Well well well, it's about time this retrospective came out

The one Heart-To-Heart where Riki abruptly offers to adopt Shulk immediately after learning he's an orphan legit made me tear up.

I just realized that the debris from the beginning of the game might've been from the last moments of Colony 6 invasion, as when you get there, you can see Colony 9 being fairly straight down. The timeframe also lines up pretty well.

On that note about Fiora: Remember that scene right before the final dungeons, where everyone starts talking about their motivations to hype themselves up? "The crimes against my people, for the sake of my family, for those who gave their lives" and all that jazz, and Fiora's only contribution is "Shulk!"

Ok, here we go. The original Xenoblade is a top 10 for me and my only real personal criticism is that sometimes it feels like it has too much stuff at times with the side content (If that makes any sense? Not exactly sure how to put it.). Regardless this game is legendary.

"Xenoblade Chronicles is a masterpiece" Ah yes the floor is made of floor

My guy still using comic sans in professional quality content. Love it

One of my fondest memories of this game was when one of the first side quests involved me getting a basket from a granny to deliver to her grandson that's a solider. I didn't know where to find him, so I completely forgot about it until after I already beaten the game and found him training at night😂 Man that basket has been through some shit lemme tell ya.

This game’s affinity system is a work of sheer genius. It causes every nearly mechanic to weave in and out of each other, creating a complex web of systems that fit together in logical ways that ALSO bolster the story. Exploring a town will give you exp as you discover landmarks, and you’ll stumble upon quests that will give you exp, party affinity, and area affinity. The exp directly improves your performance in combat, but the party affinity improves the same in more subtle ways, like being more likely to gain another attack in a chain attack, or create a higher quality gem while gem crafting. Then the area affinity will unlock more quests in the area with better rewards, like unlocking a new skill tree for a character. Having high party affinity will enable you to grant the skills on these new trees to more party members, further improving your experience in combat and exploration.

While you have given me more insight on Fiora’s agency that I hadn’t thought about before, I disagree with keeping her dead because the emotions that came from finding out she’s alive, but doesn’t recognise him and then flies off, effectively showing her but then snatching her away from Shulk, it’s powerful and I really feel for Shulk. It adds a new additional momentum to the plot with the new goal of saving Fiora. And the emotions of finally reuniting with her, but she’s half mechon and her body isn’t stable and she won’t be around much longer, it’s a mini rollercoaster. I think Shulk has every right to be angry at Egil for what’s happened to Fiora even if she is technically still alive, because it’s horrific and would be traumatic for anyone to go through.

I’m glad you mentioned Fiora’s agency in the plot. Basically her whole character is “I love Shulk.” Her last skill tree powers her up for being in the party with Shulk, like, what? Even her whole Meyneth thing only happens because she’s close to Shulk as Vanea explains when she chose her as the vessel.

Sat through this entire video, except having to skip the Future Connected portion since I actually haven't gotten around to playing that yet. "Sometimes it's hard to explain why you love something in an eloquent way." I feel that, so much. But you really did a wonderful job talking about it and why Xenoblade Chronicles 1 is just so great. Really, REALLY good video KingK.

I really agree with most things in this retrospective, but I do have one thing to mention. You criticize how Fiora's return to the story feels like it robs some of the plot of its weight, and while I can see where this is coming from, I also think it is necessary for Shulk's character arc for her to return. The moment of her return is what initiates the shift in Shulk from being hellbent on revenge and killing the Mechon - the path that Egil chose and walk the path of fate - to the moment when he begins to question his goals and motives. However, that being said, I agree that Fiora is the weakest developed and feels like the least important party member once she does return. I think that she is too defined by her relations to everyone else and not enough by her own self-concerns. Other than that, this was really great. I really appreciated how you're one of the few people to have praised Sharla for her strengths rather than only focus on her short-comings.

FANCY MEETING YOU HERE, RECOMMENDED BOY

"Sometimes its just hard to explain eloquently why it is that you love something." There it is. The best way of describing the jumbled mess of joy and emotion that xenoblade brings to me on a damn near spiritual level. I ADORE this game, in ways I cant even convey. And thats the hallmark of true art.

Honestly, after how... intricate and nuanced this video is, I'm very much interested in your take on XC2.

