It's difficult to contextualize the complicated history that ended up with a Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition review getting published in 2020. First released in 2010, Xenoblade Chronicles was a smash hit in Japan that was heralded as a breakthrough innovation for the JRPG genre - and then took a year to release in PAL format and another year after that to arrive in North America. Unsurprisingly, momentum for the game slowed by the time it arrived in the west and its complicated launch made it one of the unknown greats of its time.

Now, ten years after its initial release, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition comes to Nintendo Switch and brings with it an overhaul of the original's now-dated graphics. The title goes well beyond that description though, providing fans with new content, additional features, and a preservation of the series' appealing storytelling. The end result is that Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is a natural fit for Nintendo Switch and an even more suitable entry into that device's enticing JRPG library.

First, the story of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is actually more compelling the second time around thanks to the series' evolution in lieu of its first iteration. Fans of the series who have played other titles under the Xenoblade Chronicles will find themselves picking up on hints that they might have missed - or didn't have more information on - in 2010, while those new to the series will find the charming characters and sprawling plot just as palatable as more modern offerings. While the world-building is a step down from later entries like Xenoblade Chronicles 2, it's still more of a strength than a weakness, with environments that hold many different secrets and feel a lot like an MMO.


A massive chunk of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition actually plays like Final Fantasy XIV or World of Warcraft in the sense that many quests are grouped together for completion in a satisfying way. Quests also complete upon meeting their criteria, so players don't need to track down who gave it to them - an especially great feature that feels like it should've become an industry standard in games as big as Xenoblade Chronicles. Party composition is reminiscent of online group complexion too, with real-time inputs and roles laid out for each character.

The most daunting element of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is still its combat even ten years on, and it hasn't gotten less complex in its time away from the scene. There's a lot to wrap players' heads around when it comes to different status inflictions, party positioning in real-time, and equipment upgrades, but they all come with a satisfying sense of accomplishment once the pieces fall into place and they're more fully understood. To its credit, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition has made concessions to the fact that its combat system remains a difficult beast to master a decade later, with the implementation of casual mode a godsend for those who might otherwise feel overwhelmed by the micromanagement. On the opposite end of the spectrum, hardcore fans will be overjoyed to know there's a level adjustment system in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition that can shrink down a character's experience and minimize their level, creating more challenging encounters.

There's a lot of content to navigate in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, too, and it's not a game for the faint of heart - the playthrough time is lengthy and even powering through will take a substantial amount of time from players. That's before factoring in the entirely new Xenoblade Chronicles epilogue that's include in the game, which will conservatively take about another fifteen hours to complete at a fast clip. While it's definitely a lot to push through, it never feels like a slog, which is a testament to the quality of both the original game and what's been added so many years later. Those who want to cut right to the new content will have that option, too, as the Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition Future Connected epilogue is playable right from the beginning without a need to clear the base game.


Quality is the first thing that comes to mind when viewing the game's opening cutscene as well. The graphics overhaul has been noted in previews as an impressive job, and that's seen throughout the game. Character models look a lot more like present-day JRPG style than not, an the world itself, while appearing a little more dated than the characters, still impresses. The sheer scale and the gorgeous depiction of a conceptually breath-taking environment still allures and begs to be explored.

If there's one complaint to be had regarding Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, though, it's that the aforementioned combat can be difficult to parse and, even at the best of times, hasn't aged as well as fans might have hoped. There's some clunkiness present in the way players engage with the world around them, from initiating combat to positioning, and while they're never qualities that turn a positive experience into a negative one, they're distracting at times. Given that Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is a remaster rather than a remake, a full-on change in the battle system wouldn't be possible and shouldn't be expected - it's more that it's just showing its age a little, as decade-old mechanics often do.

Is that enough to hinder an otherwise great remaster? Absolutely not. While Xenoblade Chronicles wasn't perfect and neither is Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, they are two versions of one great JRPG. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition lives up to its billing as the de facto best way to experience one of the most criminally underplayed titles of the last decade. With a slew of subtle ease-of-life additions and content that will keep fans hungry for even more, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition proves that the great ones always find a way to stand up to the test of time.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is available on Nintendo Switch on May 29, 2020.