Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition finally arrives on the Nintendo Switch a decade after its Wii U release! Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Review Overview

What is Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition?

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (also known simply as XCX:DE) is an enhanced re-release of Monolith Soft’s 2015 sci-fi RPG, originally developed for the Wii U. Released on March 20, 2025 for the Nintendo Switch, this version includes new gameplay features, updated visuals, and additional story content, similar to what Monolith Soft did for the Definitive Edition of the first Xenoblade Chronicles game.

The game is set in 2054 after humanity’s escape from Earth during an interstellar conflict. Players take on the role of a customizable protagonist, a survivor on the alien world of Mira, where they join the New Los Angeles (NLA) colony. Their mission: explore Mira’s expansive open world, comprising five continents filled with diverse biomes and towering creatures, and aid in establishing a new home for humanity. Alongside this, however, they uncover mysteries about the planet and its hostile inhabitants.

Players can customize their character’s appearance, class, and abilities while engaging in real-time battles across large open environments. However, large, pilotable mechs, called Skells, make combat and traversal easier. Moreover, the game also supports multiplayer modes, including cooperative missions and Global Nemesis battles.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition features:
　⚫︎　An Enormous Open World
　⚫︎　Numerous Quality-of-Life Features
　⚫︎　Enhanced Visuals and New Soundtrack
　⚫︎　Mech Gameplay

For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition’s gameplay and story.

Switch
Price		$59.99

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Mira is a Living, Breathing World Complex Mechanics Now Explained Through Hints Numerous Quality-of-Life Improvements and Story Additions Soundtrack is Fire!	Progression is Slooow Frame Drops and Pop-Ins Are Distracting

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Overall Score - 92/100

Xenoblade Chronicles X was a game so far ahead of its time back in 2012, and its Definitive Edition (XCX:DE) finally frees it from the shackles of Wii U exclusivity. After years and years of waiting, a wider audience can now experience the planet of Mira and sink countless hours into its expansive content. It’s not without its flaws, though. Its narrative lacks the emotional punch of its mainline counterparts, but XCX:DE is a beast entirely its own, and now the world is more than ready for it.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Story - 8/10

It is always a good sign when the lowest score a game receives across five criteria is an 8. XCX:DE may lack the teeth or dramatic flair of the mainline titles, but it makes up for it with sheer world-building prowess. The planet Mira is a breathtaking, living world where nuanced characters grapple with war, extinction, and the challenge of rebuilding life far from home. You’ll easily sink 60 hours into the story, but exploring every corner of Mira and diving into its new content could keep you hooked for hundreds more.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Gameplay - 9/10

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition’s gameplay is complex and layered, to the point where even with the improved tutorials, I still found myself digging up old guides to master its depths. It takes a while to get going—you won’t unlock your Skells (your mechs) or take to the skies until much later—but the refined quality-of-life improvements and the sheer thrill of exploration and learning the ins and outs of combat make up for the wait.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Visuals - 9/10

Like the Definitive Edition of the first Xenoblade game, XCX:DE receives a much-needed visual upgrade, with sharper character models and a brighter, more vibrant world that better reflects the original Wii U’s ambitious vision. That said, some presentation issues persist—noticeable frame drops and pop-ins still occur, even when in-game models are right in front of you. It’s not a dealbreaker, as the game remains visually stunning, but it’s hard not to notice.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Audio - 10/10

The music in Xenoblade Chronicles X—oh, the music! Hiroyuki Sawano, of Attack on Titan fame, delivers a soundtrack so good that I’ve been jamming to it for years without ever getting tired of it. Sure, some tracks feel a bit goofy at first, channeling early 2010s American hip-hop and industrial metal, but when you’re piloting a large Skell and squaring off against monsters the size of skyscrapers, you’ll be headbanging to Black Tar and Wir Fliegen like your life depends on it.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Value for Money - 10/10

Last year, I shelled out an embarrassing amount of money for a Wii U and a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles X—and it was absolutely worth it. Dropping $60 for the Definitive Edition feels just as justified, especially since this truly is the best way (and may perhaps be the only official way with the Wii U eShop closed) to experience the game. With new content and thoughtful quality-of-life improvements, it adds even more value to an already massive and rewarding game.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Review: We’re No Longer Stuck on a Different Planet!

