There Are More RPG Classics Waiting For You
Xenoblade Chronicles is a JRPG franchise that features a complex battle system, wonderful characters, and a vast and colorful world. Many fans praise it for its excellent approach to exploration. The designs for the environments, characters, and wildlife are oozing of personality and creativity. It also offers enough action in its gameplay that’ll keep gamers engaged. If you’ve finished playing Xenoblade Chronicles and are looking for alternatives – fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top 8 picks. Of course, for all the games we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with. So without further ado, we present 8 games to check out if you’re looking for a game like Xenoblade Chronicles.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
The remakes for Final Fantasy VII have sought massive acclaim from many fans. While it chose to abandon its turn-based roots in favor of more action-centric combat, the remake captures the same magic players attained during their first play-through of the original. This new approach to combat also grants newer players some sense of familiarity and ease. The combat feels more polished and active in Final Fantasy VII Remake, though. However, both franchises also feature large and fleshed-out futuristic worlds. But again, Final Fantasy VII Remake defeats Xenoblade Chronicles to the punch thanks to being on stronger hardware. Yet, fans should gain thrilling experiences from both titles thanks to each’s stellar characters. The characters in Final Fantasy VII Remake are well-developed and are oozing of personality. You can also expect its story to feature some heavy-hitting emotional scenes that’ll delight or leave you weeping in sorrow. If you’re up for another dosage of action and adventure, check out Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age – Definitive Edition
Dragon Quest is regarded as the king of Japanese Role Playing Games. These titles have influenced many games and anime during their conception. The Dragon Quest games always deliver well-written and emotional narratives, well-rounded characters, and incredible visuals and music. Dragon Ball author Akira Toriyama is responsible for the game’s artwork, and the development team does a grand job at translating his heart into animation. Like Xenoblade Chronicles, Dragon Quest features less active gameplay. It sticks to its traditional turn-based formula. This formula allows players to formulate quick strategies in hopes of defeating their opponent. Both games feature character-driven arcs that gradually develop the characters and showcase their struggles with issues that run in their life. Despite both games giving off an explorative and peaceful tone, they both tackle darker themes involving death and grief. The stories for each game can be played separately without having prior knowledge of a previous entry. If you’ve never played a Dragon Quest game before, its eleventh entry is a great starting point.
Pokémon Legends Arceus
Pokémon Legends Arceus was the start of something new for Game Freak. Abandoning their linear storytelling for something more vast and grand was no easy feat. However, they managed to create a game that’s truly legendary and beloved. Like Xenoblade Chronicles, Pokémon Legends Arceus allows fans to traverse several large landscapes ranging from chilly winter wonderlands to dark and muddy swamps. These environments aren’t as detailed as the surroundings in Xenoblade Chronicles, though. However, they get the job done at immersing fans into the world. The gameplay is also on par with the action in Xenoblade. Instead of being trapped in the usual turn-based battle, players can now utilize fruits and other items to catch their targeted prey. Even when you’re in battle, you can now move your character and watch your Pokémon fight from different camera perspectives. Therefore, if you haven’t played a Pokémon title in ages, I suggest giving Pokémon Legends Arceus a try.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa Of Dana
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is another action RPG game with a vast open world for players to explore and get lost in. Like Xenoblade Chronicles, the Ys series of games, function as stand-alone entries, that follow different protagonists. Each protagonist has their own motives and personality. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana story is full of mystery, suspense, and emotion. They contain numerous twists and turns to keep you hooked. Like Xenoblade, players can control other characters besides the protagonist. This allows the player to grow attached to these games’ side characters and witness another side of them. These games also offer services where players can participate in different activities. These services also consist of shopping districts where players can purchase items that will aid them on their quest.
Eternal Sonata
Eternal Sonata was once Xbox’s answer to Xenoblade Chronicles. Both games were niche franchises that share similar gameplay, a vast and vivacious fantasy world, and a batch of memorable characters. Like Xenoblade Chronicles, the combat is active and full of life. You’ll find yourself immersed in the battles your characters end up in. Furthermore, the game offers different skill combos and chains, reminiscent of those found in Xenoblade Chronicles. There is also a neat time-blocking mechanic in Eternal Sonata that helps keep its momentum from dwindling. The music in this series gives off this harmonious and grandiose feeling of exploration and puzzlement. The game also offers a New Game Plus like-option. This allows players to relive its powerful narrative without losing the equipment they worked hard to attain.
