Xenoblade Chronicles 2
We often forget when recalling the Switch’s incredible first year launch lineup that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was part of the party. Monolith Soft’s sequel to the late-era Wii exclusive took the open-world RPG to the skies for a beautiful, sprawling, somewhat uneven adventure. Building on its predecessor, it married more engaging combat with even deeper progression mechanics to yield interesting exploration and fun battles, held back only by the annoying gacha mechanic underlying the game’s blade spirit system. The sky pirate fantasy about an orphaned salvager named Rex who battles an evil empire took narrative swings that didn’t always land and the characters were weak, but the overall package wasn’t without its charms. — Ethan Gach
