Topic: Xenoblade Chronicles 3

@jedgamesguy Ah, Chapter 5, the good chapter lol. Seems like you're chugging along quite well.

This is making me want a side game or spinoff - I agree XC3 is packed to the gills with cutscenes already - regarding some of the Moebius that explores how many of them were previously and what led to their present state. At least regarding the ones that aren't one-note and appear on screen for more than two seconds.

Reason I think it's a "lesser son of greater sires" so to speak is less about the song and more Kiyota, who composed it. She uses very similar song writing structures for these types of songs, from Makna Forest, Refugee Camp, Erythema Sea, The Ancient Vessel, Womb Center, Urayan Tunnels, Ether Mine, Great Cotte Falls, Great Sword's Base... they end up meshing into one another and Captocorn is just the end result. IMO ACE and Hiramatsu are the strongest composers on the team, they have such a vast range and have proven massively versatile.

I can agree with that, I love the insane amount of quests the game dumps on you when you get the boat and sail out into the open. I'm about 48 hours into the game and I don't think I've done even half the quests yet (I completed almost all the quests in a playthrough last year so I have a good grasp on the quantity, it's almost 200), it's gonna take ages to beat this one again.

@Tyranexx The best chapter, I think, this is where it gets good. I'm sinking my teeth into all the side missions before I even dream of going into the prison, not just in Erythia Sea but also in the other colonies, stuff really pick up here with regard to Ascension Quests all across. I've made sure to change classes every now and then, especially with Class Inheritor classes, so I can unlock those.

Maybe, I think a spinoff would suit the entire series as a whole, rather than just 3, every game has some small unresolved threads that could take prodding at. I ain't holding my breath though.

@jedgamesguy I can see how those songs tend to blend together. Personally though, I really like Kiyota's style of composition. It gives me a feeling of nostalgia for the original game's areas, and it always tends to be the most chill or relaxing area themes as well. I personally can tell the distinction between songs like the Ancient Vessel, Makna Forest, Uraya, and the womb center. ACE and Hiramatsu have more range, but I also feel like the series wouldn't be the same without Kiyota, just like there's something missing without Yoko Shimomura composing for the series. Wish they could've brought her back for 2 and 3.

Hehe, there just had to be an Onsen scene. Thankfully it was really tame.

Yesterday I played Asheras last hero mission. Ouf, suddenly her behaviour made sense to me and I really feel for her now.

I'm glad that XC3 has a more grounded tone like XC1. Things like the bath scenes in 2 were strange and made me feel slightly uncomfortable. 3's bath scenes feel like just normal people having a conversation whilst happening to take a bath.

And this is precisely why I like her character!

@jedgamesguy I recall really going crazy with all the side content that opened up in my single playthrough of the game (so far). I made sure I had just about everything wrapped up before continuing on with the story. I should've figured with the boat that Erythia Sea was gonna be a decent size, but even I was surprised at how much content they crammed in. I recall experimenting with a lot of classes around this time too...mainly due to how much battling I did thanks to the side stuff lol.

Not holding my breath for a comprehensive spinoff either, but we can hope! Maybe I'd be better to put that energy towards wanting XCX 2?

@Tyranexx I’ve eaten it all up so far, I can go to the prison if I want but instead I’ve recruited Triton and Fiona, two extraordinarily charming heroes. Fiona’s so emotional and frail yet she has a steely will, and I love that Lanz is the closest to her, adopting a super protective big brother role to her. All the children in Colony Mu are likeable for that matter, and it’s the same with Lanz’ laddish rivalry with Triton, he really shines in these two hero quests in particular.

Party’s at Lv64 so far, I’m getting crazy overlevelled, though there was one boss fight during the prison intel gathering mission that really stitched me up even though I was 15 levels above it. Just love exploring the open seas at the moment not gonna lie, even if the Cadensia area runs noticeably worse than any other part of the game.

