Chapter 770: Bloodline Detection Mechanism

How enjoyable a game system is, or how exciting the story, these are things players can only truly grasp by investing time and experiencing the game firsthand.

These are the 'inner' aspects of content. However, character design and map art are different; they are the 'outer' aspects. Players can instantly feel their appeal with just a glance.

Beautifully designed characters, while perhaps not immediately conquering every player, can certainly pique many players' interest in the game.

Next are the in-game maps. The biggest difference from traditional RPGs is that the Xenoblade Chronicles series features vast, open-world-proportioned maps and the immersive sense of the world they create.

The main reason traditional RPGs are labeled 'traditional' is due to their inherent limitations.

If someone were to ask what makes The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt enjoyable, players could cite numerous examples: the adventure stories of Geralt and Ciri, the shifting tides of the Southern Empire and Northern Kingdoms, or its unique worldview.

But if the same question were posed about a traditional RPG, the answers would almost uniformly focus on liking a particular character or a specific story.

The sense of world-building is often weak, remaining a typical story-driven model. Even after Nebula Games made the open-world concept deeply ingrained through Red Dead Redemption and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, traditional RPGs had yet to attempt an open world because their core design philosophies didn't align.

They still tell a pre-planned story within a relatively static scope, with areas not directly related to the story being considered unimportant.

However, in Xenoblade Chronicles, it's completely different. With its huge maps and open-world exploration, the maps in the Xenoblade Chronicles series are not solely part of the main quest. Players can complete the game without any exploration if they choose.

At the same time, the maps in the Xenoblade Chronicles series are not just about stacking vast areas.

If Xenoblade Chronicles 2 itself featured various characters designed to please players, exhibiting strong 'otaku-pleasing' characteristics, then its in-game map design is an absolute artistic masterpiece, describable only as stunning.

The game's setting is Alrest, a world covered by a cloud sea. Within this cloud sea, countless wild creatures thrive, including many colossal beings known as Titans.

Like movable continents, these Titans' bodies foster life and civilization, and the landscapes displayed on different Titans are entirely unique.

From the wild, overgrown Gormott, to the falling blossoms of Uraya, the industrial wasteland of the Empire of Mor Ardain, the richly religious Indol, the Argentum Trade Guild located within the cloud sea, and the Kingdom of Tantal with its vast snowfields and ancient civilization buildings.

Of course, if judged solely on art style, this could only be considered excellent, not stunning.

The truly astounding aspect is the perfect blend of open-world maps with dungeon-style levels. Each map boasts multi-layered designs; Gormott's sprawling roots create a tree labyrinth, while Mor Ardain features steel factory mazes, adding complex exploration to the maps. Furthermore, the maps themselves contain hidden paths and breathtaking scenic spots accessible only with special skills.

Much like the map design of Dark Souls, each Titan's themed map in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is three-dimensional.

The game also incorporates the concept of a cloud sea, with tides rising and falling at different times. Some areas are only accessible when the cloud sea is high, and likewise, some are only accessible when it recedes.

After finalizing the game's art aspects with Ruan Ningxue, Chen Xu entered the conference room to explain the core concept of the entire game. Meng Zuo, Qin Yi, and the others were all somewhat stunned.

This was because the sheer scope of the project was enormous: integrating the internal core of a traditional RPG with the external shell of an open world.

That's what they perceived, and so far, it was only the map design.

“I won’t dwell on the music and cinematic sequences; two dedicated departments will be established for those later,” Chen Xu said, making the final decision before the team.

For a traditional RPG, music and presentation are paramount; more simply, they are foundational. A good traditional RPG, regardless of its overall fun factor, will certainly have excellent presentation and music.

Just like the Xenoblade Chronicles series in his previous life, music was undeniably one of its core strengths. Even the more criticized Xenoblade Chronicles X was only faulted for the disconnect between scenes and music, not for the music itself being subpar.

After confirming these details, Chen Xu then explained Xenoblade Chronicles' combat system.

This was another crucial core aspect, and the content that truly underpinned the game's depth.

The game's combat system, if described as complex, certainly is. At its heart, it's still ATB turn-based combat, but it appears much more fluid. A core mechanic in the game is the Blade. Each Blade possesses four Arts, but you can only equip three. They also have four different levels of Special Arts, and each character can equip up to three Blades, which are tied to different weapon types.

In the game, players will automatically attack based on their equipped weapon. Auto-attacks are divided into three distinct stages, with power increasing incrementally. Successful attacks also fill the Blade's Art Gauge. Once the Art Gauge is full, an Art can be unleashed. Arts, in turn, fill the Special Gauge, allowing for different levels of Special Arts depending on how much it's filled.

Then, by releasing Special Arts in a 1-2-3 sequence, a Blade Combo can be triggered. Each Blade has different elemental attributes. Triggering a Blade Combo deals massive damage but also adds corresponding Elemental Orbs to the enemy, up to a maximum of eight orbs.

Auto-attacks, Arts, and Special Arts all contribute to filling the Party Gauge. At this point, the Party Gauge can be used to initiate a Chain Attack, allowing all party members to unleash a Special Art in rotation, thereby breaking the Elemental Orbs. Once an Elemental Orb is broken, an even stronger Chain Attack can be triggered. Breaking Orbs also fills the Orb Burst Gauge, and when that gauge is full, a Full Burst Finish can be unleashed to deal massive damage to the monster.

Additionally, the game allows for Arts Canceling of auto-attacks, Arts Canceling of other Arts, and Special Arts Canceling of Arts, to increase extra damage and energy. Arts themselves also come with additional effects. By performing Arts in the sequence of Break, Topple, Launch, and Smash, a more powerful crowd control skill called Driver Combo can be triggered. Furthermore, if a Driver Combo overlaps with a Blade Combo, a Fusion Combo can be activated…

Of course, it sounds very complicated, but to put it simply, it's not impossible.

Orb setup, Orb burst.

This is a core gameplay mechanic of Xenoblade Chronicles' combat system. Of course, later on, with Blade development, equipment collection, and various other strategies, different approaches emerge, but from the game's fundamental design, the main gameplay revolves around the Elemental Orb mechanism.

It's fair to say that this combat system can be a significant deterrent for many players, but equally, if one can master it, the sheer exhilaration of it truly shines through. Many Xenoblade Chronicles players, after successfully mastering the combat system, share a common thought: 'Why is this monster's health bar so short? It's down after only a few orbs!'

Listening to Chen Xu's brief introduction to the combat system, the team members weren't particularly confused. After all, everyone present was an industry elite. Although Chen Xu's explanation was complex, they could all clearly perceive the maturity of this combat system.

Conversely, compared to the combat system, the attendees' focus was on another aspect.

“Mr. Chen,” Meng Zuo raised a crucial point, “according to your explanation, players will control a single character in the game, with the remaining teammates controlled by AI. But as a traditional RPG, it requires sufficient depth in progression. The Blades involved in the story, and the playable Blades, will inevitably have varying strengths and screentime, some merely existing as weapons. How will Xenoblade Chronicles address this issue?”

Given the limited number of Blades involved in the story, and Blades inherently functioning as a weapon system, an RPG having only a few weapons seems unreasonable. Considering whether weapons might become mere decorations or benchwarmers with no actual presence, balancing the Blades is a critical point.

Listening to Meng Zuo, Chen Xu couldn't help but smile faintly: “Well, that brings us to the next mechanism, which you can call… uh… the Bloodline Detection Mechanism.”

(End of Chapter) <>