Something that really gets me about the world of Xenoblade is just how overwhelmingly *intricate* it is. There’s obviously the Titan-sized mountain of lore its story has to offer, but there’s also how almost every last NPC has a name, a daily routine, and a web of relationships with other NPCs, making them feel like real people whose lives intersect with and impact each other. Not to mention: the hundreds of plants, items, and straight-up creatures that Shulk and his party have seen fit to stuff inside their pockets, each with their own unique descriptions. XC’s worldbuilding is so rich and dense that every single detour and sidequest lead me to know a little more about it that I didn’t already, and its for those reasons and more that I can easily see why it would be somebody’s favorite game of all time.
@@TheHearthGuy “Hmm… the leaves of this plant never seem to wither. Interesting. I think I’ll call this a Verdant Eternity.” “That’s real-fancy name, Shulk! I had a lot of trouble thinking up one for this thing, but I settled on Rainbow Zirconia.” “That’s an excellent name, Reyn! There’s so much we don’t know about this world of ours, and it excites m-“ “RIKI NAME THIS ONE HA HA HA!”
Imagine just being a random rodent and some blond haired kid with a sword that extends to twice his size just shoved you in his pocket because he wants to collect one of every thing.
To answer your question around the 30-minute mark, here's how I see it. When Dickson mentioned there was never any Shulk, I took that to mean that Shulk was dead when he and his team discovered the Monado. It wasn't literal. As for the contradicting statements from Dickson and Zanza during the reveal and final boss respectively, they were both telling the truth. Anyone could have been the perfect vessel, Shulk was just there at the time. But Zanza knew who it would be thanks to his visions. As for Shulk looking like Zanza, I think that was Alvis. The ending reveals that Alvis wanted to off Zanza because he was a threat to the world that Alvis created, so he constructed a plan to accomplish this task. Constructing Shulk to make him more enticing to Zanza, let Zanza and Dickson do the work of raising and training Shulk, then let things play out, only stepping in to ensure the path of Zanza's elimination remained viable. EDIT: Another thing you failed to mention, the Mechonis has an 'organ' (couldn't think of a better word for it) that acts as a means to suppress the Monado. Egil activates it to give himself a leg-up once they enter the mechanical titan. From there, Shulk is still able to sense the future without visions, but these aren't coming from the Monado, they're coming from himself. It wasn't just the Monado's power increasing, it was Shulk's as well. Something Alvis was counting on.
Honestly, the Nopon probably aren't from the Bionis, but just happened to land there and began inhabiting it. Personally, I subscribe to the idea that Nopon are native to some far flung other dimension (possibly Xenoblade X's world of Mira) and in the process of Klaus's experiment basically ripping his world in two, somehow managed to pull a bunch of Nopon into both of the worlds he created. This might explain why they're so different to any of the other races across Xenoblade 1 and 2, why they're the exact same across both games set in different worlds, and why they're functionally external to the Endless Now in Xenoblade 3. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go steal and dissect Riku's hat.
I've heard a theory that X is basically a "what if" scenario, specifically, "what if Klaus didn't push the button. What if he didn't start the experiment that led to the creation of the worlds of Xenoblade 1 and 2?" As such, the Noppons existing on Miara could simply be indicative that they exist everywhere. The Noppons seem to be a universal constant with much more power than it seems considering the Great Noppon Sage basically exists beyond time and space and the Noppon as a whole were able to make a non-interference treaty with the Mobius in 3. Plus, if we are looking for a meta reason for them to exist in every game, they are basically the round marketable mascot for the series.
The thing is, the games hint it being the other way around. The Nopon on Mira reference XC1 and mention "a legendary Frontier Village", but Nopon from other games do not reference X...ever.
I obviously don't have more information about their origin than anyone else does, but I prefer to think the Nopon are native to the worlds of Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, where they were created. I love the origin that I've imagined for them too much to believe anything else. My imagination has informed me that Klaus (as a human scientist, prior to his experiment) used to get bored and start drawing little doodles of the Nopon on napkins, so when parts of his mind shaped two different worlds after his experiment, these funny little creatures that he used to draw were among the many forms of life that came into actual existence in those worlds. (Maybe Klaus even used to draw crude comic strips of a Nopon named "Bana" getting into all kinds of trouble.)
