Xenoblade Chronicles

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Xenoblade Chronicles
Xenoblade chronicles logo.png
Xenoblade Chronicles logo
Original title ゼ ノ ブ レ イ ド
transcription Zenobureido
Studio
Publisher Nintendo
Senior Developer Directors: Tetsuya Takahashi , Koh Kojima , Genki Yokota
composer Yōko Shimomura , Yasunori Mitsuda et al.
Erstveröffent-
lichung		 Wii: June 10, 2010 August 19, 2011 September 1, 2011 April 6, 2012 New 3DS: April 2, 2015 April 2, 2015 April 2, 2015 April 10, 2015 Switch: May 29, 2020
JapanJapan
European UnionEuropean Union
AustraliaAustralia
North AmericaNorth America

JapanJapan
European UnionEuropean Union
AustraliaAustralia
North AmericaNorth America

world
platform Wii
New Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo Switch
genre RPG / JRPG
Subject Fantasy , science fiction , steampunk
Game mode Single player
language Audio: Japanese, English
Subtitles: Multilingual
Age rating
USK released from 12
PEGI recommended for ages 12 and up
PEGI content
rating
Game contains violence Game contains swear words

Xenoblade Chronicles (in Japan Xenoblade ゼ ノ ブ レ イ ド Zenobureido ) is a computer role-playing game that belongs to the genre Japan role-playing game (JRPG) and was published by Nintendo in 2010 for the Wii console. It was released in Europe and Australia in 2011, in North America in 2012. The game was announced in 2009 under the title Monado: Beginning of the World . It has been developed by Monolith Soft in cooperation with Nintendo under the direction of Tetsuya Takahashi since 2007.

Xenoblade Chronicles revolves around the war between the human-like Homs and the machine-like Mechon. The player takes on the role of the protagonist Shulk, who, together with the mysterious sword Monado, is at the center of the plot. The game world of this Japan role-playing game is set on the lifeless bodies of two titans. Stylistically, the game has elements from fantasy , science fiction and steampunk .

The battle system, the large freely explorable world, the plot and the characters distinguish the game from other representatives of the genre, said computer game journalists. On the other hand, the graphics, which were limited by the weakly performing Wii console for its time, were rated negatively. It is estimated that the game has sold around 890,000 copies worldwide.

In April 2015, Nintendo released a new edition for the New Nintendo 3DS under the title Xenoblade Chronicles 3D . As part of gamescom 2015, Nintendo released Xenoblade Chronicles in the Wii U eShop . On December 4, 2015, the successor Xenoblade Chronicles X for the Wii U was launched. On December 1, 2017, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was another title in the series released for the Nintendo Switch . On September 14, 2018, Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country , the prequel of the Switch game, was published digitally via a season pass for the first time. On September 21, 2018, the commercial version of the game for Nintendo Switch was released. In September 2019, Nintendo announced a remaster of the game under the name Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition for the Nintendo Switch, which was released on May 29, 2020.

action

The plot of Xenoblade Chronicles is told through intermediate and script sequences . The game contains over five hours of video material. It uses some of flashback and flashforward . The latter appear in the form of visions that the protagonist Shulk receives.

The game begins with a battle between two titans - Bionis and Mechonis. Both are seriously wounded and turn each other off. Over time, life settles on their bodies. Peoples like the human-like Homs and other organic creatures live on Bionis. The mechonis, on the other hand, populate machine peoples: the machina and the mechon. Mechon and Homs fight each other, the prologue continues with a battle between the two parties thousands of years later. The Homs Dickson and Mumkhar as well as Dunban, who is able to stop the opponent with the legendary sword Monado, are accompanied.

The actual gameplay begins a year after this confrontation known as the "Battle of Sword Valley". In a surprise attack by the Mechon on Colony 9 at the foot of the Bionis, the young researcher Shulk fights with the Monado. During the attack, his girlfriend Fiora is stabbed by a mechon. In revenge, Shulk and his friend Reyn set off on a journey. The paramedic Sharla soon joins them. Based on a vision he received through the Monado, he decides to travel to the head of the Bionis, where the ancient race of the Hochentia lives. On the way there, Dunban and the Crown Princess of Hochentia, Melia, and Riki, the hero of the Nopon people, join the group. Meanwhile, Shulk learns that Bionis used the Monado to fight against Mechonis.

When the Empire of the Hochentia is attacked by Mechon, Shulk and his friends watch as the emperor frees a giant that was sealed long ago on the so-called prison island. The being contains the soul of Zanza, who identifies himself as the creator of the Monado; he fought against mechonis. The giant strengthens the Monado, but his body is killed by a mechon shortly afterwards. A special mechon then appears, inside of which the Fiora, believed to be dead, is located.

The group travels to the junction between Bionis and Mechonis, where the fight against the Mechonis leader Egil takes place. In the event of an explosion, the ground collapses, so that all those involved fall into the depths and land on the fallen arm of the mechoni. Here Shulk manages to free Fiora from the Mechon body. She joins the group.

The machine creatures Machina explain that Egil led the attacks on Bionis out of revenge, but that his own people suffer as a result. So Shulk Egil should stop. To comply with this, he and his friends travel to the capital of the mechoni. Here Meyneth, the soul of the Mechonis, speaks to them through Fiora's body. She reveals that the peoples of both Titans lived in peace with each other some time ago, until Zanza suddenly opened up the fight. Zanza is the soul of Bionis, and like Meyneth a god.

The group just reached Egil while Mechonis was resurrected and the fight against Bionis began. While both parties are on the way to an agreement, Shulk's quasi-foster father Dickson appears unexpectedly, shoots Shulk and reveals himself to be one of Zanza's disciples. According to him, Shulk lives exclusively as a vessel of the weakened zanza that is in Shulk's body. The shot frees Zanza and immediately begins to fight Meyneth. Although she is his equal, Meyneth gives up and ends her existence. Zanza takes the Monado off and receives a second Monado, which previously belonged to Meyneth, and kills Egil.

In a dream Shulk learns from Alvis (actually the imperial seer of Hochentia) that he can avoid the fate predetermined by Zanza. Later, two other disciples of Zanza reveal themselves: Lorithia, Research Minister of Hochentia, and then Alvis. Shulk and his friends travel inside the Bionis, where they defeat Lorithia. Next they get to Prison Island, where Dickson is waiting for them; after a short struggle he gives up and dies.

A van transports the group into a metaphysical space. This is where Zanza stays, who believes he can control the course of fate by means of both monados. He plans to start the cycle of destruction and rebirth all over again. To do this, he strives to destroy all living beings of Bionis; his creatures, which he regards as nothing more than food for himself. With united forces, the group challenges God. Meanwhile, a third Monado suddenly appears. Alvis' voice tells Shulk to decide who the future of the world belongs to; also Alvis says to be "Monado". Shulk decides to kill Zanza with the third Monado.

Immediately after defeating Zanza, Alvis tells the story of the god. Accordingly, in a previous universe, Zanza was a scientist named Klaus. On a space station he started an experiment that a researcher named Meyneth wanted to stop him from. The test aimed to destroy the old universe and create a new one, whose gods were Klaus (Zanza) and Meyneth. The gods created life in their own image out of loneliness. In the course of time, Zanza disappeared from the consciousness of his creatures. To prevent this, he began a cycle of constant destruction and renewal.

Alvis explains that Shulk has now become the new god. He demands an immediate decision from Shulk about the future of the current, too unstable universe. Alvis reveals his real form: He is the research computer of the space station from the previous universe and thus still stands above the gods. Shulk decides to create a new universe, free from gods who rule living things. The epilogue shows how the peoples of Bionis and Mechonis are building a colony together in a new world in order to live together in peace.

Gameplay

Wii Remote and Nunchuck (left)
Wii Classic Controller

Xenoblade Chronicles is a Japan RPG (JRPG). It is an open world game . The player takes control of the protagonist Shulk (in the course of the game it is possible to choose one of a total of seven characters as the game figure). The third-person perspective acts as the game view , whereby the player is granted free control over the camera work during the game. The Wii remote control is used together with a nunchuck for control . Alternatively, a Wii Classic controller can also be used. A multiplayer mode , as well as support for motion control , is not available in the game.

Game flow

The gameplay of Xenoblade Chronicles begins with the prologue, during which the player gains control over a character for the first time. The game then continues in Colony 9. The game progresses when the character reaches a destination or fulfills certain tasks. In the game world there are opponents that the player can (optionally) fight (see section combat system ). Sometimes particularly strong boss opponents appear. These usually have to be conquered for further progress.

In the course of the game, new explorable areas will be unlocked. With the travel point system, the player can select any discovered travel point of an area in the game and travel there immediately without having to actually travel there. It is also possible to freely choose the time within the game. Depending on the time of day, some things change in the game. For example, stronger enemies, other non-player characters (NPCs) or other items appear at night .

The decisive factor for the strength of the game characters are levels . By collecting enough experience points the character can go up a level. In order to achieve such points, opponents must be defeated, tasks must be completed or new areas must be explored.

Combat system

A fight in Xenoblade Chronicles is started when the character approaches an opponent and attacks him. There are no random battles, which means that the player has the free choice whether he wants to start a battle or not. In addition, the battle does not take place on a separate screen, but in the current environment and in real time . Overall, the combat system is very similar to that of the JRPG's Final Fantasy XII . The current character automatically attacks the opponent when it comes within range. The maximum of two other selectable team members are controlled by the artificial intelligence . Each attack reduces the opponent's power, which is expressed in HP (power points). If the KP value drops to zero, the opponent is defeated. The same applies to the pawn: if all of its power points have been used up, it loses. The allies' HP regenerates outside of combat.

Each character has its own special attacks, so-called abilities or skills. These can be of a physical nature, but also heal fellow campaigners, poison opponents or trigger other effects. The skills of each figure can be freely assigned and strengthened. The player decides which skills his character uses, the other team members use their skills automatically. After an ability is used, it must be recharged before it can be used again.

The group bar is filled through the targeted use of the additional effects of some skills or encouraging the colleagues. When a segment of the group bar is filled, a defeated teammate can be revived, or a team member can revive the player character if he has been defeated. As soon as the group bar is completely filled, the player can start a chain of attacks. All team members attack one after the other and the player chooses the skills to be used himself. Under certain circumstances the chain is extended. At the beginning of the attack chain, all skills can be selected regardless of their actual state of charge, but can only be selected once per attack chain. Using an ability within an attack chain does not affect the charge level in regular combat.

Another key aspect of the combat system is Shulk's ability to receive visions. This is how he sees when the opponent is going to use a very strong attack. Until the attack is carried out, the player has time to prevent the attack or to prepare in some other way.

Other elements

Xenoblade offers numerous other game elements apart from the main story. The so-called quests are outstanding . There are numerous missions that require, for example, defeating a specific opponent or performing other tasks. Usually completed quests are rewarded with experience points, money or items. Quests are given out by NPCs. Fulfilling a quest also strengthens the harmony between the individual team members and with the NPC whose task was fulfilled. The harmony of the player characters is also strengthened through so-called harmony talks, in which the player can intervene in the action and can also lower the harmony in the event of wrong answers. High harmony values ​​pay off in combat through longer attack chains, and NPCs give better tasks through good harmony.

The equipment of each player character can be customized. Equipment and weapons can be bought from vendors or obtained from strong defeated opponents. Depending on the type, an item of equipment increases or decreases values ​​such as attack strength, defense or the number of HP of the character who wears it. Most of the equipment can be strengthened with jewels, which have to be forged from collected crystals.

As the game progresses, each character learns new attacks. Attacks can be trained individually through accumulated attack points and thus become more effective. A selected branch of a character's talent tree is filled with collected talent points. This gradually unlocks new talents that offer the character light strengths and advantages. Harmony coins that you get from strong boss opponents allow you to combine talents of one character with the other characters, so that the individual abilities of the fighters can be used by the whole team.

development

Production details

Xenoblade Chronicles was developed by Monolith Soft in collaboration with Nintendo's Software Planning & Development (SPD) Group 2 department. Dog Ear Records was responsible for the music production . Numerous other studios provided support, mainly for graphics, film scenes and music. The credits list almost 300 people involved. The origins of the project go back to mid-2006; actual production began in 2007.

Studio co-founder Tetsuya Takahashi and Koh Kojima , from Nintendo's side Genki Yokota , acted as directors . Takahashi, the Nintendo planner Yurie Hattori and the manga writer Yuichiro Takeda created the scenario and script. As a large cooperation between a first-party studio and Nintendo, the project had several higher-level managers. Shingo Kawabata and Takao Nakano acted as producers . Tadashi Nomura and the SPD chief producer Hitoshi Yamagami acted as general producers. The Monolith Soft President Hirohide Sugiura and Nintendo's licensing department manager Shinji Hatano had an even higher position as senior producers.

Prehistory and concept phase

Monolith Soft has been a first-party developer for the Nintendo Group since 2007 . After Disaster: Day of Crisis , the role-playing game specialist's first foray into the action genre, released in 2008 , could only be completed two years late, Monolith Soft wanted to return to more familiar territory for its second Wii game. This is how the development of Xenoblade Chronicles began against the completion of Disaster .

The conception of Xenoblade Chronicles started even earlier. Planning began in July 2006 when director Takahashi came up with the idea of ​​peoples who inhabit the bodies of two giant gods. The studio employee Yasuyuki Honne built the models of the two titans Bionis and Mechonis, other studio employees posed for them. Based on the models, the first features of the game's history and considerations on the principle arose. The president of the Nintendo licensing department Shinji Hatano pretended Monolith Soft to develop a game with a romantic approach. The plot and game world should be designed in such a way that they can appeal to as many customers as possible.

Nintendo producer Hitoshi Yamagami, responsible for working with Monolith Soft, heard about the concepts while the final stages of production of Disaster: Day of Crisis had not yet begun. Since the developers were still busy with disaster , work on a prototype of the later Xenoblade did not begin until April 2007. At this time, Nintendo Genki Yokota, who was director of the project together with Koh Kojima, joined the project.

Development process

The game's combat system was designed with the idea that Shulk could receive visions of the future. Takahashi tested the concept in a turn-based combat system , but decided that the element would better suit a real-time system. In the course of the four years of development, the plot of the game has changed in many details, the overall structure remained the same. The developers created huge game worlds in Xenoblade . Takahashi thought it was necessary to explore a large world in order to bring the game world closer to the player.

Development was more difficult than planned, so the team ran into problems. Since Takahashi no longer considered the planned completion date realistic, he consulted with Yamamagi whether some aspects of the game should be abandoned. Yamamagi replied that the project should be completed in peace.

Soundtrack

Yōko Shimomura was mainly responsible for pieces towards the beginning of the game.
Yasunori Mitsuda composed the last piece of the game.

The soundtrack of Xenoblade Chronicles consists of more than 90 pieces, six computer game composers were responsible for their composition. The music and sound production was directed by the music studio Dog Ear Records .

Most of the soundtrack was composed by Manami Kiyota and the three-piece music group ACE +, all of whom were brought to the project through Dog Ear Records. ACE + consists of the composers Hiroyo Yamanaka (artist name CHiCO), Tomori Kudo and Kenji Hiramatsu. Kyota and ACE + were mainly responsible for event and ambient music, ACE + also for music during battle scenes. Kyota sang for some pieces in the game.

One of the better known names among composers is Yōko Shimomura , who is known, for example, for her work on Kingdom Hearts . She and Takahashi knew each other from their time at Square, but it was their first time working together at Xenoblade . She was responsible for the main theme , a few other pieces at the beginning of the game and the music during the credits. The last composer for Xenoblade was Yasunori Mitsuda , who had previously provided musical accompaniment to Takahashi's Xenosaga series, among others . Mitsuda only joined the project in the final stages. Takahashi chose him as the composer for the final piece, Beyound The Sky , because he saw Mitsuda's name associated with the music of the Xeno games. The text of beyound The Sky was written by Takahashi. The recordings with the singer Sarah Àlainn lasted a month.

