Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Preview – The last great Wii U Switch port?

thesixthaxis.com:

The Xenoblade franchise has weaved an unusual path through Nintendo’s recent history, each new entry in the series being both separate and at once part of the greater whole. While Switch fans have been treated to the Definitive version of the original game, two stellar sequels, and even a whole game’s worth of DLC, Xenoblade Chronicles X has remained an oddity that, until now, remained cast out on the commercially unsuccessful Wii U.

However, the entire Xenoblade franchise will now be available in one place, with Xenoblade Chronicles X arriving as a swan song to the Nintendo Switch. That’s nice, because it’s one of the greatest RPG stories of our time.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is, in itself, an atypical example of the franchise. While the rest of the series feel like a merging of fantasy and sci-fi, Chronicles X leans far more heavily on science fiction, creating a universe-spanning adventure that sees humanity stranded on an alien planet.

Earth was caught up in a battle between two titanic extraterrestrial foes, forcing the survivors to escape on giant colony ships, with alien foes destroying many of humanity’s last hopes. Your ship, the White Whale, made an initial escape, but was soon brought down to an alien world filled with danger. At the opening, you’re busted out of your escape pod by soldier Elma, and you make your way to the city while learning the ropes of the game’s combat and basic systems.

Anyone that’s played the original Xenoblade Chronicles will recognise the action palette running across the bottom of the screen. You can set up to eight different arts here for your character to utilise, many of which will have different effects and interplay between one another, helping you to cause massive damage if they’re used in the right order. It’s an MMO-influenced system that I’ve loved since the original game, and it still works fantastically here.

Set in our future, Xenoblade Chronicles X feels more grounded and realistic than the other Xenoblade titles. The