'Xenoblade Chronicles X' review round-up: Immersive open-world and gameplay overshadowed by weak plot
“Xenoblade Chronicles X” is scheduled for release on Dec. 4, but several websites have already gotten their hands on the game and have released their own reviews.
So far, “Xenoblade Chronicles X” has received mixed reviews. As expected, the game’s massive open-world and overall look have impressed the reviewers, but the game still reportedly lacks flair in certain areas. Despite its flaws, “Xenoblade Chronicles X” is looking to push the Wii U to its limits with high framerates, resolution and more. Here are some of the game's ratings so far:
- Gamespot – 8/10
- Polygon – 7/10
- Nintendo World Report - 9.5/10
- GamesRadar – 3.5/5
- Sixth Axis – 9/10
- Jimquisition – 9/10
What affected the reviews was the reported weak plot of “Xenoblade Chronicles X,” which is surprising as the game is home to hours and hours of gameplay. The characters themselves reportedly lack substance and are typical formulas seen in other Japanese roleplaying games (JRPGs). According to reviews, another rather disappointing part of the story was the giant robots called Skells are only made available after almost 30 hours into the game. However, once unlocked, the Skells provide another dimension of gameplay for players.
Meanwhile, like its predecessor “Xenoblade Chronicles,” “Xenoblade Chronicles X” features a large-scale universe developed by Monolith Studios, Polygon reports. The world of Mira is vast and home to a plethora of creatures. Some low-level enemies are even seen beside very high-level enemies.
During quests, players are sometimes obstructed by level 40 enemies in the early parts of the game. However, this is probably done intentionally so players will try to figure out other ways and passages to finish a quest.
Performance-wise, “Xenoblade Chronicles X” is a bit lacking in framerate as it operates at only 30 fps, Eurogamer reports. Also, the off-tv funtionality of the game could be more of an annoyance rather than convenience as it’s hard to play the game on the small screen of the Wii U gamepad.
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