Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Review – Definitely Definitive This Time

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Review

The fourth time’s the charm, or at least, that’s what Nintendo might be thinking with the release of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. Yes, the official title actually has the word Edition listed twice. And yes, this is the fourth time Xenoblade Chronicles has been released since it’s original 2010 Nintendo Wii release. Since then, it’s also released on the New Nintendo 3DS with Xenoblade Chronicles 3D and the Nintendo Switch with Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. The action-RPG has since spawned two sequels, with a third entry arriving in 2027, as well as an unconnected spin-off. Does Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition warrant yet another playthrough for previous players? And for those that are new to the franchise, myself included, is this the right time to dive in?

Standing on the Shoulder’s of Titans

Xenoblade Chronicles takes place in a world brought to life on the bodies of two titans, Bionis and Mechonis. These two titans are forever frozen in time after an epic battle from ages past. This world is teeming with life, including all manner of creatures and monsters, some organic and some mechanical. After the a race of mechanical foes, the Mechon, attacks Colony 9, it’s up to Shulk and his companions to fight back. They must avenge their colony, and someone close to them.

Shulk wields a powerful, yet mysterious blade named the Monado, which provides him with unique abilities. One such ability is seeing glimpses into the future, which adds a unique dynamic to the story and certain battles. Shulk’s journey will take him to a variety of different locations on and within the titan bodies, he’ll face all manner of foes, and meet a few friendly faces along the way.

The Arts of Battle

Xenoblade Chronicles is an action role playing game. Shulk, and other party members, each have a variety of different attacks, or Arts, that’ll they’ll utilize in battle. Each Art must charge before use; this isn’t hack & slash combat. Character positioning is also important, as some Arts perform better depending on positioning with the enemy. Player’s will control the party leader, which can be changed when more than one character is in the party. Non-controlled party members will act on their own will, but the party leader can dictate things such as focusing on a specific enemy. Movement within battle is all handled in real-time, which can sometimes mean avoiding attacks while waiting for Arts to recharge.

Leveling Up in Xenoblade Chronicles

Outside of combat, you’ll want to customize your parties armor and weapons, of which you’ll find new ones quite consistently. Each piece of equipment has unique stats in a variety of different categories from attack to defense to agility and more. Gems can be affixed to equipment, depending on available slots, to give an added bump in specific stats. Leveling up is also a component of Xenoblade Chronicles, and happens when you achieve enough XP from completing quests and defeating enemies. This will give you the ability to improve your Arts as well, making them more effective.

Needless to say, Xenoblade Chronicles carries all the traditional hallmarks of a role-playing game, with a somewhat unique battle system. I did find the battle system could be a bit too frantic at times with so much happening at one time, but fortunately, Xenoblade Chronicles as a deep tutorial system that provides plenty of insights into the various game mechanics as things progress.

Xenoblade Chronicles is by no means easy. Fortunately, you’ll find out pretty soon if you’re outmatched and the penalty for failure – death – is not too painful. After a failed battle, you’re bounced back to a spot nearby. From there, you can decide to take on the battle again, or opt to grind a bit and level up your party. Waypoints to objectives are incredibly clear and fast travelling is a breeze. If you’re still finding things a bit too tough, there is an option to tone down the difficulty. For experienced Xenoblade Chronicles looking to test their abilities, a more difficult mode is also available. If you own any of the Xenoblade Chronicles amiibo, a scan each day provides a bump in XP and items.

You Talk Too Much

Xenoblade Chronicles feels like a traditional role-playing game in terms of story-telling. And that means talking. A lot of talking. Too much talking. One of the earlier battles in the game, the party of three are engaged in what’s supposed to be this devastating Mechon attack, yet they just keep talking on and on and on. It was almost to the point of parody just how intensely they were trying to figure out how this all could have happened, when the enemies are right there.

Other times, we’ll see moments happen, and then the characters need to spend minutes discussing what happened. It’s almost as if to say “hey, player, we’re pretty sure you’re not going to understand every aspect of what you just saw, so we’re going to spell it out to you as slow as possible”. For what it’s worth, the dialog wasn’t terrible. The writing is actually pretty good for an RPG. It’s just delivered a bit too much for my liking. It’s also worth mentioning that the voice-acting is really well done, with many of the key characters supported by professional sounding actors. Some RPGs can be a huge turn-off with annoying voices – but Xenoblade Chronicles does a good job of minimizing this.

Smooth 60 FPS in Glorious 4K

This version of Xenoblade Chronicles is easily the best looking of the bunch. You’re getting a smooth 60 frames per second in glorious 4K when playing in TV mode. Handheld mode offers full HD, also at 60 frames per second. That’s not to say the game isn’t starting to show its age, because it is. While character models and creature models still look pretty good, some of the environments are looking a bit sparse and bland. Thanks to the power of the Switch 2, everything does look incredibly sharp and crisp.

Unfortunately, character animation is looking quite dated. Battles will see characters swiping weapons at each other with zero impact or physics. It’s all just for show. During cutscenes, if a character needs to walk, they’ll perform a sort-of quasi moonwalk. It’s little stuff that, while noticeable, doesn’t detract too much from the overall game, but can be a bit amusing to see.

Switch 2 Edition Content

This new version of Xenoblade Chronicles comes with a handful of improvements that fans returning to the game will definitely appreciate. The Ether Jet is available to help you explore the various areas at a high speed. The game’s “Heart-to-Heart” conversations – little asides that build bonds between characters – are now fully voiced. And the game’s Future Connected story, which takes place a year after the conclusion of the game, is included as well – with all the visual enhancements the base game received.

The Definitive Version, For Real This Time

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is a beast of a game. This version is the best, most feature rich version you can get. The visuals are far more crisp than previous versions, though the game still shows its age. With such a deep story, the game is rife with dialog – a bit too much dialog. Fortunately, dialog is conveyed with top-notch voice acting for an RPG. The combat can take some getting used to. Dying in battle isn’t really penalized and there is an easier difficulty option if needed. New content has been added to make the game a bit more accessible.

Xenoblade Chronicles has a massive ton of content, including a post-game campaign previously released as DLC. If you’re a fan of action RPGs and looking for a vast adventure to dive into, it’s hard not to recommend Xenoblade Chronicles. However, if you’ve played this game with one of the previous versions, there might not be enough here to justify a replay unless you’re a huge fan. Owners of the Nintendo Switch: Definitive Edition can upgrade to the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition for a reasonable price.

***Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition review code provided by the publisher for review.***