@jedgamesguy You already know how fond I am of Triton. As for Fiona, at first introduction I will admit she wasn't my favorite person, but the game greatly expanded on her character; she really grew on me, as did the Colony Mu inhabitants. Best of all is their flower tradition for fallen comrades; I thought it was a very nice touch.

I do recall Cadensia chugging a bit at times, likely due to all the water and area size in general. If I recall, it's one of the largest (if not THE largest) areas in XC3.

Going through the start of Chapter 6, it really hits hard even the third time round. I remember the massive build up and release of stress by the time all the cutscenes were over. Man it had to be at least two hours of cutscenes, bosses, more cutscenes and more bosses. Amazing game... what an experience.

@Tyranexx Yeah I'm familiar with how much you like Triton, he's a very easy character to like, especially because of the underlying melancholy hidden underneath his jovial facade. Only this time around did I properly appreciate Fiona in particular though, specifically the weight of burden that she didn't even ask for by way of her early promotion. See, the flower thing is interesting, because as beautiful as it was, I found it pretty depressing myself. It's a nice contrast, death and flowers. As for the game performance... some of the cutscenes near the end of Chapter 5 were a mess man... the region is way too big for it's own good.

@jedgamesguy Still hits that hard even on the third playthrough huh? Sounds like I'm in for a rough ride around then next time I fully replay XC3 lol. Such great buildup, even if many of us were on the edge of our seats waiting for the typical JRPG deus ex machina that never came.... Which I'll admit was a refreshing change of pace. I remember the cutscenes taking a good while too.

I like Triton's jovial, happy-go-lucky attitude, but the melancholy touched on in his Ascension quest is also very notable. Fiona certainly has a great heart, hence why so much of her colony loves and respects her. Promoted at such a young age/term...definitely rough. Death and flowers....Yes, these are a contrast. But I think one that is meant to be, one that seems to transcend different cultures. Do the cutscenes stutter that much? I don't recall being too bothered by these; it was more during normal gameplay that I recall running into the occasional unstable frame rate.

Yeah @Tyranexx it really did hit hard even after this many times going through it, the cinematic writing and directing is absolutely top notch in this scene. I timed it, and from the first boss fight at the end of the chapter to the end of all those crazy earth-shattering news bits... it's nearly 3 hours of cutscenes and boss fights where your mind's being blown every other minute with all the plot twists you could imagine. I remember watching it the first time and waiting for, as you say, the deus ex machina that never came, it was bitter seeing the other protagonist die right in front of us. There were a lot of fakeouts though, Mio coming back, the City being wiped out, then, whoops, we knew the whole time, Noah's memories, and more.

I've started to to the ascension quests now that the last batch of quests are starting to roll out now I've reached Chapter 6. I'll get to Triton's once Lanz maxes out the soul hacker class, but I did manage Valdi's recently after finally finding some of the materials for the Dorrick project, that was a nuisance. For some of these it means actually putting down the consuls for good so I'm looking forward to it. Because Cadensia in particular is so big (probably ten times the other regions' sizes) I'm not surprised at the stutter, it's especially bad during the prison sequence. But I'll live, and the fact that the game even runs is already impressive.

@jedgamesguy Come to think of it, I don't think I went through all those cutscenes in one sitting; I think I let it get to the very end of Chapter 5 before the transition, then suspended the game until the next morning; it was pretty late by that point. 3 hours sounds about right. The scene where Mio died - technically she DID die, just not this loop's Mio - was very well done. Then N's smugness getting flipped on its head in a very bitter wave of karma once what truly happened was revealed. Agreed, there were a lot of fakeouts that were done well.

Triton's Ascension quest is one big WTH fest, but it fully encapsulates his character lol. The Dorrick project is quite an ordeal in the game; I don't recall if I even finished that quest chain. I'm sure I got pretty far in it though. Putting down more Consuls is a good thing, not in the least to be able to hear the epic Moebius theme lol.

