With Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition launching on the Nintendo Switch 2, I was eager to revisit my favourite entry into the franchise since first playing it back in 2017. For an original Nintendo Switch title, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 felt like an ambitious JRPG adventure that showed off the power of Nintendo’s hybrid hero, but ultimately suffered from some technical shortcomings, particularly when played undocked.
When the Nintendo Switch 2 launched, I was eagerly anticipating an update for the Xenoblade games to grace Nintendo’s latest hybrid. Sadly, that update never came, leaving players with a fantastic but dated experience that languished on more powerful hardware due to poor image quality and a framerate that sometimes dipped below its target of 30FPS. Flash forward to mid-June of this year, and Nintendo shadow-dropped a Switch 2 update for Xenoblade Chronicles, and now, a few weeks later, the second game has also received an update to take better advantage of the new hardware.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on the Nintendo Switch 2 is a transformative experience, delivering a full 1080p and 2160p image in portable and TV play, with a very stable 60fps to boot. Starting with docked players, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 delivers a full 4K image, which appears to be upscaled from the game’s internal 1080p render, making the game look razor sharp on the big screen. Texture quality seems to largely be the same, but the higher resolution allows for a much cleaner presentation free of stair-stepping or aliasing artifacts.
“Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on the Nintendo Switch 2 is a transformative experience, delivering a full 1080p and 2160p image in portable and TV play, with a very stable 60fps to boot.”
Frame rates, too, seem largely stable at 60fps, with only very minor dips, and, to me, the game runs better than the just-released Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition update for Switch 2, which I found to have more noticeable hitches when moving around on Bionis. In short: the 4k image and the double the framerate earn Xenoblade Chronicles 2 its Nintendo Switch 2 Edition moniker.
If you’re not already sold on the upgrade, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition truly shines the most when played in portable or undocked mode, making it borderline unrecognizable when compared to its legacy release. 2017’s release of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, when played in handheld or undocked mode from the TV, gave users a sub-720p image, often falling far below that, made worse by an obnoxious sharpening filter that marred the image further, resulting in an image that looked more like an impressionistic painting than gameplay for a modern JRPG juggernaut.
On Nintendo Switch 2, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, when played undocked, looks much cleaner, with character models in focus and sharp, with only distant objects appearing a bit soft, but only in comparison to its pristine docked experience, making it a perfectly suitable way to enjoy the game on the go.
Frame rates are in line with docked performance, with the game sticking to a mostly 60fps target. Even after 90+ hours with its original release, I am eager to restart my journey with Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Definitive Edition, as the experience on Nintendo Switch 2 is just that much better. In other words, if you’ve experienced XB2 yet, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Definitive Edition is a must-play exclusive for Switch 2 owners.
“Even after 90+ hours with its original release, I am eager to restart my journey with Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, as the experience on Nintendo Switch 2 is just that much better.”
For those worried about feeling lost or needing context clues on the broader world of Xenoblade Chronicles, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is a self-contained story. It can be enjoyed without prior knowledge of the series; however, on that note, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 received a substantial story expansion with Torna – The Golden Country. This prequel content has also received an update, bringing it in line with the main game, giving players a silky-smooth experience that is worth checking out for those who decide to pick up Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.
Outside of Performance, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition has also received some new content, in the form of some new cosmetics and even some brand new Blades (gacha-style summons), which include the character MOMO joining her fellow Xenosaga blades, KOS-MOS and T-ELOS, which fans of the long-dormant PlayStation 2 series will surely appreciate. Additionally, a brand new Merc Assault minigame can now be found in-game, allowing you to direct-control your roster of Blade characters in a battle-royale-style rumble for prizes and loot for the first time.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is a transformative experience that earns its title and is a worthy upgrade for those who may have already played the game when it launched back in 2017.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is available now for $99.99 CAD or $69.99 USD.
- Lead Rex, Pyra, and the world to refuge in an adventure enhanced for the Nintendo Switch 2 system!
