Xenoblade Chronicles X
| Xenoblade Chronicles X | |
|---|---|
 European box art | |
| Developer | Monolith Soft |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Platform | Wii U |
| Release date |  29 April 2015 4 December 2015 4 December 2015 5 December 2015
|
Xenoblade Chronicles X (ゼノブレイドクロス, written as XenobladeX but pronounced as Xenoblade Cross) is a role-playing video game developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo. It was released in 2015 for the Wii U. An enhanced remake of the game will be released in 2025 for the Nintendo Switch as Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition.
Playable characters[edit]
Main playable characters[edit]
Optional recruitable characters[edit]
Plot[edit]
- Main article: Plot summary of Xenoblade Chronicles X
In 2054 A.D., planet Earth is attacked by two armies of aliens (referred to as Xenoforms in the game). As part of the Project Exodus, humanity escapes the planet before its destruction in interstellar arks launched from all over the planet. Many of the ships that fled the planet were destroyed, except for the White Whale which drifted through space after fleeing the conflict as the Earth was destroyed. Two years later, the ship came under enemy fire yet again, and crashed on a planet they called Mira.
Two months after its crash landing, Elma finds the player (commonly called Cross) in a capsule not far from New Los Angeles, the city that was transported on the White Whale. They return to the city and Elma registers them for the military organization BLADE. Cross quickly becomes part of her and Lin's team to protect the city from the xenoforms that destroyed Earth and work toward the ultimate goal: Secure the Lifehold and save humanity before time runs out.
Gameplay[edit]
- See also: Xenoblade Chronicles (series)#Gameplay
Battles[edit]
- Main article: Combat (XCX)
The gameplay is similar to that of the first Xenoblade Chronicles. During battles, the player can select between one of up to eight Battle Arts. In this game, however, melee and ranged weapons determine the usable arts.
During the course of the game, the player can earn a Skell License which allows them to operate Skells. They are very powerful in battles, but consume fuel and, once destroyed, are expensive to restore. Skells also allow for more freedom in exploration and can eventually gain the ability to fly.
The Arts any character can learn and use are determined by which of the 6 melee and 6 ranged weapon types are equipped. Whereas the player can choose, advance and change the player character's Class with its corresponding weapons, other playable characters have predetermined classes and weapons (e.g. Elma is a Full Metal Jaguar who uses Dual Swords and Dual Guns). New arts are learned by increasing the Class Rank through Class XP and upgraded with Battle Points (BP).
In combat, each party member earns Tension Points (TP) through the use of auto attacks and some Arts. TP can be used to perform powerful Tension Arts for 1000 TP, revive a fallen party member for 3000 TP, or activate Overdrive for 3000 TP, which greatly enhances the character's combat abilities.
During combat, when certain conditions are met, a party member may call out a Soul Voice, requesting another party member to use a certain type of Art. When the player uses an Art of that type, the Soul Voice is successful. This grants positive effects in battle, recovers HP of the party members who contributed to the Soul Voice, and raises Affinity with the party member who called out the Soul Voice. In order for the player controlled character to call out a Soul Voice, the player needs to successfully complete a Soul Challenge, by correctly timing a B press with the gauge on screen. This also recovers HP to all party members, earns TP, and increases the party's morale level by one. As the morale level rises, party members will activate Soul Voices more often and the amount of bonus TP earned for completing a Soul Challenge will increase.
Combat in Skells works similarly. However, the Skell Arts equipped are directly determined by the Skell weapons equipped. Additionally, their Overdrives give a static set of boosts while active, depending on the frame type.
Field[edit]
Unlike the first Xenoblade Chronicles, the world is entirely open world, which means no loading screens appear when travelling anywhere (except for the BLADE Barracks). The game takes place on planet Mira with its five regions: the grasslands of Primordia, the forests of Noctilum, the desert of Oblivia, the alien landscape of Sylvalum and the volcanic Cauldros, as well as humanity's home base - New Los Angeles.
Exploring Mira is an essential part of the gameplay. At its most basic, it involves discovering landmarks and installing Data Probes for FrontierNav. This uncovers additional tasks for the surrounding areas to further survey Mira. These include completing Missions and Affinity Missions, defeating Tyrants, and recovering Treasure Boxes. The survey of NLA includes Character Hangouts, missions, and situation resolution with its citizens instead of Tyrants.
The player can accept Missions from the Mission Control or directly from NPCs. Objectives include talking to NPCs, defeating enemies, collecting items, or using FrontierNav. Once Probes are installed for FrontierNav, they periodically generate Credits (which are used to buy weapons and equipment), Miranium (which is used to level up Arms Manufacturers and refuel skells, among other things), and Precious Resources.
Online[edit]
New to the series are a number of online functions. The player chooses or is assigned to a Squad when starting the game. The players in a squad do not meet directly, but can work together to complete Squad Tasks which reward all squad members with Reward Tickets. For those who wish to actively play with other players, Squad Missions can be accepted at the BLADE Terminal or by accepting other player's invitations. Additionally, unneeded weapons, armor, and augments dropped from enemies can be offered as a Treasure Deal to other players.
As of April 8, 2024, the Nintendo Network was shut down, meaning that players are no longer able to log into the game. However, it was still possible for players that were online before the shutdown to continue playing online given that they didn't leave the game or disconnect from the Internet.
Downloadable Content[edit]
- Main article: List of DLC for Xenoblade Chronicles X
Xenoblade Chronicles X is the first game in the series to offer downloadable content. Free high-speed data loading packs were released alongside the game to decrease load times for physical copies. Additionally, the Japanese version of the game received seven paid DLC packs, including new playable characters, Missions, and more - the contents of these packs were included for free in international releases of the game.
External links[edit]
- Official website (Japanese)
- European website
- North American website (archived)
- Official Twitter account (now used for the Xenoblade series as a whole)
Gallery[edit]
The game's title screen.
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Xenoblade Chronicles X
| |
|---|---|
| Versions | Xenoblade Chronicles X • Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition |
| Development | Staff • Unused content • Bugs and glitches |
| Plot | Plot summary • Game script • Heart-to-Hearts • Forging BLADE • 24 Hour Happy People • Skell Reborn |
| Gameplay | Combat (Battle Arts • Skills • Enemy • Overdrive • Soul Voice) • Items (Weapons • Armor • Augments • Consumable Items • Collectibles • Materials • Data Probes) • Skells (Skell Arts • Skell weapons • Skell armor) • FrontierNav • Missions • Achievements • Time Attack Mission |
| Audio | Music • Dialogue • Banter |
| Other | Merchandise • Advertisement |