After seeing how different the combat looked compared to its predecessors, I wasn’t hyped for Xenoblade 2 at all. The characters looked like anime stereotypes which turned me off even more. The reviews were great though, and 110 hours later, Xenoblade 2 easily became one of my favourite JRPGs in recent memory. The tie-ins with the first game were mind-blowing, and the ending was a rollercoaster of emotions (but Rex X Nia is still the best ship in my opinion!). I wanted more, and Torna ~ The Golden Country (TTGC) was the answer. Sign me up for the prequel expansion please.
The battle system in TTGC is further refined. Special attacks can now be chained regardless of elements, although there are still benefits to chaining the predefined paths. You can control your Blades directly now, and even switch them in or out of battle! There are nine party members to play around with - three Drivers with two Blades each, giving you plenty of different variations in combat. You won’t be able to generate Blades with Core Crystals though.
There are only two continents/titans to visit in this expansion - Gormott and Torna. Since TTGC is set a few hundred years before the main game, this version of Gormott is smaller and less civilised than the one in the main game. The Kingdom of Torna, on the other hand, is massive and a joy to explore. I think the pictures speak for themselves:
The new music is outstanding, this one in particular is beautiful:
The battle music is very upbeat, it reminded me of something from a Persona soundtrack when I first heard it:
The mandatory sidequests towards the end of the game felt a bit unnecessary. Exploring a Xenoblade world is rarely a chore, but it shouldn’t be forced upon the player to do so. The story just grinded to a halt due to this shameless padding. Good thing Malos is such a patient villain!
The ending was not a happy one, as players of the base game would know. This hurts even more because Lora, Addam and company are so likable and well-written, you just wish that their journey didn’t have to end so soon. Here’s a beautiful photo the party took during their adventure to serve as a reminder of the good times they had (and I had):
