Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition - Switch Review

One of the things I love most about the Nintendo Switch is its hybrid nature; I know that may sound like an obvious statement, but playing a game like Xenoblade Chronicles X tied to your couch (or 480p Wii U Game Pad within six feet of the console) was simply cumbersome at the best of times. The Nintendo Switch’s convenient portability breathes new life into 100+ hour behemoths like this one, which is why I’ve finally decided to complete the Xenoblade Chronicles series with Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition.

Going into this review, I published a pre-review covering the first 40 hours, but now that I’ve finished the main game and the additional content added on to the end of the main game exclusive to this definitive edition, I feel confident in putting together my final thoughts. Some of my thoughts have changed, and some have remained the same.

The Good

Crash landing onto the planet Mira provides the challenges that one would expect: hostile indigens, scrounging for resources, venturing out into the unknown and fighting for survival. Xenoblade Chronicles X encapsulates this wonderfully, allowing the player to discover the wonders that were around every corner organically. The planet is massive and there’s nothing that exemplifies this more than running past a behemoth of an indigen, putting into perspective just how insignificant the human race is in the universe. 

An initial gripe players might have is not being able to get to certain areas, but once you unlock your skell licence approximately 40 hours in and then obtain your flight licence approximately 60 hours in, the planet of Mira becomes your oyster. You’re able to access nooks and crannies in the most hard-to-reach places, and this opens up the game in new ways that simply feel spectacular.

If you’re the type of player who truly loves to encapsulate themselves in a 150+ hour world, complete with lore, tasks and relationships, then Xenoblade Chronicles X will certainly have you covered. There is so much to do in this absolutely massive RPG, from the main story to taking on side quests, engaging with the locals and taking on affinity missions to get to know more about your 22 party members that can be easily swapped in and out. You’ll always have something to do and the pace is wonderful if you don’t rush headfirst into the story mission and take your time to indulge in all the game has to offer.

I had probably played about 40 hours of Xenoblade Chronicles X back on Wii U before I put it down for one reason or another, and that was back in 2015. So when I began playing the Definitive Edition on my Switch, it all felt quite familiar. It was only for the purpose of this review that I looked up footage of the original that I realised how far along this game has come. The UI is so much cleaner, the character models are clean (albeit a little mannequin-esque) and it didn’t throw nearly as much info in your face at once (it still does, just not as much). Couple this with your reserve party members who aren’t in your active party still receiving experience points, meaning you don’t need to spend literally dozens of hours grinding, and it makes for a far more enjoyable and streamlined title.

The additional content that takes place after the main game answers quite a few questions from a cliffhanger that left fans clamouring for more. It brings in new characters surprisingly well and is truly epic in scale. It all culminates nicely, with plenty of twists and turns, while calling back to plenty of what happens in the base game. I’m trying not to spoil much, but as the credits roll on the base game, if you’re tempted to call it there or take a break, I’d highly urge against it.

TL;DR

• Mira is HUGE!
• So much to do
• Subtle yet satisfying quality of life upgrades
• New story content is a delicious cherry on top

The Bad

I recently praised Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition on just how much content the game packs, but this can also be its downfall. The series is known for featuring an abundance of content, and while the affinity missions help to provide personality and context to the world, I’d estimate approximately half of its content is riddled with fetch quests and the dreaded “kill 5 [monsters]” quests. Many of these fetch quests can be optional, but it puts a damper on it and can grind the momentum to a halt quickly. It turns an expansive world into a slow and repetitive grind that, quite frankly, I just don’t have the time for anymore.

This one is a personal qualm, but I’m very much a learn-by-doing type of player. The first five hours will bombard you with dozens of text boxes explaining systems that feel needlessly complicated, and if you’re anything like me, a lot of it won’t stick, resulting in you aimlessly wandering around to perform a task that should be far less complicated. I originally wasn’t going to add this, as after you get through the first slog, the long, manual-like tutorials tend to slow down, but when I had just received my skell and was forced to sift through so many more text boxes when all I wanted to do was to finally go out and play with my new shiny toy, it all just felt very anticlimactic.

While some of the characters have their quirky personalities and are expanded on well during affinity missions, many do turn out to be quite bland and one-dimensional. Lin’s jokes about Tatsu looking like a potato (or an onion, or a turnip) and be used as an ingredient in her next dish, followed by Tatsu’s exaggerated shock reactions every single time was funny at first, but it gets old very quickly, resulting in nothing more than sharp exhales through the nostrils a mere 15 hours in.

I stand by my positive thoughts on the additional story content, but it’s certainly not without its foibles. Unfortunately, some of the original cast members weren’t able to return to record new lines; the most jarring is Commander Vandham, whose new voice actor is not bad by any means, but it’s certainly different, and this is more jarring due to the importance of his role. Additionally, some of the voice line deliveries feel very flat and emotionless, with some cheesy deliveries.

TL;DR

• So much to do
• Information overload
• Repetitive, one-dimensional characters
• Flat voice work in new expansion story content

Final Score: 8/10

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is such a wonderful swansong for what may well become the best-selling console of all time. It reaffirmed just how convenient the Switch’s design is in its hybrid nature, highlighting aspects like portability and being able to quickly pop your console into sleep mode and pick it back up whenever and wherever—something we likely take for granted today.

The developers at Monolith Soft have come such a long way since they first released Xenoblade Chronicles X on Wii U 10 years ago, and it shows. Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and both their respective story-based DLCs show that they’ve certainly put a lot of time and thought into how they explain mechanics, themes and UI elements while being able to learn from the very best over at Nintendo.

Thank you for checking out our Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Switch review, thank you to Nintendo AU/NZ for providing the review code and thank you to our Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:

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