Xenoblade Chronicles was an impactful game for many who have played it. As the first game in Monolith Software’s RPG series of the same name, it established addictive gameplay and several themes that would carry into its successors. It remains my personal favorite Xenoblade game mainly for its setting and storytelling. However, the two games that followed it, Xenoblade Chronicles X and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, have significantly improved on the gameplay and several aspects of the first title. While it may have been a standalone game, I choose to lump Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country with Xenoblade 2 as it was an expansion. With the upcoming Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition being recently announced for the Nintendo Switch, I think it is important to look back and ask how the original game can change for the better.
Shulk and Reyn stand on the Bionis and look upon the Mechonis.
To summarize, Xenoblade Chronicles takes place on the backs of two large titans, the Bionis and Mechonis. Thousands of years ago, the two titans fought in a climactic battle and killed each other in the process. Eventually, life emerged on the Bionis and began to thrive. However, machines called Mechon began invading from the Mechonis. A war between the denizens of the titans erupted, and the only weapon that could effectively fight back against the Mechon was the Monado, the sword of the Bionis. The story of Xenoblade Chronicles starts somewhat after the people of Bionis win the war against the Mechon. Events lead to Shulk, the main character, taking up the Monado himself, and the story turns into something far more complex.
By the time the Definitive Edition releases in 2020, Xenoblade Chronicles is going to be about ten years old. It was originally released on the Nintendo Wii and later ported to the Nintendo 3DS; neither of these systems was particularly powerful compared to other systems on the market. For this reason, Xenoblade needs to adapt to the times. It was an amazing game when it first released, but it can be optimized in several ways. The small glimpses of the game have displayed major graphical improvements, but the visuals are not the only thing that would feel dated. Newer gaming conventions and better technology can help this already great RPG reach its full potential. Most of my experience with Xenoblade Chronicles was spent with the Wii version, so I will be mainly referring to that one.
1. Clean up the UI
Especially during battles, Xenoblade’s user interface is cramped and messy. A large space of the screen is occupied by screaming character portraits. I believe presenting the game in a higher resolution will make room to fix some of these problems. However, Arts, which are a character’s special attacks, had to be shuffled through in order to select them. Considering how the action in Xenoblade is performed in real-time, this made it a pain to stack certain buffs and debuffs using your Arts.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 fixed this in a way by mapping Arts to specific buttons. The Definitive Edition could adopt this system and even expand it to allow characters to use up to eight Arts in a battle similar to the first game. I believe that this would be possible as the Wii version managed to have deep combat using the limited functions of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The Switch Joy-Cons and Pro Controllers can easily take the inputs further, making for faster commands.
Many enemies in Xenoblade Chronicles occupy most of the screen. It would be nice if the UI did not do the same.
2. Smarter AI
Xenoblade had decent AI for the battle companions, but it was far from perfect. They would often use attacks without regard for how to best utilize their abilities. Xenoblade 2’s AI was far more reactionary to the combat situations. Teammates would usually heal as needed. They quickly followed up attacks to stack debuffs, so combos were much easier to perform.
If Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition can use some of the behaviors of characters in Xenoblade 2, I believe it will go a long way in making characters more useful in battle.
3. More Inventory Space
Xenoblade Chronicles had a rather limited inventory space. This space was expanded each time a character joined the party, but it was never much. This lack of space is especially frustrating when finding collectibles that might be needed for side-quests. A player might have to discard an item that could be useful in the future to make room for something else.
The sequels, Xenoblade X and 2, had massive inventory spaces in comparison. I was nearly done with my second playthrough of Xenoblade 2 before I even ran out of space. There is no reason that this new version of Xenoblade cannot do the same.
Xenoblade’s inventory lacked in both presentation and capacity.
4. Tweak Loot Drops
Xenoblade’s sequels have even improved on something as simple as how loot is collected. When enemies are defeated in Xenoblade, their loot drops in the form of chests. Opening the chests and deciding what to take from them was a slow process compared to the later games.
Personally, I prefer X’s method of doing things as all loot dropped from enemies is immediately received after a battle. Both the first game and Xenoblade 2 ran the risk of loot dropping out of reach. This has happened to me more than I would like for it to, so it would be great if the Definitive Edition takes measures to avoid those issues.
5. Collectible Items
There are a vast plethora of collectible items that can be found lying around the world of Xenoblade Chronicles. Anyone who attempts to find them all is at the mercy of random number generation. While many of these collectibles have fixed spawn points, there is often no indication of where exactly to look for them. For example, some items have a small chance of appearing. It can be annoying as some of the hardest-to-find collectibles are essential for completing side-quests.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 made an effort toward easier collecting. There are points that spawned several collectibles at once, and they appeared in very specific spots. On top of that, there were ways of increasing the likelihood of receiving a rare item through field skills. Perhaps the Definitive Edition should try this as well.
In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, a character’s field skills increased drop at collection points.
6. Field Skills and Character Augments
Field skills and similar abilities were present in both Xenoblade Chronicles X and 2. They were a way of using a character’s abilities to interact with the world outside of battle. These abilities exist in some capacity in the first Xenoblade through the use of gems in the field category. Gems gave characters enhanced abilities that would normally serve them in combat, but the field gems allowed for things like faster walking speed and resistance to fall damage. The problem is that they took up a gem slot in a character’s armor and were not useful in battle.
The way field skills were used in the sequels varied, but Xenoblade 2’s implementation of them is notable. Field Skills increased drops from collection points, but there were also abilities gained by collecting deeds from shops. These enhancements were much like the functions of field gems in the first Xenoblade. These ideas should be carried over to the Definitive Edition in a similar form so that field gems become permanent upgrades for your characters.
7. Improved Map
The original Xenoblade had a map that was uncovered as players traveled through the area. It did not have very many markers on it aside from the names of locations and landmarks. This meant that locations of side-quests and unique monsters were easily overlooked. Quest markers would show up on the mini-map, but players had to already be very near to them.
It would be preferred if the Definitive Edition uses Xenoblade 2’s style of maps which display the entirety of an area that has been discovered as well as separate markers for many places of interest. Side-quests were clearly indicated from great distance away. Practically everything it did was an improvement over the first game. Xenoblade has a large world, so it can definitely benefit from imitating Xenoblade 2.
The maps in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 had far more icons and markers on its detailed maps.
8. Fashion Gear
Fashion Gear was a feature in Xenoblade Chronicles X that allowed characters to wear an additional set of armor over another. The first layer of armor provided them with the stat boosts associated with that equipment while the Fashion Gear would give them the appearance of wearing that armor.
I would like to see this feature implemented in the Definitive Edition because I am fond of the aesthetics of some of the weaker equipment, but I cannot say that I care for that of much of the better gear. There were also times when mismatching armor created a visual clash. With Fashion Gear, everyone can look fabulous and even safely wear the default outfits of the characters throughout the game.
When you equip the best armor that you just happen to have on you at the time, you come up with some… interesting combinations.
9. Difficulty Settings
Xenoblade Chronicles is not an especially hard game to get through until reaching a key area; at that point, the difficulty spikes – only certain weapons are effective against the enemies in that part of the world. These foes are also several levels higher than your characters would normally be at the point that you are expected to reach it. While it is doable to get through this part of the game, it does require a serious grind that brings progress to a bit of a crawl.
If the Definitive Edition carries over the in-depth difficulty customization from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, it would not only make the story more accessible to gamers who want to play on an easier setting, but it would also provide a challenge to seasoned Xenoblade veterans who might like to try a harder difficulty.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has in-depth difficulty customization. Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition should do the same.
10. Xenoblade Chronicles 3D Content
The Nintendo 3DS port of Xenoblade Chronicles did not add much to the game, but it had a character model viewer and a jukebox mode, as well as amiibo functionality. The Definitive Edition should definitely maintain the added content and even expand on it.
11. Connect to the Sequels
While the games in the Xenoblade Chronicles series seem to have little to do with each other, as they are all set in different universes, they do make some direct connections at some points, too. Nopon, which are round, fuzzy, and intelligent creatures, are present in all titles of the series. Some Nopon in Xenoblade Chronicles X even reference people and places in the first game. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 even features Shulk and Fiora from Xenoblade and Elma from Xenoblade X as characters in its DLC. Xenoblade 2 has even deeper ties to the first game, but stating what they are would spoil both titles.
With its remake, Xenoblade Chronicles has the chance to retrospectively pay tribute to the new games in the series and make its connections to them more clear. Doing so would be great fanservice to those who have been longtime fans of the series.
DLC in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 brought the protagonists of each game in its series together.
12. Add New Content
There have already been hints of new content for the Definitive Edition at the very end of the reveal trailer. This includes a new area which was a mostly finished but unpolished section cut from the original game called Bionis’ Left Shoulder. It was only briefly shown in one of the game’s cutscenes before, but now it seems that this area will become fully explorable. This map was actually quite large in scope, as are most places of Xenoblade, and it is exciting to imagine what kind of quests and secrets can be discovered here. There is hope that even more scrapped content will see the light of day.
In the same shot as the new area, we can see Shulk and Melia. They are both wearing outfits not seen in the original game. What is interesting about Shulk is that his Monado looks to have a different form. This scene was probably meant to be a taste of several additions that will come to Xenoblade Chronicles.
This image, from the Definitive Edition trailer, features the new Bionis’ Left Shoulder.
As I said before, Xenoblade Chronicles is a fantastic game, but it was held back by the technology and conventions of its time. The Definitive Edition seeks to gracefully bring it into the current generation, and hopefully, it does so by hammering out several of its flaws. Nintendo decided to revisit this title, so they should take the opportunity to create the best version possible. Still, despite its issues, Xenoblade Chronicles remains to be as excellent as it was 9 years ago. So, I am excited to re-experience it again on the Switch regardless of its improvements.
