Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition: Remake or Remaster?

Since the announcement of Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition for Nintendo Switch, many fans have wondered whether this game is a remake or a remaster. Read on to learn whether Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition is a remake or just a remaster!

Is Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition a Remake or a Remaster?

It's a Remake! (Technically)

While strictly speaking, it depends on how you choose to define the terms 'remake' and 'remaster', Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition is considered by most to be a remake of the original game. The reason for this has to do with the game using brand new characters models, as well as updated menu screens and battle HUDs. Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition also features an entirely remastered soundtrack, which can be swapped for the original, not to mention the bonus epilogue featured in this game.

Because of the immense graphic overhaul which features new game models that are not simply upgrades of the existing ones, paired with the fact that this game runs on a different engine from the original Wii version we at Game8 are inclined to refer to Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition as a remake and not a remaster.

Is it a Remaster?

Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition sits in a weird place in this regard, so it is difficult for some people to truly consider it a remake, when recent games such as Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Resident Evil 3 have recently set the bar for what defines a remake. In both of these games, the setting, story, and characters were taken from the original, but the gameplay and experience was drastically altered for a modern audience.

On the other hand, remasters tend to simply be an updated version of a game, using the same code and models, but with slightly upgraded graphics, OST, and sometimes even QoL changes. Games such as The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, or 2019's Final Fantasy VIII Remaster are good examples of this type. These games do not make changes to the core gameplay or physics of the game. Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition also fits this bill, leaving many left pondering about whether this game can truly be called a remake or not.

Although the game is not technically referred to as a remake or a remaster officially, the official tweet from Nintendo claims that the game is 'reborn'.

While it is somewhat ambiguous, and it may even arbitrary to look so closely into the topic, Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition could most likely be considered a remake as opposed to a remaster, in the same way that the Switch version of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a remake. Although Xenoblade's art style doesn't make quite the drastic change as Link's Awakening, both games use totally new graphics which are quite far from what would have been possible on the original game's release console. Thus, we conclude again that Xenoblade Chronicles DE is a remake, not a remaster.

Is Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition a Remake or a Remaster? Let us know what you think! Cast your vote and let us know why you think so in the comments!

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