Monado: Beginning of the World

by Nintendo

• The game will also have extensive customization, such as being able to change the character's outfits, and having those changes be seen in battle, field, and even event scenes.
• The game will also sport a "save anywhere" feature, a feature relatively rare among the console RPG genre.
• The game is known to have a number of features labeled as "Time Saving Support Features"
• Another of the game's systems is the "bonds system", in which characters can partake in many optional sidequests with non-player characters.

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B002IM1MYG
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,329 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Xenoblade Chronicles has an action-based battle system where normal attacks will happen automatically at intervals, similar to the set up in Final Fantasy XII. However, special attacks known as arts each have their own cool down time as opposed to being on a continuous time queue with normal attacks and are performed manually by the player. Arts for each character have to be set on a "battle palette" at the bottom of the screen, which can be modified outside of battle.[11] Movement of the character in play also needs to be executed manually with the analog stick, however this only plays an integral role when using Shulk's arts as they are more effective if used from the side or behind. Xenoblade also has the "Visions" system, where Shulk can see glimpses of the future, and the player has to try to react or prevent it from happening.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars AN IMPERIAL GAME! November 18, 2011

By NeuroSplicer TOP 500 REVIEWER

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

DISCLAIMER: This review refers to the UK version of the game, released under the name XENOBLADE CHRONICLES.
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MONADO: BEGINNING OF THE WORLD (aka XENOBLADE) is one of those great games that (for some unfathomable reason) Nintendo had initially decided not to market outside Japan. It has been available, fully translated, since August in Europe (where my copy came from). This used not to be true for the US. Luckily, Nintendo North America (finally!) yielded to the pressure of the fans and announced the release of the game: IT IS COMING IN APRIL, 2012!

THE MUSIC WILL ENCHANT YOUR SOUL
This is the first thing that hits your senses. The music of Xenoblade reminded me of playing Final Fantasy VII years ago and being mesmerized by its music. The Prelude I can still remember. In Xenoblade, the music will range from atmospheric to epic rock, and all the shades and colors in between.
It will be a familiar companion while you travel and a strengthening presence when you do battle, greatly enhancing the overall experience. Every map has its own theme (most with day and night variations) and you will catch yourself humming them long after having turned your console off.
Sometimes the importance of the music in a game is underestimated and the focus remains on the graphics. Xenoblade is a perfect example of how essential music is in order to achieve a total immersive gaming experience.

LIVE AND BREATH IN A GORGEOUS ANIME WORLD
Now, all of us who decided to go with the Nintendo Wii, we knew that it was not the most graphically powerful console. Its strengths lie elsewhere. Having said that, Xenoblade is the most beautiful and graphically detailed game on the Wii. Ever.
Set on two ancient biomechanical Titans frozen in mid-battle centuries ago, the world is simply enormous. There are about 20 maps, almost every map is huge and it is all open to exploration. Because there are only few and short loading times, you are practically flowing from one into the next as in a continuous world. And exploring the endless and open Xenoblade world is not only fun to do but also very rewarding.
The grass moves around your feet, birds sweep over your head, clouds roll by day, the galaxy scintillates at night and the whole world comes alive around you. In the heat of the battle the hits and special moves will be accompanied by impressive anime graphical events. Up close the characters may not be that detailed but the characters, their weapons and the environments have all been designed with great artistry. When the limitations of the Wii are reached you probably will not notice it either. Xenoblade has far better graphics than all the other notable Wii JRPG, such as The Legend of Zelda, Okami or Rune Factory: Frontier. My Wii had never produced such a visually advanced game!

THE STORY DRAWS YOU IN AND NEVER LETS GO
As any seasoned RPGer would tell you, the story is equally important to the graphics and the music, if not more so. And Xenoblade excels in this aspect as well. A tad clichéd at times, the story advances with beautifully made cinematic sequences and it manages to feel both reassuringly familiar and surprisingly fresh.
The human colonists (the Homs) are living on one of the frozen titans, Bionis, and are attacked by mechanical life-forms (the Mechons) who occupy the other. So, after the initial battle, it is up to Shulk, your hero, the young survivor from Colony 6 and the new bearer of Monado, together with (up to 3 of) his companions to save their world.
You bond with your companions by the choices you make - and this affects their abilities. Your choices also affect both the conversation options with Non-Playing Characters (NPCs) and the quests becoming available to you. In fact, everyone and their sister seems to have a quest for you. Conveniently, you do not have to go back to them once completed.
Xenoblade will enchant you with its sound vistas and ensnare you with its story.

