Xenoblade Chronicles X Review: Monolith Soft's Open-World Epic Shines on Wii U

Xenoblade Chronicles X, developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo, stands as one of the most ambitious role-playing games to ever launch on the Nintendo Wii U.

Following its highly anticipated reveal in January 2013 by the late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, the game officially released on December 4, 2015 in North America and Europe, solidifying its reputation for expansive scale and technological prowess within the Wii U’s exclusive library.

Set in the aftermath of Earth’s destruction, Xenoblade Chronicles X thrusts players into a gripping narrative of survival.

As civilizations collapse amidst an interstellar skirmish, humanity’s emergency plan—known as Project Exodus—leads to the construction of massive arks aimed at finding a new world.

Though most arks fail to escape Earth, the White Whale makes a fortuitous journey, spending two years seeking safe haven before crash-landing on the mysterious planet Mira.

Here, players guide the surviving colonists in a desperate struggle against hostile alien factions and a breathtaking, hostile environment. From the outset, Xenoblade Chronicles X impresses with its sheer sense of scale.

As the camera glides across Primordia’s grassy plains, it becomes clear that this is just one of Mira’s five diverse continents—each meticulously crafted for exploration.

Monolith Soft’s world-building, previously celebrated in Xenoblade Chronicles, reaches new heights, encouraging players to discover hidden vistas and interact with the planet’s dynamic ecosystems.

Journalist reviews universally praised this design, noting the game’s ability to instill awe by making the player feel dwarfed by massive landscapes and towering indigenous creatures. Gameplay is structured around four mission types: Story, Normal, Affinity, and Basic, with the primary story focusing on retrieving the White Whale’s scattered remains while resisting frequent attacks from the merciless Ganglion.

While critics observed that Xenoblade Chronicles X’s overarching narrative doesn’t quite match the intrigue of its predecessor, the variety and depth of side content—particularly Affinity missions that delve into companion backstories—received high marks for enriching the overall experience. Combat in Xenoblade Chronicles X builds on its predecessor’s foundations, allowing players to seamlessly chain Arts and utilize the innovative Soul Voice mechanic, which offers strategic boosts and real-time feedback during battle.

Earning Tension Points and targeting specific enemy body parts add further tactical depth.

The game’s RPG systems are robust, spanning intricate character classes, equipment customization, and the BLADE division allegiance, each offering distinct gameplay benefits and specialization paths.

Thirty hours in, players are rewarded with Skell licenses—piloted mechs that dramatically expand traversal and combat possibilities, opening up previously inaccessible regions of Mira for airborne exploration and high-octane showdowns. Social aspects further complement the core adventure, with intuitive online integration allowing players to form squads, recruit each other's avatars, and undertake cooperative missions for valuable resources.

Monolith Soft also made inventive use of the Wii U GamePad through the FrontierNav system, facilitating fast travel, resource mining, and strategic probe placement to ensure continual player engagement. Visually, Xenoblade Chronicles X pushes the Wii U hardware, delivering vast, seamless environments with a minimal number of loading screens.

Though some character model details fall short of the game's sweeping landscapes, the overall presentation is captivating.

Complementing the visual grandeur is composer Hiroyuki Sawano’s rousing soundtrack, which perfectly underscores dramatic encounters and serene exploration alike. By the close of 2015, Xenoblade Chronicles X had earned critical acclaim, routinely cited as a technical marvel and one of the Wii U’s standout titles.

Monolith Soft further cemented its reputation for innovative world design and epic scale, ensuring the game’s legacy as a beloved entry in the Xenoblade series.

Xenoblade Chronicles X remains a benchmark for open-world RPGs on Nintendo platforms, celebrated for its ambition, intricate mechanics, and immersive world-building.

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