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The world of Mira is set into five distinct areas - much less varied than the original Xenoblade, but far larger. You will fly the skies, you will ride across the plains you will clamber up mountains - all with a sense of wonder that I haven’t felt since the opening scenes of Oblivion. These are sights that are relegated to static backgrounds in a majority of JRPGs, but here the seemingly impossible structures are all there for you to climb - and you will climb them. The draw distance is absolutely incredible, putting to shame almost every console open world game that I can think of, and that’s important since giant rock formations, incredible mountains and so much more adorn the skyline. The beginning of the game quickly shows you how gorgeous this game can be, in a shouldn’t-be-technically-possible on WiiU kind of way. She explains that humanity is fighting for it’s survival after being caught in the crossfire of an alien war and the last survivors of the species have crash landed on planet Mira, your new home. You begin with your traditional create-a-character affair and awake from stasis, greeted by Elma, who will quickly become a familiar face. Never before have I felt so very small in any video game, and from my ant-like perspective the planet Mira is one many times more exciting than any virtual world I’ve ever seen before.įirst of all, Xenoblade Chronicles X is a rare Open World JRPG, a sequel to the Wii’s impressive Xenoblade Chronicles and quite possibly the best game available on the Wii U. In reality, Xenoblade Chronicles X has given me the most impressive and immersive Open World experience I’ve had in the last few years for that, I feel a genuine sense of gratitude towards Monolith Software. It’s amongst this “Open World Fatigue” that I’ve jumped into Xenoblade Chronicles X, a game whose scale promises yet more predictable MMO style fetch quests and linear exploration.
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The tight halls of Shadow Moses have given way to sprawling deserts in Metal Gear Solid, I’ve travelled farther in Velen on my horse in The Witcher 3 than I ever have without a vehicle in real life and I’ve spent more time climbing towers in a myriad of games than I care to remember, to be honest.
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Open world games are officially the norm.