Nine months after the release of the stunning Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and, true to form, Monolith Soft has once again delivered a hefty chunk of story-driven DLC for fans to sink their teeth into, this time in the form of Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed. We’ve already added a bunch of fun new heroes and a brand new challenge mode through the first three waves of add-on content, and now it’s time to get into the real meat of your expansion pass.
Similar to Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden Land, with Future Redeemed (which arrives in the fourth and final DLC wave and will be the focus of this review), we’re treated to a prequel expansion that gives Xenoblade fans plenty to be excited about with the return of some of the series’ most beloved characters, plenty of dramatic revelations, and enough fantastical spectacle to fill several smaller RPGs.
We’ll fully admit that after spending a good amount of time completely flushing the main game for our review and campaign guide, the idea of returning to Xenoblade Chronicles 3 filled us with some trepidation. As much as it deserves its 10/10 rating, we felt like we had our fill, and then some more. And so, it speaks to the overall quality of this absolutely superb DLC that, just a few minutes after starting it up for the first time, any slight fatigue was instantly forgotten as we were once again fully engaged in Aionios.
This latest adventure wastes no time in putting you in the heart of the action, kicking off in explosive style, and introducing you to a host of hugely likable new heroes battling the likes of Shulk and Rex (yes, he’ll still teach them a thing or two) as they witness the dramatic events that preceded the epic battle of Noah and Mio against Moebius.
It’s a bit of an awkward expansion to review in terms of its story, it’s full of spoilers that affect the entire series of games, it’s hard to know what we should or shouldn’t mention for fear of spoiling someone’s fun. However, even sidestepping this issue entirely by simply stating that the narrative here will drive fans of the series crazy, we still have a lot to discuss in the form of meaningful gameplay changes that take the core of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and improve upon it in several significant ways.
Indeed, in terms of exploration and combat, Future Redeemed actually manages to surpass the base game, thanks to a few carefully considered additions. The biggest changes come in the form of reworked combat mechanics that swap out the main game’s Ouroboros transformations for Unity Combos and an all-new Affinity system that runs through every aspect of the game, positively affecting almost every action you take outside of the main story beats.
Let’s start with those Unity combos, and now you have the ability to pair up members of your party to perform special actions that replace the awesome robot transformations from the main game. Unity combos are charged in the same way as Ouroboros attacks, filling the gauge using your arts and fusion arts, then unleashing devastating attacks on your chosen target. The real meat here comes from the fact that you can mix and match your Unity pairings and change attack effects to suit any combat situation, with the game actively encouraging you to experiment and find pairings that suit your playstyle.
Unity combos still feed into chain attacks in a similar way that Ouroboros attacks did, you can still complete chain attack commands to unleash the final massive unity queue, but these attacks can now be increased by equipping various collectibles. This, in turn, builds on the other big change this time around, the revamped collection, research and reward system that gives the whole venture a good boost.
As you roam the stunning world map — one that, for our money, is closer to XC1’s style in terms of its visuals and tone — you’ll take down monsters of varying rarities, collect items, open containers, and all that good stuff you’re used to doing in the base game. However, you now have the Enemypaedia and Collectopaedia that record it all, marking enemy types and tallying how many of each item you have in hand. Complete a list to collect six Sour Gooseberries or dispatch three Jarack Volffs, for example, and you’ll earn Affinity Points that can then be used to purchase and upgrade a bunch of Affinity Growth skills for all party members.
There are three levels of Affinity skills to work through, and you’ll collect points for gathering and killing, developing community relationships, completing combat missions, and discovering Affinity scenes that give you a little scene and some context about the world as you explore it. This Affinity system really gives the core gameplay loop a big boost, adding a real sense of purpose to slashing through enemies and collecting items that makes the base game incredibly lacking in comparison. It’s an addictive thing that works well to make the smaller campaign map seem bigger and busier than it really is. Discovering a new type of enemy and working to kill as many as it takes to fill an entry in your collection had us happily roaming the world of this DLC with a revitalized sense of purpose.
Away from these major changes, there are many smaller tweaks to be found in the new enemy mechanics that see hordes of enemies with increased offensive and defensive abilities, enemy initiative skills, field crafting that allows you to build and repair ladders, repair elevators, create ether masts to locate aether deposits, and an X-reader to pinpoint the locations of other survivors. There’s a lot added here, in short, and it really makes for a Xenoblade sequel that’s more addictive and fine-tuned than ever.
Of course, all of this wouldn’t be for nothing if the story wasn’t up to snuff, so it’s good that we have a prequel in Future Redeemed that does good in terms of resolving unresolved issues and bringing the trilogies to a fantastic end – even if it raises a lot of new questions for those who they take teaching very seriously. The new heroes we’re introduced to are all crackers (we actually prefer Matthew to Noah from the get-go in terms of his banter), and the roster of returning legends make for a terrifically exciting group of protagonists to fight off against another slew of incredibly OTT Moebius villains. We loved the regional accents and overblown pantomime madness of these villains in the main game and they’re just as fun this time around.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed wastes no time throwing you into screen-shattering battles against spectacular enemies, and its story flow benefits from a shorter runtime of around 15-18 hours (easily double that if you’re aiming for 100). % complete) get straight to work and maintain a high pace throughout. If you’re here for the big reveals and emotional moments, to revisit old favorites, delve deep into the lore and discover how everything is connected, well, you’re in for a real treat. Playing through this jaw-dropping expansion has been a breathless experience for us longtime fans, with a constant conveyor belt of notable moments that hit us all over again all feelingswhich is really all we could ask for.
It also helps that the quality of cutscenes, carefully choreographed battle sequences, a truly epic soundtrack and superb lyrics carry over from the main game, and the developers once again prove how adept they are at changing the tone with everything – from flashy action to moments of quiet introspection. You might have less time to hang out with the newbies here, but rest assured you’ll care about them when you’re done with this. It’s an awe-inspiring conclusion, and one that does an incredible job of enhancing the sublime base game.
Conclusion
Just as it did with the excellent Torna – The Golden Country, Monolith Soft has given us a carefully refined prequel experience here, adding and improving the core elements of combat and exploration that were already best in class. Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s beautiful combat system feels better than ever, its stunning landscapes are full of exploration brought back to life thanks to the new Affinity system, and there’s enough emotion and discovery to satisfy the most ardent Xenoblade fans. It also provides something of a clean slate going forward for this most intriguing of franchises. Where will the next world of Xenoblade take us? We can’t wait to find out.