There is actually a series of side quests you can do that explains what happened to the gaints as you dind out they went to war against an intelligent race of white Arachno that eventually whiped out there kind. This is actually why you come across so many Arachno around the gaints ruins
32:12 "What even is a Nopon!" Believe me, I have been asking myself that same question for years. And while I may love Tatsu and Tora, they did not help with that. And no, they aren't food.
I believe that the Nopon are beings willed into existence by the Conduit and serve as its agents, that's why they exist in every universe and why they don't link evolutionarily with any other races, in Xenoblade 1 their situation is more ambiguous but in 2 it is obvious that the Nopon are not in Klaus' tree of life and in 3 X implies that the Nopon have some kind of divine accord that prevents them from interfering with the matters of Moebius. And then there's also the Nopon from X, who according to Tatsu are a native species of Mira despite every other species on the planet having been brought there afterwards, suggesting that Nopon have something to do with the strange phenomena at work on Mira.
About the dragon, and by extension the chimeras. It seems that these creatures were living remnants of the previous Kalpa. Do you ever wonder why Prison Island looks so out of place in Eryth Sea? Well, as far as I can tell, there was a previous "Ceremony of the destruction and recreation" and it was held at Prison Island, and, like the calm in the eye of the storm, it was all that remained after the end.
28:47 I don’t think there’s any definitive explanation of the dragons in Xenoblade 1 but I think they’re meant to be a visage of a history that no longer is. The dragons are the strongest enemies you can fight in Xenoblade 1 and the first one you meet being called a “Dragon king” implies that in the past they were a force to be reckoned with but now they’re on the brink of extinction with they’re being only four left. The last one you fight in the dlc, in contrast with the “dragon king” you first encounter, is instead called a “Demon king” rather than a dragon as the species is becoming more obscure as the world progresses. Just like how the Giant’s civilization is no more the dragons will also fade away into the annals of time.
The lore of Xenoblade is so freaking dense and once I learned the history of the series it all made sense to me that these ideas were decades in the making! Good vid my guy have a sub
11:28 That is actually a common misconception. Nobody besides Dickson and some Nopon knew the High Entia were real and not just a legend, so they wouldn't have been able to request help. This conversation goes more in line with them having been able to help so they really should have shown up to the battle of their own accord, but instead kept themselves hidden, painting a picture that they are entirely fine letting everyone else die as long as they are spared. Which is why Otharon is so angry at them running over the hill for help first thing after the mechon came to them instead. 23:18 Honestly, this one still kinda confuses me to this day. If this was the same wording used in the original japanese or maybe if it was, if Dickson did not mean it literally. Throughout the entire series(including secondary materials), I don't recall there ever being any commentary, hint or evidence that "Shulk" is not who he originally was. Except maybe that he was seemingly able to integrate into the new Colony 9 life so easily, but he may have just been quick with coming to terms with the loss of his parents. 31:36 I always called nonsense on this after realizing the contradiction and believe that the party just accepts his "taunt" as fact because they have no reason not to and it not mattering in the long run. Thinking about it as a meta audience tho, we have to realize that this does not make any sense. It is possible that he got a vision of Shulk, but that was most likely when he was already imprisoned, making it a moot point. And there is really no reason for him to "intend" to be locked up and split into 3 pieces(Mind in Arglas, essence in Shulk and Soul in the Monado). It is impossible to see an advantage because there barely is any, except possibly using it as a "hiding spot" from Egil while recovering, but that is stretching it.
I think the first explanation of Shulk's existence is the most likely. Zanza spent generations selectively breeding a proper vessel then body snatched him.
I disagree. Zanza and Dickson say that “it didn’t really matter who, Shulk just happened to be there at the time” when Melia said why they used Shulk. My explanation is that maybe Shulk grew up to look kinda like how Klaus did before the experiment because that’s what happens when a body snatcher invades your body.
