If you’ve played any of the Xenoblade games, there’s a pretty big chance that you have already dived into Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition. I played the definitive edition last April and enjoyed my time with it, but felt that maybe the scope and ambition were undersold due to performance and visuals. While the game didn’t stand out to me as an all-time or anything, I was impressed by its scope and what it actually achieved. So when I heard Nintendo was shadow-dropping a proper Switch 2 version of the game, my ears perked up.
So let’s get the best part out of the way – if you own Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition, you can purchase the Switch 2 update for $6.99 CAD. If you don’t, it’s a whopping $89.99 CAD. So for fans who have already purchased the game and want to go back to it in a heavily upgraded version, buying the upgrade pack is a no-brainer. I should also mention that I won’t be reviewing the game, as I’ve already done that here on BBP! This is more a review and overview of the Switch 2 edition.
Visually, Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition looks so sharp and so elevated when compared to the Wii U release, as well as the Switch release. It’s actually quite staggering when you look at the Switch 2 version side-by-side with what I played last year. The Switch 2 version now runs at 4k and offers a buttery-smooth, ridiculously consistent 60fps. I never saw a frame drop or any sort of major stutter that took me out of the experience.
The game ran flawlessly and looked better than ever. Textures have been updated as well; grass, water, cliffs, and rocks have all been upscaled and show much more detail than before. The giant enemies wandering the world also shimmer and shine with updated reflections and texture work. While this is the same game I played last year, it feels like a full generation ahead in terms of how it looks and how it feels to play. Personally, I believe that 60fps should be the benchmark for how a video game should run in 2026 and onward – unless it’s intentionally designed to run at a lower framerate. It’s good to see that Monolift Soft and Nintendo were able to make this happen for Xenoblade Chronicles X, and I’d love to see them update the rest of the series as well.
When I first played this game, I felt the biggest issue was its egregious pop-in. When wandering the open world, it might look like there’s a big open field in front of you until you take an extra ten steps forward. Out of nowhere, you will see a flurry of creatures, rocks, and buildings that just phase into reality. Take a few steps back, and they will just pop out of existence. Surely this was due to the Wii U’s hardware not being able to load in the massive open world, as well as all of the enemies and things like that. I assumed this would be the biggest issue to tackle with a proper Switch 2-port, as the system is generations ahead of the original hardware.
What stunned me was that the pop-in didn’t seem to be addressed in the slightest. It actually looks worse and more ridiculous now because the game looks and runs so much better. Seeing creatures appear 20 feet away from you while the game looks as good as it does feels strange and absolutely took me away from the overall enjoyment of the game. It’s even worse in the city, which is a spot you go to all the time in this game. Mechs, people, and buildings will just appear and then vanish. Sometimes they will stutter in and out of reality until you take one step closer, and then they snap into existence. It is bizarre that they didn’t touch the draw distance whatsoever. I don’t know anything about game development, but I would assume that fixing the draw distance of what loads in on screen wouldn’t be a crazy thing to make happen. Perhaps the engine itself is dated and is being pushed to its absolute limits, and maybe the game wouldn’t run properly at 60fps if more things were able to load into the game. Maybe it was an oversight? Who can say?
Xenoblade Chronicles X has never looked better – with its seriously updated textures and higher resolution – it’s hard to deny that this Switch 2 port looks amazing. The game now runs at a locked 60fps, which is a godsend and will make the game feel like a new experience to returning Xenoblade veterans as well as newcomers to the series. However, not all that glitters is gold. The shiny new look and performance for the game also heighten the engine’s overall misfires and weaknesses. The draw distance has been untouched since the game released originally nearly 11 years ago, and that severely hindered the overall experience for me personally. What this port does well, it does really, really well. Sure, they may have missed the mark on a couple of things here and there, but if you already own this game and want to dive back in, this extremely affordable upgrade is a must-buy. If you’ve been waiting for a reason to try this game out, then you’ve now finally got the proper definitive edition.
Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is out now on the Nintendo Switch 2.
