No one thinks that this cryptic tweet from Monolith Soft was meant to spark some rumors, but that is what it has done to Xenoblade fans. The official account tweeted: “We’re really feeling it!” with a hashtag (#XenobladeChroniclesX) and an image of questionable legitimacy. Even without an Official Announcement, fans all over the internet are sure that this means a Definitive Edition for the cult classic Wii U RPG.
Xenoblade Chronicles X, being all about that gigantic world, insane mech combat, and an equally superb soundtrack, released in 2015 as a Nintendo Wii U exclusive, worth noting as one of the best games ever on that doomed console, but certainly underrated at its time.
With the dwindling install base of the console, the very popularity of these aspects also kind of limited that game: otherwise, most would not have played it.
There has been all sorts of speculation from fans into overdrive because of this tweet. The picture, supposedly some concept art featuring the iconic Skell mechs from the game, is pushing the level of excitement into overdrive with that hashtag.
At the moment, we will hear neither an official date nor platforms; however, one can assume that Switch is the most likely candidate, especially considering how well Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition sold.
Adding to this twist is Monolith Soft’s suspicious silence about anything following the wrapping up of Tears of the Kingdom. The studio has several teams, with one supporting Nintendo on the latest Zelda, while the others have been busy on something else. A remaster for XCX actually fits very well in that window, right before another original major title of theirs.
The clock is also ticking on time for such a release. The Wii U eShop is dead now, and those physical copies are selling at extortionate rates; a very large player base never got to experience this masterpiece.
And there are many rough edges an X remaster could smooth out for them to help restore that calm- tutorial overhaul, perhaps a rebalancing of progression, and quality-of-life improvements to its rather divisive online systems.
Nintendo has been quite busy porting Wii U games to the Switch (hey there, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe), and Xenoblade Chronicles X would be the finishing touch after the first and Xenoblade 2 had their Switch ports.
The million-dollar question is whether they will incorporate all the DLC or do something new. There is definitely some room left in that gigantic world for a couple of extra side quests or new Skell models.
Fans in the replies are already writing down their wish lists: 4K support for Switch 2 (because let’s be real, this is probably coming after the next console drops), improved character models, and most importantly – the ability to skip that damn 5-minute unskippable intro cutscene! The original was janky enough, okay, so a remaster would smooth that over; but the core gameplay has aged like good wine.
Monolith Soft also knows how to do a remaster worthy of the name. They sure added a few things in the line of improvements to the gameplay in Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition without losing its core. Should they do exactly that in their remaster of XCX, it honestly can go down as one of the best RPGs on Switch. All we need is an official announcement with a date now, and that wait is going to kill us.