Humor me for a moment with the lyrics from Black Tar, the battle theme from Xenoblade Chronicles X—"We’re stuck on a different planet." It’s fitting, yes? For years, it felt like Xenoblade Chronicles X (XCX) was trapped in purgatory. While so many other Wii U games found new life on the Nintendo Switch, XCX remained stranded in the forgotten recesses of Nintendo’s troubled console.

So, after waiting years with no sign of a port, I finally caved last year. I tracked down a second-hand Wii U and a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles X—determined to experience the only entry in the series I hadn’t already sunk hundreds of hours into. I bought the console, the game… exactly one week before Nintendo announced the Switch port. Naturally.

You can thank my sacrifice later, but this was huge! XCX has been trapped on the Wii U for a decade—a console that, despite being actually decent, was marketed poorly and so commercially burned to the ground. Many never got the chance to explore Mira’s biomes, bond with the people of New Los Angeles (NLA), or take down towering creatures on their Skells. Now, with Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition on the Nintendo Switch, one of the best-selling consoles of all time, the game is finally getting the audience it deserves. And the best part is that Monolith Soft added more content to a game that’s already filled to the brim with them—additions that make this version feel like it’s a long-overdue homecoming.

Establishing Life in a World Beyond Our Own

In XCX, it’s the year 2054, and Earth has become an unintended casualty in an interstellar war between two alien factions. Earth is annihilated in the process. In a desperate bid for survival, humanity launches interstellar arks, with the aim of preserving the species by seeking refuge among the stars. One such vessel, the USS White Whale, manages to escape the initial destruction, carrying the remnants of Earth’s population into the cosmos.

However, the White Whale’s respite is short-lived. Pursued by alien forces, the ship is attacked and crash-lands on the planet Mira. This world becomes the new frontier for humanity’s survival, as everyone, civilians and soldiers alike, strives to rebuild amidst alien terrains in the nascent city of NLA.

Within this, the protagonist joins the organization BLADE (Builders of the Legacy After the Destruction of Earth) and embarks on missions to explore Mira and locate the Lifehold, a component of the White Whale housing countless humans still in cryogenic sleep.

Heart-to-Heart-to-Heart-to-Heart

If you’ve played the other Xenoblade Chronicles games, you’ll notice right away that XCX handles its story very differently. In the mainline entries, you’re practically drowning in cutscenes—often as though every couple of steps triggers another cinematic. This, however, helps deepen the plot and flesh out the main cast.

XCX takes a more hands-off approach. The story is still divided into chapters, but you start missions by briefing with your squad in NLA. This means that you decide when to move the story forward, which then gives you the freedom to explore without the fear of triggering a cutscene for a story beat you're unprepared for.

And unlike the other protagonists in the series, you play as a silent avatar with almost no personal character development. This makes the story feel less emotionally impactful compared to its cousins. You do get dialogue choices, but they're more about shaping how you roleplay and boosting your party members' Affinity than influencing the story itself.

It’s a good thing, then, that XCX’s side content helps in this regard. Side quests and Affinity Missions pick up the slack where the main story falls short. They’re surprisingly rich in worldbuilding and character growth, which gives depth not just to your party but to the many NPCs you encounter.

Affinity Missions are character-specific quests that open up new details about your squadmates and the world of Mira—but there’s a catch. Once you start one, you’re locked in with the chosen party until it’s complete. Some Affinity Missions don’t even unlock until you’ve finished the main story. These aren’t necessarily problems (except for an instance early on with one of Lin’s missions), but it’s a good thing to be prepared before undertaking them.

Completing these missions not only strengthens your team’s combat synergy but also increases Affinity, which unlocks Heart-to-Heart events—short but meaningful conversations that reveal more about your companions’ past and personalities.

These missions don’t alter the overarching story in any meaningful way, but they breathe life into the world in ways most JRPGs can only dream of. They’re often mundane, sometimes downright silly—but that’s part of their charm. One moment, you’re caught in a tangled web of betrayal, ambushed by those you once trusted; the next, you’re helping some poor NPC score a date.