Didn’t make any story progress for once, back on the side quest grind. Did Teach’s ascension quest, cementing him as one of my favourite characters in a game packed with good characters. Still haven’t finished that one quest where you have to collect purple tier Agnian Levnis parts though, I got it in chapter 4 and haven’t done enough grinding to get the parts so far.

@Tyranexx I’m surprised you put the game down after such an emotional beating, for me I simply couldn’t do that. Couldn’t handle having to wait another day to find out what on earth happened at the end of Chapter 5, so I kept going and continued to have my fragile mind blown for another hour or so. First time I played the game it was in the morning, so I definitely had the time to actually keep going. It was a nice uplifting series of events after getting beaten down so badly. I’ll eventually do the ascension quests and take them in, especially now that I can unlock some of the final heroes, like Segiri, and start some of the grander chains of side quests.

@jedgamesguy I probably wouldn't have under normal circumstances, but I was pretty tired that evening lol. I'm usually pretty good at cutting myself off the game juice when I need to, especially on work nights. But I'm definitely not perfect in that regard; Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the most recent game that kept me up past my intended bedtime more than once. A nice uplifting series of events after getting beat down so badly....Sounds like an apt description of the roller coaster of life! Segiri is one of my favorite heroes in the game, and I'm quite fond of her Colony. The quest chains related to them are very fun and engaging IMO.

Turns out Chapter 6 is just as much of a quest bomb as Chapter 5, it's getting pretty insane at this point. Steamed though so many ascension quests and beat the chapter earlier today nevertheless. 83 hours in and I'm probably 75% done... there's a decent amount of post game quests to tear through as well to boot, plus Future Redeemed… dear god it’s nowhere near over still.

@Tyranexx Recruited Segiri today actually, and it’s as you say, the quest line is pretty good, especially when it seems like the game’s winding down. Sadly the amount of quests means the boss fights are incredibly easy, I was 20 levels above the final boss of chapter 6. Ah well, it’ll only get higher by the time i actually go fight the final boss.

@jedgamesguy I personally think it's more fun to steamroll bosses in games when I put in the extra effort lol. Glad you're still having a lot of fun with it. You're +1 on me if you tackle the post-game; I touched very little of it after my playthrough. I needed a break after 130+ hours lol.

Chapter 7 spoilers ahoy! Finally made it to Origin, I know the map slightly changes in some areas after you enter Origin so I sped through the parts gathering specifically to trigger that change in Aetia and Cadensia, and the former map is now finally complete. Now that I've unlocked Fort O'Virbus I got a massive amount more side quests, this game just won't stop the onslaught of quests even at the end of the game. 87 hours in and I still reckon there's a good 20-25 in it.

@Tyranexx To be fair there's some very good post-game stuff, including two new heroes to boot, and two extra if you beat Future Redeemed, I won't say who they are . But man am I excited to play Future Redeemed again, I loved that expansion so much it's borderline addiction. Matthew is definitely my favourite XC protagonist, and seeing Monolith unleash 12 years worth of fan service was so cool.

Man I don’t know how yall can play that game more than once.i think all the emotion would be way to much for me.

@jedgamesguy Still trucking along I see. XD Please don't spoil me! Though are those two post-game heroes present even in the base game, or are they strictly related to the DLC? I really do want to segue Future Redeemed in this year...though it's looking like that won't happen until either during or (more likely) after my vacation at this point. My goal is to give TTYD my full attention once it drops. I suspect I won't finish it until I'm almost ready to leave.

Never got around to buying Xenoblade 3. But now that the Switch 2 is around the corner, I have a feeling backwards compatibility could really breathe new life into the Xenoblade series. Not only could the Switch 2 promise performance boosts in resolution and stabilized frame rate (Xenoblade 2 especially needs this), but also perhaps an upscaled 60fps? All of Xenoblade's environments could also look very nice upscaled to HDR or higher when docked, depending on how hard Nintendo goes with automatic upscaling.