Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a Wii U classic arrives on Switch with improved character models, smoother visuals and more. This one might be the end of an era though, as Xenoblade Chronicles X looks like one of the final Wii U titles to receive a Switch version. It’s a bittersweet moment, but Xenoblade X is a heck of a game to end on, being one of the most visually impressive titles on Wii U and a technical marvel of its day. How does it fare on Switch?
In truth, Xenoblade Chronicles X on Switch is a straightforward affair. There have been tweaks and changes made to the experience, but the most notable improvements come from technical changes. The game ran on 1280×720 on Wii U at a (mostly) stable 30fps, relying on post-process anti-aliasing and other post-process effects, including per-pixel motion blur that holds up today. In fact, this version was almost competitive with open world games on PS4 and Xbox One, though it has some limitations too.
With the leap to Switch, the game using dynamic resolution scaling and tops out at a native 1080p, making it noticeably sharper than the original game, while the portable mode seems to mostly match the resolution of the Switch’s built-in display at up to 720p. Contrary to some of the early trailers, developers Monolith Soft also maintained parity in terms of visual effects and features. Things like motion blur, which is reasonably subtle, are still present and accounted for, and the game looks great in motion.
Comparing the Switch remaster versus the Wii U original, the Switch version boasts significantly more environmental detail, with improvements to shadows, textures and polygonal complexity. Hand in hand with more vibrant lighting, boosts to distant detail and increases to overall image quality, it makes for a noticeable upgrade.
Character models have also been revamped versus the slightly awkward originals, with changes to eye size, colour and positioning, improved skin shading and more appealing face shapes. It feels true to the original, but with a better overall design – mirroring similar changes made in the original game’s sequels.
Monolith Soft has also upgraded the game’s user interface and modified other elements related to battle. I didn’t have the chance to play far enough compared to the original to see how it plays out long-term, but it does feel more intuitive and easier to navigate. You will note, however, that there’s no attempt to add collision detection to moving vehicles and such. You can still clip right through them, just like the original Wii U version. It’s so funny, though, that a part of me is happy they kept this.
So are there any things that aren’t improved then? Well, thankfully, the game is almost universally enhanced but I do have one nitpick: the pre-rendered video sequences all exhibit raised black levels and therefore look washed out on Switch, something that wasn’t an issue on Wii U. It’s not a huge deal due to the relative lack of video sequences, but it’s perhaps something that could be fixed in a future patch.
Performance also hasn’t changed much on the new platform. The game proceeds at a largely steady 30fps, but it’s certainly not locked. A 60fps flag has been found in the game’s code, so perhaps there’s a possibility that we’ll see a 60fps release on Switch 2? We might be revisiting this one down the line if that’s the case.
Beyond the relatively straightforward tech upgrades, I wanted to speak on the quality of the visuals themselves. Even today, this is a surprisingly attractive game, and what Monolith managed to achieve on Wii U feels like a miracle. Delivering a game that managed to look better than most PS3 and 360 open world games – and even approach some PS4 and Xbox One titles! – on a less powerful system is a huge achievement for a 2012 release.
Looking at it with fresh eyes, there are a few very important things they get right that allow it to shine. Firstly, micro vs macro: a lot of effort was clearly poured into merging both near- and far-field elements into something that feels very coherent. It’s not that more detail is being drawn out into the distance compared to other games, it’s that what they draw in that distance looks attractive even in its lower detail state.
I remember looking at Halo Infinite, released on vastly more powerful hardware, and finding that Xenoblade X handles far-off areas in a more pleasing way, with less obvious tiling and distant shadows. Essentially, Monolith does a great job breaking up sight lines and creating these beautiful silhouettes that stretch out before the player while minimising visual anomalies. Couple this with nice use of fog and the beautiful sky system and it manages to hold up. It’s not actually more detailed than Halo in the distance, but your eye almost perceives it that way – so it’s smart art design.
The limitations are still very much there, of course. While the world is huge and open, it’s also fairly static – foliage doesn’t really move or react to players, water is simple and shadows are fixed in place – you don’t get the fully dynamic world simulation that has become more common in the last decade or so. These are sensible development decisions, and they paid off completely here.
Revisiting this again a decade later, I personally can’t wait to see what the development team has been up to on Switch 2 – I expect to be blown away by whatever they’ve been cooking.
It’s also worth noting that since the game ships on a cartridge or is downloaded to flash memory, there is no need for an additional installation pack. If you recall, the original game offered an optional download for disc users to improve streaming performance – but if you didn’t download it when the Wii U shop was running, that pack is no longer available. It’s nice not to have to worry about that detail now, as it loads faster than Wii U right out of the gate.
Another thing I wanted to note is that Xenoblade X does offer surround sound support – this is something else that never became as common as I’d have liked on Switch but the team delivers here. The rear channels are fully active. The soundtrack also remains excellent – it sounds very different from other games in the series but it works beautifully for this game and is a real highlight for me.
I didn’t have a huge amount of time to test Chronicles X, but I forward to making progress again in the game as it’s been nearly a decade since I last played through it. We’ve mostly focused on visuals here in this video, but it seems that a lot of gameplay enhancements are also introduced here that I can’t wait to check out. For now though, this new version of Xenoblade is a genuine improvement across the board and actually lives up to the Definitive Edition name. If you missed out on this back on Wii U, it’s worth diving in!
