It took me a while to jump in Xenoblade Chronicles Although it’s a series, I was immediately captivated after playing the decisive edition of the first game. As a JRPGS fan with its epic and vast story, I knew I had to check out other entries. To standardly follow the release order, I did what a dedicated player would do. I bought a copy of a used Wii U Xenoblade Chronicles xand set out to explore Mira’s vast world.
Since playing it a few years after its original release, there have already been countless interviews with Takahashi, founder of Monolith Soft. Xenoblade Chronicles It was story-driven, xenoblade x There was another focus. They wanted to drive the technical limitations of the franchise, create an unparalleled sense of quest and freedom, and squeeze all the last forces out of the Wii U’s hardware.
With that in mind, I knew what to expect Xenoblade Chronicles xSo I went in to meet my expectations.
That being said, just because the game doesn’t aim for something specific doesn’t mean it’s immune to criticism. I accepted that xenoblade x It doesn’t offer a fascinating epic like Shulk’s Adventures, but that didn’t mean I would overlook the story. It exists and should be judged with the same critical eye as the other elements.
I liked the story in the original game, but it left me with a bittersweet feeling at the end as the sequel was wrapped in a cliffhanger as if it had already been planned.
Ten years later, I didn’t imagine it, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition It will be released. This remaster improved everything from a gameplay system perspective, enhanced visuals and streamlined exploration, but added new story content, answered 10 years of questions, corrected holes in the plot, reconstructed some, but overall it took all the questions to rest.
for a long time xenoblade x Veterans may not be excited about it Definitive Edition’s It’s over, but for many years xeno Franchise fan? Ah boy. It is a feeling you should experience for yourself.
Don’t struggle any more, start my review Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition I’m still trying to understand what Dark Magic Monolith software is used to create such a large game on Nintendo hardware. It’s never intended.
The future of the earth is dark
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition It takes place in 2054 when Earth gets caught up in a crossfire between two alien races and is destroyed in the process.
Humanity sends an arc of space to save some of its people, but many of them are shot down before they reach orbit. One of the arcs, the white whale, is also under attack, but it can land somewhat safely on Mira, the planet where our journey begins.
Before you begin, create a fully customizable avatar, but the options aren’t as vast as you would expect from character creators these days. Elma then awakens us, explaining that humanity, currently living in a city called Neuros Angeles, spent the past two months trying to find its footing on this new planet called Mira.
Given our talent for massacresting native creatures in this world, we are invited to join the organization Blade, whose mission is to explore Mira and turn it into a new home for humanity.
Our avatars are amnesia. It serves as a narrative device for sprinkling lore on events that have led to the destruction of the Earth and various other world-building details.
But one thing you need to understand is that we are not the main characters of the game. You can decide what to do next, choose your dialogue response, and even take part in online sessions with the characters, but it has virtually nothing to do with the central story. The real protagonist is Elma.
That’s my biggest and perhaps only problem Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition’s Storytelling. Player-created avatars are too common and lack emotional expression in every beat. They sit there with a soulless blank poker face. Some moments when they take action are short, and the spotlight will soon return to Elma, Lynn, or other core party members.
You’ll see why you can create characters in this game and how they are linked to the gameplay system. However, many other JRPGs with silent protagonists can make them feel relevant and influence the story.
As mentioned at the beginning, xenoblade chronicles X’s Chronicles The plot is more grounded than the other entries in the franchise, but that’s not a bad thing. Throughout the game, we are primarily just trying to survive on this planet, encountering mystery, alien races (where we summoned Xeno here), a normal problem that colonization brings. There are plot twists here and there, but nothing particularly surprising.
New story content fills plot holes
However, the original xeno x I left many questions unanswered. Some of them didn’t need answers, while others were very important. Fortunately, The definitive edition I came to fix it. It took me about 10 hours to pass through new content. This is primarily a lore dump, not a new gameplay segment. However, I didn’t mind as I had been waiting for these answers for years.
The true heart of the game’s story lies in its side mission.
I left satisfied with what I had got and felt peaceful, but one or two explanations frowned upon me. In the end, I enjoyed the main story. After all, you can finish the game in 50-60 hours, but it can take more than 200 hours for the completed player to see everything the game has to offer.
But ask the stubborn fans of Xenoblade Chronicles xand they all tell you the same thing: the true heart of the game’s story lies in its side mission. Yes, they’re right.