WIELD THE BLADE THAT SEES INTO THE FUTURE
As with any true RPG, there is leveling up, looting, crafting, bartering and re-equipping your character as well as his companions. Interestingly, the custom appearance you chose for them will not be lost during the cinematic scenes. If you enjoy earning achievements, Xenoblade has you covered. The game allows you to save almost anywhere but it also autosaves at nicely spaced Landmarks - and dying will only take you back to the last one encountered (without any XP or loot penalties).
The battle system is real-time but both the distance to their enemy and your relative position are factored in (hint: for such an oversized sword, backstabbing strangely pays off). Monado has powers that are unleashed after building up normal attacks. The legendary sword also allows you to glimpse into the future in order to avert enemy blows. Moreover, your hero and his companions have special abilities, called Arts (that need to recharge before they can be reused).
The enemies, especially the bosses, will focus on the character inflicting the most damage to it - and this allows for flanking maneuvers by the rest of your party. Most battles are not that hard however some of the bosses will tax your understanding of the game mechanics.
Equally important is that is not a one-ride-pony. Once the game is completed you can restart the entire story with your high level character to complete and explore everything you missed the previous time around.

Xenoblade-Chronicles gives you the option to experience it either dubbed in (in the UK version, British accented and not lip-synched) English or in (partially) subtitled original Japanese. After I had clocked in about half a dozen hours in the game I decided to restart it and opted to keep the original Japanese instead. After all, this is a JRPG and it feels much more authentic.

A classic masterpiece, not to be missed.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best RPGs of its generation November 19, 2011

By J. Johnston

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

[NOTE: updated to account for April 2012 release of the game in North America.]

Xenoblade is the brainchild of Monolith Soft, whose credits include Baten Kaitos, Baten Kaitos Origins, and Xenosaga, among others. Released in Europe as Xenoblade Chronicles (in English) in August of 2011, the game was bafflingly absent from American shelves before Nintendo of America finally decided to give the game a limited Stateside release in April 2012. That's a coup for Americans, because Xenoblade is far and away Wii's best JRPG to date, particularly among those translated into English.

Fundamentally, the game is a traditional JRPG blended with modern MMORPG mechanics. In practical terms, this means that the game features all the usual JRPG ideas -- the spunky teenage protagonist, experience points and leveling up, variable equipment, a potent plot, and lots of sidequests. Combat, meanwhile, is wrapped MMO-style around a battle system with a customizeable horizontal abilities layout and cooldown periods for each attack. Combat takes place seamlessly with no random battles and no transition screens; this will remind some of PS2's Final Fantasy XII but this game is far more polished in terms of the ease of combat, not to mention other areas.

In fact, polish shows through in virtually every aspect of this game. The graphics push Wii about as far as it can go, with terrifically varied environments and awesome combat splash effects. The music comes courtesy of an all-star cadre of composers that include the musicians behind Chrono Trigger and Kingdom Hearts. The gameplay is intuitive in everything from the menus to the navigation system, which is accessible and user-friendly. All of the game's mechanisms are interrelated: making friends can unlock new abilities and discovering new locations yields experience points, for example. Avoiding the sadism of many games, death has no penalty save a return to a nearby landmark and the game can be saved any time outside of combat. Monolith, too its credit, seems more concerned with making the game fun than making it painful.

That's not to say that the game is easy. Xenoblade is as deep as the ocean, with each environment loaded with things to do, from the simple collecting to complex subplots. Some of these tasks take a lot of work and can be very challenging, but the payoff is satisfying. Moreover, the game is gentle enough that setbacks, like dying to a formidable boss, don't feel like a failure, and players have ample motivation to pick things up and go again.

There are so many other superlatives one could use about Xenoblade that they defy this review's space constraints. The game will easily run a player 80 to upwards of 120 hours and the time will fly by, a testament to how fresh this game manages to remain through the dozens of hours of wonderfully varied gameplay. It is criminal that Nintendo of America delayed releasing it in the States, but this game is so good that the better-late-than-never rule more than applies. This is far and away Wii's best RPG and dwarfs any other role playing experience on this console, or most other consoles of this generation, for that matter. I've played RPGs my whole life and this may well be most complete one I've ever played. Highly, highly recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars At last a good JRPG April 9, 2012

By Pacheco

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

So far this is the only rpg game I own on wii, and its true what they say about the massive world in this game, the game has a few different features from other RPG games I played, then again I never played the games before this one, but playing this game takes some good amount of time to beat, the story is good, the cinematic scenes dont take too much time to play out, and so far ive been playing this game nonstop taking my time from beating zelda skyward sword : (