Nintendo has a lot of incredible franchises outside ofMarioandZelda, including the likes ofFire Emblem,Animal Crossing,Kirby,Star Fox,Xenoblade Chronicles,Pokémon, and so many more. All of these franchises have helped it become a developer and publisher known for its diverse experiences, thus allowing it to access an increasingly competitive market where variety is paramount to success.Xenoblade Chronicles, for example, offers a more mature and action-packed experience compared to Nintendo’s mascot entries, whileAnimal Crossingprovides its cozy output.
Naturally, this legacy of diversity and unique experiences will be carried on through the potentialSwitch 2 first-party exclusivesset to launch alongside the console. However, while some franchises are almost certainly going to get an entry on day one,there is one particular Nintendo IP that would benefit not just from a new entry, but specifically the hardware improvements that the Switch 2 offers. This series has always pushed Nintendo’s hardware to its absolute limit thanks to its audacious yet consistently restricted ambitions, but the Switch 2 could finally see an end to that.
Xenoblade Chronicles Pushes The Limits Of Nintendo Hardware
It’s Always The Most Demanding Game On Every System
TheXenoblade Chroniclesseries has always been one of Nintendo’s most technically demanding series, if not the most technically demanding. It boasts huge file sizes across all platforms, vast open areas to explore, dozens of enemies on screen at any given time, striking cutscenes that last upwards of 20 minutes, all beautifully shot and animated, and explosive combat made all the more dramatic thanks to its busy UI. Monolith Soft’s incredible work has earned the series a reputation for being some of thebest JRPGs of all time.
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Each game has pushed its respective hardware to the absolute limit, with the originalXenoblade Chroniclesoffering one of the biggest and boldest experiences on the Wii, only to then be miraculously condensed into a 3Ds version that still holds up to this day.Xenoblade Chronicles Xalmost didn’t make it onto the Wii U as its file size had to be massively reducedin order to fit onto a single disc, andXenoblade Chronicles 3somehow managed to have abigger map thanXBC2and still fit onto a tiny Nintendo Switch cartridge.
In fact,XBC3showcased the series at its absolute best, with its draw distance increased exponentially, allowing players to look out upon the game’s trademark stunning landscapes and still see enemies moving around in real-time below. It now serves as theblueprint for JRPG open worlds, and its influences can clearly be felt in the likes ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth. It’s worth noting that all of this technical prowess has been achieved while also delivering moving, profound, and consistently epic 60-to-100-hour-long narratives that rank among some of the best in gaming history.
Of course, while they’re all technically very impressive,theXenoblade Chroniclesgames have always been hampered to some degree. The limitations Nintendo’s hardware has placed upon them have rendered a lot of the grand ambitions Monolith Soft may have had redundant.Xenoblade Chronicles 2’sresolutions often dipped well below 480p even on the Nintendo Switch, with enemy animations quickly turning into slideshows the further the player got. It’s been a constant shame that Monolith Soft hasn’t had the technology to realize its ambitions. Of course, that is until now.
How Xenoblade Could Take Advantage Of The Switch 2
The Series Would Benefit From Seamless Open Worlds
TheXenoblade Chroniclesseries could take advantage of Nintendo’s next piece of hardware in several ways, especially if theSwitch 2’s leaked specsare to be believed. Boasting the same level of power as a PS4 allows the Nintendo Switch 2 to run far more sophisticated games at higher resolutions and with high-quality visuals in a way that the Switch could never.Monolith Soft could finally take all the lessons it’s learned from across the entireXenoblade Chroniclesfranchise and release a truly seamless open worldpacked with the same level of detail and quality that is found inXBC3.
It’s worth noting that Xenoblade Chronicles X was, in fact, an open-world game, unlike XBC3 or XBC2. However, it was not entirely seamless, as there was a loading screen between the main open world - which is, admittedly, extremely large - and the BLADE Barracks.
Even were theXenobladeseries to retain the open area structure that has been the backbone of the mainline trilogy, the Nintendo Switch 2 would allow the experience to run at a much higher resolution, ensuring that the drops that occurred inXenoblade Chronicles 2and, to a lesser extent,XBC3would never happen.It would also allow for even greater draw distances without sacrificing animation quality, the inclusion of HDR, better lighting, more dynamic set pieces, and even more enemies on screen at once.
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Of course, a bigger screen would also allow for the series' infamously cluttered UI to feel a lot less busy, or at least take up less real estate during action-packed sequences. Most importantly, however, the improved specs would allow Monolith Soft to deliver the experience it wants to tell without sacrificing anything. WhileXenoblade Chronicles’narratives never feel compromised,the reduced limitations would give Monolith Soft more time and resources to pour into providing a more intuitive and enjoyable experiencerather than figuring out ways of mitigating Nintendo’s aging hardware.
Past Xenoblade Chronicles Games Also Deserve The Boost
Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s Framerate And Resolution Could Be Improved
There is much debate about whetherXBC3is the last gamein the series and whether fans will see the return of theXenobladeseries - Monolith Soft has claimed it isn’t over, so it remains to be seen what futureXenobladegames look like. However, even if the Switch 2 never gets anotherXenobladegame,the original titles could all greatly benefit from the improvements the console will bring. Each game would greatly benefit from a boost in framerate and resolution across the board to finally give them the extra bit of polish they need in order to shine.
It also wouldn’t be surprising for Monolith Soft and Nintendo to re-releaseXenoblade Chronicles 2and3under theDefinitive Editionmoniker, giving them both improved visuals, gameplay mechanics, and adding in any features that were cut. After all, this is exactly what the studio has done for its other twoChroniclesgames to great success. However, even just a slight performance boost would help make these games the best that they can be, while helping to usher in a new wave of players who may have missed them the first time around.
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While Nintendo’s other franchises will reap the same benefits as theXenoblade Chroniclesgames, it is hard to argue that any of them deserve this new console as much. Monolith Soft has been the studio best at utilizing Nintendo’s hardware and demonstrating just how powerful it can be. It has propelled the JRPG genre to new heights and Nintendo’s image in the eyes of those who aren’t interested in its family-friendly experiences. Monolith Soft will undoubtedly push the Switch 2 to its absolute limit again, whether that’s with a newXenoblade Chroniclesgame or whatever other masterpiece it is creating.
