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smolavidreader · 2 months ago

Note

drop the rarepair 👀

Ok how to explain this.... the best way to describe this is a Clone of Shulk/N............ yeah you read that right. A clone of the protagonist from Xenoblade 1 shipped with N the Mobius version of Noah from XC3

How did I get here? Step 1: Stress Induced Nyquil Hallucination Dream

Step 2: Imagine Alpha (Future Redeemed) decided to boost his power by created a clone of Shulk (with most of Shulk's memories up through the first game, future connected, and a little bit beyond but he's still like what half the age of Old Man Shulk). Since Alpha is basically the Zanza version of Alvis, he made himself a servant/guard dog. The Shulk Clone is not happy about this because (1) he knows he's a copy, (2) Alpha is too Zanza-like and must be a bad guy, and (3) the clone cannot functionally disobey Alpha.

Step 3: Shulk Clone is too much of a mouthful. Alpha renames him: Seraph. (yes, the angel thing is on purpose, Alpha sees himself as a god and he just made a servant... also Alpha is dramatic and emo). The newly named Seraph gets an enemy design I mean armor, a sword that's sufficiently Monado like but like black or something, and some brand new orders. His job is pretty much keeping Alpha from dying which includes messing with the Mobius/Liberators so that Alpha has time to continue his world ending plans.

Step 4: Z goes to recently dead N and they make their deal. N gets to be a Mobius in exchange for helping Z with the whole Alpha thing, including the newest issue: guy that keeps attacking them aka Seraph. In exchange, M gets resurrected (the city thing comes in later).

Step 5: N and Seraph try to kill each other a lot. Like a lot, a lot. The amount of showdowns is insane. And well Seraph has like no one else he interacts with on a regular basis (other than Alpha who does not count). Neither does N because M getting resurrected is contingent on defeating Seraph + Alpha (for the moment). So these two are in the endless now or whatever and are fighting each other like twice a week for legit years. There's some talking, lots of yelling, Seraph tries to understand what's wrong with N, other character related stuff where N spirals and is still obsessed with insisting he's doing the right thing.

Step 6: Everyone makes questionable choices. And Seraph/N aka ShulkClone/N is a ship... situationship... thing. Enemies to enemies w/ benefits? I got no clue what to call this. Seraph is aware he's making bad choices but also he doesn't have all that many choices to begin with (thanks Alpha), N is like in mental breakdown frustration territory with a side of gaping whole in heart he's trying to fill (yeah he's still trying to resurrect M, it's complicated)

Step 7: Their ship name is Sin by the way. Also, I have a pinterest board and problems (more lore? ramblings?).

Thank you for reading about my rare pair from my visions. Seraph/N aka Clone!Shulk/N.

#does Seraph count as an oc? idk but what I do know is he's suffering #seraph/n #aka sin #full confession i have not played xenoblade chronicles 3 #im winging this based on wikipedia and youtube cutscenes #also N still loves M this is just his gay situationship #but then again N's love for M was toxic by the end #so this is kinda toxic too #this is probably some fault of me vaguely reading stuff about Noah/N and thinking about the similarities between protagonists #and also the stress and lack of sleep #seraph posting

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xenoblademisadventures · 2 years ago

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Guys, I'm in a mood. Hot takes time for each Xenoblade. >:3

Xenoblade 1

Egil is a lame antagonist

The game's themes fucking suck

Dunban is the worst designed character in the series, in terms of gameplay

Zanza was more interesting before we knew about his other half.

Metal Face is one of, if not the, single best written antagonists in the series.

Melia's character design is really ass.

Xenoblade X

The writing is actually really good. Especially factoring in the sidequests.

X has the best gameplay in the series, but it also has, by far, the worst combat.

The series has yet to make a more compelling antagonist than Lao, despite having tried repeatedly.

Elma is underrated.

X has the best plot twists in the series. In particular the mimeosome twist is the single best plot twist Monolith has ever written.

X is literally the only good open world game. Easily outclassing more famous titles like Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring.

Tatsu is inoffensive, even considering how extraneous he is.

I actually liked the food jokes. They felt homey. Even if they weren't particularly funny.

