Monolith Soft surprised Nintendo fans everywhere with its announcement of a lavish, open-world RPG calledXenoblade Chroniclesfor the Wii in 2010. Although the classic title remained region-locked for sometime, devoted fans helped to finally get a global release. The title would later be ported to the New Nintendo 3DS and, in 2020, the Switch.
The game’s enthralling tale full of twists and turns, the memorable characters, and unique combat system captivated fans, making for one of the standout JRPGs of the decade.
Fast forward several years later, and the studio was back in full force; this time with a full-blown Switch sequel, released at the end of 2017. While many traits of the original were retained, various aspects were tweaked, refined, and added to make this experience stand out from its predecessor.
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But which of these great games is better, and where does each excel? We’ll seek to hash this out below, as we cover 5 strengths for each iteration of the mainlineXenobladegames.
Updated February 9th, 2021 by Tanner Kinney:Despite how few Xenoblade titles there are currently released, each inspires fans in different ways. Each is a radically different experience despite being cut from the same cloth. Even Xenoblade Chronicles Xhas its fair share of fans, although it isn’t considered a true sequel. The only real downside came in the visuals for XC1 being somewhat outdated for the longest time. With the release of the Switch remaster in 2020, both titles are on the same console and available for direct competition. When deciding between which title is superior, the margin has become even more razor thin.
14Xenoblade Chronicles: Extensive Equipment Customization
Although it might be more of a burden than a boon for some players,Xenoblade Chroniclesstands out from other titles with equipment system. WhileXC2simplifies the process of equipping external pieces of gear,XC1gives the player a ton of flexibility in how they build their party members. Since each party member can fulfill multiple different roles in battle, the equipment system needs to fit their different roles as well.
While gear pieces are numerous (often overloading the inventory in unwieldy numbers), the expression comes incrafting and applying gems onto pieces of gear. Gem crafting is a bit of a hassle, but the rewards are some really unique stat and passive buffs that play a major role in battle strategy. For example, a build might focus Reyn more on dealing incredible damage as opposed to just tanking hits. Riki, with his numerous talents as the Heropon, has many different builds to employ in battle. It’s a bit needlessly complicated, but it’s something that makes the game special.
13Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Risk-Free Gacha Thrills
Gacha games are incredibly popular in the mobile game market. Despite the ethical issues that come with the translation of gambling into game format, it is absolutely thrilling to try and get rare drops and flex on other players. The system used for summoning new Blades inXC2is a shameless gacha, complete with gratuitous designs for the rarest characters, and works surprisingly well.
The number ofrare Blades inXC2is quite high, despite their overall rarity in being summoned from crystals. When replaying the game, it’s likely that a player won’t get the same blades in the exact same order. This helps differentiate playthroughs as it will set players on different paths through completing side quests and other objectives. And at its core, it really just feels good to get that rare pull and see the unique summoning cutscene. It’s a bit of extra flavor thatXC1doesn’t have.
12Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected is Refreshing
One of the additions made inXenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Editionwas a new epilogue story, titledFuture Connected. The story follows the events ofXC1, focusing on Shulk, Melia, and two new Nopon characters to help round out the party. Much likeXC2’s DLC campaign, the combat retains much of its base elements with some new additions added to make things fresh.
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While the short and sweet story doesn’t compete with the sweeping opera contained in the base game, it’s still refreshing. Fans will enjoy the opportunity to spend more time with Shulk and Melia, along with expanding on the world. It isn’t earth-shattering, but it is a nice change of pace after completing the main game’s story.
11Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country is Incredible
Although not included as a free addition to the game,Torna - The Golden Countryis basically an entirely new game built withinXC2’s gameplay engine. The story follows the mysterious Jin and his Driver, Lora, as they assist the legendary Addam in defending the world. The story requires the context of the base game’s narrative, but helps to expand on some of the more confusing or unexplored aspects of the narrative.
While many players felt the narrative inXC2to be somewhat weak,Tornatells a concise story that’s equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking. With a more limited cast of characters, it allows them to flourish and develop in ways that the main cast ofXC2was lacking. Plus, the music is even better and the combat is just as good as it is in the base game. It’s a worthy addition to the game, and fans of the series might enjoy it even if they didn’t enjoyXC2.
10Xenoblade Chronicles: The Music
Like many other JRPGs,both games indeed contain terrific music. Yet, the original iteration ofXenobladetakes the crown when it comes to the majestic, distinct melodies. In a game like this, the atmosphere is crucial, and Monolith Soft delivers with a gorgeous, dynamic soundtrack that immerses you into the colorful realms of Bionis and Mechonis.
You have an impressive range of themes, melodies, and emotions conveyed in each track - from the exciting, epic combat music to the gorgeous, serenading melodies of the Satorl Marsh at night. The remastered versions of the soundtrack are hit-and-miss, but the songs that did improve really shine.Xenoblade 2is similarly great, though it’s a bit more straightforward and a bit less diverse in style.
9Xenoblade Chronicles 2: The Visuals
Given the context ofXenoblade Chroniclesbeing on more limited hardware, it was a nice-looking game visually. And it certainly shines in some ways, especially in terms of its thick sense of atmosphere. In the remake, it shores up a lot of weaknesses of the dated hardware while retaining a lot of the charm. Still, when it comes to the overall sleekness and vibrant visuals, there’s simply no contest.
Xenoblade 2dazzles with some gorgeous visuals, which are consistently crisp, vibrant, and colorful. The environments are chock full of depth, and the draw distances are truly impressive for Switch software. Moreso than the first game, the many Titans of Alrest feel like living, breathing worlds.
While the over-the-top “waifu” design of some of the Blades and the cartoony anime-style of the models may not be for everyone, overall it’s just a beautiful game.
8Xenoblade Chronicles: The Narrative
We won’t risk spoiling the epic, shocking ending that comprises the originalXenoblade, suffice it to say that it goes beyond the typical tropes you’d expect of an RPG. Aside from just the unique concept of the clashing Titans, there’s tons of depth and emotional impact in the plot, with plenty of introspection and growth for Shulk and company. Things start humbly, before escalating to a crescendo of epic plot-points rife with twists and turns.
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WhileXenoblade Chronicles 2has its gripping moments with its unique Blades and likable characters, it tends to succumb moreto the typical “hero saving the world” cliche.
7Xenoblade Chronicles 2: More Accessible
With the originalXenoblade, there’s an ambiguous and convoluted feel to much of the gameplay. The way the menus and overall interface is laid out can be somewhat confusing at times. Tutorials are frequent, but don’t do a whole lot in explaining the intricacies of anything outside of combat. TheDefinitive Editionshares the same problem, with maybe a dash of extra visual clarity. Revisiting this game after many months of not playing can have you aimlessly flipping through menus and wandering around lost, looking for the next thing to do.
With the sequel, the gameplay feels more streamlined and clear for most of the experience. Waypoints are more abundant and apparent, and you’re given clearer instructions (without crossing the line into “hand-holding” territory). Sure, tutorials are interrupting gameplay well past the opening hours, but that’s preferred to a lack of direction.
6Xenoblade Chronicles: The Characters
The slew of unique characters that make upXenoblade 2are likable enough, with perhaps the exception of the annoying Tora, who repeats “meh” like an annoying tick. But much like the narrative, the original renditionpresents a cast that just comes across as more rich, interesting, and deep.
Not only do the characters pop with some outstanding voice acting, but the motivations and conflict of characters like Shulk and Dunban shine through and enhance the narrative, vs the more two-dimensional Rex and company. It’s probably not a great sign when many ofXenoblade 2’s villains and Blades are more interesting than our large cast of heroes.
5Xenoblade Chronicles 2: More Interesting, Diverse Settings
Sure, the concept of having two major gods or “Titans” as settings with opposing styles is cool. Still,Xenoblade Chronicles 2wins out when it comes to its array of environments. They’re not just large in mass and quantity, but they also tend to be more diverse in their traits. While Bionis and Mechonis did have a range of areas within them, ultimately most adhered to the unifying concept of either an “organic” or “industrial” vibe.
InXenoblade 2, flying to unique floating continents guaranteed that you were in for a rich and distinct experience for just about every major quest. One minute you’ll find yourself traversing winding roads in Rex’s majestic homeland; the next you’ll be trekking through the huge industrial Mor Ardain or gazing at the gorgeous foliage of Uraya.
