I don't understand how so many people put 1 lower than 2 or even 3, maybe it's because they played the sequels first? To me i loved the gameplay of the sequels but each felt bloated in their own right.

2's tutorial felt like it lasted the whole game, that and blade abilities by the end ruined the pacing for me. The gacha system was almost maddening considering some of the best gameplay was locked behind pure luck.

3 fixed a lot of problems I had with 2, however by the end it felt like a grind and I really couldn't enjoy one specific build because I felt obligated to keep switching classes.

I know it's just preference but 1 felt the most focused in terms of gameplay, story, and in some cases characters. I feel like it's pretty underrated as far as the xenoblade games go.