Game review 27 May 2020, 15:00

author: Przemyslaw Zamecki

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition Review – Epic Adventure, Good Remaster!

Xenoblade Chronicles is a cult-classic jRPG. The original definitely stood out with a fantastic storyline and great characters. The remaster can be ambiguous at times, but overall proves a fantastic return with a few awesome ideas.

The review is based on the Switch version.

It would be an exaggeration to write that Xenoblade Chronicles was for Nintendo Wii what Final Fantasy VII was for the first PlayStation. But not a big exaggeration. Monolith Software entered a symbiosis with the Kyoto-based company, developing a total of four titles associated with its strongest franchise over the years. We've barely had quite a successful release of Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden Country, and we're already getting a remastered version of the original – the Definitive Edition. A remarkable treat not only for those who missed out on the game on Wii, but also for fans of the original – thanks to minor improvements and the addition of an entirely new episode. In fact, this is a game that everyone even remotely interested in jRPG should play. It's a great game and an equally good remaster.

Epic drama

Writing about the plot of the nine-year-old game makes little sense, but if you were new here and had no idea what the story is about, I would add only that, as usual, it's about saving the world. But not only that. It's a story of a boy and a powerful sword Monado; about friendship and, above all, hope. It's a story full of twists and turns, it's quite convoluted, and, at times, very impressive. Bearing in mind this game is nine years old. Xenoblade Chronicles is an epic drama that will change your perception of other jRPGs. Feel the hype? Well, let's cool things down.

Visually average

I missed the original Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii, but apart from that, I played all these games on Wii U and Switch. And while character models are ok, and they're what you'd expect from a modern game without seeming out-of-place, but the environments remain virtually unchanged. They look almost identical to the original. Perhaps this was due to problems with the fluidity of the animation, it's hard to tell, but it's worth bearing in mind the initial problems encountered by Xenoblade 2. As a result, the fresh remaster is visually underwhelming, inferior to the second entry in the series, which was created almost at the very beginning of Switch.

Of course, the graphics aren't terrible, not something that would put you off. It's perfectly fine, but there's no fireworks. We have to settle for up-scaled resolution. It looks decent enough, but the choice of font is rather questionable – someone wearing glasses (like me) can have a hard time discerning the text. On TV, on the other hand, the image was slightly fuzzy due to too low resolution. But once we get hooked on the stories, those shortcomings cease to exist, and the next few hours stand no chance.

Archaisms

Xenoblade offers a fantastic main story, but becomes completely clueless in side-quests. It's a product of its times, the heyday of World of Warcraft and other MMORPGs, which had players hunt down X amount of given creatures. The game from monolith follows the same path, with very few exceptions. They're optional, but it's worthwhile to complete them, as this will allow to develop the team, at the same time getting some other rewards like cash and additional XP. Nevertheless, this remains the greatest anachronism of the game. What are the others? Three save game slots, for examples, plus one for auto saves. It doesn't ruin the experience, but it is a constraint. A clever solution allows us to watch all the cut-scenes from the main menu, which can help you recall what's going on if you return to the game after a longer break.

Honey, and minor improvements

That's about it when it comes to my problems with this game – the rest of the article will be more optimistic. I fell in love with the game. I fell in love with the plot, the character, the atmosphere, the fighting mechanics, and the character development system.

Of course, none of these elements have changed in the remaster, and they look exactly the same now as they did years ago. The developers made good several improvements to user interface, making it more legible.

Counting seven characters, the squad is quite big, but the "shore party" is only two characters plus the protagonist, who wears the most powerful weapon in the game. The first tactical decision we have to make is selecting the appropriate composition based on the challenge. The characters differ in their fighting style and skills – Sharla is a sharpshooter, Reyn is a typical tank, Melia wields magic and can aid the group with powerful spells. In addition, some characters may be unavailable on some stages.

Some companions will join along the way, and new combat techniques keep appearing until as late as thirty hours into the game. By the way, I should also mention that Xenoblade is thick with tutorials from the beginning, which may discourage some players. Learning the ins and outs of combat requires considerable effort, but it pays off later on, when the mechanics become really engrossing.

Minor improvements were made in terms of combat itself. In the Xenoblade series, you don't have to push buttons on the pad every time you attack, because it uses an auto-attack system. Each character throws attacks on their own, and we just move them around the battlefield, trying to find a position that will inflict as much damage as possible. In the original, however, you had to follow the situation on the battlefield really closely to take advantage of special attacks effectively. Which was not easy, since lot was going on the screen, and accurately locating the position relative to the opponent took some precision. Some attacks, for example, depended on engaging the enemy from the side or from the back. This has been improved in the remaster, and now we're aided by special markers appearing on the abilities icons, indicating the right moment to attack. A small change, but it really improves accessibility.

Improvement were also made to the system indicating the direction to the active quest. Instead of an arrow at the top of the screen, we now have an actual GPS route on the minimap. It can save a load of time. The developers also made the affinity system clearer, which is about the correlation between our hero, the team members, and the dozens of NPCs inhabiting the game world.

Xenoblade Chronicles had a great soundtrack, and it comes in a remastered form. The themes remained the same, but the arrangements were enriched and I think they sound better now, even more epic. And that's nice, because it's a game of epic proportions.

The verdict

Monolith Software's monumental work remained intact. Furthermore, the remaster added additional content in the form of a bonus story entitled Future Connected, focused on Shulk, Melia, and a group of new companions. The new story takes place a year after the end of the main plot thread, culminating in a nice few hours of further thrill, but with a slightly altered combat system that lacked, for example, chain team attacks. Perhaps its plot isn't as engaging as the main storyline, but it's still a very solid portion of fun. What's more, it can run entirely separately, without the need to finish the main story, which veterans will perhaps appreciate.

Xenoblade Chronicles is a uniquely outstanding game, worthy of interest of not only jRPG fans. With a remaster on Nintendo Switch, it has a great chance of not disappearing into the oblivion and entering the hearts of a broader audience. If you haven't had a chance to play it yet, you are truly among the lucky ones who may soon have a great time. I already envy you.