KingK: "At least the new music's unbelievably good." Everyone: "INDEED!"

Right before going to bionis interior, the whole party has a moment where they all list off reasons to fight zanza, personal to them. I will never forget how everyone has a whole sentence about why they continue to fight. except fiora. After everyone says their piece, fiora turns around and says one word. "Shulk". That moment made me realize how badly the writers messed up with her even though I love her.

Thoughts on Xenosaga, since that is sort of the the weird middlestep between Xenogears and Xenoblade but maybe that is for the inevitable Xenoblade 2 video in 2030 lmao.

I first heard of Xenoblade in 2012 when people were talking about the character of Shulk for a future Smash game. Looked it up and was interested in the setting of two giant titan's bodies. A few months later I saw walkthrough vids and fell in love with the settings again, as well as the music, characters, and storyline. What an amazing game. Thus, Shulk became one of my most wanted newcomers for Smash 4, and was so hyped when he was revealed in 2014. Problem was, his reveal trailer was in a JP only 3DS direct, and I don't remember any newcomer being announced for it, like with Robin's trailer...

Fiora being alive AND becoming a playable character are two of the biggest plot twists in the game. I agree that Shulk not killing Egil would have had more impact had she been dead. But I haven't cried tears of joy in a videogame more than that scene she and Shulk are reunited on the fallen arm. Those character moments are well worth the slight tradeoff to the main plot for me. But to each his own.

Yo hey, I just started playing this game the other day. I'll have to come back here once I'm done.

I’ll be honest (and this is a very personal opinion), I didn’t mind the Fiora twist. The reveal helps muddy the parties perception of the mechon and their goals, creating more intrigue as they venture forward through both titans. I think that’s my favorite thing about the story, every time the group reach a goal, a new one is introduced to keep them moving forward. Each new revelation blurring the lines of what they and the player know about the game’s world. I mean any good story should innately have this, but something about the way it’s done here feels so fresh.

Been waiting for this one for a while, probably gonna end up watching multiple times. I share your love for the game, and i agree its a complete masterpiece. One thing I would disagree on though is Fiora. I agree that the story could of been just as good with Fiora not returning as a party member. However, i disagree with your assessment on Shulk in the situation. Shulks immediate motivation is to of course avenge Fiora. However, when the group finds Fiora alive and piloting a Mechon, everything changes. This is summed up heavily in the final confrontation with Mumkar. They originally start out on a very simple journey, and Shulk even says "Of course i want revenge" but so much has changed since their start. They have found Homs are actually piloting Mechon and attacking Bionis. Their "faceless" enemy as you described, is no longer that. There is far more going on, and Fioras return is what changes Shulk and co from simply aiming for revenge to discovering the full story, and actually breaking that cycle. In that fight with Mumkar, Shulk questions Dunban if Fiora was in one of those Mechon, would he still really just turn around and kill them? Fiora is a physical representation that things arent always as they seem. Thats what i'd say is one of Xenoblade Chronicles strong suites. The bad guys(Mechon) end up not actually being bad, and the Bionis, the home of the Homs, is actually the enemy. Yeah Fiora could have used a bit more development after she joins the party, and it would of been interesting to see her grapple with her mortality. But also feel that Fiora is in a unique situation. In that scene with Melia, she even states thats shes kind of still been dead the whole time, and that Meyneth was really the thing letting her keep going, and that energy is limited. I see the scene as more of an acceptance of her fate, and despite it she still aims to leave the world, but above all else Shulk off in a much better place. But im really happy you finally got around to getting this video out. Maybe more people can see and enjoy the game as i have because of it!

I was playing some Xenosaga when I got a notification for this vid, now I'm finding it a bit weird that you didn't at least briefly cover something from Xenosaga

I’ve been waiting for this since the one 2018 live stream. Though, you’ve gotta tell me how to get that wallpaper. I have no clue how to go about it, but I WANT it.

This is hands down the best video that you have made. The amount of effort and passion from this video is astounding. Keep up the great work man!

When I was taking the ice slide in a recent playthrough, I hit the top at a strange angle and Melia was turning to the right, hooked into the ceiling, and then shot down the tunnel with such momentum that she hit the ground into that SPLAT animation and slid forward into the Nopon Camp right as the landmark music played. Oh man.

