After taking a break for horror games during October, I returned to Torna ~ The Golden Country and finished it over the weekend.
Torna is a DLC expansion to Xenoblade Chronicles 2, which I played and enjoyed earlier this year.
Technically, the expansion stands on its own and was even released as a standalone game… but considering how many Xenoblade Chronicles 2 revelations it spoils and how much context from the main game helps, I wouldn’t recommend playing it first.
As a short prequel, however, Torna is excellent. It focuses on Lora and Jin, as well as the other characters they meet on their journey, the most important of whom are Addam and Mythra. If you enjoyed those flashback scenes in the main game, you should enjoy seeing them expanded into a full story.
The combat system is similar to that used in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but with some key differences. You can play as Blades now, so instead of switching which Blade you have active, you switch who is in the lead. The character in the back plays a supporting role, which makes it feel more like everyone in the party is contributing to the battle.
There are a lot of little gameplay changes that make Torna feel like a better experience. Gathering spots now say what type of item it’ll be, there’s no more luck-based core crystal system, and having a fixed set of Blades means you can use field skills without shuffling your lineup around every time.
I also liked the side quests better. While the main story’s side quests felt pretty basic outside of the Blade quests, most of Torna’s quests have their own little stories and characters who change as you complete their quests. This all ties into the Community system, which I loved.
…Well, mostly.
When you meet NPCs in Torna, they’re all added to a list. As you complete side quests and these characters start to like you, they’re added to your Community. It’s a nice way to show the work you’ve done toward helping people, and the way certain quests tied together made me really appreciate this system.
The problem is that Torna uses its Community system for padding, as there are a couple points where you can’t proceed with the main story until your Community reaches a certain level.
I enjoyed the side quests, and I kept completing side quests even after I was able to proceed with the main story, but having mandatory side quests just doesn’t feel right. It took me just under 30 hours to complete Torna, and while that’s sizable for DLC, it would have been even stronger if more time was devoted toward character development instead of locking the story’s progression like that.
Still, the side quests do help make Torna (the country) feel more alive. The story itself is good, with some great moments… but if you go into it expecting the same sort of lightheartedness Xenoblade Chronicles 2 had, just remember what we know about these characters’ pasts from the main game.
Click for implied Torna spoilers
Even knowing all that, I still wasn’t prepared for how sad the ending would be. It’s a hard-hitting ending if you’ve gotten attached to these characters, and just when you think everything’s going to be okay, it’s not.
(On the other hand, now I don’t mind the main game’s contrived happy ending quite as much.)
So if you enjoyed Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and want to see what happened in the past, or if you’re looking for a smaller Xenoblade experience, I highly recommend Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country and I hope Monolith Soft takes inspiration from its strengths for their next game.
Back in the Nintendo Direct where Nintendo announced Xenoblade Genesis, they also announced Switch 2 upgrades for Xenoblade Chronicles 1, 2, and 3.
