How Xenoblade Chronicles 3's Ending Fails Itself
24For the longest time, RPGs have put us into the shoes of larger-than-life 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/1y7fgrMEADE53-Irj1Glr6jxLejv_v1UbXv08tpcB3xw/edit?usp=sharing
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/aatuss256/files/2021-04/2021%20Edelman%20Trust%20Barometer_Press%20Release_Japan_Final_E.pdf
Pew Research Center --
Americans’ Views of Government: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/06/06/americans-views-of-government-decades-of-distrust-enduring-support-for-its-role/
Satisfaction with democracy: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/02/27/satisfaction-with-democracy/
CGInferno -- Xenoblade 3 Hero Quest Footage: https://www.youtube.com/@UCkAKWwzuUnmzo1de5j-qiAQ
heorotlinea -- DQ7 Footage: https://www.youtube.com/@UClWhUgX6IZQeyC-3BywkdGQ
StoryGamer -- DQ11 Footage: https://www.youtube.com/@UCS_jocr50xjNzvSmzsVdO9A
the G powah -- Reunion with Erik and Sylvando: https://www.youtube.com/@UCkut-z_Z-JoDlOltqP0poEA
Baklava -- Stray Footage: https://www.youtube.com/@UCM8xNBpWUVTgUtKYgHiPXNg
SaucySpagooty -- Echoes of the Eye Footage: https://www.youtube.com/@UCtgCl9BxII1YY797HK_1qnA
NintendoMelody -- Xenoblade Music: https://www.youtube.com/@UCvhaqXxBr-okqMvfzgrDdzg
molydrop -- DQ11 Music: https://www.youtube.com/@UC-bWHZ5h5-1hnphA4UhnrbQ
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