@@Magic_Ice honestly, do you really think people like them would be completely honest about how intricate everything needs to be? especially in the moment of it all... I wouldn't be surprised if Dickson just said that because he knew it would piss off the rest of the cast... Zanza doesn't really have anything to say about it because as far as he's concerned, it doesn't matter, because it all worked out anyways as far as he knew at the moment
@@tektonik4616What reason would they have to lie? I don't think Zanza would intentionally try and piss the party off because to him they're insignificant
I always took it as Zanza having a vision telling him he will have a vessel, and when the time was right he used shulk since he had to develop him to suit his own needs
I legit got into Xenoblade because I was interested in Shulk since Super Smash Bros, much like how I really decided to sit down and play a Fire Emblem game thanks to Robin and Lucina (totally ship them) from the trailers, hence Awakening. And boy, when I played it, I did not expect it to go so damn hardcore. The fact that Fiora dies so early on was practically traumatic, and also all the little hints and details that go over your head that you don't get unless you replay the game (like how Fiora comments that Shulk makes little to no comments about food tastes, and even makes a comment like he's DEAD). But I love Shulk and how he really stood out to me as the best Xenoblade protag and how his growth and journey really highlighted how much he had to overcome the fate that others imposed on him. Also, regarding Egil. Replaying XC1 after 3H really made me realize how Egil and Dimitri are so alike. They are so traumatized and betrayed that they are insane because they still hear the screams and cries of the dead that they must get revenge no matter what, even if it means doing the most horrific things that others don't approve of. My only issue is how every subsequent Xenoblade game alters the lore more and more and you are left, so what you hear once might not be the actual case next game.
Do the future games really clash that much? X has no solid connection to the numbered trilogy and can as such be excluded, but 2 serves to add further context to the vision Alvis showed Shulk at the end, the story of the beginning. And 3 is a "distant" sequel to 1 and 2 with a history shaped and molded by the Mobius. The future games don't really change the lore, they just provide a different perspective to it. The only real retcon I can think of would be Alvis, changing his key necklace seen in the Wii and New 3DsXL releases to an orange core crystal in Definitive Edition, and all that did was retroactively confirm an old fan theory that Alvis was the missing piece of the Trinity Processor.
@@thecursed_1lordofcats738 In XC1, the lore is that the universe was destroyed and a new one took its place. In XC2, the Conduit actually opened several parallel worlds and Zanza just entered there. In XC3, the XC1 and XC2 worlds are actually originally the same world, but split in two and are now merging together. The lore is always changing while adding.
Yeah, that is also my issue. People claim unreliable narrators, but that is just not the case, especially because it is later proven that Alvis absolutely did have data about the accurate version of the past(+ Shulk seemingly recognizing the original world instantly, like Alvis canonically did show him the right version, but we never got that "Canon version of XC1"). Though the actual diffrence between 2 and 3 is moreso that it was just regular old earth in regular old space in 2 and then 3 says "no, that is a second pocket dimension now!" And that makes sense because they were appearently written alongside each other. The games that have bigger jumps in lore are games that are written after other games, even Torna has more retcons to 2 than 3 does, simply because it was finalized last.
@@0axis771 I mean, considering how just about everyone, asides from himself and a handful of survivors, got flung into different universes. Leaving his world desolate, and in ruins. Yeah, he kind of still messed up the universe there, to what one would attribute to being "destroyed". Besides, it still overall fits, because Alvis hasn't been known to be fully truthful, or leaves out details either because it isn't necessary, or they will learn it later at an "appropriate time." That, and there's the line Alvis says, that you seem to skip over, on how Shulk has very little time to make his decision. What would that mean? Well, XC2 basically already covers that, and showing how he's able to change so much in Shulk's world, when ordered to. So honestly, it's less changing, and more adding.
Obviously players of the game know these things BUT the way you talk about these worlds and stories… it’s gripping! Triangle Strategy may have lost the poll, but this is still a great video and I’m so glad you talked about Xenoblade
The lore of Xenoblade is a dense thing and you did a phenomenal job explaining it to the best of your ability. You gave it a theater like quality of story telling that really invoked some powerful emotion. Well done.
Thank you so much, I was a little (*very*) nervous making this video, since I wasn't sure how one so different from my other videos would go over. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it.
Thank you for using footage from the Definitive Edition. Some of the stuff from the original Wii game would be hardly recognizable compared to the quality DE has.