These quests pull you into the everyday rhythm of Mira and make you feel like a part of this alien world. Really, that’s the beauty of XCX: it makes the world feel alive through the small, human moments between grand cutscenes of the main story.

However, actually finding these events can be a bit of a headache if you’re not following a guide. Most of the time, you need to listen in on NPC conversations in NLA to unlock these quest markers on the map. It’s a bit tedious, especially when the game gives you little direction beyond "go explore." But for those willing to actually explore and embrace the search, the payoff is worth it. Wandering the streets of NLA or the sprawling plains of Mira on foot or in your Skell creates moments that are just jaw-droppingly beautiful.

Hundreds of Hours of Content That Start Slooooow

The story in Xenoblade Chronicles X is only as long as you want it to be. The game’s main plot clocks in at around 60 hours if you stay laser-focused on the story missions and their prerequisites. Really, side quests and Affinity Missions make up the bulk of the game’s content, easily accounting for 90% of your total playtime. So, those 60 hours can easily stretch into the hundreds—or even thousands—if you let your curiosity lead the way.

The narrative may set the framework, but it’s really the world of Mira that gives the game its soul. And Mira is massive! Each biome—from the rolling plains of Primordia to the non-lit caverns of Noctilum—is enormous, with a staggering level of verticality and hidden paths to uncover.

But XCX wouldn’t be a Xenoblade game if it didn’t take its sweet time opening up. You’ll achingly spend the early hours of the game exploring the world on foot, and though you’re not locked into most areas this way, running from one biome to the next will take a really long time because of just how big everything is. You won’t even get access to your Skell until several chapters in. And even then, you’ll be stuck with your Skell on the ground for a while longer, as that promise of flight from the game’s trailers doesn’t unlock until even much later.

It’s a really slow burn, but when you finally take to the skies and see the full scale of Mira beneath you, it’s nothing short of breathtaking.

The Planet of Mira as a Setting and a Character

Mira is an alien world that feels genuinely alive. The planet is divided into five biomes, and these regions are divided into hexes in the game’s map. Nearly every hex holds something worthwhile: a side quest, a treasure, a Tyrant—elite, high-level monsters that offer rare drops and serious bragging rights if you manage to take them down. The sheer density of content here means that even after 100 hours, you’ll likely stumble upon something new while you’re just running or flying around.

These biomes, too, are teeming with an ecosystem of creatures both large and small. From lumbering beasts to skittish insects, life is everywhere. Some creatures are docile unless provoked, while others will attack you on sight, regardless of your level. A lowly level 10 insect might charge at you the moment you step into its territory, while a towering level 50 King Kong wannabe might spare you—unless you get too close for comfort.

Some of these creatures only appear at certain times of day, which was what made some aspects of the original tedious, as back then, you’d have to trek back to a base camp just to adjust the time, then run back to the enemy’s location. Fortunately, the Definitive Edition fixes this—you can now change the time of day from the menu, anytime and anywhere. It’s a small but meaningful quality-of-life upgrade that makes hunting specific enemies for side missions far more manageable.

Mira is more of a character than some of the characters in the main story, honestly. And us players will get to know more of this world in the Definitive Edition. Much like 2020’s Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, this version introduces new story content, which includes a fresh biome and new characters.

I never thought a game this enormous could grow even larger, but the added story elements expand the already ambitious scope of the original and give seasoned players a compelling reason to return in the Definitive Edition.

Complex Mechanics Need Complex Tutorials

If the story and world don’t pull you in, the combat in XCX almost certainly will. It builds on the foundation set by the original Xenoblade Chronicles, with real-time, MMO-style battles where both you and your enemies trade auto-attacks. Arts come in handy here—special abilities you select from a row of skills at the bottom of the screen. These come in various types, from hard-hitting physical strikes to buffs, debuffs, and heals, which encourage you to think strategically rather than just mashing buttons.

Like the story, however, combat here takes its time to unfold—painfully so. Mechanics are introduced piece by piece over the course of several chapters. Early on, you’ll be eased into the flow of combat by learning how to use Arts. A chapter later, Soul Voices are introduced—a party synergy system that triggers powerful effects. This means that the early hours can feel sluggish, with the game essentially playing itself at times. More than once, I’d start a battle, group up some enemies, leave to grab a snack, and return to a victory screen.