Thank fuck Cross never happened again. The actual worst protagonist in the series.

Elma has the best character design in the series. But True Form is arguably worse than Pyra.

Xenoblade 2

The only good character designs are the NPCs, and even then, 2's NPCs are much lamer than the rest of the series'.

2's additions to the lore were universally shit.

I really liked 2's combat, but I also think almost every boss fight in the game was shit.

Rex shouldn't have been in the game. Pyra should've been the actual protagonist.

The tensions between Mor Ardain and Uraya were interesting, up until the game decided to drop it for literally no reason.

It's frankly a miracle that the game is polished and playable considering how disjointed it feels fundamentally.

Dromarch and Ursula bug me particularly because Polar Bears and Cats canonically went extinct.

The music in 2 would be good if it wasn't for the horrible misusage of certain songs. Shadow of the Lowlands is the greatest offender and actually ruins the song for me, but Counterattack, Ancient Vessel, Spirit Elpys Crucible, and such were also horribly mishandled.

Tora can burn in hell. What the fuck?

I don't like anything revolving around how Klaus was handled in 2. Also the beginning of the "Meyneth never happened saga."

I don't think it counts as a hot take to say that Pyra's character design is ass, actively ruins the mood of every scene she's in, and makes the character writing worse. But I also have to add that it isn't just that the artist was jacking off. Even if Pyra was the most modestly designed character in the game, her design would still be ass. And that applies to every other shitty design in the game (except Dahlia, where the problem really is just.. why?)

2 is, by far, the worst game in the series. That said, I'd consider it a relatively inoffensive game if it wasn't a Xenoblade game, and I do get why people like it.

That said, the way 2 handles its themes is pretty lame.

Also, the way 2 concludes Pyra's and Mythra's arcs is offensively terrible. That's just not how you should ever conclude a massive arc, nor is that how you should fucking conclude a suicide arc.

"Nia. I love you. I love you and all you guys." is still the single funniest line of dialogue in the series.

Torna the Golden Country

It's really funny seeing the camera guy suffer.

This dlc singlehandedly makes Pyra a good character, despite Pyra having zero lines of dialogue in it.

I wish this was the main game.

Xenoblade DE

They made Reyn ugly.

I don't like that they lowered the cooldown of Melia's Reflect Art.

I don't like the change to Alvis's character design. Not just the core crystal, which recontextualizes how the audience interacts with the character, but also they made his jacket less fluffy. What the fuck?

I just generally don't like the Alvis is Ontos thing specifically because it I liked how he was handled in the original and I dislike the retcons 2 made to the lore. That said, I do like how the concept was handled in Future Redeemed.

I don't like the remix of Engage the Enemy. I feel like it misses the point of the original song by making the vocals so much more present.

Future Connected

I don't mind the story, but it also contributed absolutely nothing to the larger story.

Haven't played the game, but I can't imagine removing the Vision and Chain Attack mechanics from 1's combat would contribute a positive change in the gameplay.

Xenoblade 3

The designs for the main characters are, on average, presentable but not very good. In particular, I really dislike Noah's and Eunie's class outfits. They just feel out of place and don't vibe with the characters.

Z is the only good villain in this game. While N had a compelling backstory, every moment he was on screen took away from that.

Joran was such a bad villain that he made Lanz a significantly less interesting character in the process. Same with Eunie.

The only instance of "backstory character that got revived" working for me was Taion's mentor (forgot her name). Every other time, it was handled in a way that took away from the story.

3 has by far the best designed combat in the series, and I'd be surprised if Monolith manages to top it any time soon.

3's level design isn't on par with X, but I wouldn't mind the series going this direction in the future.

Camera button was the best idea the series has had in a long time.

Future Redeemed

Having the game tell you completion% singlehandedly ruined the exploration for me.

I found Rex, Glimmer, and Nikol to be rather underwhelming. Especially when I was excited to see what Monolith would do with them upon introduction.

This really should've been a standalone game rather than a DLC. Too many character arcs got skipped over. The combat seriously suffers from lack of customization options. Matthew and A didn't really have enough time to establish themselves. Neither did Na'el, even though I really like her. Alpha would've also benefitted a lot from having more time to cook.