IMO, the shulk and Zanza dynamic is more akin to the forging of a weapon. That, in order for a blacksmith to imbue his creation with a heart and soul, it needs to be done while it is still developing. That, yes, anyone could have been Zanza's vessel, but it had to be a child, an existence that was still being made, and zus could also be remade. After all, why was shulk chozen out of everyone in the expedition if not for the fact he was the only child there in the first place. The only existence still being forged. The only being truly capable of being manipulated into being the perfect vessel.
Thing is, there is lore as to why these worlds are empty, Mechonis is obviously very low in population due to the Bionis having destroyed most of the Machina and the survivors mostly living on the Fallen Arm, the Machina are also so long-lived and care so little to reproduce that their population has mostly remained unchanged since the time of the titan's fight. For Bionis it's a bit more complex, there is of course the current situation of the Mechon exterminating the Homs, and there's also the fact that the High Entia are highly isolationist and that most Nopon don't tend to venture out of Makna, plus, we also learn that the Homs used to be organized in kingdoms but these fell and the Homs disseminated into isolated colonies.
In terms of the whole Xeno series, I have a fondness for the Saga trilogy since I grew up with them, and the later Chronicles games are still amazing, but XC1 is peak. For as good as everything else with Xeno on it is, that first Chronicles will always be the best in the series.
I might just end up getting this game, though then again, maybe Xenoblade 2 is enough. Xenoblade 2 really does have a beautiful world, one that I really enjoy and wish there was a proper post game for. Too bad it seems as though the devs are allergic to having a proper post game rather than continuing from just before the final boss.
@@irystocrattakodachithatmooms Best part of Xenoblade is that its timeless, you can pick it up at any time and it will still feel fresh. While I *would* suggest playing all the games (it is my favorite video game franchise) you can really play them in whatever style you want. Naturally later games will have a few callbacks to prior ones which you will get if you played them, but they aren't always necessary. Tl:dr, Play Xenoblade in any order, its still enjoyable.
@@TheHearthGuy Good to know you don't need to go in any particular order. That's the complete opposite of Xenosaga (which I really want to see rereleased).
@@irystocrattakodachithatmooms One caveat: the only part of Xenoblade 3 that is straight up for those who have played all games is the Future Redeemed DLC, which acts as a capstone to the entire trilogy. That one is full of callbacks and partial plot points from both games.
Always feel like a weirdo for saying this but this game really failed to grip me compared to the sequels. 2 and 3 are two of my favorite games of all time. This game, not so much.
I like the ideas of Xenoblade Chronicles but hate how the game executed them. The franchise really needed to scale down the maps and polish the travel mechanics better plus cut down the story them ot would have been perfect Especially 1 where they had great subversions but bare bone characters
I respectfully disagree. I love the cast in all the Xenoblade games, and the scale of the maps is both part of why I find these games so compelling to explore, and also helps sell the scale of the world in the lore. I actually find the maps in XC2 too small to sell the world like they did in XC1; partly because each titan is restricted to only occupying one map this time. That aspect worked a lot better in XC1, in my opinion.
Ah yes the "who would win" between a god who gained power from the manota.......or some random enemy in a cave
My face when you can beat a creator god but can’t even damage a robot without help
You mean the *Monado?*
Something that really gets me about the world of Xenoblade is just how overwhelmingly *intricate* it is. There’s obviously the Titan-sized mountain of lore its story has to offer, but there’s also how almost every last NPC has a name, a daily routine, and a web of relationships with other NPCs, making them feel like real people whose lives intersect with and impact each other. Not to mention: the hundreds of plants, items, and straight-up creatures that Shulk and his party have seen fit to stuff inside their pockets, each with their own unique descriptions. XC’s worldbuilding is so rich and dense that every single detour and sidequest lead me to know a little more about it that I didn’t already, and its for those reasons and more that I can easily see why it would be somebody’s favorite game of all time.
My personal favorite detail are the unknown items (the ones with question marks) that are canonically all discovered and named by the party members.
@@TheHearthGuy
“Hmm… the leaves of this plant never seem to wither. Interesting. I think I’ll call this a Verdant Eternity.”
“That’s real-fancy name, Shulk! I had a lot of trouble thinking up one for this thing, but I settled on Rainbow Zirconia.”
“That’s an excellent name, Reyn! There’s so much we don’t know about this world of ours, and it excites m-“
“RIKI NAME THIS ONE HA HA HA!”
@@brandontherabboat4850 I'd trust anything Riki named
@@TheHearthGuy HEROPON RIKI BESTEST!
Imagine just being a random rodent and some blond haired kid with a sword that extends to twice his size just shoved you in his pocket because he wants to collect one of every thing.
To answer your question around the 30-minute mark, here's how I see it.
When Dickson mentioned there was never any Shulk, I took that to mean that Shulk was dead when he and his team discovered the Monado. It wasn't literal.
As for the contradicting statements from Dickson and Zanza during the reveal and final boss respectively, they were both telling the truth. Anyone could have been the perfect vessel, Shulk was just there at the time. But Zanza knew who it would be thanks to his visions.
As for Shulk looking like Zanza, I think that was Alvis. The ending reveals that Alvis wanted to off Zanza because he was a threat to the world that Alvis created, so he constructed a plan to accomplish this task. Constructing Shulk to make him more enticing to Zanza, let Zanza and Dickson do the work of raising and training Shulk, then let things play out, only stepping in to ensure the path of Zanza's elimination remained viable.
EDIT:
Another thing you failed to mention, the Mechonis has an 'organ' (couldn't think of a better word for it) that acts as a means to suppress the Monado. Egil activates it to give himself a leg-up once they enter the mechanical titan. From there, Shulk is still able to sense the future without visions, but these aren't coming from the Monado, they're coming from himself. It wasn't just the Monado's power increasing, it was Shulk's as well. Something Alvis was counting on.
Honestly, the Nopon probably aren't from the Bionis, but just happened to land there and began inhabiting it.
Personally, I subscribe to the idea that Nopon are native to some far flung other dimension (possibly Xenoblade X's world of Mira) and in the process of Klaus's experiment basically ripping his world in two, somehow managed to pull a bunch of Nopon into both of the worlds he created. This might explain why they're so different to any of the other races across Xenoblade 1 and 2, why they're the exact same across both games set in different worlds, and why they're functionally external to the Endless Now in Xenoblade 3.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go steal and dissect Riku's hat.
I've heard a theory that X is basically a "what if" scenario, specifically, "what if Klaus didn't push the button. What if he didn't start the experiment that led to the creation of the worlds of Xenoblade 1 and 2?" As such, the Noppons existing on Miara could simply be indicative that they exist everywhere. The Noppons seem to be a universal constant with much more power than it seems considering the Great Noppon Sage basically exists beyond time and space and the Noppon as a whole were able to make a non-interference treaty with the Mobius in 3.
Plus, if we are looking for a meta reason for them to exist in every game, they are basically the round marketable mascot for the series.
The thing is, the games hint it being the other way around. The Nopon on Mira reference XC1 and mention "a legendary Frontier Village", but Nopon from other games do not reference X...ever.
I obviously don't have more information about their origin than anyone else does, but I prefer to think the Nopon are native to the worlds of Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, where they were created. I love the origin that I've imagined for them too much to believe anything else. My imagination has informed me that Klaus (as a human scientist, prior to his experiment) used to get bored and start drawing little doodles of the Nopon on napkins, so when parts of his mind shaped two different worlds after his experiment, these funny little creatures that he used to draw were among the many forms of life that came into actual existence in those worlds.
(Maybe Klaus even used to draw crude comic strips of a Nopon named "Bana" getting into all kinds of trouble.)
There is actually a series of side quests you can do that explains what happened to the gaints as you dind out they went to war against an intelligent race of white Arachno that eventually whiped out there kind.
This is actually why you come across so many Arachno around the gaints ruins
32:12 "What even is a Nopon!" Believe me, I have been asking myself that same question for years. And while I may love Tatsu and Tora, they did not help with that. And no, they aren't food.
They can be
I believe that the Nopon are beings willed into existence by the Conduit and serve as its agents, that's why they exist in every universe and why they don't link evolutionarily with any other races, in Xenoblade 1 their situation is more ambiguous but in 2 it is obvious that the Nopon are not in Klaus' tree of life and in 3 X implies that the Nopon have some kind of divine accord that prevents them from interfering with the matters of Moebius.
And then there's also the Nopon from X, who according to Tatsu are a native species of Mira despite every other species on the planet having been brought there afterwards, suggesting that Nopon have something to do with the strange phenomena at work on Mira.
About the dragon, and by extension the chimeras. It seems that these creatures were living remnants of the previous Kalpa.
Do you ever wonder why Prison Island looks so out of place in Eryth Sea? Well, as far as I can tell, there was a previous "Ceremony of the destruction and recreation" and it was held at Prison Island, and, like the calm in the eye of the storm, it was all that remained after the end.
The giants actually died off due to a war with the giant spider creatures of satorl marsh, with the exception of Dickson and arglass of course
28:47 I don’t think there’s any definitive explanation of the dragons in Xenoblade 1 but I think they’re meant to be a visage of a history that no longer is.
The dragons are the strongest enemies you can fight in Xenoblade 1 and the first one you meet being called a “Dragon king” implies that in the past they were a force to be reckoned with but now they’re on the brink of extinction with they’re being only four left. The last one you fight in the dlc, in contrast with the “dragon king” you first encounter, is instead called a “Demon king” rather than a dragon as the species is becoming more obscure as the world progresses. Just like how the Giant’s civilization is no more the dragons will also fade away into the annals of time.
The lore of Xenoblade is so freaking dense and once I learned the history of the series it all made sense to me that these ideas were decades in the making! Good vid my guy have a sub
11:28 That is actually a common misconception. Nobody besides Dickson and some Nopon knew the High Entia were real and not just a legend, so they wouldn't have been able to request help. This conversation goes more in line with them having been able to help so they really should have shown up to the battle of their own accord, but instead kept themselves hidden, painting a picture that they are entirely fine letting everyone else die as long as they are spared. Which is why Otharon is so angry at them running over the hill for help first thing after the mechon came to them instead.
23:18 Honestly, this one still kinda confuses me to this day. If this was the same wording used in the original japanese or maybe if it was, if Dickson did not mean it literally. Throughout the entire series(including secondary materials), I don't recall there ever being any commentary, hint or evidence that "Shulk" is not who he originally was. Except maybe that he was seemingly able to integrate into the new Colony 9 life so easily, but he may have just been quick with coming to terms with the loss of his parents.
31:36 I always called nonsense on this after realizing the contradiction and believe that the party just accepts his "taunt" as fact because they have no reason not to and it not mattering in the long run. Thinking about it as a meta audience tho, we have to realize that this does not make any sense. It is possible that he got a vision of Shulk, but that was most likely when he was already imprisoned, making it a moot point. And there is really no reason for him to "intend" to be locked up and split into 3 pieces(Mind in Arglas, essence in Shulk and Soul in the Monado). It is impossible to see an advantage because there barely is any, except possibly using it as a "hiding spot" from Egil while recovering, but that is stretching it.
A character built world, or a world built on it's characters, literally.
I think the first explanation of Shulk's existence is the most likely. Zanza spent generations selectively breeding a proper vessel then body snatched him.
I disagree. Zanza and Dickson say that “it didn’t really matter who, Shulk just happened to be there at the time” when Melia said why they used Shulk.
My explanation is that maybe Shulk grew up to look kinda like how Klaus did before the experiment because that’s what happens when a body snatcher invades your body.
@@Magic_Ice honestly, do you really think people like them would be completely honest about how intricate everything needs to be? especially in the moment of it all... I wouldn't be surprised if Dickson just said that because he knew it would piss off the rest of the cast... Zanza doesn't really have anything to say about it because as far as he's concerned, it doesn't matter, because it all worked out anyways as far as he knew at the moment
@@tektonik4616What reason would they have to lie? I don't think Zanza would intentionally try and piss the party off because to him they're insignificant
I always took it as Zanza having a vision telling him he will have a vessel, and when the time was right he used shulk since he had to develop him to suit his own needs
Best story recap ever
I love the poetry of the line "a son knows when his father is gone"
I legit got into Xenoblade because I was interested in Shulk since Super Smash Bros, much like how I really decided to sit down and play a Fire Emblem game thanks to Robin and Lucina (totally ship them) from the trailers, hence Awakening.
And boy, when I played it, I did not expect it to go so damn hardcore. The fact that Fiora dies so early on was practically traumatic, and also all the little hints and details that go over your head that you don't get unless you replay the game (like how Fiora comments that Shulk makes little to no comments about food tastes, and even makes a comment like he's DEAD). But I love Shulk and how he really stood out to me as the best Xenoblade protag and how his growth and journey really highlighted how much he had to overcome the fate that others imposed on him.
Also, regarding Egil. Replaying XC1 after 3H really made me realize how Egil and Dimitri are so alike. They are so traumatized and betrayed that they are insane because they still hear the screams and cries of the dead that they must get revenge no matter what, even if it means doing the most horrific things that others don't approve of.
My only issue is how every subsequent Xenoblade game alters the lore more and more and you are left, so what you hear once might not be the actual case next game.
Do the future games really clash that much? X has no solid connection to the numbered trilogy and can as such be excluded, but 2 serves to add further context to the vision Alvis showed Shulk at the end, the story of the beginning. And 3 is a "distant" sequel to 1 and 2 with a history shaped and molded by the Mobius. The future games don't really change the lore, they just provide a different perspective to it. The only real retcon I can think of would be Alvis, changing his key necklace seen in the Wii and New 3DsXL releases to an orange core crystal in Definitive Edition, and all that did was retroactively confirm an old fan theory that Alvis was the missing piece of the Trinity Processor.
@@thecursed_1lordofcats738 In XC1, the lore is that the universe was destroyed and a new one took its place.
In XC2, the Conduit actually opened several parallel worlds and Zanza just entered there.
In XC3, the XC1 and XC2 worlds are actually originally the same world, but split in two and are now merging together.
The lore is always changing while adding.
Yeah, that is also my issue. People claim unreliable narrators, but that is just not the case, especially because it is later proven that Alvis absolutely did have data about the accurate version of the past(+ Shulk seemingly recognizing the original world instantly, like Alvis canonically did show him the right version, but we never got that "Canon version of XC1").
Though the actual diffrence between 2 and 3 is moreso that it was just regular old earth in regular old space in 2 and then 3 says "no, that is a second pocket dimension now!" And that makes sense because they were appearently written alongside each other. The games that have bigger jumps in lore are games that are written after other games, even Torna has more retcons to 2 than 3 does, simply because it was finalized last.
Lol, I also got into both Fire Emblem and Xenoblade in 2014 from Smash
@@0axis771 I mean, considering how just about everyone, asides from himself and a handful of survivors, got flung into different universes. Leaving his world desolate, and in ruins. Yeah, he kind of still messed up the universe there, to what one would attribute to being "destroyed".
Besides, it still overall fits, because Alvis hasn't been known to be fully truthful, or leaves out details either because it isn't necessary, or they will learn it later at an "appropriate time." That, and there's the line Alvis says, that you seem to skip over, on how Shulk has very little time to make his decision. What would that mean? Well, XC2 basically already covers that, and showing how he's able to change so much in Shulk's world, when ordered to.
So honestly, it's less changing, and more adding.
Finally got around to beating xbc1 and 2 and loved em. So now I finally get to watch these videos!
Obviously players of the game know these things BUT the way you talk about these worlds and stories… it’s gripping! Triangle Strategy may have lost the poll, but this is still a great video and I’m so glad you talked about Xenoblade
The lore of Xenoblade is a dense thing and you did a phenomenal job explaining it to the best of your ability. You gave it a theater like quality of story telling that really invoked some powerful emotion. Well done.
Thank you so much, I was a little (*very*) nervous making this video, since I wasn't sure how one so different from my other videos would go over. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it.
Thank you for using footage from the Definitive Edition. Some of the stuff from the original Wii game would be hardly recognizable compared to the quality DE has.
The Definitive Edition of Xenoblade 1 is better in every way!
