For the longest time, RPGs have put us into the shoes of largerthanlife heroes, telling heroic tales of battling against great evils and saving the world. But as the genre has expanded, and the worlds and conflicts our heroes find themselves in become increasingly more nuanced and ambiguous, some of these standard tropes don’t translate as well as they should. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 offers a perfect example, crafting a classic story about looking toward the future in spite of our many crippling fears. Unfortunately, its ending distorts what should be a straightforward narrative into a strange, dishonest mess, pushing Xenoblade 3 into territories far beyond its scope and ambitions.

You can read the original essay here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y...

Chapters:
00:00 Strange Place, Strange Time, Strange Design
07:10 The Actual Text: The Origin of the Problem
13:42 The Subtext, Part I: Mixed Metaphors
19:21 The Subtext, Part II: The People of the City Need to Die
25:33 Why Are We Here?
34:12 Putting it All Back Together

Credits:
All uncredited footage captured by myself.

2021 Edelman Trust Barometer Japan: https://www.edelman.jp/sites/g/files/...

Pew Research Center
Americans’ Views of Government: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/...
Satisfaction with democracy: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/20...

CGInferno Xenoblade 3 Hero Quest Footage:    / @cginferno  

heorotlinea DQ7 Footage:    / @heorotlinea  

StoryGamer DQ11 Footage:    / @storygamergames  

the G powah Reunion with Erik and Sylvando:    / @thegpowah8219  

Baklava Stray Footage:    / @yusufdurmus  

SaucySpagooty Echoes of the Eye Footage:    / @noobsauce69  

NintendoMelody Xenoblade Music:    / @nintendomelodyhd  

molydrop DQ11 Music:    / @dragonquestmusic