Summary
- Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition introduces unique elements like Monado hairclips and unconventional Blade interpretations.
- The game maintains combat fundamentals from the original Xenoblade, along with real-time Arts cooldown and distinctive Skell designs.
- The addition of new character options like hairstyles from other Xenoblade games enhances customization, along with familiar voice options.
While Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition may be the most unheard of entry in the series, it is also the most experimental by a long shot. It is packed with new ideas that you would rarely see elsewhere, let alone in the rest of the Xenoblade series. This makes it like no other game out there, but it hasn’t forgotten where it comes from, either.
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In this massive open world, there are countless little details that you can easily miss, from lines of dialogue referencing other games, to mechanics directly lifted and repurposed. It’s great to find all these for yourself, but here are some of the best that we could find for you to admire.
8
Lin’s Monado Hairclip
Xenoblade Chronicles X is, for the most part, disconnected from the rest of the series. It has references here and there, but nothing so connective as the three numbered entries. Which means when you see something directly from those other games, you can see it as a humourous addition rather than some grand hint.
And Lin having Monado hairclips is one of the funniest. It is never mentioned, nor does an explicit ‘xenoblade’ exist in this entry at all. She just has a Monado hairclip, a fashion accessory with no fate-altering properties whatsoever. And it is very fashionable.
In the original Xenoblade Chronicles X, Lin actually had two Monado hairclips. She must have lost one.
7
The Meaning Of Blade
Coming from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 back to X might give you whiplash, with Blades existing here as well, but in a dramatically different sense. Their very existence could be seen as a reference to Xenoblade Chronicles 2, or vice versa in reality. Of course, the references within Blade don’t stop there. It is an acronym, after all.
When speaking with Nagi, he explains that Blade stands for ‘Builders of a Legacy After the Destruction of Earth’. Nice and direct. Except in Japanese, it is entirely different. ‘Beyond the Logos Artificial Destiny Emancipator’. Much less direct, but one that references the themes of the greater series, such as literally defying god.
Did you know the biblical Jesus appears in the Xenosaga games? Beyond the Logos, indeed.
6
Xenoblade Arts
Every Xenoblade game changes some fundamentals of the combat system, though X has more in common with the original Xenoblade’s combat system than it does with any of its successors. This includes real-time Arts cooldown, attacking while moving, and plenty more. However, many of the Arts themselves are directly from the original as well.
It is hard not to hear Reyn’s voice every time a character uses Wild Down, or to channel Dunban each time Blossom Dance is used. Many of these Arts even carry over their exact effects, such as WIld Down inflicting Topple and being used with a Shield.
5
Gundam Mech Designer
Of the many aspects that Make Xenoblade Chronicles X stand out from the rest of the series, its mechs are some of the most notable. Known as Skells, they utilise an entirely unique combat system that is much more free-form but costly than combat on foot. And while they may already seem like a strong reference to the Mechon, their design influence goes even deeper.
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Many of the important Skells are created by specific designers, but the general Skells are designed by Takayuki Yanase, who is most well-known for their work on Gundam. So if you ever thought the Skells had more than a passing resemblance to Gundams, now you know why.
4
Neilnail’s Original Appearance
Xenoblade Chronicles X has quite a large cast of playable characters, far more than any other entry in the series. That works for the more individual stories the game focuses on, and also means it is very easy to expand that roster. And so it does with four brand-new playable characters, with Neilnail as one of the most notable.
But why is Neilnail so notable? Because this isn’t actually her first appearance in the game. Back in the original game, there were two mysterious Skells that had the name ‘Neilnail’ attached to them. Even more, concept art of Neilnail appeared in the original game’s artbook. Her appearance in the Definitive Edition is just the firts time she’s actually been in the game itself.
3
New Hairstyles
Where every other game in the series has a pre-set character through which it tells its story, Xenoblade Chronicles X puts a greater emphasis on your companions than your own place in the story, and so you become somewhat supplmentary, giving you the freedom to make your character look and act however you want.
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Move over, Link. Hylia said it’s our turn with the triforce.
In the Definitive Edition, a few more options were added to the character creator to introduce some iconic looks that didn’t exist at the time. This includes Pyra, Mythra and Nia’s hairstyles, and even Malos’ if you want to give your character a touch of villainy.
Unusually though, Xenoblade Chronicles X ties the hairstyle options to the face preset you choose, so make sure to look through them all to find the hairstyles you like.
2
Shulk And Fiora’s Voices
Your own character has a fairly small role in the story, which is why you can make them look however you want. However, despite them being silent in every cutscene in the game, you can still choose a voice for them for when they call out their Soul Voices and various other combat barks.
There are a few options to choose from, though the Classic options might sounds a bit familiar. Adam Howden and Carina Reeves are the respective voice actors for Shulk and Fiora. So if you wanted a little bit of the very first Xenoblade in this game, this is how.
1
Another Territorial Monster
There are many things you can count on in a Xenoblade game. Compelling characters, a story centered around philosophical themes and acceptance, combat system that refuse to fully explain themselves, and enemies that are hilariously overlevelled in early areas. This tradition continues in Xenoblade Chronicles X in more ways than one.
Every game in the series has a giant monkey for you to battle that appears near the earliest areas of the game, and is an obscenely high level. X doesn’t share enemies with the other games, though when you see a giant Simius Tyrant strolling the beaches of Primordia, it’s a bit obvious just who exactly it’s referencing.
- Released
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March 20, 2025
- ESRB
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Teen // Animated Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence