Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition Review – An Updated World That’s Easy To Get Lost In

As much as I love the Xenoblade Chronicles franchise now, I find it hilarious that my first foray into this universe by Monolith Soft was via the one “spinoff” that they did via X. It was originally on the Wii U, and we didn’t even know it was a Xenoblade Chronicles game when it was first announced! I remember playing it on my Wii U, and it was a fun experience. Then, when the Switch came out, we got two more mainline titles, including the all-time great Xenoblade Chronicles 3. However, as my Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition Review will attest, this “upgraded version” stacks up to its predecessors while still being unique among them.

Game Name: Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Developer(s): Monlith Soft
Release Date: March 20, 2025

Unlike Xenoblade Chronicles 1–3, XCX Definitive Edition takes place in a “realistic universe” set on our own Earth. By all accounts, it doesn’t connect to the other three games and even starts out by showing the death of our Earth. However, humanity didn’t die out, as they fled on “arks” that took remnants of humanity to the stars in the hope that they would find a suitable planet to live on. One such ark, the “White Whale,” is attacked by the aliens who helped destroy Earth, and they all crash-land on a dangerous world called Mira. You are one of the citizens of New Los Angeles, awakened from cryosleep and asked to help rebuild humanity while searching for the remaining parts of the White Whale.

If that sounds vastly different from the other Xenoblade Chronicles titles, it’s because it is. While the other three lean heavily into fantasy stylings while mixing in sci-fi elements, Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition focuses more on sci-fi elements while also, surprisingly, making this an incredible “slice-of-life” story. I never thought about it like that when playing on the Wii U, but I also didn’t play it as deeply as I am now on the Nintendo Switch. Thus, the notion of this being a true “slice-of-life” story set in a post-Earth world is a lot easier to understand than you might think.

For example, a big part of my Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition Review won’t be about the main storyline, but the quests, side quests, and characters you meet on your journey. The world of Mira is vast, has many biomes to visit, and is brimming with life, both humanoid and not. The Nopon, the Ma-non, L (whatever he is…), the Prone, etc., there’s a lot here, and that doesn’t even cover the “indigens” that are all over the world that you can fight, avoid, or run for your lives from because you’re not tough enough to beat them.

Arguably, the biggest joy I’ve had in this game was simply jumping from one side quest to another to see what else the game would show me, and then see where in Mira I would end up next. I’m not joking, either. There were multiple times in this game that I could’ve done the main story mission, but instead realized I had another side quest I could do, or that an Affinity Mission had become available to me, and I wanted to see what that one was about. It’s so much fun to just enjoy what the game offers outside of the main mission, and then, eventually, you can do those key story quests so you can unlock other new side content!

Going back to the “slice-of-life” mention, a lot of the stories and side quests you do really highlight everything going on in New Los Angeles and the struggle to build a life on Mira when it’s NOT easy to get the simplest of things done. You’ll hear about BLADE (the group you join at the beginning of the game) members getting injured or killed in the field a lot, and then help others complete missions so that New Los Angeles can continue to thrive.

Other times, you’re helping the alien races you meet to grow and expand NLA, and sometimes, you’re just trying to help people cope with the world they now live in. The characters you can recruit into your party each have different personalities, histories, and even relationships to one another, and between the “Heart-to-Heart” conversations you can have with them and the Affinity Missions you can do to flesh out their own personal stories, you’ll want to see just how deep everything goes.

As my review’s subtitle notes, it’s easy to get lost in this game because there’s so much to do! I’m not afraid to say that I haven’t beaten the game yet, and for the first time in a long time… I don’t feel in a rush to get done with it because I’m afraid I’ll miss something interesting, and I definitely don’t want that.

Going now to combat, Monolith Soft is known for making each game different combat-wise, and it’s no different in XCX. Much like the other games, your character and teammates have “Arts” that they can unleash to do damage to foes. Plus, you have two different battle options between melee and ranged weapons. The Arts your team can learn vary based on their class, so you’ll have fun not just picking the best team but learning how to pick the best Arts so you can boost each other’s attacks, heal them when you “sync up,” and so on.