In the Xenoblade Chronicles film scenes , orchestral and choral sounds dominate. Each area in the game has its own musical theme as background music . Many areas have two different pieces for day and night based on this theme. The music of the play areas on Bionis is more characterized by orchestral or synthetic instrumentation, while levels on Mechonis are preferably backed by machine-like sounds. The majority of combat music is based on rock or metal music . On the other hand, some pieces, such as Beyound The Sky , are pop music .

On 23 June 2010, the released soundtrack to Xenoblade Chronicles in Japan as Xenoblade Original Soundtrack produced by Dog Ear Records. The 91 pieces are divided into four CDs with a total running time of almost five hours.

Characters and synchronization

The following table gives an overview of the important characters and their roles in the game. In addition, the respective Japanese or English voice actors are named. The London audio studio Side was responsible for the casting and recording of the English dubbing. The speakers, some with a British accent, spoke a total of 13,000 lines for over 140 characters. In addition to the voice actors listed below, seven English and 17 Japanese speaking voice actors were involved, mainly responsible for supporting characters.

character Japanese speaker English speaker role
Shulk Shintaro Asanuma Adam Howden Homs from Colony 9, protagonist of the game
Fiora Eri Nakao Carina Reeves Dunban's sister and Shulk's girlfriend, player character
Dunban Ryo Horikawa Rufus Jones Previous leader of the Monado, player character
Reyn Eiji Miyashita Jay Taylor Shulk's best friend and soldier, player character
Sharla Akeno Watanabe Kellie Bright Paramedic from Colony 6, player character
Riki Yuki Kaida Wayne Forester Nopon, chosen hero of his people, player character
Melia Antiqua Shiori Katsuta Jenna-Louise Coleman Crown Princess of Hochentia, player character
Mumkhar Norio Wakamoto Timothy Watson Homs from Colony 9
Dickson Tsuyoshi Koyama Anthony May Homs and fighters against Mechon
Xord Tesshō Genda Jonathan Keeble Homs from Colony 9
Kallian Yukimasa Obi Rufus Wright Heir to the throne of Hochentia, older half-brother of Melia
Sorean Antiqua Joji Nakata Peter Dickson Emperor of Hochentia, father of Melia and Kallian
Yumea Asako Sato Aoife McMahon Hochentia, Sorean's first wife, mother of Kallian and Tyrea
Lorithia Sayuri Yamauchi Rachel Atkins Research Minister of Hochentia
Tyrea Michiko Neya Katie McGuinness Hochentia, member of the Bionite Order, daughter of Yumea
Egil Daisuke Kirii Peter Bramhill Machina, grand ruler of Mechonis and war leader against Bionis
Vanea Yuki Kaida Harriet Carmichael Egil's sister
Miqol Tadashi Miyazawa Richard Ridings Head of the Machina, father of Egil and Vanea
Linada Asako Sato Louiza Patikas Machina, healer
Gadolt Kosuke Takeuchi Nicholas Boulton Homs from Colony 6, fiancé Sharla
Otharon Goro Naya Lewis Macleod Homs from Colony 6, fighting Mechon
Juju Kenichi Hatori Jordan Clarke Sharla's little brother
Vangarre Nobuhiko Kazama Alec Newman Troop commander from Colony 9
Chief Dunga Yasunori Yamada David Peart Head of the Nopon
Zanza Takashi Taniguchi Stephen Griffin God who resides in the Bionis
Zanza (true form) Shintaro Asanuma Adam Howden
Meyneth Mio Umeda Jo Wyatt Goddess who resides in the mechonis
Alvis Shizuma Hodoshima Blake Ritson Imperial seer of the Hochentia

Announcements

In an interview with the French computer game website Gamekyo on October 20, 2008, Monolith Soft first confirmed the work on a new RPG for the Wii.

Xenoblade Chronicles was unveiled at E3 2009 on June 2nd. At that time it was called Monado: Beginning of the World . At an investor conference at the end of July 2009, a release date was still completely unclear. It was later announced that the project was being developed by Monolith Soft. At the end of January 2010, the game first appeared in a Nintendo financial report under the title Xenoblade . There it was also stated that it would appear in Japan in spring 2010. In a Famitsu interview shortly thereafter, director Takahashi made it clear that this was not a new Xenosaga game, as journalists suspected based on the title. Takahashi first explained the basics of the plot and described the game world as huge, with a total playing time of around 50 to 60 hours. Details about the combat system were also revealed.

On April 1, 2010, the official Japanese homepage for the game was opened and shortly thereafter June 10 was named as the release date.

Publication and distribution

Publication, localization and "Operation Rainfall"

On June 10, 2010, Nintendo released Xenoblade in Japan as ゼ ノ ブ レ イ ド (Zenobureido) . On 31 March 2011, Nintendo of Europe confirmed that RPG entitled Xenoblade Chronicles even later this year to publish in Europe. For the European release, the game texts and subtitles were translated into English, French, Italian, German and Spanish. An English voice output has also been added. The game was originally scheduled to be out in Europe on September 2nd, but has been moved forward to August 19th. The publication was carried out by Nintendo of Europe.

