Xenoblade Chronicles X

Play it on: Switch
Current goal: Explore New Los Angeles

Yes, while some people I know are enjoying the hot new Assassin’s Creed or Monster Hunter Wilds, I’m venturing into arguably the most underplayed role-playing game of 2015, Xenoblade Chronicles X. I say “underplayed” because it was trapped on the Wii U, so it had no chance of reaching a particularly wide audience. Thankfully, it’s now on Switch, and I’ve finally started my journey with this offshoot of the core Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy. It’s the only game in the series in which you create your own character, one of the scant remnants of humanity that’s fled Earth and later crash-landed on a new planet teeming with its own indigenous life. Thus far, I don’t even know yet what the basics of the story will be; I just know that our city, New Los Angeles, has a shopping district and I’m eager to visit it and find out if the coffee is any good.

Xenoblade games always wow me with their gorgeous worlds, and I can already tell that X is no slouch in that department. What remains to be seen is whether the game’s characters, story, and intricate systems pull me in or leave me cold. I’ll spend some time this weekend finding out! — Carolyn Petit