First released on the Wii in 2010, Xenoblade Chronicles went on to spawn a sequel — Xenoblade Chronicles 2 — and even earned a rerelease on the Nintendo 3DS. Now, the game is making its way to the Nintendo Switch in the form of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. And not content to simply update the graphics and call it a day, Monolith Soft and Nintendo are doing everything they can to make it live up to its name. Here’s all the new content you can expect to see in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition on the Nintendo Switch.
Further Reading
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New Epilogue
There are plenty of reasons why veteran Xenoblade players might want to pick up the latest edition on the Switch. Whether they want to experience the game with improved visuals, relive a classic tale, or just have the game available in a portable form, the Switch version will offer it all. However, Definitive Edition owners will also be receiving exclusive story content in the form of the “Future Connected” Epilogue.
Details are vague as to what players can expect — Monolith Soft doesn’t want to spoil the new narrative — but we do know that it will run for approximately 11 hours. That’s just for the main story of the epilogue — if players choose to complete all the side-quests, they’re looking at a solid 24 hours of new content. Diehard fans certainly won’t want to miss out on this new chapter of Xenoblade lore.
Updated UI
Along with the updated high-definition graphics, Xenoblade Chronicles will be getting an overhaul of its user interface. Not only are the menus much clearer and easier to read than they were on the Wii — all thanks to sharper visuals — but they’ve also been reworked from the ground up. Both the inventory and combat menu look drastically different than they did ten years ago and do a much better job of conveying info to the user.
The first thing you’ll notice about them is how crisp and clear they look compared to their predecessors. Gone are the muddy textures and overly complex designs. Instead, they are replaced with minimalist graphics that do a better job of showing the stats you’re interested in without bogging down the screen. There’s a lot to keep track of in Xenoblade Chronicles, and the enhanced menu system makes it easier than ever to manage your party.
New Soundtrack
🔊 Kick back and enjoy the remastered Colony 9 theme from Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, coming to Nintendo Switch on 29th May! pic.twitter.com/bpMGpWFBVe
— Nintendo UK (@NintendoUK) April 23, 2020
In another welcome change, most of the original soundtrack has been reworked for the Definitive Edition. The game is taking advantage of the technological advancements the Switch has over the Wii, meaning the audio files won’t have to be compressed like they were in 2010. This translates to a much cleaner sound, and the difference is immediately apparent — at times it almost sounds like a brand-new soundtrack. If you really want to relive the 2010 experience you can choose to do so, as the Definitive Edition will let you switch between the original and remastered soundtrack at will.
