There is a new contender for the title of "Best Action RPG" on the Nintendo Switch, as Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition improves upon almost every aspect of one of the greatest games on the Nintendo Wii.
Humble Beginnings
The original Xenoblade Chronicles was released for the Nintendo Wii in 2010, where it quickly gained acclaim for its massive open-world environments and exciting MMO-style combat. The game received mainstream attention when the main character Shulk was added to Super Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U, which was followed by a port on the New Nintendo 3DS called Xenoblade Chronicles 3D. The Switch version of the game marks the tenth anniversary of the release of the original game and it does so with a shiny new coat of HD paint.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition tells the story of a war between two races; the homs and the mechon. There exists a powerful sword that can harm the mechon, known as the Monado, but it takes a terrible toll on whoever uses it. The main character is a boy named Shulk, who must try and master the Monado in order to save his entire race from extinction at the hands of evil machines. The story of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition might not win any awards for originality, but it's pulled off by an excellent voice cast, so long as you can handle your games being incredibly British (we're talking Dragon Quest levels of cockney here).
Combat & Visuals Hit Hard
The battle system in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is reminiscent of a single-player MMO, with more movement and interaction on the part of the player. When battle begins, each character will auto-attack when near the enemy, but they also have access to a selection of special attacks with cooldowns. These special attacks have the ability to grant buffs to allies and debuffs to enemies, which are often necessary for turning the tide of battle. The more powerful debuffs require several special moves to be used in order by the entire party. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition doesn't let the player switch characters mid-battle in the way that Final Fantasy VII Remake does, but there is a group command that can be used called the Chain Attack, which is tied to a meter and allows the player to select everyone's command in succession. The combat system starts out slow, with the player needing to grind using only the first few special attacks available to them, but once the characters start unlocking special abilities and more tactics become available, then everything starts to click. The combat system is one of the highlights of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition and the excitement of battle only ramps up the further the player goes through the game.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition has made the jump to HD and its visuals are on par with Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It's by no means the prettiest game on the Nintendo Switch, but it's still a visual treat and is far easier on the eyes than trying to play the Wii version on a large TV or through an emulator. The soundtrack has also been overhauled, though the player can choose to listen to the original songs if they wish. A number of much-needed QoL improvements have been added to the game, including an auto-run command, icons that let the player know if their special attacks will connect, and indicators to tell players where to go when completing sidequests. All of these combined make Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition a much smoother experience and it vastly improves the gameplay over the original. Another major improvement is the ability to change the appearance of the character's gear without switching the gear itself, so the player can avoid their party looking like a bunch of clowns in the name of higher stats.
Some Swings And (Backslash) Misses
This isn't to say that Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is a flawless experience. The battle shouts are as annoying as ever ("Backslash!") and the player's only option ("I'm really feeling it") is to lower the character's voices ("Now it's Reyn's time") in the option's menu ("Backslash!). These quotes might have reached memetic status, but you'll want to drown Shulk in a well after his ten-thousandth "Backslash!" The massive dungeons and overworld areas of the original game are also back in full force, and while they are certainly a sight to behold, they can also be tedious to navigate at times, especially when completing sidequests. The sidequests are similar to those of an MMO, where the player is generally expected to kill X amount of monsters for a reward. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is one game where the player shouldn't concern themselves with completing all of the sidequests, as it's the easiest way to become bored with the experience.
The quality of life improvements are all good, but what about returning players who have already sunk almost a hundred hours into the original version of the game? Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition comes with an entire new post-game section of the story called Future Connected that can be played from the main menu without needing to finish the story again, which continues from the ending and adds new elements to the combat system. We won't say much about the story of Future Connected (for spoiler reasons) but players can expect an additional 10-20 hours of gameplay to be added on to the already lengthy Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition experience and it's well worth checking out for fans of the original game.
I'm Really Feeling It
The gamers who missed out on a chance to play Xenoblade Chronicles in the past owe it to themselves to try out Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, which is one of the best action RPGs on the Nintendo Switch. The game has a few niggling design flaws that will annoy people who love jumping straight into the action, but Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition makes up for its slower moments with an engaging combat system and a huge world that begs to be explored.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is available now for Nintendo Switch. The Gamer purchased a physical copy of the game for the purposes of this review.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition