Nintendo has just released the Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition launch trailer ahead of the open-world RPG’s worldwide arrival on Switch on March 20. The preview focuses entirely on the JRPG’s story, showing a small faction of humanity trying to adapt to the planet Mira while facing both the natural threats of their new home and alien forces.
Xenoblade Chronicles X was initially released on the Wii U, and in retrospect, it’s incredible to see how the old Nintendo console managed to run such a massive game. The cutscenes are top-tier, featuring high-intensity action and movement while rendering an impressive number of characters, Skells, monsters, and landscapes. The Switch version has enhanced graphics, framerate, and loading times, following the same approach as Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, the first entry in the Xenoblade series, which initially launched on the Wii.
In the story of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, players control a custom-made avatar who has no voice or expressions. Planet Earth was caught in the crossfire between two alien forces and was ultimately destroyed. Before its annihilation, several arks carrying human survivors fled into space, searching for a new home. Our avatar is among them, and throughout the game’s plot, we join BLADE, an organization tasked with surveying Mira to ensure humanity’s survival while searching for the Lifehold, a structure responsible for keeping most of the surviving humans in stasis.
The player’s duty is to explore the vast open world of Xenoblade Chronicles X, surveying the land, expanding the operational zone, battling both native creatures and hostile aliens, and during occasional downtimes, forging relationships with various NPCs in New Los Angeles, humanity’s central hub. Critic reviews for Xenoblade Chronicles X were recently revealed, with the JRPG securing an average score of over 85.
In addition to quality-of-life features and UI changes, one of the new additions in Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is fresh story content. Since its launch, Tetsuya Takahashi, Monolith Soft’s creator and the director of the Xenoblade games, has never referred to Xenoblade Chronicles X as a spinoff. Those familiar with Takahashi’s work know that he loves to hide easter eggs in his games and enjoys making subtle connections between them. However, the new story content is considered an endgame addition, meaning longtime fans hoping to uncover a possible link between Xenoblade Chronicles X and Xenoblade Chronicles 3, for instance, will have to replay the entire game.
For newcomers curious about the game’s premise, I suggest checking our comparator for the cheapest deals on Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. The game boasts one of the largest open worlds in RPG history, which was a technical miracle on the Wii U. The definitive version on Switch is bound to be even more impressive.