The instant transition from being about to cry listening to the title theme to going full hype mode when Mechanical Rhythm came in was great

Buckle in, we’re about to listen to one and a third hours of things we already know

Gotta say, you've really perfected the layout of your videos. I'm super impressed by how much quality writing you can package in a 1+ Hour video along with keeping a strong interest in each topic you talk about. Excellent video dude.

You always have the smoothest ad transitions of anyone I watch. I never see them coming.

You talked about Xenogears alot but ummmmmmm Xenosaga: Am I a joke to you!?

First TheGeekCritique drops a video on an RPG and now KingK posts another on the same day? Today is a fun day!

your content is so chill and I love using it as background for study sessions.

I knew this was coming but I was still so surprised/excited to see this in my sub box! Can’t wait to give this a watch I’m sure it’ll be a treat!

Hearing someone so passionate speak so thoroughly about a thing they love is incredibly fun to listen to - thank you for giving us such an in depth, balanced, and insightful discussion I’m curious, would you ever do a video on Xenoblade 2? I’d love to hear your take, especially since I know you could contrast the two games thoroughly

finally! you have mentioned this game so much and you finally made a vid abt it yay I also want that reyn time clock too however... I felt like there was a spoiler section and a non spoiler section, and I was unpleasantly suprised to only find one spoiler out there that... I hadnt encountered before, which was infuriating.

Played xenoblade chronicles 1 and 2 for the first time this year. Easily both are in my top 10 games of all time, incredible games.

This was really good to hear, man. It's nice hearing your love for one of your favorite games told the way you wanted to tell it. Thank you for sharing your passion and spirit with us. ^^

Happy to see that title. It's my favorite game and honestly deserves every word of praise that it has received. Never have I seen a game that so realizes it's character and story so well. Happy Holidays to all.

I’m so happy you’re covering this. I fell in love with the definitive edition and now I’m playing through 2. Absolutely my favorite game of all time

I am so ready for this video. XC is one of my favorite games of all time and your reviews/retrospectives always do justice and then some.

I remember playing xenoblade 2 around Christmas of 2019 and was like “damn this game is cool, I like Xenoblade :)” then I played definitive edition like a day after it came out and it fucking *blew me away.* I adore Xenoblade now

I just finished this game TODAY! The timing of this video is too perfect

I've slowly started to love the remaster tracks too, took a while but I really appreciate the changes they made

the criticisms brought up about Fiora feel to me like how I feel about the ending of Tales of Berseria, I completely understand WHY people feel the way they do about the character and I don't disagree but for some reason I just really like her. More than Sharla and probably more than Riki and Reyn too, tho I do still love those boys. I can't even really articulate why cause I do agree that she isn't given much, but at the same time I feel like the story would somehow be lesser for her exclusion. The only point I disagree with is Fiora being alive removing Shulk's desire for revenge against Egil; her coming back was certainly a relief for him but it didn't take away the pain he felt at losing her. I Also feel like seeing Fiora as Face Nemesis was the moment that forced Shulk to see the Faced Mechon as people instead of just monsters. It HAD to be someone he recognized or else that realization wouldn't have hit quite so hard, in my opinion

I had to stop when you got to Future Connected, I haven't finished that one yet. Will come back after that one though. Awesome video!

in my opinion, xenoblade chronicles definitive edition actually earned its title of "definitive edition", where as so many others have failed and made it the inferior version, often times making the inferior version the ONLY way to play it as well (i'm looking at you gta). xenoblade chronicles may just be one of my favorite games of all time and i had no problems whatsoever in pre-ordering the definitive edition when i heard about it. if you put a gun to my head and demanded i find something to dislike about the game, the only thing i could come up with was the utter lack of jukebox feature so we can listen to all unlocked soundtracks whenever we want. they included it in the 3ds version, and it utterly baffles me that they removed it for the switch version. other than that, i utterly loved this definitive edition, and all the changes it made

I saw the intro to this video a few months back and decided to give Xenoblade a try. Loved it. Thank you for helping me discover an enjoyable new game series lol

A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Xenoblade is one of my favorite games.

I have been waiting on this video for ages now! Very much looking forward to watching this :)

Alternate title: Why water is wet.

King and Xeno in one place. I’m dead and this is heaven, it looks like.

