I highly suggest this jrpg! If you haven’t played xenoblade Chronicles 2 then you should try this one out to see how amazing the games story is!

Xanoblade Chronicles is one of the best games played this year.

You do not need to own Xenoblade Chronicles 2 in order to play this. It's its own physical game. However, if you do own XC2 but didn't buy the Season Pass, this game gives you a code to get all the released Season Pass goodies. So if you choose to get XC2 after completing this it's a nice bonus. That's pretty cool. The story itself isn't as strong as XC2, but it gives the perfect amount of backstory that sets up the events of XC2. And I greatly appreciate these characters. Especially seeing how they were shaped by this backstory. Gameplay wise, it's such a huge step forward. The QoL updates are hugely appreciated. So much so that I hope they add them to the main game. Combat is so much better and smoother. Sadly healing seems to have gone the wrong way. It relies almost solely on switching between characters. There are moments when the AI creates healing potions when I don't need them. But when I desperately need them, the AI ignores it. So I either have to main healer or risk not getting any heals. One of the rare games where I feel being overleveled is needed. Crafting on the go is huge. You can jump to any campfire on the map and make all kinds of items. Granted you collected enough materials while exploring. My only gripe about this is that I wish making key items was faster. It takes footwork to get the materials and is free. Compared to XC2 where you need to buy all the items from a shop before key items are unlocked. Do you need to buy this expansion? I'd say 50/50. If you own XC2 and just want the extra backstory, sure. While it's not required, it's a good bonus to have. Don't have XC2 but want to get into it? Sure. Ultimately it's up to you.

There are many positive things that have been said of this game by other reviews on the Internet. Simply put, this is a great expansion of the original game's story. I would recommend playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2 first to get its story, but Torna can be enjoyed without it. The story is well written, the voice acting has some minor flaws but shines really well, and the music is phenomenal. I would highly recommend this game to anyone who is looking for a good story to sink into with fantastic music. This game is shorter than the full XC2 so you don't need to worry about the game being very drawn out. That being said, it has enough content to keep you occupied for a good while.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is one of my favorite games of all time, and I didn't think an expansion could improve upon the gameplay of the base game so much. The expansion took me about 20 to 25 hours to beat with doing a decent amount of side activities. The story was great, as to be expected from a Xenoblade Chronicles game. The music remixes made by Yasunori Mitsuda and the other composers are a wonderful addition, especially the jazzy Gormott theme. They improved on the gameplay in nearly every way, from the vanguard switch to harvest points showing what type of material you would recieve. Torna improves upon the mechanics of the base game in every way. Torna can be played seperately from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but I would recommend playing it after beating the base game to have a better understanding of the characters and the world. It is a solid recommendation for me and is one of my favorite games of the year.