Xenosaga
Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenosaga are the spiritual successors to Monolithsoft’s Xenogears franchise. However, these Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenosaga are the only ones to have characters meet each other. While this is in no way canon, it shows that the developers had carried over some of its aspects into the Xenoblade titles. For example, Xenosaga features complicated plot lines that delve into themes regarding robotics and religion. Like Xenoblade Chronicles, Xenosaga features protagonists combatting godly warriors. These godly figures often have motives that are justifiable to some degree. Both also involve scenarios where technology helps to bridge the divide between man and machine. As far as combat goes, Xenosaga’s slower-paced and a trudge to get through. However, the combat does feature some neat special attacks that’ll rile up fans of classic turn-based RPG game-play. Although time hasn’t been kind to Xenosaga’s gameplay and graphics, it offers an incredible trilogy of games that many fans still want to see remade today.
Xenogears
Before Xenoblade Chronicles was Xenogears, an RPG with an impactful story, well-written characters, and a beautiful futuristic setting. Unlike Xenoblade Chronicles, this game’s world wasn’t as vast. However, where it lacked in a vast open world, it made up for with its complex anime-like plot. Xenogears takes place in the distant future and centers around a war between a few nations. They’re fighting for resources and power, and utilize large humanoid robots called Gears. In the middle of all this chaos is the game’s protagonist Fei Fong Wong. He’s a loner who was exiled from his peaceful homeland for unknown reasons. Therefore, Fei scours the world with people he’ll later meet to search for clues surrounding his past and the hidden power lurking within him. While the story sounds simple, it gradually introduces new story beats with no answers to follow-up on. These instances in Xenogears allow the developers to expand upon its world while also wrapping the player around a mystery worth speculating about. This is identical to how Xenoblade Chronicles likes to drip-feed major plot points that’ll eventually receive answers in their sequel. The game’s dual battle system is like Xenoblade Chronicles. The game allows you to attack, defend, run, and utilize magic and items. While you can’t use items in Xenoblade Chronicles, you can perform actions that are like the other four mentioned options. There’s also a system in check for both games where you can’t use the same attack multiple times. While Xenogears is way older than Xenoblade Chronicles, fans of the latter will appreciate the beautiful storyline the former offers.
Nier Automata
Nier Automata is one of those Action RPG titles that sought massive appeal for its characters, storytelling, and incredible gameplay. The world is full of incredible enemy designs and textures. Like Xenoblade Chronicles, it promises to deliver engrossing content that will keep players satisfied. Nier Automata takes place in a dystopian version of Earth where humanity no longer inhabits it. The reason why the humans departed Earth is that they were invaded and decimated by evil powerful machines. To combat these robots, the human resistance sends squads of android warriors to Earth to combat these powerful robotic invaders. Enter 2B, 9S, and A2, who serve as humanity’s strongest androids. You’ll be following the story through 2B’s character and must help her and the others defeat the invading threat. In a war between good and evil, you’ll also discover the long-forgotten truth of the world before it was overrun by robotic life. Like Xenoblade Chronicles, Nier Automata is another game depicting machines in pure and treacherous light. Nier Automata will also unveil humanity’s flaws as you progress further into the story. You’ll also get to peer into 2B’s mind and see her demonstrate a human-like personality with each new encounter. Like Shulk and Rex, 2B’s a well-rounded character who’ll develop into someone new and exciting midway through the game. Nier Automata’s gameplay is more action-packed and faster-paced than Xenoblade Chronicles. Instead of having a UI-based battle system, it opts for an action-heavy control scheme. This not only allows battles to flow faster but it makes them more accessible to new players who don’t want to sit down and read tutorial prompts as they play. If you enjoy Xenoblade Chronicle’s impactful plots and colorful worlds, you’ll feel right at home with Nier Automata. So there we have it, our 8 video game picks to keep you busy after playing Xenoblade Chronicles. What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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