Plus, with the “Overdrive” mode, you’ll get to do your Arts faster and get a boost in recharge, which can be a game-changer when you use them for tough fights or boss battles. A word of warning, though: you’ll definitely want to upgrade your weapons and gear when you can, and be mindful of the enemies you face. Just because you are “near their level” doesn’t mean they can’t wipe you out when they get the chance.

However, naturally, the thing that MANY gamers will look forward to is getting a Skell. These Gundam-like constructs are epic, and you can customize them to be whatever you want, including their looks, weapons loadout, and so on. There are three different “weight classes” you can get, which means you’ll have a blast finding your favorites within those classes and then unleashing them on your foes. It’ll take a while for you to get the hang of it, and there are upgrades that only come after certain story chapters, but once you’re going through Mira full-tilt in a flying Skell… you’ll see the world in a new light once again.

It’s actually a bit ironic that it’s taken me this long to get to the main story, but that’s okay, as it’s a solid one, but not the deepest around, especially compared to the other three games in the series. As mentioned before, you join BLADE to help New Los Angeles adjust to the dangers of Mira and help ensure its future. However, as the story missions go on, you realize that you’re not the only “presence” on Mira, as the Prone and other threats are there, and they have one goal: wipe out humanity.

Adding to the woes of NLA is that a key piece of New Los Angeles, The Lifehold, is somewhere on Mira, and if that’s destroyed, humanity dies with it. While a bit basic at times, you do see the tension build as the story goes on. Plus, through characters like Elma, Lin, Lao, and others, you see why they’re pushing so hard to make New Los Angeles the next home of humanity, as it truly matters to many of them. That, in turn, pushes you to learn more about them in the side missions and so on.

As I’ve noted on the Nintendo Entertainment Podcast, I’m really surprised by how far Monolith Soft went to ensure that the humans of NLA were as “realistic as possible” with their personalities. There are heroic characters, of course, but there are also racists, those who are more concerned with status and money over survival, and those who are truly over their heads and need help to survive. You might think, “They’re at the end of humanity’s line; why would they act this way?” But the truth is, why WOULDN’T human characters act this way? Exactly.

I also want to praise Monolith Soft for the upgrades and content updates to the title. The game looks beautiful and runs incredibly well. For my personal playthrough, I enjoyed everything in handheld mode, and I don’t recall having a single major framerate drop or the graphics going pixelated. Plus, there are new characters and quests in the main storyline, and the post-campaign content adds even more to enjoy. It’s fair for me to say that I’m truly seeing this game with new eyes because I’m intentionally wanting to see all it has to offer this time, and it’s great remembering certain things while also enjoying the new content and characters like Neilnail.

Alright, it’s been fun breaking down everything I love about this game, but this Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition Review wouldn’t be complete without some critiques. Both in the original version and this new version… there are definitely some issues.

The most obvious one is that the game loves to send you to parts of Mira for low-level quests… only to have you play “dodge the monster” because you’re suddenly in a place where there are enemies WELL above your current level. Sure, it makes the world more “realistic,” but it can be very annoying. Speaking of which, while the “Follow Ball” item can be a godsend to help you get to locations you need to go, it sometimes goes out of its way to send you “the long way around” instead of, say, jumping off a cliff so you can quickly get to a lower area that happens to be next to your target location. Additionally, I had multiple experiences where the Follow Ball simply didn’t work. As in, it said “objective is completed” even though it absolutely wasn’t.

Then… there’s Tatsu. Oh. My. Gosh! Tatsu is, by and large, one of the most annoying characters in gaming history. He sounds annoying, acts annoying, tries to claim that he’s a “heropon,” and yet screws up often. I wouldn’t have been mad if Lin just cooked up Tatsu like she always promised to do. Don’t hold back on my account, Lin!

Even with these flaws, and some other tiny ones you’ll notice along the way, my Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition Review is finishing on a high note for a rather basic reason: this game is just really fun to play! I’m already looking forward to diving back into Planet Mira and seeing what it has to offer.

So, regardless of whether you’re a “returning BLADE vet” or this is your first time with this game, you’ll have plenty to enjoy.

Review Disclosure Statement: This copy of Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition was provided to us by Nintendo for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy for more info.

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