Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
MSRP $59.99
“Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition gives a great RPG the second chance it deserves.”
Pros
Mira is an open world not like every other
Strategic & snappy fight
Smart high quality of life enhancements
Side missions shine
Cons
Systems could be overwhelming
Main story is a little bit of a nap fest
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Something outdated, one thing new
It takes a village
I’ve by no means felt smaller than whereas enjoying Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition.
Part of that is owed to the sport’s grand sense of scale on show in sprawling alien landscapes and hulking creatures that tower over me. More than that, there’s a fixed via line concerning the folly of pondering I, as one particular person, can surmount all of the duties laid in entrance of me. While I’m the protagonist of the story, a lot of my accomplishments are profitable because of the assistance of neighborhood work in direction of a shared purpose. It’s humbling for an RPG to take this method to a heroic story, but additionally inspiring.
Originally launched on the Wii U in 2015, Xenoblade Chronicles X is one thing of an odd duck. Nominally a part of the bigger Xenoblade Chronicles collection from Tetsuya Takahashi and Monolith Soft, X is a standalone story that leans extra sci-fi than fantasy. As a narrative of survival on an odd new world, Xenoblade Chronicles X may lack the extra grand philosophical tone of different entries, nevertheless it makes up for it within the aspect tales that flesh out humanity’s wrestle.
With its new Definitive Edition releasing on Switch, Xenoblade Chronicles X is lastly on a platform individuals really personal. Hopefully this offers it a brand new lease on life, as gamers is perhaps stunned by what it has to supply. I do know I used to be.
Something outdated, one thing new
Earth is gone, and the alien’s who blew the factor up are nonetheless looking humanity down. Now crashed on the planet Mira, the final remnants of humanity wrestle to maintain the town of New Los Angeles alive. That’s the place I are available, as one of many fortunate survivors Xenoblade Chronicles X duties me with doing my half. That means venturing out into the alien panorama and scrounging for assets, info, and no matter else may turn out to be useful.
That is simpler mentioned than finished, as Mira is made up of 5 large continents to traverse. Learning the topography of every is a problem in its personal proper. There are the rolling inexperienced hills of Primordia, which regularly make method to sudden rocky outcroppings that block progress. This typically requires me to avoid the impediment in a roundabout path that includes climbing a special mountain midway throughout the map and strolling over a collection of rock bridges to get to my vacation spot. It’s nearly inconvenient, however that’s as a result of Xenoblade Chronicles X designs its world to really feel like an precise impediment in of itself, not a theme park for me to play in. These tough journeys result in lovely vistas that put Mira’s gorgeous surroundings on full show. Even after I unlocked my Skell, an enormous mech that may fly, midway via the principle quest I discovered that I hadn’t misplaced my appreciation for the intricate map design.
Falling into fight isn’t a nasty factor when it feels this good.
Mira’s wildlife is one other impediment, as most issues on the planet need to kill me and my celebration. These vary from large creatures the dimensions of mountains to small aggressive beasts that may run as much as provoke fight. This can, just like the complicated topography, generally be irritating when a low stage quest occurs to place you within the path of stage 50 monsters that may kill you immediately. While this may be irritating as a participant, it continues to feed into the bigger narrative of surviving on a international planet. By not having enemies cleanly stage as I enter new areas, Mira feels extra alive and actual. Falling into fight isn’t a nasty factor when it feels this good.
Like different Xenoblade Chronicles video games, X makes use of an MMO-inspired fight system wherein the celebration auto assaults. During encounters, my celebration shouts out after I can use particular skills, referred to as Arts, to deal higher harm or make the most of enemy weaknesses. There are additionally Soul Challenges that put a quick-time occasion on display screen that, if efficiently pressed, will increase a morale meter for my celebration which might buff them and their skills. My protagonist’s skills could be upgraded and altered by selecting totally different courses and equipping new weapons. These are simply a few of the many techniques born out from fight that make it extra strategic and fast-paced.
Nintendo
Not all of this performs out precisely because it did within the unique Wii U launch of Xenoblade Chronicles X. While a lot of the remaster sees match to not mess with what already works, there are a handful of high quality of life enhancements. The most noticeable is the person interface, which has seen an enormous overhaul that seeks to streamline the display screen. This makes the Definitive Edition a lot much less cluttered and simpler to grasp in moment-to-moment gameplay. Combat additionally has a brand new Quick Cooldown mechanic that seeks to hurry up encounters. Other little adjustments embrace the flexibility to vary celebration members at any time within the menu and extra detailed quest monitoring, together with itemizing gadgets wanted for mission completion. The greatest change is the addition of recent story content material that happens after Chapter 12, which is certain to be a deal with for returning followers wanting solutions to decade outdated cliffhangers.
It takes a village
While the bodily world of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, and the methods I get to work together with it via traversal and fight, are immaculately realized, the narrative leaves one thing to be desired. I’ve at all times been instructed the attraction of Xenoblade video games are their deep tales, and X doesn’t stay as much as that — a minimum of in the principle quests.
That’s precisely what I need out of a remaster: the chance for an missed recreation to seek out its viewers.
From the beginning, my celebration is tasked with rescuing a particular a part of our crashed ship referred to as the Lifehold Core. What follows is numerous combating evil aliens and listening to exposition. This isn’t helped by the sport’s solid who’re all one-dimensional. The exception is Elma, the chief of New Los Angeles’s survival effort who oftentimes looks like the actual protagonist of the story. Her strong-willed however variety demeanor is the glue that holds Xenoblade Chronicles X’s narrative collectively. There are a pair great twists alongside the best way however they aren’t sufficient to hold a really threadbare story.
Most of my time with Xenoblade Chronicles X wasn’t spent in these few foremost missions, of which there are solely twelve. Instead the majority of my playthrough consisted of finishing the sport’s quite a few aspect missions. At face worth, these non-essential aims are your run-of-the-mill busywork: Collect a dozen of this merchandise, ship one thing to this particular person throughout the map, that sort of factor. Yet in Xenoblade Chronicles X, these smaller tales are probably the most impactful. That’s as a result of it is a recreation about neighborhood. New Los Angeles is a struggling metropolis and everyone seems to be doing their half to maintain it alive, together with me.
Nintendo
This is the place that smallness comes into play once more. It is so widespread for a recreation to solid the participant as the only hero who saves the world however Xenoblade Chronicles X pushes in opposition to that. Sure, the principle quest sees you recovering an important useful resource, however that’s solely one of many many issues New Los Angeles must survive. The dozens of different individuals stranded on Mira are equally very important and interesting. Their tales really feel important to understanding what makes this world so particular. In a month’s time, I’m undecided I’ll keep in mind the main points of the principle story, however I’ll keep in mind discovering components for the native espresso store eager to carry a way of normalcy to the neighborhood. It is a reminder that within the face of adversity and wrestle, a very powerful factor is to attach with these in your neighborhood to be able to work collectively but additionally to seek out pleasure when there appears to be none on the planet.
Learning to like Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition was a course of full of highs and lows. In an identical method to planet Mira’s obstacles, the RPG always fought in opposition to me with its complexities and generally questionable design decisions. Through all of this, nevertheless, I discovered rather a lot to like. That is one thing that might have by no means occurred with out its launch on Nintendo Switch. That’s precisely what I need out of a remaster: the chance for an missed recreation to seek out its viewers. It took a decade, however now Xenoblade Chronicles X will get that probability once more. It, very similar to New Los Angeles, is a survivor.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition was examined on Nintendo Switch.