No release of Xenoblade Chronicles was planned for North America . As a result, members of the Nintendo community started the so-called Operation Rainfall on IGN Entertainment . The aim of the initiative was to get Nintendo to release three Wii-exclusive Japan RPGs in the United States. In addition to Xenoblade Chronicles , this also included The Last Story and Pandora's Tower . As a result of this fan campaign, Xenoblade rose to number 1 on the game pre-order charts at mail order company Amazon.com . Nintendo took note of the campaign but replied that it had no plans to release these three games yet.

Since no North American release of Xenoblade was planned at the time, the game was increasingly downloaded illegally. According to Torrent Freak, almost one million people illegally downloaded the game via BitTorrent by the end of 2011 . This made it the third most pirated Wii game in 2011.

It was not until early December 2011 that Nintendo of America confirmed that Xenoblade Chronicles would appear in North America in 2012. A document from the retail chain GameStop pointed to a date in early April and suggested that the game would be exclusively available from this chain. Fils-Aime later stated in an interview that Xenoblade's US release depended on how well the title sold in Europe. Since the game went well in Europe, it was decided to publish it in the US.

In the localization process for the European and American game versions, minor programming errors have been fixed and slight changes have been made to the game balance.

Editions

In Australia and New Zealand, Xenoblade Chronicles appeared not only in a regular edition, but also in a limited edition . In addition to the game, this includes a soundtrack CD with twelve pieces from the game.

A limited edition Xenoblade was also available in Europe . In addition to the game, it included a red Classic Controller Pro and three posters about the game. For a limited time, Club Nintendo members who registered the game on the homepage were able to download the soundtrack, which consists of twelve pieces.

In North America, GameStop's pre-orderers received a 20-page art book about the game.

Sales figures

Xenoblade had a successful sales start in Japan . In its first week, it was number 1 on the Japan game sales charts with around 83,000 units sold, displacing Super Mario Galaxy 2 from first place. By the end of 2010, sales in Japan had risen to a good 161,000 units. It was the eighth best-selling Wii game in Japan in 2010.

In the UK, Xenoblade debuted in seventh place on the weekly sales charts. Demand in Europe was higher than Nintendo expected, which led to delivery bottlenecks.

Xenoblade was also released in the USA in April 2012, but can only be purchased there via the retail chain GameStop and Nintendo's homepage. The company Piper Jaffray estimates it was the third best-selling game of the month. The market research company NPD Group excluded Xenoblade from its estimates because of its GameStop exclusivity.

Official worldwide total sales of Xenoblade are not available, but the website VGChartz expects 0.89 million sales worldwide by February 2015. Almost half, 0.42 million units were sold in America, 250,000 copies went over the counters in Europe and in Japan 0.16 million units to date.

reception

Worldwide computer game magazines and portals were mostly positive about Xenoblade Chronicles . In addition, the game was also received in some non-game media, for example by Der Spiegel , 20 Minuten , Fuldaer Zeitung or The Guardian .

General criticism

Keza MacDonald from the online portal IGN Entertainment considers the environment and opponent design in Xenoblade Chronicles to be extremely creative. IGN also said that the game has a deep and long storyline. As the publication wrote, the innovative combat system combines real-time and command-oriented concepts and is encouraging as well as tactical. The combat system is particularly characterized by the ability to gain insights into the future. The editor described the huge surroundings and the huge silhouettes of the titans as "breathtaking", but the game is limited by the Wii console. This was particularly evident from the fact that many textures were blurred. The English localization, enriched with authentic accents, is, according to MacDonald, tarnished by insufficient lip-synchronicity . Overall, the characters are well designed and have a believable character.

The reviewer of the gamer blog Joystiq, Heidi Kemps, highlighted the large game world in her review of Xenoblade Chronicles . Kemps expressed criticism with regard to the technology of the game: The "great" artistic direction of the game is kept within limits by hardware-related blurry textures and poor models.

In a review of Xenoblade , the world's highest-circulation computer game magazine, Game Informer , stated that the characters were disappointing archetypal . Reviewer Phil Kollar considers the game texts as well as the voice output to be successful. The game offers a lot of content; so the player can spend a lot of time optimizing the strengths of the characters. Outstanding in terms of the combat system is the vision function, which is particularly impressive in boss fights. In addition, Xenoblade is very user-friendly thanks to fast travel, setting the time or memory function available everywhere.

The German-language Nintendo monthly magazine N-Zone praised Xenoblade Chronicles for the beautiful graphics for Wii standards, but noted that many of the textures looked blurry and the figures looked pixelated. In addition to the graphics, editor Henrike Ledig also praised the sound: the voice output is very credible due to the accent of some characters. The magazine described the music as "phenomenal", "whole orchestras can be heard in the background". The N-Zone was criticized for the cumbersome camera controls, and the magazine mentioned the high speed of the game as taking some getting used to. The plot is "extraordinary", but also very complex. The N-Zone made a mixed judgment about the combat system: It is varied, but also reveals weaknesses that increase the difficulty of the game and cause frustration. Ledig also positively emphasized the “extremely” high playing time, the large game world and the extensive side quests and large number of items.

Rating mirror

The Metacritic and GameRankings websites calculate the global average rating of computer games based on a large number of international ratings. Xenoblade Chronicles has an average rating of 92/100 at Metacritic based on 59 critical game reviews. GameRanking has calculated an average of 91.78% based on 41 ratings.

