Xenoblade Chronicles is an RPG still highly regarded today as one of the best in the last two decades, let alone all time. Released in 2011 for the Nintendo Wii, Xenoblade has gone through a long journey to get where it is today. The game did not release in the West at launch, which resulted in a massive fan campaign dubbed Operation Rainfall driven by fans who wanted to see a localized release. Eventually, Xenoblade Chronicles released in North America in 2012, and the rest is history.
The announcement of Switch 2 Editions for all three numbered Xenoblade Chronicles games felt like a dream come true in many ways. I’ve personally been waiting since the reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2 to experience this trilogy at a higher resolution. Despite possible updates not looking likely after Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition this year, Monolith Soft delivered updates to all games, not just one. Unfortunately, I walked into this announcement with apprehension following the XCXDE Switch 2 Edition that was riddled with visual issues.
What exactly lies ahead with the fourth official release of Xenoblade Chronicles? After spending some time over the last month with Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, it’s safe to say that while the game itself has never looked better, some frame rate issues prevent this from reaching the heights it should on the Switch 2.
A Timeless Battle
Xenoblade Chronicles follows Shulk after his hometown of Colony 9 is attacked by Mechon. The world is split between two giant creatures called Titans, with Shulk and his friends born on the Bionis, while the Mechonis is home to the attacking Mechon. Originally locked in a timeless battle, the Bionis and Mechonis now sit lifeless, locked together with the sword of the Mechonis stuck in the side of the Bionis. You’ll explore these Titans from top to bottom, as the game focuses heavily on scale. Areas like Gaur Plains act as the Bionis’ legs, whereas Eryth Sea sits near the head. The same goes for the Mechonis, as you’ll explore areas like Fallen Arm, the left arm of the Mechonis that was cut off and dropped to the ocean eons ago. I adore the world and its scale, as exploration is so much fun here. The sense of discovery you get is hard to beat, as the open zone areas truly make it feel as if you’re traversing across sleeping giants.
The narrative of Xenoblade Chronicles is one of the biggest reasons so many hold it in such high regard. This is a gripping story that will pull you in immediately. Most of the party members are interesting, and the game does a good job of exploring their motivations, wishes, and determination to fight for the future. Beyond Shulk, I’ve always really enjoyed Melia Antiqua’s character arc, as well as Dunban’s flashy combat sequences. It’s so hard to get bored or uninterested besides one or two small sections, as the pacing keeps you engaged and there’s always new story bits across the 10+ hours of cutscenes. The voice work is also spectacular, which really helps to elevate cutscenes.
Gameplay is plenty fun, focusing on time-based arts that sit on a cooldown after use. Personally, this is my least favorite combat system in the series by a large margin, but it’s still a fun time. Each playable character has unique arts and moves that are fun to get the hang of, though some are more fun than others. You can customize your characters with Gems and armor depending on your preferences.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition largely focuses on remastering textures and resolution, adding a remastered soundtrack, and touching up some UI elements. The original soundtrack is still absolutely phenomenal, but the remastered soundtrack reorchestrated some songs in excellent ways. Many of the best scenes in Xenoblade Chronicles hit the way they do because of the music. If you want a deeper dive into what the game has to offer, my review from 2020 is an excellent guide to check out. For this review, though, let’s move on to what actually matters: Switch 2 Edition content.
Things Are Good, But They Should Be Better on Switch 2
Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition has a few additions that make a replay worthwhile. The biggest and most noteworthy is a performance increase from the original Switch version, which was locked to 720p30 docked and 540p30 handheld. I’m going to lead with the fact that this upgrade is in better shape than Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. However, Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is far from perfect and still suffers from serious performance issues.
Character models, for the most part, look sharp, and most environments look like a real upgrade, too, but there is still a strange smear-like upscaling going on. You’ll notice it if you look in the backgrounds, depending on the area. I also feel like this version of the game has a ‘soft’ look for whatever reason. I never felt like that was the case on Switch, but I digress. Resolution should be sharper, and I’m simply not a fan of whatever upscaling solution is being used here. However, while resolution can be a little frustrating, the frame rate issues are infuriating.
