Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition Makes a Fantastic Game Even Better

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Sep 112020
 

I love Xenoblade.

I love Xenoblade so much that when my copy of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition arrived, I decided not to jump into the new epilogue content right away but instead replay the entire game from the beginning.

And yes, I still love it.

Xenoblade Chronicles has a fantastic story, great characters, and such a beautiful world to explore. Everything looks more beautiful than ever thanks to the new graphics of the Definitive Edition, and that’s not the only benefit. There are several little quality-of-life improvements (such as marking side quest locations on the map) that made it feel even better.

There are still some frustrating things, like side quests with multiple paths that lock you into one path if you have the necessary items before starting the quest, and I wish it was possible to track Colony 6 restoration materials like side quests, but these are minor.

So much time had passed since I played the original Xenoblade Chronicles that even though I knew it was a great game, my memories of it were pretty fuzzy. Replaying it in the Definitive Edition really reminded me of just how much I love this game.

Backlog or no backlog, I happily put another 100 hours into Xenoblade.

Once I completed the main game, I moved on to the new epilogue added to the Definitive Edition, Future Connected.

Future Connected isn’t quite what I expected when it was first announced. I thought it would tease Xenoblade Chronicles 3 or otherwise tie into certain revelations about the series. It doesn’t do either of those things.

It’s largely just a short epilogue to the original game that helps resolve Melia’s storyline, gives a glimpse of what the world is like after the game’s ending, and makes use of the Bionis’ Shoulder, an area that was cut from the original. It also follows up on a few late-game side quests from the main game.

The story of Future Connected is… okay. Its villain is pretty uncompelling and the major threat is left so vague that maybe it is intended to tease a sequel after all. I don’t know. It just felt a bit bland.

On the other hand, it’s filled with a lot of great character interactions (especially in the “quiet moments,” Future Connected’s version of heart-to-hearts) and the group of Nopons you end up helping and saving are funny rather than annoying. A certain character from one of the main game’s most memorable side quest chains also returns for another side quest here, which was great.

My thoughts on Future Connected ultimately come down to this: it’s more Xenoblade, and more Xenoblade is good. If I’d played it on its own, I’d probably be disappointed, but it’s a nice little epilogue for the game.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition takes the fantastic JRPG that is Xenoblade Chronicles and makes it better than ever. I’m happy I decided to play through the whole game again, and I can’t wait to see what Monolith Soft has planned for the future.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected is 10-20 Hours Long

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: ,
May 202020
 

The last time we discussed Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected, the epilogue added for the upcoming Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, one of my big questions was about how long it would be.

Well, now we have an answer. As reported by Gematsu, the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu revealed that Future Connected is 10-12 hours long for the main story and up to 20 hours if you include side content.

That’s not as long as Torna, but it’s substantially longer than what I expected when it was first revealed.

The interview also mentions that Monolith Soft has had three teams, one working on Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, one working on a new game, and one working on both.

It doesn’t say anything else about the new game, but it could be the mysterious fantasy IP Monolith Soft has in development. Fans are also hoping a Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will be made, of course, with Future Connected possibly tying to that. Personally, I still want Xenoblade Chronicles X to get a sequel.

Anyway, I’m excited for Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition and Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected, and I can’t wait to see what they do next. And no, I haven’t decided yet if I’m replaying all of Xenoblade or not.

Are you looking forward to Future Connected?

Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected is Starting to Sound Extensive

 Video games  3 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
May 012020
 

The more I learn about Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected, the more I wonder how long it will be.

Future Connected is the new epilogue created for Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, the upcoming Switch remake of the first Xenoblade game.

Even though it’s an epilogue, set one year after the events of the main game, it will be available from the start.

A new Japanese overview trailer and updates to the official website have shed some light on what Future Connected is all about, and it sounds fairly extensive.

Shulk and Melia set out in search of the Imperial Capital Alcamoth and crash on the Bionis’ Shoulder. As we discussed when this area was first glimpsed in the initial announcement trailer, the Bionis’ Shoulder was a huge area cut from the original game.

It looks like Shulk and Melia will be the only party members from the original cast featured in Future Connected. They’re joined by two Nopon companions, Kino and Nene. The combat system has been redone for this new story, and it looks like it features some sort of Nopon group attack.

So right now we have a new story, unlocked from the start, with a new combat system and party members, set in an area that was originally one of the largest maps in the game. All of this together makes it sound more like a standalone expansion like Torna ~ The Golden Country than a simple epilogue. Does this mean it could be around the same length?

When Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected was first announced, I expected it to be a couple of hours long. I’d still be happy with that, but another mini Xenoblade game like Torna would be pretty cool.

What do you think about Future Connected? How long do you expect it to be? And if you already played the original Xenoblade, are you planning to start with Future Connected or play through the main game again first?

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