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I made the original Nintendo Switch my opportunity to experience a wider breadth of the titles in the Japanese company’s repertoire; moving past simply the latest Super Mario or Legend of Zelda story and into the entries I only knew about through Super Smash Bros. Among this list of experiments was Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
My complete lack of knowledge about the first game thankfully didn’t hold me back (outside of a not overly important detail in the ending) from mastering the Blades-based combat system and finishing Rex and Pyra’s quest.
Unfortunately, the melodramatic story, staccato cutscenes, and some general tediousness to side-quests and menu management meant I exited the Xenoblade franchise; content with what I had sampled but with no desire to order a second course.
Despite that initial assessment, the series and this game specifically have re-entered my life through the Nintendo Switch 2 edition — a standalone title for newcomers, or upgrade pack for returning players — as Nintendo works to bring the Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy to its latest console.
With Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s enhanced edition comes visual updates — specifically the promise of 4K resolution and 60 frames per second (fps) in docked mode, and full-HD 60fps in handheld — plus a few minor new content treats.
The trouble is the update misses a few much-needed improvements that would turn this undeniably definitive way to play XC2 into the perfect way to experience the adventure I had hoped it would be,
Just like previous Switch 2 refreshes, we’ve seen the story and gameplay remain almost entirely unchanged.
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As with the Switch version, protagonist Rex yet again finds himself the Driver of a powerful and sought-after blade known as the Aegis — or Pyra as she prefers to call herself — following a salvaging gig-gone-wrong. And after saving his life, the pair venture out together with the goal of reaching Elysium — a place which could hold the answers to the troubles facing the world of Alrest, such as the steady decline of its Titans.
On this quest, Rex and his allies recruit Blades (living weapons) who fight alongside them. Most are obtained through gacha-style Cores that spit out either unique rare or generic common Blades — purchased using in-game currency. You can also find rare blades through special crystals obtained through completing specific objectives meaning progress isn’t entirely luck-based.
Among these guaranteed unlocks is the Switch 2 exclusive Blade Momo. She’s a healer-class given to the player about halfway through Chapter 2 and has the special ability to change her attribute between Light and Dark. I’ve had a blast using her and her bunny ball weapon, though it seems she’s a solid starting-out ally and not a Blade that’ll carry all the way into the post-game.
Every Blade has its own weapon, attribute, role, and moveset. Finding and building a synergistic collection of Blades for each character will help massively with challenging combats, though I never found it essential to complete the main story.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s Blades combat is also much the same as it was before.
Characters and their Blade will automatically attack their target when in range while more powerful moves (known as Arts) charge up. Using Arts will then charge your Special attack, and these Special attacks can be chained in a specific order to pull off devastating combos.