Sometimes, before you tackle the main mission, you need to complete several side missions in the game, known as affinity missions. These focus on specific side characters and ultimately put the avatar in the light of the organization. These affinity missions are incredible xenoblade x’s World construction may even provide a theoretical explanation of the main plot or additional context.
Most secondary characters are full of personality and uniqueness, adding meaning to the scenario. Whether it’s a side story for Yelv, it’s Neilnail, an archaeologist who sheds light on important aspects of human biology or provides clues about the history of planets and the universe, and has stepped up some careful mentions Xenosaga.
There are also regular missions that are not tied to a particular character, but are packed with lore. 90% of them are optional, and anyone who wants to see everything must devote hundreds of hours to complete them.
Unfortunately, this brings a big warning. In the story, most of these missions are of value, especially for lore buffs. But when it comes to gameplay, they’re lacking because their execution is always the same. Fetch this, kill it and talk to them. There is no real deviation from that formula.
As a completer and platinum hunter, I’ve become accustomed to these repetitive tasks. Legend buff. Still, you can understand how it can be exhausting for anyone looking for something beyond the game’s combat and exploration system. Just be careful as some developers may use this as an excuse to cram endless mini-games into JRPGs to diversify gameplay.
Time to knock out some indigens
I’ve nurtured it, so let’s talk about gameplay of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. all xenoblade The game has an MMO-style combat system.
We control one character at a time and when we meet and engage with enemies on an open field, the automatic attack process begins. Players can choose several art from the hotkey palette. This will be cooled down when you run it. Rinse and repeat until the enemy is defeated.
The combat system is something we love. It’s easy to learn, but it’s difficult to master. Several mechanics are intertwined, such as soul voice and QTE in combat. Also, some art had to constantly move around to adjust positioning, dealing more damage from the sides and enemy backs, managing the use of auras, buffs, debuffs, and other terms normally reserved for RPGs.
If you have a deep understanding xenoblade x’s Bull the enemies with a highly specialized build that can defeat the system, games.
There is much to learn here. xenoblade x We will gradually introduce the tutorial to present new mechanisms, but it can be quickly overwhelmed.
Understanding and mastering the combat system makes everything much more fun. When you think of yourself as you hit a repeating plateau, you discover the enormous diversity within the class system.
Our avatars start with the base class (the strongest in Endgame) and can switch to 16 different ones. Once you reach rank 10 in the class, a game-changer feature, you can equip weapons, arts and passive skills.
All art and skills work with percentage-based metrics. This means if you have a deep understanding xenoblade x’s Bull the enemies with a highly specialized build that can defeat the system, games. On the other hand, if you don’t give it a day and just make it a wing, you may end up hitting a wall and feel the path far weaker than intended.
For context, I knew how to master a very fulfilling overdrive system, so I defeated the final boss on foot. I didn’t have many choices. I am a poor citizen and could not upgrade my skeleton. And I didn’t want to farm for money so I spent time analyzing the class until I found the perfect combination and Voilà. Progression system xenoblade x It works great.
Speaking of squels, these are the huge, human mecha that we can drive. They have similar combat gameplay, but have different progression systems. Instead of gaining experience, Skell relies entirely on equipment. This is an effort to make your heartbeat extremely expensive.
Unlocking the squel can be much stronger than the character on foot. But if you stop investing in them, they are merely a means of transportation.
I’ve enjoyed upgrading the squels and roaming around with the huge mechs, but the combat inside them is rather obvious and repetitive. It’s the art of spaming all the time, worrying about our fuel. Yes, fuel.
You can equip your characters with gear that enhances the skele, but I have always preferred to control them on foot, so I never devoted my time to the art of mech pilots.
All fights take place with three AI control members. Each member has their own classes based on what our avatars have their choices, but they have clear art and skills. They are generally competent in their own right, but we can direct some strategies.
But in the end, there were so many numbers on the screen that I had to manage so much that I was focused on my build and wanted my peers to be cute for myself. After all, I am the hero of my story. Even if the game doesn’t accept that.
Exploring the giant planet Mira
There is a lot of exploration between fighting, leveling up and building customizations. And I mean a lot. This is definitely a critical feature Xenoblade Chronicles x I’ll proudly introduce it. There are no official indicators or direct comparisons, but the planet Mira is huge.
It’s clearly bigger than the game’s map Skyrim and GTA v It is said that The Legend of Zelda: The Kingdom’s Tears. All of this is a Wii U, so be careful. That’s one thing I swear, but you don’t believe it until you see it.
In addition to immeasurable, the entire Mira is explorable and has treasures to collect, enemies to fight, maps to surveys, and missions to complete.
