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It’s the Anniversary of Xenoblade Chronicles X… and I’m Still Hoping for a Port

Video games 5 Responses » Tagged with: rpg, xenoblade, xenoblade chronicles x

Apr 292024

Xenoblade Chronicles has become incredibly popular since the days of that first niche release we almost didn’t get in North America . These three games are now beloved by JRPG fans…

What, you say there’s four games? Ah yes, because Torna ~ the Golden Country was sold as a standalone release, right?

That’s sadly how it feels sometimes; while the main Xenoblade trilogy has soared in popularity, Xenoblade Chronicles X remains the odd game out, overshadowed by the other three and sometimes even forgotten entirely.

Today is the 9th anniversary of Xenoblade Chronicles X’s release. It came out on April 29, 2015 in Japan and would follow in other regions in December.

Although I had my doubts about it ahead of launch, I ended up loving it despite it being a fully open world game with a lessened emphasis on story. The worldbuilding, humor, characters, and exploration were that good.

Look how optimistic I was back when I wrote that review, ending with the hope that we would see Xenoblade Chronicles X 2 at E3 2016. Here we are 9 years later, and not only do we not have a sequel, but we got two other Xenoblade games and a remaster in the meantime.

Since Xenoblade Chronicles X is still stranded on the Wii U, far fewer people have played it than the others. That’s why it’s overlooked so often. Because of that, the farther we’ve gotten from it, the more I’ve hoped for a port or remaster to be announced. I want a Xenoblade Chronicles X sequel, and I think our best chance of getting that is if X is ported first and reaches a bigger audience.

With how many Wii U games made the jump to the Switch and how popular Xenoblade has become, it’s kind of shocking that Xenoblade Chronicles X is one of the few that’s still a Wii U exclusive.

Back in 2018, director Tetsuya Takahashi said in an interview that bringing X to the Switch would be “really difficult.” He said it was a money issue, because of how massive X is.

In the time since that 2018 interview, the Xenoblade series has become more popular than ever. Now we’re getting near the end of the Switch’s life, and rumors of its successor are on the horizon. Few things would make me happier than if Xenoblade Chronicles X was one of the first titles announced (hopefully to pave the way for a Xenoblade Chronicles X 2). Here’s hoping the series’ success on the switch is enough to make it worth the effort to port Xenoblade Chronicles X and give it a second chance to shine!

Xenoblade Chronicles X: An Open World Even I Love

Reviews, Video games 7 Responses » Tagged with: rpg, xenoblade, xenoblade chronicles x

Mar 212016

For a long time, I had doubts about Xenoblade Chronicles X.

Unlike the original Xenoblade Chronicles, which was a semi-linear story-driven game, X was described as an open world RPG with a stronger focus on exploration than story.

Although I eventually got excited for its sci-fi world and decided to give it a chance, I braced myself for disappointment. After all, I don’t really like open world games.

But you know what? I love Xenoblade Chronicles X.

Let me take that further. I enjoyed X more than the first Xenoblade.

Xenoblade Chronicles X’s open world worked for me in a way other open worlds and some massive semi-linear worlds don’t. For me, the appeal of a semi-linear structure is that I can do all of the optional stuff, progress the story, and then have more optional stuff to do.

X is structured that way. Although the world is entirely open, missions depend on how far you’ve progressed the story. After each story mission, a new batch of affinity missions and regular missions unlock.

And since the world has 5 continents, and missions often tie in directly to exploring the world, I never felt pressured to try to explore as much as possible in one go. So while I neared 100 hours in the original Xenoblade feeling overwhelmed, sick of side quests, and ready to just finish already, I’m still not bored with X after well over 100 hours.

Now, let’s talk about the story.

While Xenoblade Chronicles X isn’t as story-focused as many JRPGs, it has an enjoyable story with plot twists, exciting cutscenes, and memorable characters. The thing is, its storytelling isn’t confined to story missions. Alone, they would make the story somewhat weak. It’s through the affinity missions and normal missions that X’s writing is at its best.

And despite the seriousness of its overall plot, Xenoblade Chronicles X is funny.

I really loved how X made use of the lighter side of science fiction. We’ve got an alien race obsessed with pizza. A time traveler named B°&7k%±|. An alien whose self-taught English leads him to hilariously mess up idioms.

Affinity missions handle the character development of individual party members, and it works well. My only wish is that there were fewer party members. With such a massive roster, most characters don’t get the story attention they deserve. A smaller party, with greater focus on each member, is my hope for the sequel.

Likewise, I wish party members not required for a specific mission could still get contextual dialogue when taken along. That, too, would help you get to know the party members.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is not a perfect game. In addition to the concerns I just mentioned, it makes you seek out each party member in the city to add them to your party. And once you have Skells (the mechs), you can only retrieve a destroyed Skell from the barracks… which isn’t a problem until a boss destroys your Skells and you realize you need to go back to the barracks and then back to the fight to try again.

It’s also complex, with menus and sub-menus, numerous icons and stats, equipment and augments, arts and classes and skills and Soul Voices…

The complexity is not necessarily a bad thing. If you’re frustrated with “hand-holding” in games, the way Xenoblade tosses you into the deep end will be refreshing.

Reading the manual is a necessity. I also took notes to keep track of party member locations, as well as Affinity Missions: where they were, what level they required, and what unlocked them.

Combat is similar to the system used in the original Xenoblade, with auto-attacks and stronger special attacks (arts) you select from a hotbar. The Monado is replaced by “Overdrive,” which has a variety of special effects and requires TP to use. (You build TP as you attack.)

