I had already played some 250 hours of Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and last years’ Xenoblade Chronicles 3 when I began the trilogy's conclusive story DLC, Future Redeemed. Released in April of this year, the original prequel story was billed as the final chapter of the series so far that would recontextualize the events of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and solidify the overarching, interconnected story of all three games. That was a big deal for me because, if my time alone with it wasn’t clear, I love Xenoblade.
In 2020, picking up XCDE and diving deep into its sequel XC2 got me through the hardest growing pains of both the pandemic and a post-graduate depression. In 2022, I reviewed the latest entry to the series in one of the highlights of writing career. And earlier in 2023 I sat down with Future Redeemed on my own terms to enjoy whatever hallmark ridiculousness Monolith Soft gad in store for players. Maybe, I thought, it would bookend the past three years of my life the same way it did the trilogy. What I got instead was weeks of transphobia-laden discourse online that nearly burned any and all fondness I have for the series.
