The Xenoblade series is one of the premier JRPG games exclusive to Nintendo consoles, all developed by Monolith Soft. The original Xenoblade Chronicles was released on Nintendo Wii all the way back in 2010 and was a commercial success in Japan and other parts of Asia.

In the West, however, it went almost unnoticed because it was released so late in the console’s life cycle in 2012, and Nintendo’s successor console, the Wii U, was set for release that same year. It also received a port on the 3DS in 2015, but that didn’t do much better with sales either.

The later games did much better commercially, and the characters have appeared in other games such as Super Smash Bros. and Project X Zone, but it wasn’t until 2020 when Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition was released on the original Switch that the original game finally got the recognition it deserved. Now, in 2026, it gets another upgrade for the Switch 2 in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.

The story of Xenoblade Chronicles begins with the battle between Mechonis and Bionis, two gods fighting for all eternity and leaving each other wounded. Eons later, life flourished on top of these gods, but the battle waged between Mechonis and Bionis would be continued by their progeny, Bionis’ Homs and Mechonis’ Mechon. Centuries later in Sword Valley, the Homs army is fighting off a Mechon invasion. The Homs are quickly losing ground and are forced to retreat to Colony 6, where they will put up a last stand.

Dunban, the current wielder of the legendary Monado, decides to ignore orders and engages the Mechon forces with Dickson and Mumkhar, who runs away and plans to return after Dickson and Dunban have died to collect the Monado; however, he is killed by the Mechon after running into their base.

With the Monado, the only weapon that can pierce Mechon armour, Dunban and Dickson are able to push back and destroy all the Mechon, leaving the Homs victorious and earning Dunban the title of “Hero of the Homs”. Unfortunately, Dunban is unable to fully control the Monado, and after the battle, his right arm is permanently damaged, and he is left bedridden for a year.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition on the original Switch delivered a big upgrade to the graphics of the original Wii version of the game, showing the game at its full potential, at least back in 2020. Since the Switch 2’s release a year ago this month, many Switch exclusive games have received upgrades with enhanced graphics up to 4K, improved frame rates of 60fps and some games were even given extra content.

It may have a longer-than-necessary title and uses the word “edition” twice, but Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is now the best version of Xenoblade Chronicles, improving not only the graphics and frame rate, but also adding so much new content.

The gameplay is mostly the same as before, but has some minor tweaks and upgrades to remove any bugs from the previous Definitive Edition to help make everything run smoother than ever. The Wii and 3DS versions had issues with targeting enemies and auto-attacks, both of which were fixed in the first Definitive Edition and are still intact on the Switch 2. Players can also still customise their character’s outfits however they like without compromising their stats for aesthetic choices, which the Wii and 3DS versions, plus a lot of similar games, would force you to do.

The battles, exploration, and cutscenes look better than ever thanks to the enhanced graphics and frame rate. The Switch 2 version can achieve 4K visuals in docked mode and 1080p in handheld, though it can look a little blurry at times. Even with that, the game’s visuals look fantastic overall, whether you’re playing at home or on the go. Some of the environments might look out of date in certain parts, but the smoother textures and clearer visuals make them much more pleasing to the eye and far less blurry than in previous versions.

The Wii, 3DS, and original Switch versions all ran at 30fps, which looked fine on their respective hardware, but the Switch 2 version, running at 60fps, makes a world of difference and shows the full potential of what a Xenoblade Chronicles game could look like. In places that have a lot going on, the frame rate might drop down to 30fps to accommodate, but it’s only temporary, and the game will be back in 60fps before you know it.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition on the original Switch also added an extra story on top of the main game titled Future Connected, and that’s also included in the Switch 2 version at no extra cost. The main game can take around 30 hours to complete, and Future Connected takes around 10 hours, so Xenoblade fans will have enough to keep them busy, and newcomers have the ideal starting point to the series available on a modern console.

The Switch 2 version of the original Xenoblade game adds even more content than before. The original game had a good amount of well-performed voice acting in both Japanese and English during cutscenes and important in-game dialogue, but the Heart-to-Heart scenes were presented only in text. The Switch 2 version adds voices to all the Heart-to-Heart scenes, in both Japanese and English, bringing the characters to life more than before.

The biggest new addition to the game and even the entire Xenoblade series is the EtherJet, which works similarly to the Speeder Bikes in Star Wars and can be unlocked after completing a certain quest. These can be used to travel faster across maps or participate in up to 70 race events throughout the game. The EtherJet itself is fast, furious and tons of fun that players could easily just spend their time cruising around the maps.

The race events provide are also a ton of fun and exhilarating in their own right, with two race types including Score Attack, which is focused on passing through colour-coded ether ore to score points and Battle Race, a time-attack style challenge with you competing against your party members to pass through checkpoints in a specific order and reach the finish line. Hopefully, we’ll see the EtherJet again in future Xenoblade games, especially since Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 have been confirmed to be receiving upgrades for the Switch 2 as well.

With all the JRPG games available today, it can be difficult for them to stand out in this genre, especially with such big titles as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Persona, but Xenoblade Chronicles has managed to make a name for itself as one of the best in the genre, even when it went unnoticed at the beginning. The game is currently priced at $99.95 AUD digitally, but for those who already own the original Switch version, can just buy the upgrade pack for the Switch 2 version for only $20.00 AUD, which is a great deal for the amount of new content it offers. The physical version of the game is also $99.95 AUD and is set for release on July 30th.

The upgrade on the original Switch helped give it the recognition it deserved, and the latest upgrade on the Switch 2 makes it the must-buy version of the first Xenoblade Chronicles game. The title might be a mouthful, but Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is the best way to get started or relive the beginning of Xenoblade Chronicles. 

Written by: Sammy Hanson