Xenoblade Chronicles 2 returns with a welcome Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade that brings technical improvements and new gameplay elements.
I really struggled with Xenoblade Chronicles 2 when it originally released for the Nintendo Switch in 2017. Coming off the groundbreaking achievements of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, I had an appetite for another epic adventure, and the game appeared to offer everything I wanted from a sprawling open-world experience, even accounting for my usual RPG reservations.
To say I had a tough time is an understatement. The game’s multi-layered combat mechanics and systems were just overwhelming. Despite the evident care and attention given to character and environment design, it was also clear the Nintendo Switch struggled to render the game in its best light, particularly in handheld mode. It was a marked contrast with the experience I’d had with Breath of the Wild, so I bounced off it. And I bounced at least three more times in the following years, knocked back by combat, toppled by its systems and smashed by the sheer scope of the game.
A couple of things eventually cracked the game open for me. COVID lockdowns gave me the free time to finally understand how the myriad of systems worked together, and Dragon Quest XI served as my RPG training wheels, helping me get to grips with the conventions of the genre.
Gradually, I began to understand what Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was doing. I looked past the low resolution and found a deep, rewarding adventure that was complex but also surprisingly life-affirming and joyous. In a strange way, it became a beloved game precisely because I had to fight for it. Well, that and the clutch of YouTube explainers I devoured.
Combat is still the game’s biggest hurdle. Its tutorials are notoriously obtuse, and mastering the Break → Topple → Launch → Smash chain and Blade Switching mechanic takes patience and experimentation. That remains true even in this spruced-up Nintendo Switch 2 outing, and is worth noting if you’re approaching the game as a new player. My advice: bring a notebook.
Fortunately, the game’s spirited cast helps carry the load through those opening hours. The ever-chipper Rex is an amiable and uncomplicated protagonist who holds together a plot that starts small but grows increasingly cosmic. The supporting party, including Nia, Tora, Mòrag, Zeke and Pyra/Mythra, is distinct and charmingly voiced, with a refreshing spread of British accents adding colour. There isn’t a huge amount of internal conflict within the group, but there’s an endearing, almost Scooby-Doo-gang quality that propels the story forward.
The strength of the characterisation also softens some of the game’s rougher design choices, and I don’t just mean Pyra/Mythra’s questionable outfits. A randomised summoning system, basically a gacha mechanic, lets you recruit additional Blades, the living weapons that bond with each party member, with new recruits doled out by chance rather than skill or story progress. It’s a system lifted wholesale from free-to-play design and dropped into a full-price console RPG. It’s never predatory in the way mobile gacha can be, but it sits oddly next to an adventure that otherwise rewards patience and mastery on your own terms.
However, for all the complexity the game delights in loading onto you, it’s never less than a moment-to-moment sensory pleasure. Throughout the Xenoblade series, Monolith Soft has consistently demonstrated an exceptional eye for environmental design, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 shows the studio at the peak of its powers. The design of its world rewards you with so much variety, scale and spectacle that it’s no surprise the studio has also supported the development of recent Zelda titles
Set across a series of giant floating Titans, the imaginative setting of Alrest affords invention beyond a typical landlocked landscape. You’ll explore the verdant Gormott balanced on the back of a Titan whose head visibly turns to check on the village perched on its shoulder. Elsewhere, your team visits the arid, industrial sprawl of Mor Ardain. Then there’s the half-submerged tangle of the Leftherian Archipelago. Each Titan is a living creature as much as a place on a map, and Monolith never lets you forget it. It’s masterful work.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was always visibly reaching past what the first Switch could deliver. The Switch 2 upgrade makes its mark with a frame rate that mostly hits 60fps and a significant bump in resolution and image quality across both handheld and docked modes. There are some texture enhancements, and a lot more grass, but this isn’t a Star Fox-style reinvention. It’s recognisably the same game. Nonetheless, the sharpness and fluidity significantly elevate the experience. And it’s a testament to the original art and assets that the game still looks stunning today, free from that original blur.
Beyond the visual polish, this edition adds a new Merc Assault mode that livens up the Blade system. In the original release, sending Blades out on Merc Missions was a menu-driven affair. You’d dispatch a squad and wait for a result screen. Here, once you’ve unlocked the Mercenary HQ, you take direct control of that squad instead, commanding them through real-time combat. It’s a small but welcome piece of busywork and a reason to return to the game if you’ve long put the main story to bed.
Alongside it comes MOMO, a new Rare Blade on loan from the Xenosaga series, who swaps between two distinct elemental forms, each with its own look. There are new outfits for Pyra and Mythra too, thankfully, plus a handful of field-level quality-of-life tweaks.
One wrinkle worth flagging is that the Torna – The Golden Country expansion isn’t included as part of the package. Existing owners get a free patch enabling 4K/60fps on Switch 2, but it’s still a separate purchase rather than bundled in. It’s a shame, as the expansion comes just as recommended as the main game.
Another slight drawback, which an upcoming patch will fix, is the audio balance. In most scenes, the game’s soundtrack is slightly muted and subsumed by ambient sound effects. The mix is noticeably off, which is a disappointment, as the score, composed by Yasunori Mitsuda, ACE, Kenji Hiramatsu, and Manami Kiyota, is truly something special. The music dynamically shifts from urgent, rocking battle tracks to galloping themes for overworld exploration, with day/night tone changes adding further variation. It’s an adaptive music system that effortlessly transitions between exploration and combat, blending different genres together seamlessly and to mesmeric effect.
But really, these criticisms are nitpicks. Nine years after my first attempt, I can confidently say that I love Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It took some time. I had to work for it. But, as the plucky Rex might say, that’s true of all good things.
If you’re already a fan, the Nintendo Switch 2 edition is a recommended purchase, particularly if the technical limitations of the original release bothered you.
If you’re new to Xenoblade, this is also a perfectly good starting point. Indeed, this was my first game in the series. There is some connective tissue to the other Xenoblade Chronicles titles, there’s no narrative reason not to start here. It can be a daunting journey, but with a little research and some guidance from those who’ve been before you, it’s an adventure well worth embarking on.
Game: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
Developer: Monolith Soft
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: July 30, 2026