Amazing stuff man, I enjoyed this thoroughly. I always can't help but get mad nostalgia about this game. I have such a deep love for Xenoblade.

I played this on 3DS, start to finish, and it's still the best RPG I've ever played.

Xenoblade 2 is my favorite game of all time. I have Definitive Edition and I wish I was blind on it so badly but I saw Chuggaaconroy’s let’s play a while ago because I never thought it would be rereleased. Both games are fantastic.

I bought the original game back during the Operation Rainfall campaign, but I never got around to playing it. My brother is a big fan of the series, however, and with the recent release of Xenoblade 3 last week, I decided it might be finally time to give the series a shot. But rather than dust off my old Wii, I went ahead and bought the new Switch version last night. Time to see what all the fuss is about! Update about 3 weeks later: I beat the main game today, and absolutely loved it. My favorite aspect is actually how the story is delivered. I rarely finish RPGs because their stories often feel like they peter out for a while now and then and I often forget why I'm going to my next destination at any given moment. I never once had that problem with Xenoblade. The story seemed very tightly tuned, enough to keep my attention far longer than almost any other RPG I've ever played. I also loved the characters, and when the credits rolled, I was shocked to learn that my favorite Doctor Who companion voiced Melia, my favorite party member! I just started Future Connected now, and I'm eager to get through that and then onto Xenoblade 2. Can't wait to see what else this series can give me :)

i swear, seeing super long video essays about things i love in my sub box is an unparalleled rush of dopamine

That guitarist in the remaster of Mechanical Rhythm went IN on that solo!

Xenoblade chronicles is so underrated, especially the definitive edition. I once heard someone on Twitter say that DE wasn’t worth buying because it was a “Lazy port of a 10 year old game nobody cared about.” I had the choice of whether to get DE or Paper Mario, I heard mixed things on paper Mario so I chose DE, MAN I’m so glad that I chose DE

Holy moly!! I was waiting for this analysis for my favorite rpg serie ever!!

Been waiting for this retrospective for a while, and it came out on my birthday! 😎 Love your content, keep it up!

I'll definitely come back to this video. I started playing this game tonight and am very excited to see how I'll feel about it!

Honestly im just glad to hear someone else was as confused with some of the plot of Xenogears as i was, i just thought i was dumb and wasnt paying enough attention lol

Xenoblade has one of my favorite soundtracks in all of gaming, right up there with the Super Mario Galaxy games and Sonic Colors. I prefer Engage the Enemy, You Will Know Our Names, and the Colony 9 theme in the original, but I prefer One Who Gets in Our Way, Gaur Plains, Mechanical Rhythm, and Zanza the Divine in Definitive Edition.

I love your videos so much man play them on repeat to help me sleep. Honestly interested on a story of your own bet you have amazing ideas.

Couldn’t have said it better myself, amazingly well done!

Xenoblade Chronicles is the 8th wonder of the world. It’s truly one of the greatest anything’s ever created by a human

Thank you, Chuggaaconroy.

Love your videos! Always happy to see a new one. Even if i don't have any connection to the game I always enjoy your videos.

Omg yess!! This made my morning! Love your videos!

I think I've probably seen this video about 6 times and it perfectly sums up exactly what I love about this game. I'd love to see you tackle the second game and X as well!!!

I absolutely love the comparisons you make to other great pieces of media like Avatar! I think it really puts things into perspective where things can be a little complex and overwhelming in Xenoblade to see it through the lens of something a little more concrete and easily understandable. And on top of all that, this is just an incredible retrospective of one of the greatest games I've ever played

Maybe your best work yet! Great job k! Loved it

This was a really great discussion of Xenoblade 1, especially from the perspective of someone like me who has already experienced the game first hand. I really respect that you didn’t get too lost in the weeds of over explaining the plot or other things, you just focused on what mattered to you, and your passion really shows. Also, using XenoGears as a comparison and jumping off point throughout was a cool and unique perspective

I’m glad this video exists because this game is surely a masterpiece, shulk, fiora, Dunban Melia and Reyn are very relatable characters and very interesting. Xenoblade chronicles 1 is my favourite game in their series and even in the Xeno series in general.

