Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition Review

Xenoblade Chronicles is one of the finest JRPGS of all time and one of my personal favorites. It has an incredible story full of twists and turns, fantastic characters, an engaging and unique battle system not seen anywhere else, and an awe-inspiring world for you to explore. So, when Nintendo announced the game was getting a remaster for the Switch almost a year ago, you can bet millions of people were howling in excitement.

The story takes place on two massive titans called the Bionis and the Mechonis. The two are sworn enemies who fought with each other to the death a long time ago. You play as Shulk, a young mechanic dedicated to his research of a legendary blade called "The Monado." During the game, Shulk will encounter a variety of characters who will join him on his journey to defeat the Mechon(the residents of Mechonis) and uncover the truth of the Monado.

That is the most I can say about the story without going into significant spoilers, but believe me when I say it is completely bonkers and will blow you away.

The most noticeable difference between the original and the remaster is the graphics. The original game looked great when it first released for the Wii but unfortunately aged poorly over time. Monolith Soft, the developers of the game, have taken notes and gave the visuals a massive overhaul.

Environments are more vibrant and rich in color, making Xenoblade one of the best games on the Switch visually. The character's facial features have been significantly enhanced and now look better than ever. This is most prominent in cutscenes as characters now show more emotions that correctly match their dialogue. In the original, aside from the essential cutscenes, the characters always had blank expressions on their faces when speaking. Even if their voices sounded angry, happy, sad, etc. it was never conveyed adequately.

Photo Credit: Twisted Voxel.com

(The difference between the graphics of the original and Definitive Edition. OG is on the right and DE is on the left)

Xenoblade's soundtrack has also been remastered in the Definitive Edition, now boasting fully orchestrated music. I always loved listening to Xenoblade's music, so hearing all of my favorite tracks with live instruments galvanized me in my first playthrough. Players also have the option to change to the original soundtrack if they choose; however, I stuck with the arrangements since I preferred them more.

Aside from the graphics and soundtrack, Definitive Edition has also made some tweaks and refinements to the gameplay. For starters, side quests are much more manageable and more straightforward to complete. When you accept a quest, a blue tracker will appear on the minimap showing you where to go to complete the quest.

As for quests where you need to collect a specific number of items, those will now be marked with a blue checkmark so you can easily find them. I can't tell you how happy I was when I discovered this. One of my main complaints with the original was how side quests were so much of a chore to complete.

Before, sidequests were so tedious to finish because the game never gave you any directions to find the items you needed or the places you had to visit to complete them. The item quests were especially the worst since some only spawn in certain conditions such as the time of day, a particular location, or specific weather. Even when you fullied those conditions or visited those locations, the item you need would sometimes still not appear, so you had to keep resetting the game repeatedly until it does taking so much of your time away in the long run.

Thankfully that is no longer the case, and now quests that sometimes used to take me about an hour to finish now only take a few minutes.

Some of the other changes Definitive Edition has are the following:

• You can now freely change the appearance of your weapons and clothes without having to equip specific gear.

• A theater mode where you can watch all of the game's cutscenes is unlockable.

• A new challenge mode is available to play. Here, you complete a variety of challenges that can net you valuable items and gear if you can beat them successfully.

The biggest and newest thing implemented into Definitive Edition is an epilogue story called "Future Connected." The story takes place a year after the events of the main game. You play as Melia and Shulk as they journey to the Bionis Shoulder to retake the imperial city of Alcamoth, Melia's home.

The gameplay is still the same from the main game; however, some features are different. I can't go into too much detail as that will spoil some parts of the story, but I found Future Connected a delightful experience even though I expected a little more from it. It isn't too long of an adventure as it only took around 30 hours to beat. Nonetheless, I'm thankful that Monolith Soft gave Melia's story some closure as she is one of my favorite characters from the game.

Xenoblade Chronicles was such a blast to revisit. From its charming characters and beautiful music to its engaging narrative and fun gameplay, Xenoblade is truly a game that is one of its kind. Definitive Edtion only solidifies that even further with all of the many enhancements and quality of life changes.

If you have any interest in playing it then I can not recommend it enough. Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition is a marvelous game that everyone owes themselves to experience.

My Rating: 10/10