If you need proof that the Japanese role-playing genre is struggling from the North American perspective, you need only look at the story behind “Xenoblade Chronicles.” Somehow, despite early showings at E3 and rave reviews in Japan and Europe, Nintendo of America very nearly didn’t bring the game to our shores. If you’re even remotely interested in JRPGs, give thanks that this dark future was avoided. “Xenoblade Chronicles” is a must-play game that single-handedly proves there’s still fresh, exciting ground to cover in this often-stale genre.

“Xenoblade” finds the first of many unique touchstones in its setting. The people of this universe have settled in makeshift colonies on the backs of two warring giants that are frozen in time. These colossi have adapted natural, well-tread terrain, including massive grasslands and labyrinthine swamps, but you’ll often catch sight of the opposing giant in the clear afternoon sky or flashes of a far-off body part during thunderstorms. These brief glimpses of future destinations build atmosphere for this strange world. As you progress from area to area, the game frequently reminds you where you’re located on the giant, letting you track your progress around and inside of the massive creatures.

Though the world is unique, the characters are disappointing archetypes. Protagonist Shulk is a bright-eyed teenager eager to leave his village and discover the world. He gets to do so when he discovers he is one of a handful of chosen warriors who can wield the Monado, a powerful weapon that can wipe out the game’s bad guys. His best friend Reyn is the loud-mouthed comic relief who always comes through in the end. They go on a journey to figure out how humanity can survive against the overpowered generic robotic enemies called Mechons. Similarly unsurprising new party members are collected at a regular pace along the way.

The characters may not stray from comfortable conventions, but this game has one important leg up on the average stereotype-heavy JRPG: voice acting. The refreshing British cast lends the strongly translated script an austere air that makes it easy to get drawn into the drama. At different points in the story, Shulk could easily have come off as either whiny or cloyingly optimistic. Thanks to both the writing and the voice acting, “Xenoblade” handily avoids that common problem.

“Xenoblade” backs up the story with a complicated but approachable battle system. Fast-paced encounters challenge players to use a wide variety of skills, many of which gain bonuses depending on your positioning. Combined with the mountains of upgradable loot and deep character development, players have a lot of strategy to uncover and master over the game’s imposing length.

One of the most innovative systems is Shulk’s ability to tell the future. While this power is frequently used to move the plot forward, it also has important gameplay ramifications. In battle, the game pauses to show you when an enemy’s next attack is going to kill one of your party members. This gives you time to react by shielding, healing, or even briefly taking over as that character and making a last attempt at survival. These psychic abilities lead to some incredibly tense moments, especially during the challenging, puzzle-like boss battles.

Outside of combat, premonitions also inform you when you’ve picked up an item you’ll need for a later quest. “Xenoblade Chronicles” is packed with user-friendly designs like this that are at odds with my expectations from Japanese games. Other smart design decisions that help prevent player frustration include fast travel, the ability to change the time of day, and the ability to save anywhere.

I fell in love with JRPGs in the 16-bit era because they constantly showed me things I’d never seen before. Somewhere in the last 15 years, most RPG developers in Japan have lost sight of that, instead rehashing the same fantasies and floating by on nostalgia.

“Xenoblade Chronicles” is the first JRPG I’ve played this generation that has me excited for the future rather than simply reminding me of happy memories from my past. Monolith Soft deserves praise for creating it.

‘Xenoblade Chronicles’

9.5 (out of 10)

Wii

Nintendo, Monolith Soft

ESRB rating: T for Teen

TOP 10

ON THE PS3

The editors of Game Informer Magazine rank the top PS3 games for April:

1. “Mass Effect 3” (Electronic Arts)

2. “Journey” (Sony Computer Entertainment)

3. “MLB 12: The Show” (Sony Computer Entertainment)

4. “I Am Alive” (Ubisoft)

5. “Street Fighter X Tekken” (Capcom)

6. “Asura’s Wrath” (Capcom)

7. “UFC Undisputed 3” (THQ)

8. “Syndicate” (Electronic Arts)

9. “Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13” (EA Sports)

10. “Silent Hill HD Collection” (Konami)

— McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Weekly download

‘Closure’

For: PlayStation 3

From: Eyebrow Interactive

ESRB Rating: E for Everyone

Price: $15

If it’s in the dark, it doesn’t exist in “Closure,” a deviously clever 2-D sidescroller that once again proves all the brilliant ideas for rethinking 2-D games aren’t yet taken.

In “Closure,” the vast majority of a level exists in complete blackness, and anything that exists in blackness doesn’t exist at all. The object is to employ the available light sources — some static, some maneuverable like adjustable floodlights, some you can push around or carry with you — to design a tenable path to the exit. If the path in front of you is entirely blackened, you need to illuminate it, lest you fall into a bottomless pit of nothingness. And if walls block the exit from all sides, you must suppress the light to make one of those walls disappear. Sounds easy, right? Sure. But “Closure’s” method of terrain manipulation represents an abstract new way to get from A to B, and success frequently entails disobeying age-old 2-D gaming truths and forcing yourself to think along dramatically different new lines.

— Billy O’Keefe, McClatchy-Tribune News Service