Replaying that shiny new Definitive Edition just reinforced to me how much I love this game and the future installments in Monolithsoft's Little Engine That Could. A massive, gorgeous world that feels alive. Combat that can feel like a plan of skills and techniques if you can master art combos. Rich, layered characters struggling in a world that feels much bigger than them, yet they resolve to keep fighting for what they believe in. It's the good shit.

I was really surprised by this game. I first played it on the 3DS, reluctantly buying it because I needed a new game, but not knowing much about it. It took a little while to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked. The game was MASSIVE, taking me about 60+ hours just to complete the story. The characters were so well developed, that I couldn't help but like them all. Combat-wise, I actually stuck to a core party. Shulk, Reyn, and Sharla was pretty much it until Melia joined the party. Then it was Shulk, Reyn, and Melia for most battles, until I came across a fight where I really needed good heals or was forced to use another party member. I maintained control of Shulk all the time. I loved the dynamic between Shulk and Reyn. Their friendship felt so real. It was cute how Melia struggled to hide her feelings for Shulk, especially when Fiora came back. Overall, this game was fantastic and I was happy to play it a second time on the Switch.

Now this is a video i wanted to see from you for a long time

I adore this game. Your thoughts on this almost perfectly echo my own. Excellent job with this video Odd question, but could I get a link to the Beyond the Sky cover that played at the end? It was an excellent version of the song and I'd like to listen to it on my own time Edit: realized that it was the Future Connected version. I'm dumb

I Love Xenoblade Chronicles! My first time ever playing it was when I got a New Nintendo 3DS XL just for this game and loved it. I would later get it on the Wii U virtual console and also the Definitive Edition. For me there is so much to like, so much I enjoyed. The gameplay, the mechanics, the story is amazing and most importantly, that soundtrack. I love that soundtrack. I really enjoyed this video and was well worth the wait. I love the fact that you put so much care and effort in to your work and always look forward to your next video.

This is a really awesome that this came out on my birthday. Cant wait to watch it

I have that same wallpaper from Wallpaper Engine! Haven't had the slightest desire to change it in years, it's so good

Great analysis on one of the best JRPGs of all time. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition one of my favorite games on the Switch and seeing it get more popular makes me proud. Glad to see you did it justice!

If you loved Xenoblade I'd highly recommend Xenogears a lot! It helps a lot to understand 1. The second disk has terrible pacing because square screwed the devs. and 2. Certain characters are specialized (Rico is bad on foot but great in the mecha fights while Citan is absurd on foot but really inconsequential in a mech) so it's nice to understand that if a guy feels not that great as a party member it's because they do better in a different field. I can not oversell how great gears is for people who're fans of the original. It's definitely a game worth going back to if you enjoyed this and want to see where the "series" began.

I have been waiting for this for so long

Finally my man I've Waited for this video along time

Fun fact, a good chunk of the character designers (namely the _main_ character designer) for XBC2 actually _did_ work on mainly hentai before XBC2. The more you know.

1:04:30 To be honest, I never thought Shulk "hated" Egil because he "killed" Fiora, I always thought it was about the fact that Egil had no problem killing people to get what he wanted. It did start as revenge, but as Shulk came to understand Egil, it was more of a morals thing (like how Egil contradicts himself by killing people to stop the killing).

Perfect timing, just finished another playthrough today

First game I ever played upon purchasing a 2nd hand 3DS. 270+ hours later, I finally decided to start my 2nd playthrough last night.

An hour and a half of someone gushing about one of my favorite games ever made? Yes, thank you.

The retrospective that when announced got me to play the rest of the Xenoblade games (I had only played 2 at the time) It is finally out

Yeeees I was waiting for you to do a Xenoblade video!

HOORAY! I'm so glad you finally did this video ;v; I love the Xeno games so much

I started playing this game because of this video and wanting to watch it fully without spoilers (still have to play Xenogears, so skipping that part!) and I have to say is thank you. For the life of me, I can't remember a game that touched me like this one has. A pure masterpiece. It has been a long time, probably a decade, since I've felt so connected to a story in a game. It's moments like these that make life worth living.

Well there goes my next hour and 20 minutes

The best part of Future Connected is the character stuff for Riki, and he isn’t even there.

I have not long finished this, why are you making me want to play it again. God I love this game so much.