Not so long ago I would’ve balked at the idea of living inside a stomach. Yet, after dozens of hours of Xenoblade Chronicles 2

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“ Boss fights rarely feel repetitive thanks to new twists.

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“ Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has impressive visual variety.

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And make no mistake: for all of the heady philosophy bandied about regarding the nature of Blades and their human hosts, called Drivers, and the worry about dying Titans, there's still plenty of cringeworthy Japanese RPG inanity tossed into the mix. One moment you might be listening to one of the main members of Rex's crew telling one of the world's most powerful beings she should act like a "blushy-crushy" maid that "every man is looking for;" the next, you'll be sitting through intentionally awkward shots of that same character's chest.But there's also storytelling depth here, particularly in complex characters like Special Inquisitor Mòrag, who proves a formidable adversary but also demonstrates her willingness to rethink her beliefs when faced with conflicting evidence. There is evil, darkness, and death in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but there's also a welcome thread of optimism in its conviction that the world's various cultures can overcome their differences when the common good is under threat.The art design itself seems to reflect this split between lightheartedness and gloomy themes, as many of the main characters are depicted in a smoother, fluid anime style that should age well, while secondary NPCs usually strut about with more traditional "realistic" 3D models. The visual juxtaposition doesn't always work as well as the narrative one, though, as some characters look as though they’ve wandered in from other, older games. It doesn’t help that the Switch doesn’t appear to be able to run Xenoblade Chronicles 2 at full 1080p resolution when docked, giving it a slightly fuzzy look, and there are still occasional slowdowns when the screen gets crowded. Other than that, the only technical issue I encountered was a weird dubbing issue affecting several late-game cutscenes that set voices out of sync by about five seconds.There's an impressive verticality to the zones as well, to the point that I could be standing high above the ground on a narrow icy precipice and know that I could reach the snowy forests beyond if I could find the right path.