Overall. Mixed to negative opinions about this one, but I'm still really glad to have experienced it.

A would've been the best designed support in the series if their AI couldn't use their Talent Art.

#xenoblade series

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h-worksrambles · 2 months ago

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Well, I finished Chapter 13 last week, and I wanted to wait to stew on the new story content a bit before posting my thoughts. I've alredy given my long, rambling thoughts on my complicated relationship with the base game's story, so what does that mean for my opinion on the new stuff?

In a word, it's fine. Not great, but not bad either. Better than the base game's writing in some ways, but worse in others. This was absolutely NOT what Monolith Soft was planning to do with X when it came out in 2015. The intent was clearly to wrap things up, integrate into the main series’ lore, and end it on the spectacle the base game was lacking.

And it does do, though not without some issues.

There is a definite effort to add a better emphasis on character. It largely drops the numerous optional party members and focuses on the core mandatory group. The game does its best to inject some charisma into them, and better flesh out their dynamics. It partly does this by adding newcomer Al (who is totally not an Alvis expy what are you talking about?). And I'll be real, I like him. His 'how's it poppin''?' running gag feels like it lands what the base game was trying to do with Tatsu's food jokes. Where it's dumb and corny but they commit to it so hard that it loops round to being funny. And I think a character who's philosophy is embracing the world and everything in it is a pretty solid thesis statement for X as a whole. Understanding and immersing yourself in Mira as a world is the core of both the gameplay and the story qnd that brings it home. And even if it feels like he abruptly shows up to steal the spotlight at the eleventh hour after being MIA all game, he does bring some much needed charisma to the proceedings and his pre-established dynamics with characters like Elma giver her more room to express new sides of herself that the base game was lacking.The first real conversation between him and Elma single handedly had more thoughtful characterisation than most of the rest of the game combined, and reminded me of many of the quieter moments from Xenoblade 3.

Does this magically make X's characters good? Eh, not really. Focusing on just the mandatory party members also means ditching any promising threads in the optional characers. Like, Yelv may have just been kind of okay as a character n the base game, but the J Bodies was a legitimate bit of intrigue that doesn't really go anywhere. And while there's some cute character moments, it's still doesn't make up for the previous 80+ hours lackluster character work. I struggled to list five character traits of Doug back in 2015 and that's still true after Chapter 13.

In short, while this section does its best to shore up the base game's character writing and solve the original release's mysteries, it falls short by doing way too much in way too little time. What we have is basically 5ish hours of scrapped ideas from a potential sequel, new retcons to tie it to the mainline, and concepts ripped wholesale from Xenosaga and frankly done worse (even if it's wonderfully absurd to finally hear a Xeno character quote the New Testament wholesale again). I've heard some people claim that this means you need to know Xenosaga lore to understand this game and...no? Like yeah, the Ghosts might as well be the Gnosis, and the collective unconscious connecting all life on Mira might as well be the UMN, but it's not like knowing that really makes much difference other than being kinda neat.

Still, as an explanation of X’s mysteries, the payoffs are serviceable enough. Elma’s origins, the identity of the Great One, and what brought all the different species to Mira all get answers that work. I will say Elma's backstory does compliment her established character pretty nicely. With a better understanding of how she lost her own home planet, how she came to Earth originally for the sake of a mission but grew to care genuinely for them, and ho she now fights to save her new family and people who gave her a new home, she probably now has the single most coherent and complete character arc in the game (even if it's still not great by Xeno standards).

The famous ‘it’s something about this planet’ cliffhanger line ended up being a fucking lie, tho. Which is a pretty good example of how this definitely isn't what the original plan for an X follow up was, but that ship likely sailed long ago.

