Xenoblade Chronicles X is finally bustin’ out of Wii U jail, with Monolith Soft and Nintendo announcing overnight that the game is getting the Definitive Edition treatment for the Nintendo Switch, making the entire Xenoblade Chronicles series available on one console.
Launching on March 20, 2025, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition looks to be a similar package to Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, featuring enhanced visuals, new features and – perhaps most excitingly – brand-new story content.
You can see the lengthy reveal trailer for Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition below, which gives us a good look at the game’s visuals on Switch and also alludes to what we might be able to expect from an expanded story in the final few moments:
Originally released on the Wii U nearly a decade ago in 2015, Xenoblade Chronicles X commands a very respectable 84 on Metacritic, with most reviews at the time praising its world, visuals, mission design and the stellar localisation effort while near-unanimously airing grievances over the complex battle UI and relative lack of tutorial support.
I heaped praise on the Switch’s Definitive Edition release of the first game back in 2020, scoring it a 9.5/10 and calling it, “A gorgeous, dense JRPG classic made richer and more beautiful with a seriously impressive makeover and a suite of new features,” so hopefully we’ll get similar results from this new version of Xenoblade Chronicles X.
From the official description:
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition features the player character at the centre of the action in a standalone sci-fi story. Avatars can be customised in looks and class and the comprehensive battle system offers a wide variety of options. Once players have proven themselves to the BLADE organisation, they can also unlock a powerful Skell: A giant, customisable mech that’s proficient in exploration and combat to assist in adventures across Mira.
During reconstruction, players will get to know the people of NLA, help them with their problems and build affinity with party members to unlock quests that contain rare gear and other rewards to earn. Plus, join an online squad* and take on multiplayer-specific missions, including extra-challenging Global Nemesis Battles. It is also possible to recruit the avatars of other players to the team in the main story.
There is even more to discover in this definitive version of the game. Just who is the mysterious hooded figure on the beach?
Kieron's been gaming ever since he could first speak the words "Blast Processing" and hasn't lost his love for platformers and JRPGs since. A connoisseur of avant-garde indie experiences and underground cult classics, Kieron is a devout worshipper at the churches of Double Fine and Annapurna Interactive, to drop just a couple of names.