Magazine / website Rating date comment
Computer picture games 1.82 August 19, 2011 Rating is a decimal number between 1 and 6
Edge 9/10 August 18, 2011
EGMNow 6.5 / 10 April 6, 2012 Most negative test recorded by Metacritic
Eurogamer 9/10 August 16, 2011
Famitsu 36/40 22/2010 Consists of individual evaluations by four editors, here: 9/9/9/9
Game Informer 9.50 / 10 March 29, 2012
GamePro 87% August 12, 2011
GameSpot 9/10 August 19, 2011
IGN Entertainment 9.0 / 10 April 3, 2012
Joystiq 5/5 April 6, 2012
Nintendo-Online.de 10/10 August 18, 2011
Nintendo Power 9/10 March 28, 2012
N zone 85% 17th August 2011
Official Nintendo Magazine 92% August 15, 2011

Awards

The computer game site GameSpot awarded Xenoblade Chronicles at their Awards of the best games in 2011 as the best Wii game of the year, it was nominated also for Best RPG and Game of the Year. The Daily Telegraph , a British newspaper, nominated the game for 2011 Game of the Year award. In a retrospective IGN listing of the 25 best Wii games of all time, Xenoblade Chronicles was ranked 11th.

Readers of the Japanese computer game magazine Famitsu voted Xenoblade 6th in their 50 best Nintendo games of all time. At the Japan Game Awards, Xenoblade received an Award For Excellence . Developer website Gamasutra also listed studio Monolith Soft on its list of the 30 best developer studios in 2011 for the studio's contributions to Xenoblade for the JRPG genre.

The Time magazine drew Xenoblade from the second best video game 2012th In IGN's Game of the Year awards, Xenoblade won Best Story Wii / Wii U Game and Best Game for Wii or Wii U. It was also nominated for Best RPG, Best Story Game, and cross-platform nominations best game of the year.

interpretation

Heidi Kemps from Joystiq wrote that Xenoblade no longer had the major flaws of the previous Xeno games. In their opinion, Xenogears and Xenosaga had prominently highlighted the biggest mistakes of the JRPG genre, which, contrary to their expectations, was no longer the case with Xenoblade . Joystiq also expresses the freely adjustable time in the game as well as the associated changes create the feeling of a lively game world. This is reinforced by the large landscapes, the battles that take place in this upper world, as well as the villagers, who each have their own daily routine.

The British Edge also compared Xenoblade with his "intellectual grandfather" Xenogears and recognized an initial scenario typical for director Takahashi. In both games, the game world that the player has just become familiar with is destroyed by an attack. In Xenoblade this narrative technique is used so well that it attracts the player's attention and motivates him for an adventure lasting more than 60 hours.

IGN described Xenoblade in this context as a non-linear game with a huge world, which is particularly exploited by the optional side quests.

According to Game Informer, Xenoblade's release history represents the state of the JRPG genre in North America. Although it was presented at E3 in America and received top marks in Europe and Japan, it almost never appeared in North America.

Meaning for the JRPG genre

Xenoblade has received particular praise in the context of the Japanese role-playing game genre.

IGN praised Xenoblade as the most innovative Japano RPG in recent years. The game maintains many of the traditions of this sub-genre, but does without counterproductive elements. It is true that Xenoblade has numerous common clichés of the genre. For example, the plot is sometimes very emotional, but not "pulsating" or "depressingly linear" as with many other JRPGs. Xenoblade proves that the ailing Japanese RPG genre still has potential.

“Yes, in Xenoblade Chronicles, you play an orphaned young hero who, for reasons unexplained, is the only one capable of saving the world from a mysterious evil. Yes, there is an ultimate weapon with untold power. Yes, you wander a giant world in a party of three, following a story punctuated by enough cutscene to make the Godfather Trilogy look comparatively brisk. But this is also one of the freshest and most innovative Japanese RPGs of the past decade. It feels more modern than anything else in its genre. "

“Yes, in Xenoblade Chronicles you play a young orphaned hero who, for some inexplicable reason, is the only one who can save the world from mysterious disaster. Yes, there is an ultimate weapon with immeasurable power. Yes, you wander through a huge world in a group of three and follow a story that is interrupted by enough cutscenes that the Godfather trilogy looks lively in comparison. But this [the game] is also one of the freshest and most innovative Japanese role-playing games of the past decade. "

- Keza MacDonald

UK video game publication Edge highlighted Monolith Soft's efforts to rethink the JRPG genre with Xenoblade . In the last decade, no game in the genre has tried to learn from past mistakes and to adopt other proven concepts. The quest structure from World of Warcraft can be found in Xenoblade , a combat system like in Final Fantasy XII and character customization from Dragon Quest IX . Together with your own ideas, Xenoblade doesn't feel like a mere tribute, but like something independent.