You don’t have to pay attention to every game mechanic to play, but there’s enough challenging end-game content to make full use of these systems if you want to take on the toughest enemies.

The Wii U GamePad is used to display the map. However, if you want to use off-TV mode, like I did, you can switch to the map whenever you need it.

Overall, two things stand out to me the most about this game: its characters and its worldbuilding. From meeting different alien races and watching the city come to life, to exploring the planet and seeing glimpses of long-abandoned alien ruins, I really fell in love with planet Mira and its mysteries.

Ah yes, its mysteries. Let’s talk about that.

Xenoblade Chronicles X needs a sequel. While it concludes its core plot and doesn’t feel incomplete, it leaves many questions unanswered, along with obvious sequel hooks. If there isn’t a second game, that will be very disappointing, and not only because this one was so much fun.

Overall, I highly recommend Xenoblade Chronicles X to RPG fans. It’s an exciting, entertaining adventure with an open world that even I love… and enough character development and lore to flesh out its story.

So, Xenoblade Chronicles X 2 at E3?

Buy Xenoblade Chronicles X from Amazon
Buy Xenoblade Chronicles X from Play-Asia

Preparing For Xenoblade Chronicles X

Video games 8 Responses » Tagged with: rpg, xenoblade, xenoblade chronicles x

Nov 202015

Xenoblade Chronicles X comes out in two weeks, on December 4. As someone looking forward to it (it’s one of my most-anticipated games of the year despite being open world), I’d like to address some of the most common questions about it I’ve seen.

Can you play Xenoblade Chronicles X if you haven’t played the original Xenoblade Chronicles?

Yes, yes, so much YES. The biggest misconception I’ve seen is that X is a sequel. I blame the name. Xenoblade Chronicles X is a spiritual successor to Xenoblade, related only through shout-outs, similar gameplay, and some common features (like the Nopon race).

They are very different games. For starters, Xenoblade was pretty much fantasy, while X is science fiction.

Xenoblade had a focused, linear story, while X focuses more on exploration and character development. People who have played it say it has deeper lore than Xenoblade.

Combat is the greatest similarity, but X’s system seems more complex.

What are the data packs for?

In the Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced that the four downloadable data packs for Xenoblade Chronicles X are now available. These have caused almost as many misconceptions as the name.

The data packs do not add anything new to the game. They do not contain content that didn’t fit on the disc.

Rather, they install some of the game’s frequently-used information to your Wii U, to make loading times faster. This is why the data packs are pointless if you get the digital version. If you get the digital version, the entire game is installed.

Should I get the data packs?

If you’re buying Xenoblade Chronicles X digitally, no. If you’re buying a retail copy, here’s a comparison video from GameXplain.

Do you want the faster loading times? Then the data packs are worth it. There are four:

Basic High-Speed Data Loading Pack
Enemy High-Speed Data Loading Pack
Player High-Speed Data Loading Pack
Skell High-Speed Data Loading Pack

Nintendo recommends you at least get the first one.

You’ll need slightly over 15 GB to download all of them, though they seem to only take up about 10 GB of space. If you, like me, are out of space on your Wii U hard drive, you can pick up an external drive.

Personally, I’m getting a 1 TB portable drive along with a cable so I can use it with my Wii U. I was tempted during the Fatal Frame V digital-only debacle, and the data packs convinced me.

Is the game censored?

Everyone’s favorite topic.

Yes, a 13-year-old party member’s armor has been adjusted so it covers slightly more skin. Every other female character can still wear the skimpy armor, so don’t panic.

To the people upset over this, are you also upset that Ace Attorney changed a joke involving Dr. Hotti and Pearl? (Janet Hsu’s blogs in general are a good resource to see why localization isn’t the same as a literal translation.)

The bust slider for the female player character has also been removed. In the original Japanese version, when you customized a female character, you could adjust both her height and chest size. In the localized version, you can only adjust her height.

If you call this censorship, I suppose you’re right. However, I don’t think it’s enough to warrant a boycott over, because what does a character’s chest size have to do with exploring an alien world in a sci-fi RPG?

For those of you who are upset because you can’t make your character accurately look like you, though… I have a question. If make your character identical to you is so important that removing the bust slider makes it a deal-breaker, shouldn’t you also be upset that you can’t change the character’s shoulder width? What about hand size? What if you don’t find a hairstyle that matches yours?

I’m just saying, arguing that removing the bust slider means you can’t make the character look like you assumes every other body part can be customized to match you (or maybe you just consider the chest more important).

Enough of that, what about religious censorship? By now, you’ve probably heard people crying that Xenoblade Chronicles X has censored all references to religious philosophy. Has it?

The BLADE acronym has been changed from “Beyond the Logos Artificial Destiny Emancipator” to “Builders of the Legacy After the Destruction of Earth.”
The Testament division has been renamed to Reclaimers.

That’s it. No need to panic.

Personally, I don’t mind. I think the majority of players would read “Beyond the Logos Artificial Destiny Emancipator” as a bunch of cool-sounding words slapped together into something meaningless, rather than something philosophical. And since the Reclaimers focus on reclaiming lost items from the ship… yeah.

Is the story good?

I can’t really answer that, because I haven’t played it. However, people who played the Japanese version seem to think it’s setting up a larger saga.

Those are the biggest questions I’ve heard asked about Xenoblade Chronicles X. GameXplain has also been releasing Q&A videos. Part 1 and Part 2 are out now.

Have more questions about Xenoblade Chronicles X? Ask in the comments, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll try to find out.

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