Void meanwhile is a decent figurehead to be behind the Ganglion. The way he and Al both respond differently to being exposed to the existence of higher dimensions, how it reaffirms one's love and fascination for life, and one becomes completely detached from it and obsesses over the concept of death as a way to feel anything again works well. Mortality, survival and transhumanism were lingering ideas across the base game, as the characters questioned their identity as mimeosomes and fought to survive even as their home was lost forever. While Void is more reminiscent of Z than the likes of Egil and Jin, more conceptual than an actual character (and honestly I think Z was a lot more thematically cohesive), Void serves to end the game on a narratively fitting bang. I also appreciated that they didn't try to make the silent protagonist the emotional core of the ending, because that would fall completely flat. But they still get to contribute by inheriting the Ares from Al, and making a last clutch play for their friends. Them being the muscle more than the heart is more fitting, and lets the player still feel like their role mattered narratively.

It's a fine enough, suitably flashy finale. Definitely more conclusive than the original cliffhanger. But it ultimately runs into the same problems as the original Chapter 12, good thematic bones and strong worldbuilding let down by a lack of emotional investment in the cast, an underdeveloped villain, and a general sense that the game hasn’t really been building up to a character driven spectacle like this. So it feels off. Both Chapter 12 and this new Chapter 13 feel like the game abruptly remembers its a Xenoblade game at the last minute, and try to end on all the party coming together to fight for their future. X is a game where you sort of soak in a world rather than invest yourself in characters, so while I respect trying to breathe some life into these guys, the last minute turnaround doesn't quite do the job. I never really connected with this cast that way, so putting them in this kind of finale feels off. Much like the original Chapter 12, I simply found myself saying 'this would be peak if I was invested in any of these characters'. Which I probably shouldn't be saying after spending 100 hours with them.

The most controversial move of the ending by far is the decision to have Mira straight up destroyed by the new greater scope antagonist, with the game ending with the cast straight up hopping universes and presumably arriving at the restored Earth from the end of XC3. I've seen several fans balk at this ending, feeling like all the time spent exploring Mira was for nothing. As for me, honestly I feel this would have been a brilliant gut punch at the end of a sequel, if X had become a full fledged subseries. If we'd followed the full story f Mira from beginning to end, and it ended on this heartbreaking bang (literally). It would have been the intent of Perfect Works (following the universe from beginning to its end) in miniature. But in a five hour epilogue, it feels…strange. But ultimately, I find this a fine enough thematic conclusion to X's ponderings on survival and mortality, and seeing the community of NLA, this union of all these different alien peoples, live on together, with humanity finally seeing Earth again, was ultimately a cathartic end to this infamous cliffhanger. As I've said, the communal aspect of the original was to me it strongest narrative throughline, and seeing them all come together to leave Mira, defeat Void and be given a second chance, is satisfying. That being said, I can see why diehard X fans might be disappointed. Not only because it's definitely not the original plan for a continuation (at least not fully). But the vibe is definitely different to the rest game. X was a game that undoubtedly had its own atmosphere and tone amongst the Xeno series. I don't think the execution really worked and it was a bit too subdued and poorly paced to get everyone on its wavelength but it's a game that was Going For Something. This finale is a lot more typically Xenoblade. It's more direct, more action driven and puts more emphasis on its characters, but in five hours t has speed run that new direction and undoubtedly sacrifices X's vibe, even if that vibe isnt one I was in love with.

Overall I thought this epilogue was serviceable. It was a pretty unenviable position to revisit what was very clearly a narrative Monolith moved on from a long time ago, and try to wrap it up in an epilogue whose dev scope was about on par with Future Connected. All while returning to a setting that was already polarising the first time. It may be rushed as fuck, and it carries over some writing flaws from the base game but it's ultimately fine.

Maybe if I was more attached to X's story and characters I'd feel more strongly? Perhaps. And even if I still feel, even after this finale, that X is the weakest narrative in Xenoblade by a pretty wide margin (and would be the weakest in all of Xeno if Xenosaga Episode Two didn't drop the ball as thoroughly as it does). But I have gained a new respect for its gameplay, as well the sheer scope and vision it's going for.

Is Xenoblade X still my least favourite Xenoblade game? Yes. Is it still one of the coolest games on Switch that you should absolutely play? Also yes.