“It's a potent return to form for Takahashi, then, a glowing comeback for the Japanese RPG, and an injection of creativity for some tired hardware. Xenoblade Chronicles manages to impress, enrich and, best of all, inspire wonder. "

“It [Xenoblade] is a powerful return for Takahashi, a fiery comeback of Japanese RPG, injecting creativity into tired hardware. Xenoblade Chronicles succeeds in inspiring, enriching and best of all, inspiring amazement. "

- Edge editing

In a column at Joystiq, Kat Bailey sees Xenoblade as a combination of Monster Hunter and the MMORPG concept, which is housed in a traditional single-player RPG. With a combat system that is similar in many respects to MMORPGs, but on the other hand grants the player more direct control over what is happening, the game represents a transition between old JRPGs and online role-playing games. Monolith Soft has succeeded, wrote Bailey, past and current JRPG -Mixing concepts and bringing them to the global public. Even if Xenoblade turned out to be rather weak commercially, it received very positive reviews worldwide, which is why Xenoblade should be of importance for well-known Japanese developers as an example of a Japanese role-playing game.

Heidi Kemps from Joystiq also considers Xenoblade Chronicles to be a milestone in the JRPG genre. A detail that sets the game apart from many other genre representatives is that the player does not have to go back to the client after completing a side quest so that the task is actually considered completed. Combat system elements such as auto attacks and the charging time of special attacks are inspired by Western RPGs or MMORPGs.

Meaning for Monolith Soft or reflection by director Takahashi

In 2004, Tetsuya Takahashi said that after Xenosaga he would do something new that would be suitable for a younger target group. With the plot of Xenoblade , he was based on the classic stylistic devices of mangas aimed at boys . In fact, the plot of Xenoblade was only set after the gameplay was set. At that time, Monolith Soft was breaking new ground by trying, in contrast to earlier works, to base the plot on the gameplay and not the other way around. With the DS title Soma Bringer , which was developed in parallel to Xenoblade , the studio also pursued this new philosophy.

At the beginning of 2010, Takahashi already told Famitsu that the JRPG should no longer focus exclusively on plot and cutscenes:

“Most of the RPGs created had their main focus on story and cutscenes, but I think that approach has reached a dead end. This project [Monado] got its start because we wanted to return to basics - we just wanted to create a fun adventure. "

“Most of the RPGs we made had their main focus on plot and cutscenes, but I think that approach has reached a dead end. This project [Monado / Xenoblade] started out because we wanted to get back to basics - we just wanted to create a fun adventure. "

- Tetsuya Takahashi : Famitsu

In an interview conducted by Nintendo Power in 2012, Takahashi reflected on his Xenoblade project . He expressed himself negatively, disappointed: Xenoblade only corresponds to five percent of his ideal of a perfect game. He went on to say, “To be honest, sometimes I think I've been stunted as a writer since the Xenogears era. […] I often find myself thinking, 'At some point I would like to break free of these kinds of restrictions and write whatever I really want to write. [...] I couldn't figure out why they [the fans] care so much about a game like Xenoblade Chronicles when there are so many superior RPGs to choose from in the West. ”Takahashi is pleased with the positive response to the game. However, it was not Monolith Soft's goal to deliver a magnum opus . Instead, Xenoblade was seen much more as an experiment.

successor

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D

In August 2014, Nintendo announced the Xenoblade Chronicles 3D game alongside the New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL . It is a new edition of the game that should appear exclusively for the new 3DS models and not be compatible with the old 3DS devices. This was justified by the fact that the game claims the increased CPU performance of the new models. Developed by Monster Games , the new edition was launched worldwide in April 2015. It expands the original game to support the autostereoscopic 3D effect of the 3DS, the StreetPass functionality and the Shulk amiibo .

Xenoblade Chronicles X

At the beginning of 2013 Nintendo presented a first trailer for the successor to Xenoblade Chronicles . The game was announced for the Wii U and was named Xenoblade Chronicles X at E3 2014 . The game was released in Japan on April 29, 2015. The game was released in Europe and the US on December 4, 2015.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

In January 2017, Nintendo announced the game Xenoblade Chronicles 2 as part of the detailed reveal of the Nintendo Switch . The game was developed by Monolith Soft and was released worldwide on December 1st, 2017 for the Nintendo Switch.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

In September 2019, Nintendo announced the game Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition . It is a remaster of the game that was released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on May 29, 2020 . The Definitive Edition includes the additional content "The Connected Future", an epilogue to the game, the content of which starts a year after this and again puts Shulk at the center of the plot.

