Xenoblade Chronicles came to the Nintendo Wii in 2010 (and the North American Wii in 2012), presenting a massive JRPG world that really pushed the humble motion-controlled system’s capabilities. It was re-released on the Nintendo 3DS as Xenoblade Chronicles 3D in 2015 and felt like even more of a technical feat then. Now, three years after its surprise sequel, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, was launched on the Nintendo Switch, the original Xenoblade Chronicles is getting another port, as Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition ($59.99). It runs at a higher resolution than the Wii or 3DS could handle, and features a generous extra campaign that takes place after the main story. Unfortunately, the aging RPG now looks and feels a bit dated, especially after Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s release.
Xenoblade Chronicles Basics
Xenoblade Chronicles’ core game on the Switch is identical to the 3DS and Wii games in terms of story, gameplay, and a good chunk of the graphics (besides the higher resolution). This is the same JRPG Nintendo has published twice before, and it largely holds up. In a world where two continent-sized giant creatures stand locked in place after a giant battle, a tinkerer named Shulk takes control of the Monado, a powerful sword that can change the flow of fate. If you’ve played Xenoblade Chronicles in any form before, you’ve already seen the story. If you haven’t, it’s a big, compelling adventure filled with anime-inspired style and tropes.
Xenoblade Chronicles’ various zones are massive, sprawling areas similar in scale to MMO zones. Simply pushing through the main plot will only show you half of the game’s world. There are countless paths and uncharted areas you’ll only come across if you pursue side quests and simply explore by yourself, ignoring the yellow dotted line on the mini-map pointing you towards the next story objective.
Decade-Old Graphics
While this is Xenoblade Chronicles’ definitive version, the game isn’t a full overhaul of a remake. The graphics are tweaked and improved a bit from the Wii and 3DS versions, specifically with main character models and some textures and lighting effects. However, many textures aren’t changed, and while the higher resolution makes the game markedly sharper, there are some clearly visible lines where the ten-year-old graphics come through. Compared with Xenoblade Chronicles 2‘s graphics, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition’s textures are often pixelated, and characters and environments look generally simpler, as any game from two console generations ago might. The game looks good, and the grand scope of the zones is intact, but it feels a bit outdated.
Plenty to Do
As you play through the game and explore the world, you’ll find countless monsters to fight, items to collect, and side quests to complete. Potential enemies are helpfully labeled with aggressiveness icons; eyes mean a monster will attack if it sees you, sound lines mean it will attack if it hears you, and a burst icon means it will attack if you use magical ether powers near it (and if the cursor is blank, the creature will only defend itself if you attack it). Ordinary enemies are regularly broken up with uniquely named enemies that are more challenging and give better loot.
Collectibles appear as floating blue wisps scattered throughout the map (and the very rare floating red wisps indicating important quest items), along with additional loot in chests that …….
Source: https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/xenoblade-chronicles-definitive-edition-for-nintendo-switch