So, I just beat chapter 12 of Xenoblade X Definitive Edition. Meaning I've seen the game's original ending on Wii U and am about to move fully into the new content. As someone who played Xenoblade X on Wii U, but never finished it til now. I have a lot of complicated thoughts about this game's story and I wanted to get them out fresh after seeing the original ending before moving into the new stuff. This was always the entry I respected but connected with the least and I want to get into why.

On paper, X has an incredibly strong concept. The remnants of humanity, stranded on a distant planet and working with other refugee species to survive. It’s high concept, yet grounded, and with immediate high stakes. Especially with the Lifehold ticking clock. The story returns to the series’ signature themes of community, and overcoming tribalism and fear of the unknown. You meet all these different aliens in the story and side quests, and they each join NLA and offer something distinct. Much like the union of the peoples of Bionis and Mechonis, Drivers ad Blades, Keves and Agnus. Despite the potentially sketchy nature of its subject matter, it consistently feels communal rather than colonial. Humans are just part of a greater whole here, rather than bringing everyone under their banner. And it takes time to explore the difficulties of getting to that point.

Setting itself in our universe and in the aftermath of our earth means it can dig into questions about humanity without a fantasy buffer. Lao’s entire storyline explicitly critiques social and class divides. There’s a striking pessimism that's rare for this series: that humans couldn’t let go of hierarchical bullshit even at the very end of the world. Only the elite survived the destruction of Earth, and Lao embodies the rage of all the masses left to die there through his actions (you even fight him as a twisted chimera of all the life on Earth at the end).

The concept mineosomes invites an element of transhumanism. Exploring the identity and mortality of humans in these (not so) temporary artificial shells. Are these machines the ghosts of a dead species clinging onto existence? Or the form of a new reborn one taking shape? Especially considering the horrific act of negligence in leaving so many underprivileged people behind. Maybe we DID lose our humanity that day, after all. It’s powerful stuff.

So we have a different flavoured adventure, with high stakes, consistent, compelling themes and even a nice bit of political bite. …

So why does the result still feel so…dry? So flat?

I think this comes to how, for all my pontificating about these games, Xenoblade Chronicles is not actually very complex or profound. Thoughtfully constructed and opulently directed, yes. But it’s ultimately a RPG series for teens, heavily inspired by Shounen anime, with very universal, accessible themes of friendship, community, and self actualisation. These are good, important themes, but they aren't revolutionary. All the way from Xenogears, Xeno has often had thoughtful worldbuilding and strong direction, interesting interextuality and excellent use of ludonarrative, but that’s ultimately just questions of framing and craft in order to convey very simple, easy to understand messages. As such, for all its extra components, these games are carried by emotional clarity. The thing that really makes all this work, and the reason why basically any fan can call any of these games their favourite is because of how good they are at roping you in and making you feel something. And that’s where I feel X fumbles.

The game is great at giving the player ample things to think about, but it struggles at getting them to care. The characters are simplistic (even with their various side quests), and the cutscenes are very straightforward and expository. Heartfelt moments or cutscene spectacle are scarce. Even Elma and Lin feel strikingly straightforward and remote up til the very end, the very nature of Elma's perspective witheld until the final minutes before the credits roll. There’s no moment as immediately engrossing as the attack on Colony 9, nothing as gentle and human as Rex and Pyra by the campfire, or as triumphant as the first time Noah and Mio sever a Flame Clock. The closest is Lao, whose plight is sympathetic and poignant, but his limited screen time leaves him more thought provoking than heartfelt.

Now, what X is trying to do, is to achieve that emotional clarity through immersion, by letting you create a character, bask in the beauty of the world, and interact with the various people of NLA on the ground level through side quests. And in many ways this is sound. It still struggles with that lack of emotional hook. While you flit through many people’s lives, and help build bridges…you never really get to know anyone on screen. There’s a distance from these characters at all times. But you can definitely see what it’s going for.

It mostly struggles in the final chapter when it tries to have a more traditional final boss where all the party comes together to fight for their future. But it was never that kind of story. It didn’t build that party chemistry or emotional thrust. The villains are a faceless monolith. Individual members of the Ganglion die without fanfare or any real characterisation. They exist to represent a faction than have real personality. There's no pathos in confronting Luxaar there was with Egil, Zanza, Malos or N (hell even Z felt more resonant and climactic). He doesn't reallt slot into that kind of role. Hell, neither does Lao. And the result is interesting, but still rather limp.

