppressive the BGM is, it will be covered, jokingly known as moving the sound system.

It can only be said that the profits from chain attacks are high and the music is also of high quality, which is not tiring to listen to. Otherwise, when facing numerous elite monsters and boss battles in the later stage, one would really be afraid of hearing PTSD.

On top of the hybrid and upgraded 1st and 2nd generation characteristic combat systems, Xenoblade Sword 3 has also innovated its own new gameplay, the scientific name Spirit Title Link, but there is also a more colloquial term, which is Combination. Two of the six main characters can merge and transform into a highly powerful Hydra body. Their performance in battle is almost invincible for a certain period of time and they can use special Hydra combat techniques infinitely until they are actively released or the transformation time ends.

This transformation system is not as simple and rough as it appears. Not only do you need to match the skills of the Tailed Snake yourself, but you also need to pay attention to using fusion combat techniques to improve the connection level in normal states.

After reaching level 3, some of the combat skills and innate combat skills of the Tailed Snake will be strengthened, and only the Tailed Snake connected at level 3 can be considered complete. In addition, each tailed snake has its own skill tree development, so when you feel that the combination transformation is a bit out of sync with the rhythm, the development wave is full of chaos and killing.

The overall combat system of Xenoblade Sword 3 will give people a very wonderful experience. I thought it was mainly focused on chain attacks, but I found that fusion combat skills are really fun. When I started researching fusion combat skills, he moved out the spirit rank link again. I was tired of playing spirit rank links, and the first two systems had new gameplay, truly achieving 1+2< 3. It can't stop at all.

What should come will always come

The traditional JRPG storyline and unique flaws of the series will definitely not be absent.

Due to spoilers, I am unable to chat with everyone about the plot, so I can only click until the end. Xenoblade Sword 3 has the heaviest theme in the series. Although Xenoblade Sword 1 also has the goal of revenge, it is not oppressive overall, let alone the Boy meets girls in Xenoblade Sword 2. In contrast, Xenoblade Sword 3 features a plethora of brutal war scenes.

Even though most JRPG's depictions of war may seem a bit small, the abundance and straightforward depiction of corpses everywhere is rare in the series. Compared to the slow rise from peaceful daily life, Xenoblade Sword 3 is better able to capture players at the beginning, and it is precisely in such an environment that the plot, whether it is about handing knives or handing candy, appears more powerful than before.

As the legitimate sequel to Xenoblade Sword, as early as the initial promotion, the official stated that Xenoblade Sword 3 would link to the first two works. This is not a simple matter, as 1 and 2 have almost completely independent stories. When it comes to linking them together, I am really afraid that just a few old characters will show their faces, but fortunately, my worries are unnecessary. After passing the level, I just want to say that spending those hundred or so hours on the first and second generations is worth it!

Without the obvious homestay elements of the previous installment, and even in situations where some characters may not appear outstanding in appearance, Xenoblade Sword 3 successfully established the character designs of the main characters, especially the portrayal of the female protagonist Miyo, who is very outstanding. No one would dislike such a cute, brave and strong girl. I dare say Miyo must be a popular winner in this year's female lead popularity election.

On the contrary, the portrayal of the male lead was not outstanding in the early and middle stages, perhaps to highlight the difference from the first and second generation male leads. In the early stage, the male lead was too mature and calm, but also mixed with a bit of tolerance and gentleness that was not limited to either the enemy or the self. Fortunately, there was a change in the middle and later stages, and he did not disappoint his identity.

The other four characters also have highlights in the plot, and there is no situation of a tool man. Watching everyone interact by the campfire during free time is really a little heartwarming.

The hero characters mentioned earlier also occupy a lot of scenes in the plot. The game has prepared over 15 hero characters waiting to meet the players. Here, we can see it as another type of Blade Harmony System in Xenoblade Sword 2. However, compared to the second generation's "draw", this time the hero characters themselves exist in this world, some are closely related to the main storyline, and some are side lines that are detached from the main storyline.

Compared to the second generation, which first drew and then learned about TA, this time we got to know TA first, then traveled with TA, and finally gained a deeper understanding of TA's story. This design also has a unique flavor.

The plot performance of this work not only has a large amount of broadcast length, but also has a very good taste. Of course, this is not a derogatory meaning, or rather, what many people want is this taste. From the moment a group of people shouted the name of the move during the battle, the Japanese anime II had already been imprinted in it. Although the theme was relatively heavy, it was impossible for Xenoblade Sword 3 to remove these elements.

If you have a lot of exposure to JRPG players, you often have a feeling of "Oh, I probably guessed what was going to happen" -; When faced with indecisive situations, they look at each other and nod, showing a hint of forgiveness towards the heinous villain. Despite the urgency of the plot, they still have to make seemingly unimportant side lines.

People who like it find it acceptable, while those who dislike it find it unbearable, both can be understood.

However, there are some aspects beyond the plot that still retain the original appearance, which I can't quite understand. As a game that emphasizes the vastness of the world as one of its selling points, the dazzling variety of props is also one of the game's features. However, the game still lacks a detailed prop guide, which makes me confused when a task requires a certain prop.

