Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition review

To fully enjoy the success of the Switch, Nintendo continues to dig up its old productions by offering them a second youth. This year is the turn of Xenoblade Chronicles first of the name to resume service on the hybrid console. Since its announcement last September, this remastering has been regularly promoted by the Japanese brand. Was it worth it? The answer is found in this test.

Japan got to taste this Xenoblade Chronicles from June 2010. Despite its undeniable qualities, this J-RPG in a semi-open world seemed far too greedy to fully express itself on a Wii not really cut out to accommodate such ambitious games. However, and despite a somewhat anecdotal outing in the West, the adventures of the young Shulk have received praise from the trade press. A small community was then forged around this game which will even have been entitled to an exclusive port to the New 3DS in 2015. Five years later, Nintendo is doing the remastering with a few big changes to the key. But is this really enough to justify a new checkout?

Revenge is a dish that is eaten very cold

From the start, this Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition seems to tell a fairly classic story. Living in peaceful Colony 9, Shulk is an ordinary boy (or Homz) who studies a strange sword named Monado. The latter has strange powers and only the real chosen can handle this blade like no other. Of course, the tranquility of the first minutes will quickly give way to chaos when the town is attacked by the Mekons. These machines seemed to have disappeared since the last war to date. Without going into too much detail, Shulk, helped by his friends and his mysterious sword, manages to repel the threat before embarking on a long quest initiated by a feeling of revenge.

At first glance, the scenario may therefore seem banal. However, history knows how to be engaging in the long term. During this adventure of several tens of hours, our squad will meet new characters who will inflate our group of fighters. If revenge is indeed the primary motivation of Shulk, it is sometimes relegated to the background in the face of the issues that are slowly taking place around the Monado. Finally, the final script specificity, the world of Xenoblade Chronicles is not a huge expanse of land and water. In reality, the whole epic takes place on the body of two titans named Bionis and Mekonis. After a confrontation, the latter two remained frozen before being colonized by fauna, flora and several civilizations. This last element is important, because it justifies the presence of absolutely immense decorations, while verticality and excess.

The scenario takes a little time to take off

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“Despite these flaws that could spoil all the gaming fun on any title, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition still manages to captivate the player”

Clean like a brand new Monado?

Both early fans and newcomers generally expect a port to be much better technically than the original game. In this area, the developers of Monolith Soft have worked rather well since the character models have been completely redone and the graphics have been logically improved. This aesthetic success is also due to the perfectly mastered artistic direction. The colors are generally bright and the decor varied. The green expanses have their small effect and the phosphorescent vegetation of the marsh is reminiscent of that of the film Avatar. In addition, the technical part is convincing since the title experiences almost no slowdown.

Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition Test

The day-night cycle holds great surprises

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Alas, not everything is perfect. Among the criticisms regularly addressed to this Definitive Edition, we have first of all the extremely low resolution of the title for the docked version (between 540p and 720p) as in portable mode (between 378p and 540p). Thus, a blur effect is almost omnipresent on the screen and can sometimes spoil panoramas that could have been intoxicating with a higher resolution. Same observation on the side of certain textures which seem to date from the Wii version, so that surfaces sometimes have the appearance of a large polygon barely concealed. Finally, the animations were not touched up at all. The characters therefore regularly have robotic gestures and not really natural positions.

Despite these flaws that could spoil all the fun of playing on any title, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition still manages to captivate the player. Indeed, each area is huge and offers a magnificent view of the heights of the two titans. Shulk and his companions are ridiculously small in this world where almost everything seems gigantic! The soundtrack is no stranger to this feeling of bewitchment. Each song is a delight for our ears and the player can choose to listen to the music in its vintage or reorchestrated version.

Here is a decor that would have benefited from a higher resolution …

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A beautiful reorganized mess

Now make way for real-time combat that takes up most of the adventure. The clashes here are dynamic, but sometimes a little confusing. Up to three characters can take part in games against the (very) numerous enemies of the game. Each hero has unique abilities that will have to be improved by spending a certain number of points. Anyway, we only directly control one protagonist and the other two are managed by AI. The interface, although optimized compared to the Wii version, is quite loaded with information. It must be admitted, the grip is not frankly instinctive and it is not for nothing if the tutorials rain during the first hours.

It is necessary to judiciously use the hero’s capacities (which take a few seconds to recharge) by activating them via the bar located at the bottom of the screen. Some attacks are more effective if used behind or on the enemy’s side. Alas, between the icons on the screen, the special effects and as long as more than three enemies join the fight in question, everything can quickly become messy. Because the fights of Xenoblade Chronicles are more technical than they appear. Going from one skill to another is not enough.

Hard to see clearly

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For example, to knock an enemy down, the player must unbalance them before an ally uses another skill to knock them down. The AI is not always very reactive, battles can sometimes drag on if the right sequence is not triggered. To relieve novices who lack patience, the developers decided to include an easy mode and many aids to support them in these difficult times. Practice is the best solution to understand all the specifics of the combat system.

“This feeling of freedom is at its peak when it comes to strolling within the superb areas offered by the game”

Rediscovered freedom

In addition to an already very substantial main quest, the world of Xenoblade Chronicles abound in side missions allowing you to pocket money and precious experience points. If these activities are very useful to gain levels, they are also extremely boring. Generally, you have to go from point A to point B to retrieve an object or kill monsters. We are far from the scripted side quests of a The Witcher 3… These missions make it clear in easy filling. But if he wishes, the player can override these somewhat painful occupations, even if he has to struggle for lack of experience.

The Monolith Soft game also emphasizes freedom. So, even if he is the main character of this adventure, Shulk is not the only playable protagonist. Once again, it is up to the player to designate and then control the hero of his choice among the friends of our dear Monado carrier. This feature can be useful for implementing new strategies during combat. Shulk may be the most balanced character in terms of his statistics, the others also have assets that should not be overlooked. In the event of a defeat, it is useful to reshuffle our team with a view to the next attempt in order to find new weaknesses within the opposing camp.

Xenoblade Chronicles is a very talkative game

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This feeling of freedom is at its peak when it comes to strolling through the superb open areas of the game. More or less hostile animals populate these wilderness areas and objects (represented by luminous orbs) can be picked up to complete the encyclopedia for each region. What come to inflate once again the phenomenal life of the title … without forgetting the addition of an epilogue long of ten hours.

Xenoblade Chronicles had made an impression in 2010 and it has lost none of its flavor ten years later. If approximations, especially on the parts reserved for graphics and fights, remain, it remains a monument of the RPG. Lovers of the first hour will find the game they enjoy so much and newcomers will fall in love once all the gameplay mechanics are digested.

The panoramas are sometimes quite incredible

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Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition: Clubic’s review

Through its history, its generosity and its superb soundtrack, this reissue of Xenoblade Chronicles is a benchmark among the best Japanese role-playing games. Its gargantuan content will occupy for a long time the most meticulous players who wish to explore everything in every corner. And despite sometimes annoying faults, such as runny textures, frankly limited resolution and sometimes confused fights, the game exudes a spellbinding charm. The Nintendo Switch now has a J-RPG that deserves a special place on the shelf of all fans of the genre.