Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition – Does It Still Live Up to the Hype?

In a time when open-world games are everywhere, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition stands out with its incredible sense of freedom. Exploring the huge planet of Mira, especially flying in your mech suit, feels exciting and unmatched by other RPGs. While the main story about humanity searching for a new home is not very memorable, the improved battle system and quality-of-life upgrades in this version make it a fun and unique RPG experience.

The game begins with humanity escaping Earth after it’s destroyed in an alien war. Your ship, the White Whale, crashes on Mira and you’re tasked with finding its scattered remains while living in the city of New Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the story is the weakest part of the game. The silent, customizable main character makes it hard to connect emotionally, unlike other Xenoblade games with strong main heroes.

Luckily, the side quests add a lot of depth. These quests build the world and develop the characters well. One quest, for example, deals with how humans treat alien races they now live alongside, showing how new friendships are formed on Mira.

As you complete missions, your team members grow closer, unlocking special Heart-to-Heart scenes. These moments reveal more about your party’s personal stories, similar to what you’d see in games like Persona or The Legend of Heroes. Colonel Elma, for example, opens up about her love for cars and pizza, showing a softer side beyond her cold exterior.

The more you bond with your team, the more you unlock — including Affinity Missions that reward you with new combat skills called Arts. These powerful abilities can’t be earned just by leveling up, giving you a great reason to build relationships with your party while becoming stronger.

The Main Character May Be Bland, But the World is Full of Life

Your character in Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition might not have much personality, but the world around you surely makes up for it. One great example is Lin, the engineer in your team. Her Affinity Mission shows how important her skills and passion were for the survival of the White Whale. Even though she prefers staying out of fights, she understands her role in battle — carrying a huge shield and a gatling gun when it’s needed. Personal moments like these with your teammates help balance out the lack of depth in your silent main hero.

This Definitive Edition also adds new recruitable characters and fresh story content. Without spoiling anything, the new story bits are placed perfectly across the 50-60 hour campaign, adding more value and making the world feel even bigger.

While the protagonist might be dull, Mira’s open world is anything but. The planet is split into five massive regions, each unique. Primordia is filled with green grasslands, while Cauldros feels intense with its lava fields. As you explore, you’ll come across stunning landmarks like the giant Arendt Bridge or the Leaning Ring, half-buried in the desert sands of Oblivia.

Back when it released on the Wii U, Xenoblade Chronicles X was praised for its huge world and deep gameplay. The story took around 73 hours to finish, with plenty of side quests and customization left to do. Some moments felt stiff, but the engaging combat and satisfying exploration loop made it a rewarding RPG.

The only human city is New Los Angeles, but the rest of Mira feels full of life. You’ll encounter monsters everywhere — some are peaceful while others are aggressive. A small bee-like creature might attack instantly, but a huge dinosaur-like monster could walk past you, uninterested. Every species acts differently, keeping you on your toes. Some enemies also appear only at specific times of day, which you can now easily change from the menu — a nice improvement.

Exploration is smooth and fun, thanks to your fast running speed. Unlike games where movement feels slow, here your character dashes quickly and Mira’s low gravity helps you jump far and high. These simple design choices make traveling across this giant world easier and more enjoyable.

Exploration Reaches New Heights with Mechs

One of the most impressive parts of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is how the world changes when you unlock the mechs, known as Skells. Once you’re far enough into the story, these mechs allow you to move even faster than running on foot. But with great power comes new challenges — monsters that once ignored you might now see your Skell as a threat and attack. Sometimes, it’s safer to run than ride, which keeps exploration interesting and unpredictable.

Later in the game, your Skell even gains the ability to fly. This changes everything. You can finally explore high mountains and places that were impossible to reach before. Flying makes the world of Mira feel even bigger and truly like humanity’s new home, giving you the freedom to go anywhere.

Combat Feels Like an MMO

Combat in Xenoblade Chronicles X is real-time and feels a lot like playing an MMO. Your team automatically attacks, while you choose special abilities, called Arts, from a skill bar. Timing and choosing the right Arts matter — for example, some moves can knock enemies down (Topple), while others deal extra damage when enemies are down. This adds a layer of strategy that keeps battles fun.

Soul Voice is another interesting mechanism. During battles, characters frequently yell lines that indicate activities, such as applying a status effect art. You can increase your chances of success by activating a Soul Voice bonus if you heed their advice. It makes every combat more exciting and immersive.

New Quality-of-Life Improvements

This Definitive Edition offers a number of great improvements, but the action is still as much fun as it was in the original. Quick Cooldown is one of the greatest. This bar gradually fills up as you attack. Spending it allows you to reuse an artwork right away without having to wait for its cooldown. For instance, you can use a healing art and then activate Quick Cooldown to instantly heal again if your team is having problems. It’s a revolutionary feature that can help you get through difficult times.

Another major improvement is how you manage your party. In the original version, you had to run around New Los Angeles to find each character if you wanted to swap them. Now, you can change your party anytime from a menu — no more running back to the city. This simple update makes the game so much smoother and more enjoyable, making the old version feel outdated.

No More Unnecessary Grinding in the Definitive Edition

The Definitive Edition cuts down on the need for excessive grinding. Now, characters not in your active party still gain EXP, so you don’t have to constantly swap them in to level up. In the Wii U version, this was a tedious process, but the new edition makes it much easier to manage your party.

When it comes to customization, each character has a set class, like Lin as a Shield Trooper, but your custom character can switch classes freely. By leveling up in different class trees, you can learn new skills and abilities. This adds variety and lets you create a setup that suits your playstyle, much like the customization in Fire Emblem.

Skells Add New Depth to Combat

You can also fight in Skells, giant mechs and the game scales the combat for them just like it does for exploration. Skells make it easier to take down tough enemies and bosses and battles in them follow the same structure as on-foot combat, with Skell weapons offering new Arts to use. It’s a fun way to experiment with combat.

Visual and Interface Improvements

Definitive Edition also brings visual upgrades like sharper character models and a cleaner UI. The game looks much smoother now. Fast travel and map information have been streamlined making it easier to navigate without needing the Wii U gamepad.

Multiplayer Features Return

While I couldn’t test the multiplayer features during the review period, the Definitive Edition brings back some of the online elements from the original. You can recruit other players’ avatars for missions, like defeating specific enemies. These multiplayer aspects add a unique MMO feel to the game and I’m excited to see how they’ve been updated in the final version.

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Conclusion

Xenoblade Chronicles X was one of the best games on the Wii U and now the Definitive Edition feels right at home on the Switch.

The quality-of-life improvements make it worth revisiting for longtime fans and it’s a great chance for new players to explore the huge, beautiful world of Mira. The combat is fun and deep and traveling across the massive open world—whether running, jumping, or flying—never gets boring.

While the main story isn’t the strongest in the series, the interesting characters and tons of great side missions make Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition a journey worth taking.