Enemies can also be forced into tiers of vulnerability by breaking their defense, toppling them to the ground, launching them into the air, and smashing them back down, provided you execute these moves with abilities linked to cooldowns that you've hopefully kept track of, all before countdown timers close your window of opportunity. The flow of combat works as follows: your auto attacks fill up a meter tied to abilities known as arts, arts fuel another meter for special attacks, special attacks can be linked from one character to the next to build up a Blade combo, Blade combos seal away certain enemy abilities, and team chain attacks-based on a meter that is also used to revive fallen teammates-can break these seals to create an elemental explosion that deals hefty damage, which successfully extends the chain attack for another round. One of the major issues with Xenoblade 2 is that it fails to adequately educate you, with fly-by tutorials introducing cascading mechanics and terminology that's easy to mix up. How you manage this process, and the numerous other battle mechanics, can make or break your success against the game's tougher enemies. You only ever have complete control over one character, but your allies will chime in with requests to perform certain moves. Every character will dish out basic attacks automatically, which in turn fuel more advanced skills. Still, Xenoblade 2 gives you a chance to breathe and strategize during its real-time bouts. You can only ever travel as a party of three, but with a Blade standing behind each character, or Driver, battles are frenzied displays. They partner with a small selection of comrades from different walks of life who surprisingly have more in common than they initially realize. Rex and Pyra seek Elysium, a sort of paradise atop a towering tree running through the center of Alrest. Rex doesn't quite enjoy the same full-circle maturation, sadly, though his positivity at least grows more welcome as stakes rise and other characters' outlooks sour. Xenoblade 2 does address this as the story unravels, one of the few smart instances when the game puts itself to task. Though sentimental to a point, these bonds are also a bit lopsided as Blades are forever bound to serve their masters. When a human resonates with a Blade, as Rex does with his objective, Pyra, a lifelong partnership forms. They seek a legendary sword, which in this case is the weapon-manifestation of a human-like being known as a Blade. The cliched hero Rex is a naive and upbeat salvager who gets wrapped up in contract work with the game's soon-to-be villains at the start. For all the good things Xenoblade 2 eventually introduces, the 80-plus hours it takes to complete the story won't feel like time wasted, but the bad taste of the its lesser qualities is never completely washed away. It appropriately sets the stage for an epic adventure that gets more interesting as it develops, but this greatness comes after dozens of hours filled with eye rolls and bewilderment. The world of Alrest, simultaneously Earthly and alien, with a mysterious history that even its major players fail to truly understand, is a magical place to inhabit. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is every bit as fantastical as you'd hope, an RPG set in a massive world where man and animal live on the backs of tremendous beasts in a sea of clouds.
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