It leaves me curious about what the new chapter 13 finale will be, because chapter 12’s ending made it clear to me that X simply isn’t like the other Xenoblade games, and trying to cram this game into their structure only obscures its strengths and highlights it’s shortcomings.

So yeah, the more time I spend with X, the more I can admit that it sort of lacks what I come to this series for. I think there’s a universe where X manages to balance that emotional clarity without losing what makes it unique and so on that level there’ll always be a bit of sadness over what could have been. But even if that's not the Mira we got, it’s still an incredible achievement of a game, a technical marvel and a world worth exploring.

Sometimes it's ok to think rather than feel.

#good to finally put my thoughts down #truthfully i had less to say than i thought #but i think that's because i got so many of my feelings about x in the first post #and chapter 13 didn't really change my mind all that much #xenoblade chronicles x spoilers #xenoblade chronicles x #xenoblade chronicles

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aqua-dan · 6 years ago

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I may as well try the Xenoblade ask things: all the story ones (11-30) and 50 if that’s not too many.

Oh my! That is quite a few! But hey, never let it be said that I’m a quitter! Thank you for the ask, my friend! Here goes nothing…

11 - Did you get any of the plot-twists spoiled to you before playing Xenoblade?: Nope! I mean, okay technically yes. But sometimes I can be really stupid and oblivious, and even though I was dropped some REALLY BIG hints, I still managed not to get it due to my sheer stupidity alone hah! I suppose being naturally dumb has its perks sometimes!

12 - Which character did you like the most?: This is one of those questions I can never truly have a solid answer for! I’ve re-played Xenoblade so many times, and I swear I have a different favorite of the main characters every time! They’re all very great in their own ways. But!! If we’re including non-main characters in this question, then Kallian and Alvis are solid faves forever.

13 - Opinion of Juju?: I’ve never minded him too much. He’s a little helpless, sure, but he’s got his own neat little arc with all the Colony 6 stuff! I think people make him out to be worse than he actually is.

14 - Was there any scene which made you cry?: Aah,, It really might be a better idea to ask me which scenes DIDN’T make me cry, because I swear there are fewer of those. But regardless, the ending cutscene in particular always gets me pretty emotional.

15 - What’s your opinion of the ending?: Ah yes, speaking of! The first time I watched the game (watched a lets play before playing it myself), I didn’t really understand the ending all too well. But after playing it myself and dwelling on it for a really… painfully.. long time, I ended up understanding and also really enjoying the ending! It’s very bittersweet and it absolutely made me cry. Just seeing them all in normal situations after all of this is over, in a way beginning a new journey, it’s so lovely!

16 - Which character do you think deserved more spotlight?: KALLIAN. Listen, he’s actually one of the most important characters in the game, and I don’t think he’s often treated enough like it. I think it would have been really lovely to see more of him, hear more of his thoughts and how the events of the game affected him, and especially him interacting with Melia/Shulk/and various other characters. Also he’s really quite the dork if you listen to his lines and I love that. I’d love to see more of him.

17 - Did you want to kill Metal Face, even after it was revealed he was Mumkhar?: I’m pretty 50/50 on that one. I always love redemption arcs, and in truth, I’m VERY high-key a pacifist when it comes to the vast majority of things. But Mumkhar, he very well might have just been too far gone. He didn’t show (idk about feel) remorse for any of his actions. He loved to taunt, to gloat, and especially to put Dunban down. Clearly the dude has some issues to work through. But I suppose what it comes down to for me is whether or not it’s actually kinder to spare him. And in truth.. I think that’s a no in this case.

