Re:play - Episode #2 - Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition...

Xenoblade Chronicles originally came out on the Nintendo Wii way back in 2011. This humble open-world JRPG pushed the Wii to its limits and made great use of the consoles motion controls. Fast-forward to 2015 and the title was re-released onto the Nintendo New 3DS as Xenoblade Chronicles 3D. Not willing to let sleeping God's lie, Nintendo has ported the game once again. This time onto its hybrid handheld as Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. What makes this version of the game different is that it runs at a higher resolution than the Wii and 3DS could ever handle, and also features an extra campaign that takes place after the main story.

The core experience of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is identical to the Wii and 3DS versions in terms of story and gameplay. The story is of two warring races fighting on the bodies of two gigantic beings – locked in place after their battle. It's a big compelling adventure that is filled with lots of anime tropes and tonnes of side quests, but if you’ve played any previous alliteration of the game then you have seen it all before.  

As stories go Xenoblade Chronicles is your typical affair. Set on the frozen bodies of two gigantic creatures; The Bionis and the Mechonis – The human-like Homs are waging a seamless never-ending war with the Mechon – a machine race that hails from the Mechonis. The games main character is Shulk a young Homs scientist who lives on the Bionis. During a Mechon attack on Shulks home town, he comes into possession of the Monado – a mythical sword that grants glimpses of the future to its user as well as the only weapon capable of easily hurting the Mechon. With the Monado in hand, Shulk sets off to avenge the attack on his village and hopes to discover a way to end the Hom-Mechon war once and for all. 

Whilst this version is being touted as the Definitive Edition, the game is not a remaster or remake. The graphics are largely unchanged from the Wii and 3DS versions although they run at the Nintendo Switch's higher resolution. This doesn’t mean that the game is ugly. Many times I stopped and panned the camera around just to check out the landscape with certain places offering great scope on just how gigantic the Bionis and the Mechonis are.

The various zones that make up the locales are massive sprawling areas that wouldn’t look out of place in an MMO such as World of Warcraft or Guild Wars 2. They are filled with all manner of enemies, quest givers and collectables. Simply finishing the main quest will only show you roughly half of the game's world. There are countless paths and secret areas that can be discovered just by exploring on your own and completing the many side quests. For those of us who are prone to get lost there is also a handy yellow dotted line that will point you towards the location of the quest if needs be. The mini-map will also display handy icons that will tell you if any quest objective is nearby. 

Combat in Xenoblade Chronicles is set in real-time and like the locales it has that MMO feel. You take control of one character which is usually Shulk, with two other party members being controlled by the game A.I. Each character will automatically attack the chosen target and each has a selection of skills at their disposal. Activating a skill is again very MMO inspired and is performed by clicking an onscreen command.  Each skill does come with a cool-down period so some tactical planning is advised, especially when using the Monado's own set of skills. Buffs and debuffs also play a big part in combat, with most skills having their own positive or negative effect. Character positioning also had a part to play with some skills doing more damage based on position to the enemy.

 The Monado also has its own set of skills that are vital to certain fights. Its explained early in the story that the Monado is the only weapon that’s capable of hurting the Mechon. Thankfully the mystical sword has its skillset which can be used in multiple ways. These powers can be used to buff allied weapons to allow them to hurt the Mechon, as well as casting shields and dispelling auras cast on the Mechon. These skills are vital when used with the glimpses of the future that the Monado will occasionally show. These glimpses act as a warning to prepare a shield or enhance the attacking power of a teammate. 

There is also a team meter that gradually fills up during fights. This meter adds another level of complexity to fights and allows for certain special attacks. Once the meter is filled you can use one bar of it to either warn a character of an impending attack or bring a fallen teammate back to life. The team meter can also be used to set off a powerful chain attack in which the party attacks a target one after the other. These chain attacks are quite useful and with the right combination can deal massive amounts of damage. 

Side quests are available and are given by speaking to a character who has an exclamation point above their head. These optional quests are made up of either; collecting a certain amount of said item, or killing a certain amount of said enemy. The mini-map has helpful indicators displayed if a quest item is nearby. These side quests also reward you with a decent amount of items and plenty of money, so they are worth doing – just probably not all of them. The quest system can feel overwhelming at times and the need to juggle exactly what your doing can feel overly complex. There is a great deal to do in Xenoblade Chronicles, but you have to be highly obsessed to want to do it all. 

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition does add one major piece of content to the original game. The extra content titled  Future Connected is an additional adventure that takes place after the game's conclusion. It’s a separate menu item on the opening screen, so you don’t need to play through Xenoblade Chronicles to access it.

Future Connected takes you to a new region on Bionis to solve a lingering mystery after the events of the game. Your stats and party are preconfigured for the content, so you can’t bring your high-level party from the main game with you. Shulk starts at level 60, and gear is more limited. The new campaign plays largely the same as the main game, with a few small tweaks to combat and item collection. Your party can now be aided by a team of “Ponspectors,” who follow you around, and crystals mined from resource points can immediately be used in equipment and no longer need to be crafted into gems.

It isn’t as big as the main game but Future Connected does add a few new locations, as well as giving the overall narrative a satisfying conclusion. 

All in all, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is still worthy of a playthrough (or two). Aside from the addition of "Future Connected" there isn't anything new that's not been seen before. However, what you do get is arguably one of the Wii's finest games that's been beautifully re-created on to the  Switch. 

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev

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