I love how you'll do a sidequest in this game that will seem pretty self-contained and a one-off side story but then a little later you'll find it actually wraps itself into another side quest and soon there's basically this B plot going on throughout the entire game. You meet a bunch of different characters with their own backstories and character development - some who even feel more developed than some main characters. Without spoiling it, it was really surprising when a bunch of different sidequests I did ended up culminating in this final encounter which felt like it could be the final boss of its own game. And all of this is stuff you could choose to skip.
I agree with you. There's a good game in there somewhere. But it makes you jump through too many hoops to progress the story.
That's really the problem. If you're playing the game to "progress the story" you're going at it the wrong way. The game isn't made to be like the other Xenoblade where your motivation to play is to reach the next cutscene and see the plot develop.
There is a good game there. The good game is literally front and center. It doesn't make you jump through hoops to progress the story as much as it encourages you to play the game and enjoy the game (exploration, customization, side quests, combat, world building). There's no barrier to that stuff,
that is the game. When you start playing the game like "Ok how do I proceed to the next story mission as quickly as possible", that's when you miss out on what makes the game fun and I feel that's where most people who clash with X end up having that happen. You can't really play X like 1 or 2. The design philosophy is very different.