The latest Nintendo Direct held a plethora of exciting news and announcements for the Nintendo Switch, with classics getting ported for the console and new developments on upcoming releases.
One of the most exciting things announced in the live stream – barring Banjo and Kazooie’s formal introduction into the Smash roster – was Monolith Soft’s modern JRPG classic Xenoblade Chronicles finally seeing a release for the Nintendo Switch. It’s not just your simple rerelease either, as the game will be getting a ‘remake’ treatment, releasing as Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. It’s set to launch exclusively for the platform sometime in 2020, and along with the live stream announcement, Nintendo has released a trailer for the updated game. Check it out below.
As expected, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition features updated graphics, with the trailer showcasing some new footage. Still, there’s a bit of interest as to whether the game will be a ‘remake’ (rebuilt game from the ground up) or a ‘remaster’ (updated graphics only). At around 57 seconds in the video, you can clearly see the Bionis shoulder, an area cut in the original game, which means that there will be some new content to go along with everything we already know and love. It remains to be seen what other changes will be made, and if it will include some streamlining for a more modern feel.
Xenoblade Chronicles was first released back in 2012 for the Nintendo Wii, and developed by Monolith Soft. Headed by Tetsuya Takahashi, the studio is best known for the Xenosaga series. The game was first ported to the Nintendo 3DS as Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, which was released in 2015 to positive reception. Its spiritual successor, Xenoblade Chronicles X, was released on the Wii U in 2015, while a true sequel, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, was released for the Switch in 2017.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition will be released for the Nintendo Switch sometime in 2020.