IMO, the shulk and Zanza dynamic is more akin to the forging of a weapon. That, in order for a blacksmith to imbue his creation with a heart and soul, it needs to be done while it is still developing. That, yes, anyone could have been Zanza's vessel, but it had to be a child, an existence that was still being made, and zus could also be remade. After all, why was shulk chozen out of everyone in the expedition if not for the fact he was the only child there in the first place. The only existence still being forged. The only being truly capable of being manipulated into being the perfect vessel.
Thing is, there is lore as to why these worlds are empty, Mechonis is obviously very low in population due to the Bionis having destroyed most of the Machina and the survivors mostly living on the Fallen Arm, the Machina are also so long-lived and care so little to reproduce that their population has mostly remained unchanged since the time of the titan's fight.
For Bionis it's a bit more complex, there is of course the current situation of the Mechon exterminating the Homs, and there's also the fact that the High Entia are highly isolationist and that most Nopon don't tend to venture out of Makna, plus, we also learn that the Homs used to be organized in kingdoms but these fell and the Homs disseminated into isolated colonies.
6:09 'What can be, unburdened by what has been', you might say
If theres one thing common with all xenoblade worlds, Theres always a sea, a big possibly empty sea
In terms of the whole Xeno series, I have a fondness for the Saga trilogy since I grew up with them, and the later Chronicles games are still amazing, but XC1 is peak. For as good as everything else with Xeno on it is, that first Chronicles will always be the best in the series.
I love Xenoblade and I hope you make more videos about it
Can't wait to listen to this on my drive to work tomorrow morning. Will update
How was it?
@ Well. I don’t remember. Think I liked it.
Aight… let’s keep this going.
The world belongs to no one and everyone.
Great, now i have to replay Xenoblade yet again
All according to cake.
@@TheHearthGuyTranslators note: Cake means dessert
I really should try out the game one day.
I wonder if you be willing to do a similar video for the second game it would be very cool to see
Hmm..... You did great here
AHH HOW DID I MISS THIS I THOUGHT I HAD NOTIFICATIONS ON! D:
Edelgard won't condone genocide!? She calls Rhea, Seteh and Flayn unfeeling monsters.
You wanna talk empty and desolate let me tell you a game called breath of the wild
I might just end up getting this game, though then again, maybe Xenoblade 2 is enough. Xenoblade 2 really does have a beautiful world, one that I really enjoy and wish there was a proper post game for. Too bad it seems as though the devs are allergic to having a proper post game rather than continuing from just before the final boss.
It’s not enough; while you see one part of Klaus’ success in creating a new world, you’re missing out on the other and how it comes together in 3
@@HectorGonzalez-qx9nk I see, so I'm missing out on that. I might get the third game, though I already have too many in my backlog and Steam wishlist.
@@irystocrattakodachithatmooms Best part of Xenoblade is that its timeless, you can pick it up at any time and it will still feel fresh. While I *would* suggest playing all the games (it is my favorite video game franchise) you can really play them in whatever style you want. Naturally later games will have a few callbacks to prior ones which you will get if you played them, but they aren't always necessary.
Tl:dr, Play Xenoblade in any order, its still enjoyable.
@@TheHearthGuy Good to know you don't need to go in any particular order. That's the complete opposite of Xenosaga (which I really want to see rereleased).
@@irystocrattakodachithatmooms One caveat: the only part of Xenoblade 3 that is straight up for those who have played all games is the Future Redeemed DLC, which acts as a capstone to the entire trilogy. That one is full of callbacks and partial plot points from both games.
Always feel like a weirdo for saying this but this game really failed to grip me compared to the sequels. 2 and 3 are two of my favorite games of all time. This game, not so much.
I like the ideas of Xenoblade Chronicles but hate how the game executed them. The franchise really needed to scale down the maps and polish the travel mechanics better plus cut down the story them ot would have been perfect
Especially 1 where they had great subversions but bare bone characters
I respectfully disagree. I love the cast in all the Xenoblade games, and the scale of the maps is both part of why I find these games so compelling to explore, and also helps sell the scale of the world in the lore. I actually find the maps in XC2 too small to sell the world like they did in XC1; partly because each titan is restricted to only occupying one map this time. That aspect worked a lot better in XC1, in my opinion.