Overview
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is a role-playing game, remaster of the 2010 Wii game developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo, released in 2020. I played it on Nintendo Switch.
It's the first game in the series, and it's also the first Xenoblade I played.
Story and world
The game's world rests on the bodies of two titans frozen after an ancient battle, the Bionis and the Mechonis. Humans, the Homs, live on the Bionis and are regularly attacked by the Mechon, machines from the Mechonis. After an attack on Colony 9, Shulk, a young researcher, sets out for revenge with the Monado, a mysterious sword that gives him visions of the future.
The characters are truly very endearing.
This edition also adds Future Connected, a brand-new epilogue set after the end of the main game.
Gameplay
There's a lot to say about the various mechanics: changing the time of day, combat, equipment, etc.
You can change the time of day at any moment, which affects the appearance of certain monsters, certain NPCs and certain quests. Battles take place in real time: the character attacks automatically, and you trigger their arts, which recharge after each use. Shulk's visions warn you of enemies' dangerous attacks and give you time to react. Finally, equipment changes the characters' appearance.
Like every entry in the series, it is a long game.
Graphics and music
The remaster thoroughly overhauls the character models and improves the environments compared to the Wii version. The soundtrack, by Yoko Shimomura, ACE+ and Manami Kiyota among others, was also reworked for this edition.
Verdict
A long playtime, truly very endearing characters and rich mechanics: it's really a good game that I loved playing. It might even be my favourite Xenoblade, along with Xenoblade Chronicles 3!