The Xenoblade Chronicles series has evolved from a niche JRPG to one of Nintendo’s major franchises. So, there’s no better time for the publisher to dust off the series’ black sheep, Xenoblade Chronicles X. Plucked from the depths of the Wii U’s library and refreshed for the Switch, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition ($59.99) is a remaster of the 2015 original. Updated with new visuals, content, and gameplay elements, the sci-fi RPG still isn’t perfect, but it’s easier to love and a treat for fans of the series.
What’s the Plot?
Xenoblade Chronicles X begins with the end of the world. Humanity, trapped in an intergalactic war between two alien species, flees the Earth on giant interstellar arks. One of the arks, the USS White Whale, manages to slip away to safety. However, the extraterrestrial enemies catch up to the ship and force it to crash-land on a mysterious planet called Mira.
Your character is one of the lucky survivors of the emergency landing. Rescued by Colonel Elma from the military organization known as Blade, you’re chauffeured to the newly established New Los Angeles. There, the remnants of humanity work to establish themselves in this strange new world.
(Credit: Nintendo/PCMag)
Unlike other titles in the Xenoblade series, Chronicles X lets you create a custom character instead of playing as a pre-established one. Although this change may initially seem innocuous, it removes the emotional drama that propels other entries in the series. Instead, the main driving force is exploration. Your silent player proxy is drafted by Blade and immediately put to work surveying the planet.
This might turn off players who want a deep story. Though the sci-fi story is rife with existential themes, part of what makes the Xenoblade journey memorable is the friends you make along the way. Besides Elma, there’s Lin, a super-smart 13-year-old mechanic and cook. However, there aren’t many other memorable characters.
(Credit: Nintendo/PCMag)
However, I can better appreciate Xenoblade Chronicles X’s vision upon revisiting it in a post-Breath of the Wild world. There’s a sense of freedom and incentivized exploration in X that few open-world games capture. It works because the main character is not you; it’s the planet Mira. The game encourages you to explore by rewarding you with experience points whenever you discover a new area or treasure and locking progress behind level and survey requirements.
The opening hours are equal parts exhilarating and frustrating. For example, I’d discover a new area only to be defeated in one shot due to far stronger enemies. That can wear you down in the early moments, but Mira is so gorgeous that it’s practically begging you to keep going. Huge mountains paint the horizons as giant trees, vast valleys, and otherworldly architecture fill the spaces in between. That’s not even including New Los Angeles, which can only be described as military installation meets suburbia. There are shades of Avatar, Battlestar Galactica, Mobile Suit Gundam, and Star Trek baked into Xenoblade Chronicles X’s world.
This edition also includes a new story chapter that I won’t spoil. Unlike Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, Xenoblade Chronicles X does require you to beat the game before exploring that new content. It’s sure to get Xenoblade fans fired up about the future of the series.
MMO-Like Battles
Exploration aside, the rest of Xenoblade Chronicles X involves battles. The combat system resembles the original Xenoblade Chronicles’ MMORPG-like fighting. Your character auto-attacks foes, and a bar of eight special attacks (Arts) line the bottom of the screen. Where and when you deploy Arts matters; it’s how you uncover the combat depth.
(Credit: Nintendo/PCMag)
Managing attack cool-downs while stringing together combos led by your teammates’ callouts (called Soul Voices) is like an intense game of Simon Says. The combat is usually riddled with party chatter and characters shouting their special moves, which creates a high-energy crescendo of sights and sounds when paired with the excellent battle music. However, new players might find the chaos hard to read.
(Credit: Nintendo/PCMag)
With that in mind, newcomers and veterans will appreciate the Quick Cooldown option, which is new to the Definitive Edition. Upon using it, your character instantly cools down an Art and unleashes it again, letting you deal damage faster and keep combos going for longer. It greatly improves the battle pace, though it’s not something you can spam. You can only activate Quick Cooldown a few times per battle, so it remains useful without ruining the game balance.
Improved Graphics
Other improvements include an updated visual style. Xenoblade Chronicles has an ugly past (just look at the original Wii version), but the series has adopted an attractive anime art style since Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Xenoblade Chronicles X lacks the drastic facelift that Xenoblade Chronicles received, but the main cast has thankfully lost the generic, doll-like aesthetic from the original release (though some NPCs still look worse for wear). The game’s UI is a lot cleaner, too. In fact, Xenoblade Chronicles X might be the most graphically consistent of the three Xenoblade Switch games.
(Credit: Nintendo/PCMag)
The resolution also seems more consistent compared with Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Those titles had a habit of dipping their resolutions during busier scenes, which led to blurry image quality. My only minor complaint is the pop-in, which is sometimes distracting when you arrive at an objective and have to wait a few seconds for the game to load in the character you need to talk to. Overall, Xenoblade Chronicles X has few loading screens. Transitions between areas are seamless and you can travel to almost everything you see, making cruising across Mira a breeze.
It’s Still Not Perfect
Despite the overall improvements, there’s a layer of friction in Xenoblade Chronicle X’s game design that, for better or worse, separates it from the other releases. For example, the equipment menus are so dense with numbers that my eyes glaze over looking at it. Likewise, I didn’t completely understand the money and resource-collecting FrontierNav system until about 60 hours into the story. Some particularly annoying characters and voice acting will test what even anime die-hards can tolerate. Finally, it commits the egregious JRPG sin of taking 20 hours to get good. One of my biggest complaints is how long it takes to earn the license to pilot your Skell, the game’s Gundam-like mechs. It takes even longer to learn how to fly the machine.
(Credit: Nintendo/PCMag)
The systems frustrate when they don’t work and delight when they do. For example, your Skell has insurance. Every time the mech blows up, you face a timed event that ejects you from the machine. If you nail it, your mech is repaired for free; you lose your Skell’s insurance if you don’t. Lose all three insurance stocks, and you’re forced to pay a huge chunk of money to repair your mobile suit. You can only repair your Skell in New Los Angeles’ barracks, so you must warp back whenever you need to refuel or respawn your Skell. This leads to a lot of unnecessary backtracking.
Nintendo Switch OLED Model and Metroid Dread: We Review the Upgraded Handheld
Verdict: A Welcome Return to Planet Mira
In many ways, Xenoblade Chronicles X had become a white whale for most Xenoblade fans, locked on a console released a decade ago. Now that it’s finally available on one of the most popular systems ever, there’s never been a better time to play. Improved visuals, combat, and a new story chapter entice returning fans and newcomers alike. Although its opening hours are rough, we encourage you to push through the stubborn early sections to reach the addicting core that more than stands the test of time.
Want more in-depth video game discussion? Visit PCMag’s Pop-Off YouTube Channel.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
Pros
View
More
The Bottom Line
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition arrives on the Nintendo Switch with new gameplay mechanics, updated graphics, and a fresh story to delight new and returning fans.
Like What You’re Reading?
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links.
By clicking the button, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our
Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy.
You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
About Zackery Cuevas
Analyst, Hardware
