I’m lucky enough to have collected a copy of the original Xenoblade Chronicles on the Nintendo Wii, which has become a bit of a collector’s item over the years. Even so, I remember playing it all those years ago, and while I was much younger, never truly appreciated just how good the storytelling and gameplay were. To this day, it really holds up.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is, without a doubt, the best way to experience this game. While, like its original Nintendo Switch predecessor from 2020, it struggles in handheld mode, it still makes for one of the most diverse and engaging JRPG experiences you can have today.
While we’ll do our best to review Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition as a complete experience, we will primarily focus on the improvements and enhancements of this newer Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade.
You can also check out our 2020 review of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition on the original Nintendo Switch here.
The Monado is Mine
Even to briefly discuss the original Xenoblade Chronicles narrative still feels largely positive. Protagonist Shulk is a charming and engaging character, and his primary quest for revenge soon evolves into a much larger-scale battle involving most of the series’ past and broader lore to great effect.
Supporting characters like Fiora, Reyn and Dunbun, to name a few, all feel wonderfully unique and bring a certain sensibility to the many lengthy conversations and nuanced themes throughout the game. These interactions and relationships carry the brunt of the experience, which is impressive given the game’s massive 60-or-so-hour runtime.
That being said, I still have some issues with the game’s pacing, even all these years later. While the experience remains largely unchanged, there are still plenty of side quests that don’t really go anywhere, and fetch quests that only pad the experience with minimal gain. While these quests generally sit outside of the game’s main story, I would also argue that the story’s opening hours can feel a little uneven.
There’s an incredible narrative on the whole, which gets better as it progresses, but after a fantastic tutorial introduction, the game then slows right down again for a few hours before our main quests begin.
A fantastic addition, however, is the inclusion of the Ether Jets, which are now accessible much earlier than they were in the original experience. This helps you get around much faster than on foot, and there’s no limit to how often you can use them. While this will eliminate the need to explore certain areas you might have otherwise found while on foot, I welcome the choice.
There’s even the Nopon Grand Prix, a new racing mini-game that’s exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2 edition. Players can race across two distinct modes, being Score Attack and Battle Race. Score Attack sees you racing your Ether Jet through various checkpoints in order before time runs out, while collecting as much ether ore as possible for the highest score.
The Battle Race mode is very much the same, but sees you racing against your party for first place, rather than the fastest time. Either way, it’s another way to use the Ether Jet, and a fun mode when you want to shake things up throughout the story.
Battle Buds
You’ll spend most of your time fighting enemies in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, and it’s still a bunch of fun. But much like any JRPG, it just takes a while to get going before you find yourself in the thick of any real challenge that forces you to understand and utilise the combat system to its full effect.
Combat functions as an automated, real-time system in which characters attack enemies automatically, with players able to select from a range of special abilities called Arts for added damage and bonus perks.
The aim of combat is not so much to damage and defeat your enemies as it is to find the right positioning and use the correct Arts against certain enemy types. As a result, the system compounds and expands as you upgrade and unlock new Arts, in addition to playing as new characters and adding their abilities to your party.
Being able to switch between characters is easy enough, and the experience can vary drastically as you experiment with various Arts, some of which can be coordinated between multiple characters to gain a significant advantage.
You’ll essentially use the d-pad to move left and right and select between various Arts, each of which have their own cooldown timers. You’ll then be able to use the L and R buttons to quickly switch between enemies, which becomes much more important as the game progresses, and it becomes rather essential to attack certain enemies first.
While this system has been developed and expanded upon itself in sequels and other JPRG titles over the years, it’s a really engaging system that blends the intensity of third-person combat and the careful implementation of choice and consequence of more traditional turn-based JPRG games so well. As a result, it has aged like fine wine.
Look the Part
For the most part, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition looks great. For a game that was released in 2010, it’s a much cleaner and smoother experience here on the new hardware, even if that can vary depending on how you choose to play it.
Docked mode, as with most games, is the real winner here, targeting a 4K 60 FPS experience. While that’s generally true, there are numerous occasions where the frame rate does drop closer to 50 FPS, particularly in larger, more detailed areas like the Manka Forest.
It’s definitely playable and looks as sharp as its even been, largely thanks to that boosted resolution.
In handheld mode, however, it’s a different story. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s terrible, but it’s certainly the more compromised experience.
The 1080p resolution isn’t that bad, even if it leads to slightly muddier textures, but the frame rate seems to suffer the most, with more prominent drops and stutters. It can even lower the frame rate all the way to 30 FPS, locking it for a more consistent experience.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s still much better than any other version of the game, but if we’re judging this on its own merits, I would always opt to play in docked mode if given the chance.
Final Thoughts
Flaws aside, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is the best way to experience this first chapter of the franchise, and a worthy upgrade for existing fans. Its story and characters are incredibly engaging, and the combat has held up just as well.
The ability to use the Ether Jet much more frequently for traversal and the addition of the Nopon Grand Prix are also great, making the experience feel more streamlined and accessible. If you haven’t played Xenoblade Chronicles in any capacity, now is the time.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Strong combat; Unique supporting characters and relationships; Docked mode performance is fantastic; New Nopon Grand Prix is fun
Lowlights: Both combat and story take a while to get going; Handheld mode performance is a little shaky
Developer: Monolith Soft
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
Available: Now
Review conducted on Nintendo Switch 2 with a code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image provided by the publisher.