But don’t mistake this for mindlessness, though. Combat in XCX is layered and complex. Even with the new, much-needed tutorials—a welcome addition from the confusing Wii U version—it takes time to grasp how each mechanic interlocks. But when it clicks? Oh, it clicks. Once you’re deep into the game, facing off against bosses and Tyrants and groups upon groups of enemies, things get intense. You’ll be frantically managing cooldowns, chaining Arts with your teammates, and watching for the telltale signs of an enemy winding up a devastating attack. It’s fast, brutal, and immensely satisfying when you finally master it.

Overdrive is one of XCX’s most exhilarating mechanics—and it’s even better this time around. Activating Overdrive costs 3,000 Tension Points (TP), which is often your entire TP reserve. But the payoff is enormous: It supercharges your attacks, shortens cooldowns, and gives your party powerful buffs based on the "Color Combo"—the types of Arts you chain together. Back on the Wii U, figuring out these combinations was mostly trial and error unless you consulted a guide. Now, the Definitive Edition makes life easier by adding a helpful cheat sheet to the right side of the screen that shows possible combos based on the color of your Arts.

You have to understand the magnitude of this quality-of-life improvement. Overdrive is one of the most complex systems in XCX, and because TP can only be earned through combat, experimenting with it used to feel like you were burning resources and your time just to test a theory. But with the cheat sheet, you’re now free to unleash the full potential of your party without making it feel as though you’re mashing your Arts just because they’re off-cooldown.

And oh, nailing the Overdrive system is glorious. Successfully executing a double Overdrive—chaining Overdrives together before the timer runs out—turns you into a walking apocalypse. You’ll be spamming Arts left and right, stacking damage multipliers, and making even the toughest Tyrant crumble beneath you. The sheer satisfaction of juggling your Arts and chaining combos while your party rains destruction on the battlefield is unmatched.

Quick Recast is Broken!

One of the biggest game-changers in the Definitive Edition, however, is the new Quick Recast mechanic—and it’s insane! Quick Recast cranks up the pacing of combat to eleven. At the press of the Y button, it instantly reduces the cooldown timers of your Arts, thereby letting you chain together powerful attacks in quick succession. Combat in XCX has always had a rhythmic flow to it, but this mechanic allows you to control that flow at your fingertips.

What makes it so broken is how it interacts with other mechanics. For the uninitiated, there are status effects in the game that can stun your enemies. Break, for instance, temporarily weakens an enemy and opens them up to Topple, which knocks them to the ground and leaves them vulnerable. So in theory, if you combine all of these with Overdrive, you could chain together Break and Topple effects with your teammates indefinitely. If you manage to keep this loop going, your enemies could be immobilized in perpetuity, helpless to do anything but watch as you dismantle them piece by piece.

But of course, it’s not quite that simple. Quick Recast is powered by its own gauge, which replenishes through auto-attacks and resets after battle. But even then, it’s not hard to keep the gauge filled, especially once you’ve mastered the flow of combat.

Changes From the Wii U Version You Didn’t Know It Needed

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition also adds in a host of quality-of-life improvements that make the game far more accessible and enjoyable. Beyond the flashier additions like Quick Recast, the game also streamlines party management in a way that makes a world of difference.

In the original Wii U release, adding party members gave me headaches. If I wanted to bring Lao, for instance, into my party for a specific fight, I’d have to fast travel back to NLA, jog over to the Administrative District, find him, go through a menu to add him, and then fast travel back to the field. It was tedious, disruptive, and often discouraged me from experimenting with different party combinations. Worse still, characters only gained experience when actively in your party, so if you stuck with a core group (which I did in the original game to avoid the hassle), the rest of the roster would fall hopelessly behind in levels. This meant that when you were forced to use certain characters for Affinity Missions, they’d be underleveled dead weight, which leads to frustrating grinding sessions just to make them viable.

Now, however, in the Switch version, you can swap party members directly from the main menu, no matter where you are. It’s quick, intuitive, and encourages you to experiment with different team setups without breaking the flow of exploration or combat. On top of that, all party members now earn experience even when they’re not in your active lineup, so no one falls too far behind.