18 - How do you think Xenoblade handled the two semi-love triangles? (Shulk/Fiora/Melia and Sharla/Reyn/Gadolt): 0/10 do not pass go, do not collect $200. The love triangles are really my one big beef with the game. I think the Reyn/Sharla/Gadolt triangle was handled better, personally. It started off feeling pretty forced, but in the end it did seem to work and I certainly don’t mind Sharla/Reyn as a ship! It’s really just the Fiora/Shulk/Melia love triangle that throws everything off for me. I had no indication before a specific line that Melia had any interest in Shulk other than being friends, Sharla and Dunban’s interference and comments were frankly weird and out of place, and the tension between Fiora and Melia then just seemed… so off-putting since I never really could get into Melia’s romance side of things. I’m very much a multi-shipper within the Xenoblade fandom, but Shulk & Melia just really don’t go together in my mind. However, I wish MOST of all that Dunban would stop making comments about Shulk and Fiora getting together. There’s like three of Dunban’s heart to hearts dedicated to that and I’m like DUDE. Let em sort it out on their own time, you’re just being weird about this.

19 - Favorite race in the game? (Nopon, High Entia, Machina, Homs, any Bionis enemies): High Entia! Probably not the most original pick, but I am just strangely attracted to these arrogant bastards with wings on their heads. (kidding, I love em, but they can be so incredibly stuck up)

20 - When heading towards the final battle, how did you react upon seeing our own solar system and then finally Earth?: I didn’t really understand it at first, but the second time I played it made a lot more sense! I think it’s very interesting, but honestly not very memorable.

21 - Did you predict any plot-twists before they got more openly hinted at? (Like predicting Dickson’s betrayal before the “I feel bad about deceiving these kids” line): Once again, my own stupidity knows no bounds. I knew something was up, but the first time I saw the game, I took it very face value.

22 - Is there any lore which you’d like to know more of?: Tons, actually! I loved learning about the history of Bionis in the game! But in a more narrowed down category, I would really love to know more about Alvis’s backstory. I have my theories, only somewhat backed up by the second two games, but it would still be nice sometimes to know more concrete things! Would definitely also help for me with writing fanfics.

23 - Do you believe Zanza was redeemable?: Yes, actually. He was quite far gone, but I do think there were potentially things that could have ended up redeeming Zanza. The things he truly wanted could have been achieved in other ways. As Shulk said, his future and our future,, could have existed together.

24 - Which of Fiora’s forms do you prefer – her Homs form, Face Nemesis form, Mech form, or Meyneth form?: Mech form! I mean honestly, she’s wonderful and beautiful in all forms. But Mech form is absolutely the most useful... and she makes for a very pretty robo-girl. Like y’all, I’m 100% gay and yet I’m still a little star struck when it comes to Fiora

25 - Is there any cutscene which stood out to you?: I really enjoyed the cutscenes from the second battle of sword valley. Kallian does indeed happen to be one of my absolute faves, so it’s easy to call me biased, but it’s so interesting to see his growth in the small moments you’re able to see it. He seems so much more confident here, so much happier than in other parts of the game. He’s doing what he believes is going to allow them to take the future into their own hands, and you can visibly see that it excites him! It’s cute!

26 - Which story arc is your least favorite?: Probably the whole Ether Mines thing. It’s not that the CHARACTER arcs were bad there, but the mines are just terribly boring.

27 - Which line is your favorite?: “Your blade, it did not cut deep enough.” IT HAS SO MANY DIFFERENT MEANINGS LORD ALMIGHTY HELP ME

28 - Did you enjoy Riki’s role as a comic relief provider?: For the most part, yes! He’s a very enjoyable comic relief character! But I really appreciated his more serious moments. It’s refreshing to see comic relief with depth. Sometimes, on occasion, I wish he had more of those moments. But regardless, he’s well received to me!

29 - What’s your opinion of Shulk as a protag?: He’s such a good boy!!!! Okay, admittedly there are some Shulk moments I’m not overly fond of, and other characters I find more compelling, but he’s still really great and I wouldn’t have any other protag here!

30 - What’s your opinion of Zanza as the final villain?: EXCELLENT! I think having him as the final villain, it really summed up the whole feeling of the game, how changeable things are, and taking the future into your own hands.

50 - How did you get introduced to Xenoblade?: Chuggaaconroy! What a dude!

#skyqueen3 #Xenoblade Chronicles #Xenoblade Spoilers #Danny Says Shit

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maligknights · 8 years ago

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What's your favorite plot and setting out of the FE games? (they don't have to come from the same one)

Mmm as for setting I have to go with Elibe as my personal fave.

