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The critically acclaimed Wii JRPG Xenoblade Chronicles makes its way onto Nintendo Switch in this fully-fledged remaster, providing the same masterful experience that is still a marvel after nearly a decade, while including brilliant new quality-of-life improvements and worthwhile exclusive content.
A Quest For Revenge
Xenoblade Chronicles has an initially straightforward narrative that manages to hook you throughout this gigantic game. A war is going on between the inhabitants of the two fallen titans, the Bionis and the Mechonis (home of the man-eating machines called Mechon). The game centres around the main character, Shulk, a weapons researcher who is miraculously able to wield the Monado, a mystical sword enabling him to see visions of the future. After his home, Colony 9 is invaded by Mechon, he and his stoic best friend, Reyn, go on a quest to pay those metal monsters back!
The whole story is a heartfelt and engaging adventure, yet it’s also very thought-provoking with its mature themes, all the while twisting and turning in its rollercoaster plot line. Plus, there’s so many interesting and lovable characters brought to life by top-notch British voice acting. Shulk is already a compelling protagonist, but the rest of the main party—like the brave Hero of the Homs, Dunban, and the Legendary Heropon, Riki—are equally memorable characters, with their own unique personalities, strengths, weaknesses, growth, motivations, and dreams.
Although the original Wii version’s graphics looked dated (even for its time), it still had visually memorable and stunning landscapes like the Bionis’ Leg, Maktha Wildwood, and Satorl Marsh (especially at night). However, the Definitive Edition’s HD visuals make the worlds of Bionis and Mechonis feel so much more alive, enhancing the landscape textures and allowing the characters to be far more expressive through their brand-new models.
Time To Fight!
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition retains the original version’s unique battle system. In simple terms, the combat allows up to three party members (though you can only control one), who attack enemies automatically and by using stronger rechargeable attacks called “Arts”. However, things get more satisfying with the combo system (Break > Topple > Daze) that brings enemies down and leaves them more open to attack. There’s also a party gauge that fills up to three blocks; you can use one block to revive fallen party members, but you can use three blocks to perform a “Chain Attack”, where party members can take turns and cause serious damage.
Each party member is distinct from one other with their own unique attributes and special “Talent Arts” and utilising them well leads to some handy battle tactics. For example, Reyn can distract enemies with his Taunt Talent Art, giving Shulk the chance to attack from behind using Back Slash or Monado Buster.
What makes this game further stand out from other JRPGs is the gameplay implementation of Shulk’s visions. These visions show your friends being fatally wounded by an enemy’s powerful Talent Art, so it’s up to your abilities and Shulk’s Monado Arts to do whatever it takes to change the future! Another stand out feature is the “Tension” Mechanic, a measure of a character’s morale which changes a character’s accuracy and overall performance depending on whether their tension is high or low. This can be increased by attacking or using Burst Affinity QTEs.
There are also tons of customisation options in this game, which makes the game far more accessible. From equipping armour and weapons with different stats and designs (which also appear during cutscenes) to equipping gems with increased status effects or choosing a character’s skill tree, there’s enough variety for you to experiment and figure out what works best for you.
One very minor issue is that the AI of the other party members can be a bit janky and make combos hard to pull off sometimes, but those issues are very rare and far from ruin combat situations. While most of the bosses are memorable and contribute to the story expertly, there are a couple of them I won’t spoil that are flat out unfair unless you’re over-levelled.
A World Of Two Great Titans
The story progression may be linear, but the world of Xenoblade Chronicles is incredibly vast, and there’s so much to do in these titan-sized landscapes (figuratively AND literally). Exploring the world and discovering its landmarks is one thing, but you can also mine for ether crystals (which can be crafted into Gems using an Ether Furnace), collect gold from chests, and if you want a real challenge, you can even fight the many souped-up “Unique Monsters” in the hopes of taking them down (or you can just run for your life).
Heart to Heart Conversations can be accessed if two party members have strong enough affinity, which can be strengthened by exchanging gifts or using Chain Attacks and Burst Affinity during battles. They all feature charming banter between our main characters and further flesh them out. Additionally, dialogue options can either strengthen or weaken your affinity depending on which ones you pick.
As is the norm for JRPGs, you can do hundreds of Side Quests. Sure, they usually consist of fetch quests and monster battles, but they still do a great job of expanding the game’s world. Completing these quests gives you more gold and EXP, and expands your Affinity Chart so you can watch your community grow! Also, mutually exclusive quests where the outcome is seen through Shulk’s visions are a unique subversion, and it’s up to you to make the preferred future come true. The world also has tons of collectables you can submit to your “Collectopedia”, as well as trade for potentially rarer items and accessories.
As a bonus, the game even has an achievement system, so that along with everything else mentioned is more than enough engaging content to keep you coming back for more, even after beating the main story!
Future Connected
The main selling point of the remaster is Future Connected. In this epilogue, Shulk and Melia (along with two Nopon children, Kino and Nene) go on an adventure to the Bionis Shoulder and take on a brand-new world-scale threat. I highly recommend you finish the main game’s story first if you don’t want to be spoiled, but Future Connected is a solid story extension that wraps up this game beautifully.
Another new addition is the optional Arena Mode, which is inspired by DLC from Xenoblade Chronicles 2. You are put into different battle challenges where you defeat waves of monsters, and upon beating these, you get rewards depending on your time. Some challenges have pre-determined rules such as being locked to a certain character, and some of these challenges are brutal, especially when going for an S-Rank.
Are you struggling with a certain boss or feel like you’re too overpowered? Well, with the addition of Expert Mode, you can change the levels of your party members to whatever you like. If you have some spare EXP points, you can have a high level to breeze through the story or have a low level to make battles riskier but more rewarding.
The original version already had an amazing soundtrack that enhanced its battles and story events. This remaster has every piece of area and battle music completely rearranged, and they are somehow even better! If you really miss the old version of tracks like “You Will Know Our Names”, however, you can switch to the original soundtrack in the settings!
Verdict
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition’s amazing story, unique combat mechanics, and plethora of side content and new additions all make for many hours of memorable adventures! Whether you’re obsessed with JRPGS or a newcomer to the genre or this incredible series, pick up this excellent remaster of the one that started it all! You’ll know you’re really feeling it!
