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Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition hits Nintendo Switch in 2020

The classic Wii RPG Xenoblade gets a facelift for Nintendo Switch and will arrive on shelves sometime in 2020.

Chris Jarrard

September 4, 2019 4:05 PM

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Monolith Soft and Nintendo first unleashed the action RPG Xenoblade chronicles onto the Nintendo Wii way back in 2010 for the Japanese market. The game eventually made its way to North American shores nearly two years later and eventually saw a port to the 3DS in 2015. Being the console where all games go to be reborn or resold, the Nintendo Switch will soon become home to Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition in 2020. The release will be a remastering of the original game for fans and newcomers.

The original release of Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii made extensive use with the Wiimote and Nunchuk attachment for the action RPG combat that made up most of the game. The controls will likely be adapted to better fit the strengths of the Switch Joycons, likely mirroring what we saw a couple of years ago when the sequel, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, launched on the Switch.

We came away with a favorable view of the sequel back in 2017 in an in-depth impression piece: “Monolith Soft spent a lot of time making every facet of the game valuable. In many RPGs, at least in my experience, a lot of gameplay elements and/or collectibles would become uninteresting and tedious quickly. With Xenoblade Chronicles 2, every item down even the darkest corners of my inventory has a purpose. It can feel overwhelming at times and you'll surely pull your hair out trying to decide what to sell if anything, but hardcore players will be rewarded kindly if they want to spend the time. More casual players will find some fun too, but won't be punished if they decide to obsess over every little detail.”

If the same level of detail and polish goes into the remaster of the original game, hardcore JRPG fans will find a lot to like with Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. For more game announcements from today’s Nintendo Direct, keep checking in with Shacknews. For more information on all the biggest releases still coming this year, refer to our 2019 Release Date Guide.

Chris Jarrard

Contributing Tech Editor

Chris Jarrard likes playing games, crankin' tunes, and looking for fights on obscure online message boards. He understands that breakfast food is the only true food. Don't @ him.