Web links

Wikiquote: Xenoblade Chronicles  - Quotes

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b The more important studios or companies involved in the game apart from Nintendo SPD, Monolith Soft and Dog Ear Records are the following (source: credits):
    • Dog Ear Records (music and sound production)
    • Avant; Optimo Grafico (3D modeling)
    • Digital Media Lab (animations)
    • Paical (2D design)
    • Production IG; Graphinica; Animo Creative Works; Simo: gumi; Digitalscape (animation film sequences)
  2. ↑ In early 2010, director Takahashi explained the meaning of the name in an interview with Famitsu. Accordingly, the Xeno stands for uniqueness . In connection with blade (sword) and Chronicles (chronicles) , the title of the game can be translated as The Chronicles of the Unique Sword , whereby the Monado is meant.
  3. ↑ a b c d Zanza and Meyneth are referred to as God in the German version . The term is not to be understood in the sense of an omniscient and omnipotent being. The term Kami used in the Japanese version is a more precise term for Zanza's and Meyneth's power.
  4. ↑ The term "monado" comes from the philosophical term monas or monad . For Leibniz (see monadology ) a primordial monad is a god who creates further monads. Only the primeval monad can destroy the other monads. Leibniz also had the idea of ether , a liquid matter that flows through the body. This is also reflected in Xenoblade . Previous Xeno games dealt with philosophical theses. See also xenoblade.wikia.com
  5. ↑ If you include voice actors, translators, quality inspectors and project managers, the credits contain around 200 other names, for a total of 500 people involved.
  6. ↑ The Order of Bionites is a secret group in Xenoblade that persecutes multiracial people because of a special rule of succession and wants to carry out an assassination attempt on the half-blooded princess Melia. See also assassins .
  7. ↑ Due to a mistranslated statement by Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, it was said that the Xeno in the game name was an homage or honor for Takahashi's previous Xenogears and Xenosaga games. However, this is incorrect according to xenoverse.xenotensei.com . So the real reason for the renaming is unknown.
  8. ↑ A summary of reviews of Xenoblades' merits in the JRPG genre by Game Informer, IGN and GameSpot can be found at Gamasutra.com
  9. ↑ Original quotations: “to be honest, there are times when I think I've atrophied as a writer since the Xenogears era. [...] I often find myself thinking, 'One of these days, I'd love to free myself from these sorts of restraints and write whatever I truly want to write.' [...] I couldn't figure out why they would care so much about a game like Xenoblade Chronicles when they had so many superior RPGs to choose from in the West. "

Individual evidence

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  3. ↑ Nintendo Germany on Twitter. Nintendo Germany, August 5, 2015, accessed on August 5, 2015 .
  4. ↑ a b Nintendo Germany on Twitter. Nintendo Germany, August 5, 2015, accessed on August 5, 2015 .
  5. ↑ http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/181003/is_game_music_all_it_can_be.php Gamasutra.com
  6. ↑ a b c d Anoop Gantayat: Xenoblade's Combat System Revealed. (No longer available online.) In: IGN. May 9, 2010; Archived from the original on May 30, 2012 ; accessed on September 22, 2012 (English).
  7. ↑ a b c Iwata Asks: Xenoblade Chronicles, Part 3: The Development Process, 2. From Caution to Confidence. (No longer available online.) In: Nintendo.de. Formerly in the original ; Retrieved July 1, 2012 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) @1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.nintendo.de
  8. ↑ A Look Into The World Design Of Xenoblade Chronicles. In: Siliconera.com. July 6, 2011, accessed September 22, 2012 .
  9. ↑ What Do Xenoblade Chronicles And The Last Story Have In Common? In: Siliconera.com. November 11, 2011, accessed September 22, 2012 .
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  11. ↑ Monolith Soft Tried Using A Turn Based Battle System For Xenoblade Chronicles. In: Siliconera.com. April 7, 2012, accessed September 22, 2012 .
  12. ↑ a b Anoop Gantayat: Iwata Asks Lots of People About Xenoblade's Music. (No longer available online.) In: Andriasang.com. May 21, 2010, archived from the original on December 25, 2012 ; accessed on September 22, 2012 (English).
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  15. ↑ Xenoblade Original Soundtrack, DERP-10008 ~ 11. In: VGMdb.com. Retrieved September 22, 2012 .
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  23. ↑ Anoop Gantayat: Nintendo Kicks off Xenoblade Push. (No longer available online.) In: IGN. April 1, 2010, archived from the original on May 30, 2012 ; accessed on September 22, 2012 (English).
  24. ↑ Anoop Gantayat: Xenoblade Dated in Japan. (No longer available online.) In: IGN. April 8, 2010, archived from the original on May 30, 2012 ; accessed on September 22, 2012 (English).
  25. ↑ Xenoblade confirmed for European release as Xenoblade Chronicles. In: GoNintendo.com. March 31, 2011, accessed September 27, 2012 .
  26. ↑ JC Fletcher: Xenoblade Chronicles' European release bumped up to Aug. 19. (No longer available online.) In: Joystiq. July 12, 2011, archived from the original on August 30, 2011 ; accessed on September 27, 2012 (English).
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  29. ↑ The Most Pirated Games of 2011. In: TorrentFreak.com. Retrieved September 27, 2012 (English).
  30. ↑ Richard George: Xenoblade Confirmed for United States. (No longer available online.) In: IGN. December 2, 2011, archived from the original on May 30, 2012 ; accessed on September 27, 2012 (English).
  31. ↑ Tobias S .: Reggie on possible localization of Monolith Soft's Wii U-RPG. (No longer available online.) In: Nintendo-Online. October 6, 2012, formerly in the original ; Retrieved October 6, 2012 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) @1@ 2Template: Toter Link / wiiu.nintendo-online.de
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  33. ↑ Xenoblade Chronicles hits Australia September 1st. In: Vooks.net. July 31, 2011, accessed September 27, 2012 .
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  36. ↑ Let's Open Up The Xenoblade Chronicles Art Book. In: Siliconera. March 28, 2012, accessed September 27, 2012 .
  37. ↑ Anoop Gantayat: Xenoblade Tops the Japanese Charts. In: IGN. June 18, 2010, accessed September 27, 2012 .
  38. ↑ Here's How Xenoblade And Metroid: Other M Did In Japan. In: Siliconera.com. January 23, 2011, accessed September 27, 2012 .
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  45. ↑ Jan Graber: The 100-Hour Game. In: 20 minutes online. August 28, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2012 .
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  74. ↑ Nintendo: Information about Xenoblade Chronicles 2
This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on December 30, 2012 .