Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Nintendo Switch 2 Review
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Nintendo Switch 2
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Monolith Soft
Genre:
PEGI:
Comments:
Xenoblade Chronicles is one of my favourite series’ on the Nintendo Switch, with the second installment being my favourite. I’ve never seriously played through the first game, at least not in a really long time, so it all felt really new to me when I loaded it up. That said, I connected with Daniel to discuss his review of the game when it relaunched on Nintendo Switch, so this review is a combination of his thoughts on the story and the transition to Nintendo Switch, and my opinion on the upgrades!
When reviewing the game, Daniel gave the game one of our very rare 10/10 scores, and had this to say,
“The story is epic and the exploration is even more epic. This is a sci-fi masterpiece that fans of the genre shouldn’t miss. Plus, now you get to play this on the Nintendo Switch, either on a big screen or in handheld mode…The Xenoblade franchise is fantastic and this is another great addition to the Switch’s library.”
Humanity is escaping an alien invasion and land on an unknown planet. Through hardwork, a city is established and the humans learn to survive in their new surroundings. Things obviously go badly, and our group of heroes bands together to save the day. This story might be the best of the entire franchise, even if I prefer the mechanics and world of the second game. Daniel noted this is even more impressive since ALL of the Xenoblade Chronicles stories are some of the best in video games. This makes the X the best of the best.
What makes Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition so impressive is the world building. There is so much to explore, both locations and towering beasts. You will hunt around for treasure chests, look for new enemies to encounter, finish side quests, and more, all the while pushing the story forward and emotionally reacting through all the amazing twists and turns. Even as I played through this game for the purpose of looking at the upgrades on Nintendo Switch 2, I was in awe of how much stuff there is to do. This is one of those games were exploration might be equally as enjoyable as pushing forward the story, which isn’t something every sprawling open world game can say.
The battle system that Monolith perfect through the second and third games in the series still holds up really well. Attacks are auto generated, while players will have control over special attacks and what weapon they currently have deployed. It all works really well and highlights one of the new features in the NIntendo Switch 2 version of the game: Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition now runs at 60 frames per second, and it is gloriously smooth.
In a game with so many moving parts – literally – the experience is so incredibly smooth. Weather panning across the world as you run, or making quick moves and camera changes during battles, I’ve not seen an epic open-world game perform this well in a long time, across all consoles. I haven’t made it through the entire experience yet, but so far I’ve had absolutely nothing to complain about when it comes to the games framerate.
Textures have also seen a massive improvement as the game transitions to 4K resolution. Daniel raved that Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition looked amazing on the Nintendo Switch already, but the improvement to the Nintendo Switch 2 version is very noticeable. I think the ground cover and environment have seen the biggest boost, but you can see improvements in facial animations and other elements as well.
There are minor issues that I think will ultimately be fixed in future patches; there is a ton of pop-in as you explore the world, and it is especially noticeable when exploring the game’s many cities. Key features around the city seem to pop in as you approach, and quickly pop-out again as you pass them by. It’s a bit jarring, and once I saw it happen, I couldn’t help but notice it again and again. Again, this is a problem for right now, but one I fully expect to get patched and fixed up before long.
Nintendo has priced this one appropriately at 6.99 CAD, making it almost an impulse buy for most people. I think I would have preferred to see this be a free update, but the price isn’t outrageous. The question becomes whether or not you want to sink another 75-100 hours into something you might have already played once before. That said, if you’ve never played Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, this is the version to buy. While I might not be in 10/10 territory like Daniel was, this game defnietly deserves the score I’m putting down, a solid 9.0/10!
Article By Adam