The description of the prop will only tell you which map it is on, while the material dropped during monster hunting will not even tell you which monster it is. Only when you approach it, an exclamation mark will be displayed, let alone a monster guidebook. You can only rely on memory or flipping strategies to deal with it.

In addition, there are also changes to the task system. Many of the tasks in this game are not directly marked on the map, but need to be triggered by walking through the streets and listening to the chat of key NPCs, and then going back to the rest point to discuss topics with friends.

Some topics can trigger missions, some critical hero missions, and even require these ordinary missions as prerequisites. It can be said that the side lines of this game are quite important. This design itself is quite good. Listening to NPC chats naturally leads to tasks, which is more interesting and adventurous than going to the task board to lead tasks. However, the actual playing experience is still a bit stiff.

Let's not mention that we need to wander around the city in order to find an NPC to talk to. After hearing the topic, we also need to go to a rest point separately to choose communication. In this way, we have to teleport back and forth at the rest point, unless you first find a lot of topics and then go back to slowly communicate. But how much difference is it from facing the task board and receiving tasks?

In fact, it can be designed to communicate directly in place after listening to the topic, and for those who need special conditions, they can go back to rest and discuss slowly. It feels a bit unnecessary for everyone to handle it this way.

The classification of game items is also a mess, with only a few hundred items given a classification mode of rarity, order of acquisition, and name. I don't even give a simple classification of item types. If I want to see the origin of a certain item, I can only open the name order and flip page by page according to abcd. Although the first and second generations have relatively detailed classification and screening, why is the third generation missing? It's confusing.

I still remember that when the 2nd generation was just launched, many people roast about the poor guidance. Now, the big aspects, such as the battle teaching map navigation, are better, but these small guides are still the same as they were in those days, and some even have regressed. It's 2022, and we should be more humanistic.

Ending without regrets

In my opinion, Xenoblade Sword 3 is already a work with excellent completion. If there is anything regrettable about it, it can only be the clich é d question - the visuals.

To be fair, the visuals of Xenoblade Sword 3 have made significant progress compared to Xenoblade Sword 2. The character's facial expressions and details are richer, and the scene is finally not as blurry. The improvement in handheld mode is significant, but there is still a big gap in performance compared to mainstream games today. Let's take a close-up of everyone's already unattractive hair paired with fashion models, which is embarrassing.

A better picture and a larger map result in more awkward frame rates. Some maps experience significant frame drops when changing perspectives. I have also experienced two instances where the game freezes for about 2 seconds after rapid teleportation, which was quite frightening.

I know that everyone dreams of using 60 frames of images on the 4K screen to swim the Excalibur. I have seen many people roast that the Excalibur was ruined by the old hardware, but on the contrary, without Nintendo, the Excalibur series may have disappeared in history, which may be the best result we can get.

On August 1st, I received an email from Nintendo to all players who had purchased Xenoblade 3 in my email. Mr. Takahashi, the producer of Xenoblade 3, wrote that it was the culmination of the entire 12 year production series, and the Xenoblade series, which began with the Claus experiment, was officially completed.

And I did see through the game that Mr. Takahashi infused his favorite things with a complete mindset. The entire game of Xenoblade Sword 3 is filled with a feeling of "being the end game, so we need to fully unleash our firepower without leaving any regrets." We can do whatever comes to mind, and there are some things that can be played through through the plot. Xenoblade Sword 3 has a separate system.

The most exaggerated aspect is Mr. Takahashi's love for mechs. The cool explosive performance in "Xenoblade Sword 3" is even more impressive than the main mech in "Xenoblade Sword X". Various robots have reached the point where they are perfectly compatible when participating in "Mecha" in the neighboring shed. In the midst of passion, the second and romantic mechs are indeed the best match.

Finally, allow me to say a little more about the issue that should not have occurred with Simplified Chinese translation. I believe that most domestic players will prioritize playing in Simplified Chinese when the game supports Simplified Chinese, and the Simplified Chinese version of Xenoblade Sword 3 is somewhat difficult to describe. In most cases, there is no problem with simple Chinese translation, so as not to make players unable to understand what is being said. Some jokes can also reflect that the translator is not a ruthless translation machine.

These small details did bring me a lot of fun in the relatively relaxed side storyline, but once I returned to the main storyline, I heard the protagonist group suddenly say "I can't hold it anymore", which was really a bit "I can't hold it anymore"

I would like to express my gratitude for the hard work put into translating such a massive JRPG, but many translations that do not consider the environment, character images, or even fundamental errors are also facts. If players cannot accept this, they can only suggest trying traditional Chinese. Although there are also problems, it is necessary to follow the rules to some extent, after all, everyone does not want language translation to ruin the entire game experience due to language barriers.

Even if there are some flaws that do not hide the truth, Xenoblade Sword 3 definitely did not disappoint the players waiting for it. The only way I can respond to Mr. Takahashi is to have a good experience with Xenoblade Sword 3 and then recommend it to more people.

If you are about to prepare or are playing Xenoblade Sword 3, then I wish you a pleasant journey; If you have played 1 and 2 and are still hesitating whether to step into the world of Xenoblade Sword 3, then I hope you no longer hesitate; If you haven't set foot in the Xenoblade Sword series yet, I want to tell you that this game that can "trick" away your laughter and tears is worth investing dozens or even hundreds of hours& nbsp;