It’s these little things that elevate the game to something truly exceptional—improvements that smooth out the rough edges of the original. The Follow Ball—a navigation tool that lives up to its name—is now easier to… well, follow. Then there’s the removal of BLADE Levels and Division Points, which were previously required to unlock certain high-tier treasures (like the one near BLADE Tower; if you’ve played the game before, you know the one). The HUD and UI are now sharper and more intuitive, with readable font sizes that don’t make you squint at the screen—finally fixing one of the Wii U version’s biggest annoyances.

All of these fixes may seem minor on their own, but together they make Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition feel like a more polished and modern experience beyond just getting a visual upgrade.

I Miss the Wii U GamePad

As much as Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition improves upon the original, there’s one area where the Wii U version still holds the edge: the second screen. Back on the Wii U, the GamePad housed the FrontierNav—the game’s extensive map and navigation system—which meant you could manage waypoints, track missions, and fast-travel without ever interrupting the main display. The Wii U version’s dual-screen setup gave XCX a sense of immediacy. Sure, it was possible to play entirely on the GamePad, but doing so required navigating through multiple menus, which undercut that sense of fluidity.

The Definitive Edition, by necessity, condenses everything onto a single screen. Now, to fast-travel or adjust probes, you have to pull up menus and pause the game. It’s not clunky, really, but it’s certainly less fluid than having a dedicated map at your fingertips.

To be fair, though, Monolith Soft was working with the limitations of the Switch’s single screen. The studio still did a solid job adapting the interface, and the streamlined HUD and quality-of-life improvements elsewhere soften the blow. Still, it’s hard not to miss the convenience of glancing down at the GamePad to plot your next move without breaking the pace of exploration.

This isn’t a dealbreaker by any means—the Definitive Edition remains a more polished and player-friendly experience overall. But there’s a part of me that kind of misses that aspect of the game, even if it’s relatively a minor change.

Is Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Worth It?

Yes! Monolith Soft Just Doesn’t Miss!

I’m usually wary about dropping $60 on a game, more so on a remaster. Too often, studios slap on a fresh coat of paint, add a sprinkle of new content, and hope that player nostalgia rakes in the cash (Sorry, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD). But Monolith Soft is just built different. They’ve tightened XCX’s gameplay, added more content, and smoothed out countless rough edges. Honestly, I’m jealous of those experiencing Mira for the first time. But even as someone who finished the original on the Wii U, I was itching to dive back in—especially since I never got to try the multiplayer. And if it’s anything like the original’s online mode, where you’d team up with other players to take down Tyrants in epic, Monster Hunter-style hunts, I’m all in.

What’s even wilder is that we now live in an age where every Xenoblade game is playable on a single console. That’s a far cry from the days of Operation Rainfall, when fans had to fight tooth and nail just to get the first Xenoblade Chronicles localized outside Japan. I still remember the seemingly endless forum threads and fan petitions, the collective desperation to get Nintendo of America to notice. Reggie Fils-Aimé might say that they always intended to localize Xenoblade Chronicles, but back then? It sure didn’t feel that way.

Seeing how far the Xenoblade series has come—from niche JRPG to even a staple Nintendo franchise—makes Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition feel like a massive victory. XCX was ahead of its time when it first launched on the Wii U in 2015; now, the world is finally ready for it.

Switch
Price		$59.99

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition FAQ

Is Xenoblade Chronicles X connected to the mainline games?

No. Xenoblade Chronicles X is a standalone experience, and there is no confirmation from Monolith Soft or concrete evidence to support a direct connection. However, given that Xenoblade Chronicles is a series that often leaves thematic parallels across its titles, it is possible that a future entry could connect XCX to the mainline games.

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Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Product Information

Title	XENOBLADE CHRONICLES X: DEFINITIVE EDITION
Release Date	March 20, 2025
Developer	Monolith Soft
Publisher	Nintendo
Supported Platforms	Nintendo Switch
Genre	Action, Adventure, RPG
Number of Players	1-32 (Online Co-Op)
Rating	ESRB Teen
Official Website	Monolith Soft Official Website

L A R Opalec

Lloyd grew up bonding with his big brother over video games. While RPGs like Disco Elysium and Final Fantasy IX hold a special place in his heart, he's always up to try new genres.