A Much Needed Upgrade
Currently the Xenoblade series is going through a franchise wide upgrade. With the ghost release of Xenoblade Chronicles X upgrade pack, speculation began for the rest of the series. During the announcement of a new Xenoblade it was also confirmed all previous titles will be upgraded. Needless to say fans were overjoyed. Xenoblade has captured the hearts of RPG lovers despite hardware limitations they push. Using the Switch 2’s extra power these titles finally have the potential to run as smooth as they are great.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 specifically needed some extra love the most. With earlier games coming out on previous consoles; the Switch ports ran okay, although at 30FPS. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was very well optimised considering hardware limitations. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 however was Monolith Soft’s first shot at a game on the Switch.
I have clear memories of booting this game up for the first time 2017. Almost instantly I was disappointed by the visuals. When in portable mode it ran at such a low resolution, it looked like i’d smeared vaseline over the screen. The performance was incredibly choppy and didn’t help proceedings. From my memories Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was better playing in docked mode. Although it wasn’t a fix all cure. My initial disappointment subdued due to the games quite frank excellent gameplay.
Almost a decade later I was pleased to be revisiting Xenoblade Chronicles 2, now in its upgraded glory. From my around 10/15 hours questing and testing I was very impressed. Aiming for 60FPS and 4K output which the upgrade mostly pulls it off. The frame rate can be a little choppy in parts with occasional dips and freezes here and there. Battles with multiple enemies taking place in detailed environments occasionally gave it a stutter. The drops and dips are noticeable but happen infrequently. I didn’t find my overall experience being effected by the frame inconsistency though. Resolution clearly leans heavily on upscaling technology to hit the 4K target output. With some off the environments and in game models having a hint of softness to them. Largely speaking the upscale is all I really noticed from a visual point of view. This should not be sniffed at however due to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 having beautiful art direction. The extra pixels provided by the upgrade sharpen what was already a beautiful game; from an artistic sense. While this upgrade isn’t perfect it is a massive improvement coming from the original. The upgrade makes Xenoblade Chronicles 2 borderline unrecognisable in the best way possible.
New features have been added as well as it’s boost in performance. Small additions come in the form of extra costumes for Prya and Mythra. As well as an extra blade called Momo. A dual form/type healer who can be acquired as early as chapter 2. Momo makes some of the early game fights a lot easier, especially when equipped to a character that focuses on healing the party. The largest addition has been the new mercenary mode. Merc Assault allows players to take control of their blades and battle waves of enemies for XP, items and various other gubbins. It plays a lot more hack and slash than the core gameplay. However you can only enter the mode with your obtained rare blades. So luck depending by the time you unlock this mode you could have lots or few characters to play. While being an interesting addition it didn’t hold my attention for too long as I prefer the core gameplay loop. I can see this mode being a lot more fun if you have unlocked more blades. With Merc Assault being best suited towards the end of your campaign.
For those who have missed Xenoblade Chronicles 2 the first time it is absolutely worth getting involved. You can experience a truly massive JRPG. Controlling Rex exploring the continent of Alrest. Alrest is a cloud covered continent wandered by titans that the inhabitants of this world reside on. During this journey you follow Rex becoming a blade driver. Fighters that summon other beings to help in battle. Narratively the game is rather fun but does suffer from JRPG bloat in certain chapters. The core battle system is very positional based popping abilities and super moves at the right time. Summoning blades can shape your characters abilities for one of the most in depth battle systems in the franchise.
My time with the Switch 2 upgrade has been incredibly positive even with its hiccups. I was finding myself struggling to put Xenoblade Chronicles 2 down. Which is crazy considering I’ve played the game before. The upgrade is a literal game changer improving the Xenoblade experience tenfold. While playing I found myself toying with the idea of getting the expansion pass. If that’s not a good sign of an upgrade I don’t know what is. Now where is my debit card and Nintendo online details?
Review Code Was Kindly Provided By Nintendo
