Xenoblade Chronicles Game Review | Is it Worth Playing?

This is Game8's game review for Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (XC1). Check our game rating and learn how we rated the game based on its story, gameplay, soundtrack, and other features that exists in the game. See for yourself whether the game is worth picking up or not!

Xenoblade Chronicles' Review Score

Who Should Play Xenoblade Chronicles?

• ★ JRPG Fans! ★
• Players who want an RPG experience for the Switch
• Players who played the original game
• People who want to sink a lot of time in a game
• Those who want a game with high replayability factor
• People who love highly customizable character setups.

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Xenoblade Chronicles Game Review

A Game About Altering the Future Changes Its Own

Graphics Comparison

Enlarge Wii Graphics

Enlarge Switch Graphics

A game about controlling the future now manages to change its own future after 10 years from the original's release on the Wii! Xenoblade Chronicles comes to the Switch with updated graphics that fully flesh out not just Shulk, but the whole game itself. The vibrant lands are now full of details that the eyes can truly appreciate.

The changes, however, are only limited to the graphics and its own remastered soundtrack. Everything you loved from the first game such as its story, its gameplay, and everything else remains untouched, and instead, enhanced with a lot of QOL changes. This makes the game entirely lovable by players of old and new alike!

Going Into the Not So Nice Things

Game Issues

Xenoblade Chronicles comes with some issues of its own, mostly due to the Switch's limited capability. The game's graphics are stunning, except, to the outer edges of the screen where everything else seems to blur.

Enlarge

Yellow: Nice!
Green: Uhmmm ok?
Blue: WHAT IS THAT?

The game also seems to be unable to handle several events happening at the same time, causing the game to slow down. This can be quite apparent in some bosses with a lot of flashy moves.

For the most part, these issues resolve when playing the Switch docked, which is really how you should enjoy the game, but for fans of playing handheld, you may encounter a few grievances.

Sidequests Feel Bland

The game's sidequests feel like they're just there to be there. Aside from a few important ones of course, most of the sidequests feel so unnecessary. and they're too abundant that it feels like they were put there just for the sake of making the game feel even bigger.

Into The Beauties of the Game

No not that one.

About the Story

Xenoblade has several things to offer. The original story, while maybe extremely entrancing to be remembered throughout the ages, is still a great one nonetheless. While the story is great, it can feel somewhat predictable due to the number of RPG predecessors that follow the same format throughout the years.

Shulk takes up the role of a man capable of wielding a mysterious weapon that can lay waste to the Mechons. Fueled by a desire for revenge, he sets on a journey to defeat the Mechons. But of course, JRPGs aren't as simple as they seem, and you're in for some plot twists that will entirely change the game.

To top it all off, the game has an epilogue called Future Connected that is exclusive to the Definitive Edition of Xenoblade Chronicles. We have our own review for Future Connected as well, so check it out right here!

Should You Play Future Connected?

The Beauty of Xenoblade's World

Xenoblade starts the game with two Titans, the Bionis, and the Mechonis. After a timeless war, both cease to live and become home to an abundance of life. The bodies of these two massive beings are the setting for the game's unique environment. You will find yourself exploring lush greeneries, dark swamps, and even the insides of these two titans (it's not as gross as it sounds).

The Amazing Soundtrack

First, let's delve into the game's music. The soundtrack is one part of the game that is truly memorable. Listening to majestic music while exploring some of the wildest areas in the game into blood-pumping music during battles, Xenoblade manages to enhance the already great experience for the game even further.

The game's voice acting is well done too! As someone who is deeply fascinated with Japanese Culture, I never once felt the urge to change the game's audio into Japanese. That's how well done the English cast has managed to bring life to these individuals. It just kind of happens that some dialogues happen to repeat a lot of times ('I KNOW I KNOW') and might tempt you to lower down the voice's audio.

The Intricate Battle System

The best way to describe the game's battle system's would be comparing it to an MMORPG game. You have your party with their set skills, and use those against the enemies in a sandbox-style game. What makes the battle much more complicated are the various skills you have. Some abilities require you to position yourself to the sides of your enemy to inflict debuffs, and some skills require you to use an existing skill first to provide bonus effects.

Adding a system that requires you to time inputs to get massive advantages in the game exists too. This makes the battles not dull and full of action, giving an experience that is very unique when compared to the time-worn style of turn-based combat that many JRPGs are still using even today.

Flexible Character Customization

Each character has a ton of skills at their arsenal. Together with a complete roster of 7 characters, this can make creating your team extremely flexible. Even the main character, Shulk, can be removed at your party if you do so wish. And to top it off, there are ability boosting items called gems that can greatly alter the way your characters fight! There are a bunch of ways to play the game so that replaying the game can still fresh and new.

Conclusion

Xenoblade Chronicles is definitely a welcome competition in our current age filled with shooters and platformer games. RPGs are starting to be developed less and less, and it's nice to see great gems like these being welcomed into the market again.

While it may not be the turn-based RPG that many JRPG players have become accustomed to, it's definitely a nice and unique take on the genre. We hope more games will try to spice up the genre a bit more in the same way Xenoblades Chronicles does.

Xenoblade Chronicles Price and Product Information

Where to Buy

• Nintendo Eshop
• BestBuy
• Amazon
• Walmart
• Target
• GameStop

Note: Depending on inventories, the links shown here may or may not be stocked.

Xenoblade Chronicles Related Links

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