Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition Review (Switch)

It’s been more than ten years since the first Xenoblade Chronicles game made its debut and since Monolith Soft had always planned to revive the series, a port on the Nintendo Switch made perfect sense. Featuring various quality-of-life improvements, new mechanics and new bits of story, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is the best version of the game that started all back in 2010.

While the Xenoblade games aren’t set in the same universe, their settings are directly linked and have various themes in common. First off, they all have in common the concept of Titans, mechanical creatures so massive that they can host entire civilizations on their body parts.

Another thing they have in common is the combat system, which feature mechanics like “Talent Arts.” The real-time action-based battle system might seem intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty simple to use and quite rewarding when land your combos at the right time.

In Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, players take the role of a young human, Shulk, as he embarks on a journey that takes him and his friends across two titans and several ecosystems. With the help of a mysterious weapon, the Monado, Shulk is able to overcome enemies and challenges that he wouldn’t been able otherwise.

+4more

Bionis and Mechonis are the two titans that spawned multiple civilizations such as the Homs, human-like creatures that are fighting a never-ending war with the Mechon, mechanical creatures coming from Mechonis.

Throughout the journey, Shulk meets new allies who will help him not just revenge the loss of his childhood friend, but also build a better world. Although the game starts quite frantically, it slows down until almost the end.

The story is compelling enough to keep you going, but the amount of side quests that the game throws at you makes it rather a chore than a fun ride. You absolutely must finish many of these side quests that feel like filler, since you need those levels for what’s coming ahead. If you’re just following the main story, you’ll have issues with most bosses, especially on higher difficulty levels.

Each zone is designed for a certain level, so you’ll know immediately if you’re over/under-leveled before going for the main mission. Killing enemies over and over again is totally unfun, so your best bet to have an easier time through the game is to tackle as many side quests as possible. Some reward money and/or items, while others will also give you big chunks of experience.

The best thing about these side quests is that many times you get the rewards as soon as you complete them, so you won’t have to go back to finish them all the time. Also, some of them reward skills and open up interesting NPC stories that tell more about the setting.

Play Video

Although Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition isn’t at the same level of grinding as typical JRPGs, sooner or later you’re going to have to do a little bit of grinding. That’s the unfun part of the game, but enjoyable part is the battle system.

Several mechanics makes combat pretty fun, especially after you recruit all characters and unlock all the Arts. Besides using these abilities called Arts, there are affinities between characters that you can upgrade for better results. Not to mention that weapons and armor can be fitted with gems for various effects. Obviously, each character you recruit is designed for a certain role in a party, and there are already dozens of guides that teach you how to build your team and which characters are the best.

My suggestion is to try and experiment yourself because the game definitely doesn’t require min-maxing every character. Unlike many other JRPG with similar combat systems, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition focuses more on positioning then anything. The vast majority of Arts have a special effect when executed from a certain position, like from the back or side of the enemy. You’ll always want those effects because that’s how you lock down an enemy from attacking you.

Another interesting mechanic is the “Party Gauge,” which slowly fills as party members successfully land hits on enemies. Once the gauge is filled up, you can choose to unleash a devastating chain of attacks for extra damage or healing.

But the most innovative game feature is the so-called “Vision” system, where Shulk can see in the future and warn party members if they are about to be hit with a deadly attack or he can protect himself and the party from dangerous attacks. This mostly happens during boss fights, which makes the feature completely unobtrusive.

After finishing the game, I strongly recommend going through Future Connected, a new epilogue in Definitive Edition that takes place in a zone that’s not available in the base game: Bionis Shoulder. The DLC is set one year after Xenoblade Chronicles and has two characters from the game front and center: Shulk and Melia. Future Connected focues on Melia’s relationship with her half-sister, who briefly appears in the main story.

+4more

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion