Xenoblade Chronicles belongs to one of three titles that gamers have fought to bring over to the US, and feels like a crowning achievement to have actually succeeded. When it debuted on the Wii on 2012, it surprised a lot of gamers with its forward thinking mechanics, a relatively fun combat system, some extremely deep gameplay systems, and its sense of scale. This was easily one of the biggest JRPGs on a console that was an entire generation behind, and it delivered on nearly all fronts. Fast forward to 2015, with the release of an updated 3DS model which adds some extra processing power and Xenoblade Chronicles 3D being the system's first exclusive game, utilizing that power, and you have the perfect reason to either dive back into this fantastic game, or perhaps experience for the first time.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, much like the name already implies, is the 3DS version of the gargantuan Wii game, with every single quest, sidequest, spoken dialogue, battle scene, and twist and turns that the original game had, all packed into a portable package. That's an impressive feat on all accounts. When I first stepped out into the larger areas for the first time after completing the game's mandatory story segments, I was still in awe at how the game managed to make its way to the 3DS in its entirety.
Since the game is identical to its console counterpart, you can check out our in-depth review of the Wii version right here.
But for those that want the TL;DR on the plot, here it goes.
The game revolves around a young boy named Shulk and his companions on an epic quest to stop invading Mechons from ravaging humanity. At the crux of this conflict is a legendary sword named the Monado, which is not only able to effectively slice through Mechons, but also has the ability to see glimpses of the future, which not only help our crew through the course of the game plot wise, but also help out in combat and can notify the player of a character's impending death, which can be prevented.
The even bigger crazy realization comes when you realize the giant environments you're exploring are actually atop two colossal titans frozen in battle. The Bionis is home to the humans while the Mechonis houses the destructive Mechons, and yes, you will get to explore both. It's of course a lot more involved than that, and prepare yourself for twists and turns around every corner.
What I loved about the Xenoblade Chronicles and its 3D version was its extremely forward thinking mechanics. Think about past JRPGs that you've played, even your favorites, and you're sure to find some sort of annoying feature or mechanic that you wish was more streamlined. Xenoblade pretty much has the answers to all of them. Sidequests don't have to be returned to their original questgiver, you can save the game virtually anywhere, change the time of day at will in order to have certain NPCs show up, switch characters in your party and play as them at any time, fast travel to any previously unlocked location, and travel without bounds as invisible barriers are pretty non-existent. It's crazy just how user-friendly this game is, in a genre that usually is the antithesis of user-friendliness. Even dying to a boss doesn't really halt any of your progress, as it simply puts you back at the last visited landmark. These conveniences make even more sense considering the game's jump to a portable system, which might not facilitate long and extended plays, saving not only precious time, but also precious battery life.
Of course some corners had to be cut when making the transition to the New 3DS. The game wasn't really all that pretty to look at, technically speaking of course, on the Wii. However, what countered the ugly textures were the sprawling landscape and the giant sense of scale. While you do get those same sprawling landscapes on the 3DS, the sense of scale is slightly lost on the handheld's smaller screen. Even character textures seem to have gotten a slight visual downgrade. Zoom out your camera and those character models you see on screen become blurry pixel blobs. The visual downgrade will be perceived differently by each player. For me, it wasn't a deal breaker at all. The 3D effect also seems more tacked-on rather than fully implemented. It's never as "deep" as it is in other 3D games, and cutscenes seemed to just layer characters and the environment in two separate layers.
Battles can actually be slightly problematic on the smaller screen, especially when swarmed by a lot of enemies, as it can certainly be harder to see what's going on. Coupled with the large enemy name plates, which can be seen in the screenshot to the left. What is undeniably better though, aside from the enemy names, is that the screen isn't cluttered with crazy amounts of side info. All of that has been mostly moved to the lower screen. This was absolutely necessary considering the smaller screen.
Unlike the Wii version, the game only has the English voice cast, which isn't particularly bad, but I do admit I enjoyed the Japanese VO a lot more, so I was sad to see it go. With that said, considering how much is voiced in the game, and gigantic the game itself already is, I understand why it had to be cut.
Of course, the biggest hurdle that gamers will have to overcome in order to play this $39.99 version of the game, is the additional $199.99 cost of the New 3DS, since the game only works on that particular system. It's a pretty tough sell for those that might want to check out Xenoblade Chronicles 3D but weren't planning on upgrading their 3DS. The cheaper $39.99 price tag is especially alluring, considering the Wii version can sell for $100 or more.
If you already own a New 3DS and have an affinity for JRPGs, it would be a crime to pass Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, especially given its price. However, if you're held back by not owning a New 3DS, I'm not sure whether a port of an amazing JRPG is a system seller.
