In the near-decade I've nurtured the belief that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is the ugly outlier of its superlative Xeno-brethren, I've stopped a few times to wonder if I'd been overly harsh in my appraisal. A creeping fog over my long-term memory had left only vague distaste on my palate. I remember the story feeling hammy, the gameplay feeling clunky, the synthesis of it all feeling jagged and imprecise.