The story in Xenoblade Chronicles 3

This plot is so complete that even people who have never played a Xenoblade game before will find it enjoyable. There are undoubtedly allusions and connections to Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2, but they are not particularly important. Also, you are unlikely to notice the parallels unless you know what to look for. There is much to enjoy if you have been following the series from the start. By the time you are done, you will feel like you just received a pleasant reward for sticking with it all these years

Bad things about the story

However, despite the universe and the story being delightfully bizarre, they aren’t always employed well. That can particularly be felt when it comes to hit-or-miss writing that has characters repeatedly repeating plot developments. It’s not always told with finesse, and frequently, three protracted cutscenes are utilized to accomplish what could have been accomplished with just one line of conversation. However, the concepts and characters nearly never stop shining. 

Not to add that virtually every trope from an anime story has been used in the maximum amounts allowed by law. With so much filler padding out the journey, combined with some serious pace issues, the game may feel long. One segment where you must go undercover to complete mundane duties or another where you must travel the globe collecting metal bits is pure proof of bad writing. While some of that is acceptable, it might have been preferable to omit some of the unnecessary details from a game that took 150 hours to complete.

Characters in Xenoblade Chronicles 3

The good news is that, with very few exceptions, the characters shine brightly even when the tale drags a little. It is quite challenging to resist developing a love for the motley crew of misfits and ne’er-do-wells that make up your group, whether you’re hanging out with the loud meathead Lanz and his basic charms or spending time with the serious bookworm Taion. 

They may not be the most original character. However, after spending so much time with them, trust me, they will become like family. This is particularly true when each character receives so much screen time. Each party member is given in-depth biographical biographies. Also, optional side quests that are completely voiced over and offer further depth to the characters’ backstories.

Combat

Similar to the fighting system, various upgrades have been made that make it feel significantly less monotonous and more exciting than its predecessors. While the basic idea of combining auto-attacks, super-powered Arts, and attack combinations hasn’t changed much, a ton of new possibilities have been added. They’ve managed to keep the action fresh for more than 100 hours. Among other things, it is achieved with the return of chain attacks, which let you deal a ton of damage by engaging in a straightforward minigame, new transformations that combine two characters into their Ouroburos form for a limited time, and six playable characters plus a guest NPC that can be swapped out.

Closing thoughts

The voice acting, soundtrack, story, and characters are all excellent. I can only promise you that this game will give you serotonin if you can look past the archaic graphics. Without a doubt, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a masterpiece. We are interested to see where Monolith Soft plans to take the franchise in the future.

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What is Sky: Children of the Light?

Developed and published by an indie game studio, Thatgamecompany, Sky: Children of The Light is categorized as an indie adventure game. Though not a sequel to Journey or any of the titles that preceded it, it is built on the exact same principles. However, Sky adds a more social element to the gameplay. The visuals are charming yet simplistic and though there are objectives, exploration and discovery are central to what makes Sky a unique game.

Sky: Children of the Light plays out in a vast open world that stretches across seven explorable areas. Each landscape presents its own uniqueness. Players use their cape to move around the rolling hills, picturesque grasslands, cloudy landscape with floating islands, and rain-soaked forests. Sky offers players the most unrestricted world.

The objective of Sky: Children of the Light

After taking in the glorious scenery, one notices that the developer’s simplistic approach is carried throughout every aspect of the game. The players are given a simple objective, explore the entire kingdom in search of lingering spirits that are spread across the seven areas of Sky’s world.

However, meeting and interacting with the spirits isn’t part of the buildup to the heroic finale. Instead, one’s meetings with the spirits and the “children of the light” are solely to acquire items that help players do even more exploring. That makes discovery the main objective.

Interactions within the game

With Sky: Children of The Light, socializing is an important part of the game, and interactions with other players are not at all uncommon. In fact, social interactions with other players are very near to mandatory. Becoming in-game friends with someone is part of the experience.

However, Sky takes a simple and noninvasive approach to this aspect of the gameplay. There is no typing out full messages as most interaction between players happens in the form of simple gestures. More importantly, if one chooses the option to befriend another player, they are also given a nickname of their own choosing. This is significant because it deliberately eliminates the unintended exchange of more personal information between players.

That simplicity is part of what makes Sky such a great experience, furthermore, it conceals the depth of the game’s social elements in the same way as its predecessor – if not better. The bonds that one can build with total strangers in an undisclosed fantasy world are surprising, to say the least.

Closing

Sky: Children of The Light is a free-to-play game that puts all the responsibility of making it a worthwhile experience solely on the player. It’s also great that the developers keep adding new content to keep the gameplay interesting and players immersed in the Sky experience.

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This mobile offering is quite a departure from what the game’s original developers SNK had released – a one on one tag team fighting experience. Now under the stewardship of Netmarble, The King of Fighters ALLSTAR has now been reinvented in the form of a classic beat-em-up. Storyline included.

The flashy, free to play mobile game is available for download on both AppStore and Google play. The aforementioned storyline thrusts the player into the life of a nameless character who manifests classic KoF characters in order to fight off droves of generic enemies.

The object? Our nameless hero is on a quest to find some answers about who he is and how he acquired his abilities. With the help of a girl named Noah – who advises the character to join the KoF tournament, the hope of getting the answers he seeks – our hero embarks on his journey.

How’s The Gameplay ? 

First up, the graphics on this offering are commendable. The second positive point is that the controls are fairly simple and getting yourself used to them should not be a challenge.

Playing through the game is no different from any other old-school beat-em-up RPG. Using the digital analog stick to navigate, you fight off enemies moving from one screen to the next. At the end you will have to fight a boss character before progressing to the next level, where you will rinse and repeat – against slightly tougher foes.

However, due to KoF ALLSTAR being a mobile offering, levels are about three screens long – which is good for on the move gaming. Thankfully, there are more than enough levels to keep your boredom at Bay.

A player can swap between their 3 chosen characters at will, and one has to pay attention to an elemental affinity system. This means that characters of a certain element may be stronger or weaker against enemies of a specific element, like water versus fire for example. A diverse selection is advised.

Though the actual fighting is limited to basic kicks, punches, and signature moves, the beauty of KoF ALLSTAR’s gameplay lies in how you manage your team of chosen fighters. All three have an individual skill tree which has to be worked at to upgrade a character’s stats, unlock new skills.

It also features a co-op mode where players can team up and in app purchases.

Pros 

The visuals are stunning and the stylized look fits very uniformly with the theme. The game is strangely addictive.

Cons

The only real flaw would be its free to play nature.

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