Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a genuine masterpiece and the highlight of Monolith Soft's superb series thus far. There's an emotionally-charged and surprisingly edgy epic to get stuck into here, a sprawling and hugely engaging narrative populated by a cast of unforgettable characters that's backed up by some of the very best combat we've had the pleasure of getting to grips with in this genre to date. Over 100 hours into this one, we're as captivated now as we were when we first booted it up and it has more than delivered every bit of the adventure, emotion, and action that its key art promised it might. Aionios awaits, it's time to seize the future.

While it's unlikely to transcend genre preferences, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a gift for those who love JRPG trappings. There are lands to explore, combat systems to optimize, and lore implications for longtime franchise fans. And at the very least? You certainly get your money's worth.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 feels like the game Monolith Soft has been trying to craft for years. While its dialogue could have used an extra pass, it more than makes up for it with its wonderful story and superb combat. It's rare for a JRPG to hold my attention for a 100-hour runtime, but Xenoblade Chronicles 3 did it with confidence.

Because of the way everything funnels back into the emotional core, this isn’t a bad “first dip into the pool” if you’ve never played a Xenoblade game before. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 didn’t need to do a whole lot to keep me invested, as I was all-in very early on. The cast, the weight of the story, and the freedom of party composition are the power trio that won me over. Even during some of the slower moments of the narrative, I was fiddling with stats and loadouts, and still driven by a need to see where everyone ended up.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the best playing game in the series. It is challenging yet excellently paced. I rarely found myself over or underleveled. The world unfolds naturally and effectively rather than through tedious field skill gates. The map, though segmented, still feels massive and unified. Characters are engaging and the story compelling even if it feels like it leaves a little too much to be resolved. A few mostly minor bugs may trip up the experience occasionally but taken in the context of the scale of the journey, it's hard to give them much weight. It will be fascinating to see if updates and the eventual story expansion can clean up the very few blemishes. Regardless of how you came to Xenoblade, either through one of many incarnations of the original, or through its sequel, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 strives to satiate all audiences and it is largely successful in this endeavor while also presenting something entirely new. This is not just Xenoblade meets Xenoblade 2. In many ways it is greater than the sum of its parts and those parts already added up to quite a bit.

The incredible sense of adventure makes Xenoblade Chronicles 3 truly soar as a JRPG. Perhaps more than any game before it in the series this gets the balance between systems and story down perfectly - even better, it manages to entwine the two in an adventure that infuses each of your footsteps with a sense of purpose. It might not quite be the revelation the original was back in 2010, but Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is most definitely another JRPG masterpiece from Monolith Soft.

My party of seven felt like a little army when explosive Arts and flashy Ouroboros combos lit up an already-chaotic battlefield. And the quality-of-life improvements like customizable shortcut hotbars and in-game GPS streamlined menu-surfing and traversal. Still, the narrative and world designs left much to be desired as critical plot twists are frustratingly obvious, character growth is virtually nonexistent, and navigation in each uninspired environment proves to be a tiring exercise. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a double-edged sword that needs a bit more sharpening.