Yeah nostalgia glasses kinda but idk, even though it is not as developed as Jugdral and Tellius you can tell it’s one of the better thought out worlds. The Lore can be a bit too vague but I feel it really plays to the mysticism and magic of its history.

Elibe feels like a soft reset of Archanea in many of its setups but it explores a bit more of its age-old conflicts with more detail. The whole Quintessence experimentation makes dragonkin all the more interesting and manakete dengeneration kinda makes more sense: the ending winter has created a drop or increase in the world’s physical laws where giant beings cannot be sustained rather than a vague probably genetic decline because reasons.

It feels like a world full of mystery and where the clash of incredible forces has its consequences, the cultures although brushed in stand out from each other and it is a setting brimming with love from the developers.

As for plot… Mmmm I am really torn between Jugdral and Tellius. Both had two games to develop its worlds and characters with detail competent fantasy authors would kill for. However everything in the story ties really well with the way things are set up and how the characters act and react.

So we have the tragedy of Ciguyn bringing Armageddon by having two kids VS let’s free the furries and then kill god.

Jugdral had this epic scale of conflict that no other game has replicated, the tragedy and implication of every turn of the story and that engulfs each character just feels massive.

However outside the more personal tales such as Alvis’s of Leif’s, what Jugdral makes in a big brew of EPIC WORLD CONFLICT , it sometimes lacks on the characters (mostly speaking from FE4, FE5 nails this much better being a much smaller story). Also, outside the Oosawa Manga, I never thought Sigurd and Diadora’s romance was too interesting, really in the game Alvis is who makes things turn much more delicious.

I was not as invested in Sigurd and Celice as protagonists as in other FE titles, I have to admit. Leif is a whole other tale, I just wanna wrap him in a blanket and give him a hot mexican chocolate and tell him everything is gonna be alright.

Tellius almost reaches the scale of Jugdral, but being much more character-oriented I believe it balances world vs characters investment a bit better and every character has a role that supports plot and world. Ike is an interesting character and aside from being kinda shoehorned into Radiant Dawn as the mighty hero, you are with him in his quest 100%. Elincia, Micaiah, Sanaki and the other heroes focused on in both Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn really stand out and as the player you have their backs.

Tellius fleshes out every character, no matter how small his or her role. Everyone’s got baggage, interests and believable personality traits and ideals that go hand-in hand with their background. Even the most simplistic chaeacters like Ashnard have a justification for being the way they are.

Each country has like its own personality and a pretty detailed history and the dynamics between countries as experiences by their citizens is spot-on. Tellius presents a world of diversity, flavor and with an opportunity to expand itself at every corner that the game does take advantage of. And all this supports the story and expands upon it.

TL;DR: Jugdral is more gritty and poignant but Tellius is better constructed. Tellius also has the benefit of Hindsight, where the story even outright challenges some of the ideals that have been staples of the franchise for years such as Divine Right and that makes it all the more interesting. Also some of the major subplots don’t get wrapped up so perfectly as in Jugdral (like the whole Almedha x Ashnard kid stuff) but gets a satisfying and more realistic conclusion.

Jugdral’s plot rides on Archanea’s lore as well sooo that poses a very small problem if you are like me who played Fe4 before Mystery of the Emblem.

I really enjoyed both and both are my top examples of the best FE has to offer in terms of plot, setting and sometimes gameplay. So accounting for Sequels, Sidequels and quasi-official works, Tellius might take the cake.

Neither are 100% perfect, I acknowledge that both have its share of weaker characters, setups and plotholes. But as they are, they both are as perfect the combination of plot and worlds as it gets yet.

Also should either get any more complex and gritty and they might as well have a drunk dwarf character *ba-dum tsss*

#maligask #damoselcastel #fe4 #fe10 #fe9 #fe5 #discussion #lore #worldbuilding #plot #story #elibe #fe6 #fe7 #jugdral #tellius #obvious joke is obvious #I can't help but compare ASOIAF to Tellius and Jugdral

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