An epic quest to save humanity and explore an alien world.
Having never played a game in the Xenoblade Chronicles series, I had no idea what to expect as dipped into Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, but having heard widespread acclaim and a number of friends’ recommendation to play, on top of an undeniably good launch discount from a nearby store, I picked this title up in April as an addition to my handful of games for the Nintendo Switch Lite. Little did I know I would be diving into such an in-depth, quality experience.
Monolith Soft have proven to be a team of extraordinary talent, and Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is but the latest in their list of fan-adored works. Considering this is the first game in the series I’ve ever tried, I’ve not played the original version of the game, but I’m aware that this “Definitive Edition” brings countless quality-of-life changes as well as incorporating the original’s DLC and some new content. All in all, it’s a mighty package of gaming in one small game card, with HowLongToBeat™ clocking its main story alone at 62 hours. I’ve played just 21 hours and remain quite early in the story, having spent a lot of time exploring, leveling up, and enjoying the countless quests there are to find and complete.
Extraterrestrial Lands to Explore and Discover
The start of the game has you trekking through the wilderness of the alien planet Mira to the game’s hub location, New Los Angeles, humanity’s last bastion of hope. The opening segment does a great job of introducing the player to the combat, simple to understand but tactically engaging, and what gameplay outside of safety will be like. Wild creatures are everywhere, some dramatically higher level than you, an early lesson to pick your battles and avoid taking on indigenous beings you are not yet ready for. It’s a great way to gently control what the player engages (though the opportunity to pick such fights is always there) and is refreshing considering most modern RPGs and open-world games either scale the world to the player’s level or separate regions by difficulty. In here, you may find a level 57 beast roaming the canyon you’re exploring while you’re merely level 15, and depending on whether it’s the type to aggressively attack on sight or simply pass you by, you’ll have to be prepared for any potential encounter, or escape.
Once you reach the city, the game opens up, and you see just how much there is to do and accomplish, between countless quests of all varieties, and a positively absurd amount of gear to purchase, earn, and unlock, both for statistical growth and cosmetic value. The whole city itself is a wondrous place to explore, bathed in “Affinity” quests, missions you take on to grow closer to other characters and learn more about them, as well as a fine sprinkling of other quests and events as well. It seems like the flow of content never stops, and as you advance through the main story missions that send you far from home to progress through each chapter, more features and functions unlock, and the already expanding, engaging world becomes that much more interesting.
A Living, Breathing World
Diving into this game without any expectations, save for others’ high praise, meant that I didn’t really know what to anticipate in terms of any particular element. The thing that perhaps strikes me as most impressive is the game’s high-fidelity visuals. I’ve been playing exclusively on a Switch Lite, so I can’t speak for the looks on a large-screen display, but the game’s graphics are brilliant. The texture resolution is fantastic and everything is so clear, it does so much to make the world feel exquisitely detailed and lush, along with animated foliage, and needless to say, intricate, unique creature design. Characters’ armor glistens in the sunlight, the dynamic weather system and spectacular time of day mechanics make every area feel different, even when revisited countless times; it’s clear that a lot of passion was behind making Mira a world you fight to survive in and discover, and not just a playable area dotted with things to fulfill. Immersion is a powerful tool, both for storytelling and for effectively bringing players out of their real world and into the digital one. It is a strong factor in this game’s strengths.
Unlocking new skills and arts, meeting and learning about more characters, and plunging further into the story are but a few of the many things I look forward to as I push further into Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. It is an expansive game with an abundance of substance, worthy of my recommendation to others, without doubt. If you’re looking for a science-fiction/fantasy RPG where you decide your pace and how you most wish to spend your time, Monolith Soft’s grand adventure is waiting for you.