There are areas in Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition that halve the frame rate in the blink of an eye. This includes Satorl Marsh, Makna Forest, Sword Valley, and Eryth Sea. Panning the camera makes the frame rate fluctuate wildly, and even walking can disrupt it. These locations in particular have more objects in-game, which is likely the reason, but I am incredibly disappointed that this was released in its current state. Many online have pointed to double buffer V-Sync as a potential root cause of the drastic drops, as any frame drop will immediately go to 30. Both handheld and docked suffer from these drops, but I feel they are incredibly frequent on docked, especially.
If the Switch 2 is incapable of running these games at 4K60 smoothly (which I highly doubt considering the ports we’ve seen and continue to get), the bare minimum should be implementing Resolution and Performance modes for players to choose between. I’d still be frustrated if the performance mode showcased dips like the ones we see here, but the ability to lock the frame rate to 30 and keep resolution higher could have perhaps mitigated some of my frustration.
We sit here over a month since Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition released, and there has not been a peep from either Monolith Soft or Nintendo even acknowledging the issues. Considering that we’ve yet to even get a patch for XCXDE, I cannot help but believe this is the final and permanent state of the game. It is truly mind-boggling coming from the incredible optimization we got for the series on Nintendo Switch. The technical issues in this release are unacceptable.
Beyond performance updates, there was some additional content added. For one, Heart-to-Heart conversations are now fully voiced, with Nintendo bringing in all of the original voice cast to record lines. This is by far the most impressive piece of this release, as every character (Jenna Coleman once again!) returned almost 15 years later. I find this the “going beyond what’s expected” addition, and as a fan of the series, this is easily my favorite piece of the Switch 2 Edition.
Additionally, there are also the Ether Jets. Yep, Xenoblade Chronicles has finally gotten a vehicle. These are fun to drive around with, and I enjoyed the Nopon Grand Prix that has a surprising amount of depth. However, I do take issue with the Ether Jets not being locked behind post-game content. While they are a fun addition, I feel they ruin the scale and mood that’s conveyed when traversing on foot. So many of my memories with Xenoblade Chronicles lie in the exploration and scale of the game. The game is built in such a way that you take it in as you walk and run through its areas, and Ether Jets throw that out the window. Giving these to new players experiencing Xenoblade Chronicles for the first time is a huge mistake, as many will take it as an opportunity to zoom through environments to reach the next objective, ruining the immersion.
Overall, Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition has a few fun features that can be enjoyable for returning players. I don’t think the Ether Jets and voiced Heart-to-Hearts are necessarily worth the $10 upgrade unless you’re itching for a replay, but hardcore fans can likely justify it. However, with the current performance issues, it is hard to recommend Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.
A Fantastic Game I Still Love, But One That Needs A Patch
Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition was one of my favorite releases on Switch. It is the true realization of what MonolithSoft achieved on the Wii, and I was so glad to finally have a modernized version with updated character models and visuals. To me, that’s what makes Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition so disappointing. This was the chance to further build on the Switch release and finally bring the game to 4K60, and instead, we’re here with a release riddled with performance flaws.
Maybe I’m harsh, but the Xenoblade Chronicles series deserves better than this on Switch 2. I am hoping that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will arrive in better shape when they both hit Switch 2 later this year, but considering Monolith is 0/2 now, I’m sadly not holding my breath. I find it strange that many online are dismissing the performance issues and accepting what we have here without issue. Considering the quality of ports we’ve seen from developers like Bethesda, Capcom, and Square Enix, there should be no excuse for the performance issues here from a first-party studio.
I can happily recommend Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition to anyone looking for a new RPG to dive into. It’s one of the best across both Switch and Switch 2, and nothing will change that. However, in the case of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, the answer is murkier. I can still recommend this release for the incredible game that it is, but the performance issues leave a real stain on the experience. Returning players should know what they’re walking into content-wise, and newcomers should be aware of the drawbacks that come with the Switch 2 Edition regarding performance. Nonetheless, here’s hoping MonolithSoft releases a patch to fix the performance, as Xenoblade Chronicles deserves to be preserved without any of the frame rate dips that currently plague this release.
Disclaimer: Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition was reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2.