The main goal of the blade is to install data probes around the MIRA to gather information about the surrounding area. As for gameplay, this means more markers that indicate what activities can be done in each map segment, whether you are facing a lost treasure, a new task, or a tyrant or an unusual empowerment monster.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition The markers are very generous. This will display all quests on the map, as well as untracked quests. This is a blessing, but it is also a curse. It is humanly impossible to create a beeline for the main mission while ignoring the markers on the minimap.
Here is the yellow dot, the mission purpose there, and suddenly, while you’re brave towards the horizon, you think, “One more treasure, what’s the harm?” Before I knew it, I was caught up in a vicious cycle of “another treasure”, stepping away from the purpose of my mission, stepping into unknown territory, and losing in the cave with my 30th level monster.
I firmly believe that Mira’s world was created primarily to recreate the true discovery experiences of pioneers on new planets, as well as gameplay gimmicks that offer a variety of items and treasures.
I have crossed swimming across the continent.
xenoblade x There are five regions each with their own biome, plants and fauna. It all feels so organic and natural that it was often explored just to admire the game and marvel at it, rather than having the motivation to find the next best weapon surrounded by enemy bases.
Unlocking Skells will expand your exploration. This is because you can not only transform into a fast, creepy vehicle, but you can also jump incredibly high and reach vertical terrain that you previously wouldn’t have access to.
It’s weird to think that a map has no invisible walls, except for some areas that are only accessible by flying squels. I have crossed swimming across the continent. It took me about 15 minutes, but it was possible. At least I activated a fast travel point and saved a good few minutes when the main story took me there.
But despite these adoration and appreciation for video games as art, I still need to consider the gameplay aspects of exploration. And, just like running a quest, this part is a bit shorter.
There are countless treasures to collect throughout the game, and most of them always reward you with money, experience, and sometimes one or two items. Cumulatively, if you actively hunt these treasures, these rewards can make a huge difference.
But it’s still frustrating to spend minutes exploring the caves, fighting tough enemies, cleaning up the remains of the alien, and just gaining experience and money again.
The problem is, if you dive in Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition We intend to explore new planets as new members of this surviving humanity, and we look forward to grandeur to assess what it offers and its ecological diversity. It’s easier to imagine this scenario as a JRPG set in the hypothetical future of humanity and take advantage of our expressionless character roles. It’s not that the government would choose me for an interstellar colonization adventure, but you know.
However, if you only explored in the game to find new equipment and advance your character, you may get bored of what quickly xenoblade x’s The world only offers major missions and needs to stick. And that’s fine. Apart from a few sections, the game doesn’t make you stronger to explore every corner of the massive planet Mira. Its breathtaking vastness is secured only for the most passionate explorers and those in many hands.
Vivid visuals and starry soundtrack
It’s old news that the Switch has outdated hardware compared to other consoles. But don’t underestimate the Monolith Soft high-tech wizard. I repeat myself, but the magic they pulled away from this seamless, huge open world, without giving up quality, without presenting bugs or any other issues, is impressive.
The definitive edition Makes the graphics clearer and more modern. It’s not as cutting edge as most AAA titles, but it’s more than enough to justify the game released in 2025.
The frame rate is locked at 30 fps, but it’s very smooth and fluid so it doesn’t bother you. I thought that flying with my skele as high as possible while looking down at the world would turn my switch on fire, but that wasn’t the case. Witchcraft works to run this in portable mode, but that’s true.
To combine visuals with exploration, we are always accompanied by the stellar soundtrack Banger After Banger. Composed by the award-winning Hiroyuki Sawano Attack on Titan and Solo Leveling Score, he didn’t restrain. xenoblade x It features many vocal songs that always kick in at the perfect moment. There are also praise for the audio direction.
I often find myself engaged in fighting tyrants to avoid defeating monsters, but I wanted to hear the subject.
The score is a mix of epic orchestral music, metal, electronic twists, and even rap sprinkles. Most importantly, it works and allows you to immerse yourself even further in everything in the universe Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition It had to keep me entertained and served.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is better than its classic version. Adding gameplay is welcome, streamlines the experience and allows you to invest your time in places that really matter, whether you explore or complete the most diverse missions. The new story content may be divisive, but for me it was the complete conclusion of the game and intrigued me as to what I would expect from the future of the Xeno series. My only warning is that our avatars are too excuses and their presence can be jarring with some story beats. Xenoblade Chronicles X may not be my favorite in the franchise, but it is definitely a must-see for JRPG fans.
