Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition heading to Switch in May
An updated version of the hit RPG Xenoblade Chronicles is heading to Switch this year.
Bryan Lawver 
Screengrab via Nintendo
Xenoblade Chronicles, the hit 2010 RPG for the Nintendo Wii, is getting a new life on the Switch. Announced as part of today’s Nintendo Direct Mini, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is heading to the Switch later this year with an updated experience that should make the game more attractive for newcomers and give fans of the original something to come back for.
The sequel, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, was released in the Nintendo Switch in 2017, and while it was considered a worthy follow-up, it likely didn’t get the audience it could have had if Switch players were more familiar with its predecessor. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition marks the first time that the original game will be available on the Nintendo Switch.
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The biggest new addition to Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is an additional chapter called Future Connected. This new epilogue wraps up the game’s story after the events of the original release. There’s no word yet on how long Future Connected will be or how it might tie into Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but it gives players a chance to continue their adventures with Shulk after the world-altering events of the first game.
On top of the new epilogue, the original content of Xenoblade Chronicles is also getting reworked. The game’s visuals are getting another layer of polish, with significantly increased resolution, and Nintendo says that there are also tweaks coming to gameplay. It hasn’t been announced what exactly is changing about the gameplay, with Nintendo saying only that Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition will play “smoother” than the original. On the audio side, the game’s soundtrack is also being remastered.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is set to release on May 29. A Collector’s Set version will also be available, which includes an artbook, a poster, a steelbook case, and a copy of the game’s soundtrack on vinyl.
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