Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Review
Summary: Xenoblade Chronicles might be on its third port, but it's finally reached its maximum potential.
5
Crème de la Chronciles
Even if you aren’t a particularly big fan of JRPGs, you’re probably aware that the Xenoblade series is something of a genre darling. Constantly praised for its twist-heavy storytelling, lore-rich world-building and exceptional combat, there’s a reason why the series is one of modern-day Nintendo’s most celebrated franchises. And yet, if you have even a passing interest in role‑playing games, chances are you’ve already played Xenoblade Chronicles to death. So who exactly is this latest iteration for?
Surprisingly, there’s more than enough here to tempt even the most dedicated Xenoblade completionist, as, despite this being the game’s third port in almost sixteen years, calling this version a ‘Definitive Edition’ has never felt so appropriate. If, however, this is your first foray into the Xenoblade universe, then there’s no better place to start.
Chronicles follows Shulk who, armed with the temperamental but mighty Monado, sets out to uncover the truth behind the Mechon, a mechanical, seemingly unstoppable force threatening the people of Bionis. That’s a heavily abridged summary, of course, but to reveal more about Chronicles’ storyline would be a disservice to what makes this such a captivating experience. After all, very few games of any genre deliver such a well-crafted storyline with so many genuinely surprising twists and emotional turns.
And don’t let the JRPG label turn you off. If anything, Chronicles feels more like a solo MMORPG than anything else. The game is packed with side quests — over 400, in fact — including a slightly alarming number of fetch quests. It comes with the territory for a game so clearly inspired by online RPGs, but Chronicles is simply so enjoyable to explore that these quests rarely feel like busywork. Across the sixty or so hours you’ll likely spend on a leisurely playthrough of the game’s main story, it’s easy to get lost in its intricate systems and story beats, and thankfully, boredom is a rarity; there’s always something nudging you forward.
What truly cements its MMORPG-like identity more than anything else, though, is its incredibly in-depth and rewarding battle system. While auto-battling makes up the backbone of enemy encounters, you’ll constantly juggle cooldown-based Arts, party positioning, enemy statuses and combos to maximise your damage. In fact, you’ll spend more time than you expect meticulously planning scenarios — from choosing which Arts to chain to preparing the right equipment for upcoming encounters. It’s far from hands‑off. It’s a combat system that moves with a sense of rhythm and urgency that’s all in all, endlessly satisfying.
But you know all of this already, right? So what’s actually different in the Switch 2 Edition?
The biggest upgrade is performance. Particularly when docked, the likes of the sprawling Satorl marshes and the ever-beautiful Frontier Village have never looked as good as they do in crisp 4K. Foliage is denser, character models have improved facial animation, there’s overall better texture detail, and lighting clarity is much sharper. Perhaps most importantly, though, the framerate is vastly improved, hitting a relatively steady 60fps. It’s not flawless, and handheld mode still sees occasional dips, but Xenoblade Chronicles has never performed better. It’s overall incredibly stable and pretty nippy, with much faster loading times when fast-travelling and the few rare blips I experienced being few and far between. The Switch 2’s technical foundations finally let Chronicles sit comfortably alongside modern RPGs, just as it should.
Performance isn’t the only area that’s been refreshed, though — Monolith Soft has also added a handful of meaningful new features. As well as overhauled and, importantly, fully voice-acted Heart-to-Heart cutscenes, there’s the addition of Ether Jets, a new traversal tool that makes travelling Chronicles’ sprawling open-world a breeze. There are no restrictions to using these Jets, and as soon as they’re unlocked, you can quickly zoom around to your heart’s content. It’s perhaps my favourite addition to this version of Chronicles, too – it’s no secret that Xenoblade is something of an overwhelmingly large game, so anything that makes things just that little more manageable is a welcome gift.
You can also put your Jets through their paces through a racing minigame, and while it’s shallow stuff, it’s still fun in short bursts. That said, this is where all-too-familiar framerate drops are still quite noticeable, and as much of an improvement as the Switch 2 is, it still occasionally struggles when faced with particularly intense and fast-paced scenes.
It’s worth noting that the Switch 2 edition builds on what was already the best version of Xenoblade to date. If you’re coming from an older release — perhaps even the original Wii version — this is Chronicles with its most intuitive UI, its sharpest visuals, its best character models, and its iconic soundtrack sounding more breathtaking than ever.
But let’s cut to the chase – is the first Xenoblade the best game in the series? No. Does the Switch 2 edition iron out the flaws that come with porting a nearly two‑decade‑old game? Again, not completely, but this is still the best way to experience one of the most important games of the last twenty years. Whether it’s your first step into the Xenoblade series or you’re a long-time fan, Chronicles’ Switch 2 edition is easily the defining version of a true Nintendo classic.
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