Xenoblade Chronicles (game)

Xenoblade Chronicles

ゼノブレイド Zenobureido

Developer(s): Monolith Soft Publisher(s): Nintendo Platform: Wii Category: Action role-playing Players: 1 Predecessor: N/A Successor: Xenoblade Chronicles X

Release dates N. America: April 6, 2012 Japan: June 10, 2010 Europe: August 19, 2011 Australia: September 1, 2011

Ratings ESRB: T CERO: B PEGI: 12 USK: 12 ACB: M

Xenoblade Chronicles is an action role-playing game released for the Wii developed by Monolith Soft as the fifth original title in their Xeno franchise of games, and the first game in the Xenoblade Chronicles series. The game was originally revealed at E3 2009 under the title Monado: Beginning of the World, though the name was later changed in honor of Tetsuya Takahashi, the director of all previous Xeno games.

The game was released in Japan in 2010, and was later brought to Europe in 2011. With no word of an American release despite its reveal at E3 2009, American fans started a campaign known as "Operation Rainfall" to generate interest it it as well as two other games, Pandora's Tower and The Last Story. Nintendo of America would later release the European localization in 2012 exclusively at GameStop stores, although president Reggie Fils-Aimé later stated that the campaign did not affect their release plans.

For its release in some regions some copies of the game were bundled with a red Classic Controller Pro, an alternative cover, and a poster with an autograph from Tetsuya Takahashi. For the North American and European versions only, the game was printed on a dual-layer disc; the Japanese release uses a single-layer disc.

In 2015, a spiritual successor to the game, Xenoblade Chronicles X, would be released. A sequel game, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, has also been confirmed for release in 2017.

Blurb

Box

Wield the Blade

Claim the Monado, an ancient weapon with the power to reveal the future, and lead the charge against a vicious army of mechanical invaders.

Set out for distant horizons and discover the secrets of a vast land with a mysterious past.

Witness events before they unfold and fight to change the future as the ultimate sword becomes your ultimate ally.

Nintendo website (Wii)

An epic clash between man and machine
Available exclusively for the Wii™ system, the Xenoblade Chronicles™ game combines science fiction and fantasy into an unforgettable open-world adventure. Players will discover expansive environments and deep character customization options as they delve into an epic conflict between the Homs (humans) and Mechons (robots) and uncover the secret of the ancient Monado blade. With richly detailed role-playing elements, Xenoblade Chronicles offers an extraordinary experience for veteran gamers and genre newcomers alike.

Features:

• Xenoblade Chronicles invites players to explore a truly vast open-world universe. In addition to the game’s main quest, they can also take on side quests, seek out special items and uncover hidden areas.
• Players can customize their characters by choosing from a wide array of weapons, armor, equipment and accessories. Each item not only enhances characters’ abilities, but also affects the appearance of different characters in distinctive ways.
• A unique upgrade system lets players improve their characters’ performance throughout the game. They can earn upgrades during battle, trade with townspeople or collect and purchase items. Players can also use magical gems in enhance the abilities of their existing equipment.
• The game also incorporates a unique relationship-building system called Affinity. Different characters will have distinct Affinity levels in relation to one another, which can influence their interactions and affect their progress through the game.
• A sophisticated battle system in Xenoblade Chronicles includes special Chain Attacks – combo attacks involving all members of the questing party – as well as an Arts system that lets characters perform specialized actions and spells.

Nintendo website (Wii U)

An epic clash between man and machine.

Discover expansive environments and deep character customization options as you delve into an epic conflict between the Homs (humans) and Mechons (robots). Explore the game's unique upgrade system, battle system, and relationship-building system as you fight to change the future with trusty allies and the ancient Monado blade.

Nintendo eShop

Discover expansive environments and deep character customization options as you delve into an epic conflict between the Homs (humans) and Mechons (robots). Explore the game's unique upgrade system, battle system, and relationship-building system as you fight to change the future with trusty allies and the ancient Monado blade.

Story

In the beginning, the world was only a vast ocean until two titans came into existence: Bionis and Mechonis. The two fought each other endlessly until their corpses were all that remained.

Many years later, the people of Bionis are at war with the Mechon, robots from the Mechonis. During the Battle of Sword Valley, the Homs battling the Mechon were able to push back the Mechon once and for all thanks to the efforts of Dunban using the Monado, a sword with mysterious powers.

One year afterward, a scientist of Colony 9 named Shulk is studying the Monado to figure out its secrets. However, the colony is suddenly attacked by an invading Mechon force, including a unique type of Mechon with a face. Seeking to destroy the Mechon once and for all for what they have done, Shulk and his friends set off to take them down once and for all while also discovering the secrets of the Monado and the world they live on.

Gameplay

Xenoblade Chronicles is an action role-playing game with open environments to explore. Players control a party of up to three characters at one time, and can battle enemies at will. The game has a day-night system, which affects things such as items and enemies on the overworld, the non-playable characters that the player can interact with, and the quests the player can accept. The game also rewards exploring the world by giving the player experience by discovering new locations and landmarks, the latter of which can be used as points to warp back to when using the map.

When battling enemies, players engage battle by targeting the enemy and either engaging in battle or attacking the enemy, or when they are noticed by enemies near or higher-leveled than the player. Players can either auto-attack the enemy by approaching the currently targeted enemy, or by using their arts, which can be seen on the "Battle Palette" on the bottom of the screen. Rather than using a point system, Arts can be used freely, but have a cool down time before they can be used again. The Battle Palette can only hold up to eight of a character's Arts at one time, as well as the character's Talent Art, a special art that builds up by attacking rather than over time. The game employs an "aggro" system, in which enemies will focus on whatever party member has attacked that enemy the most. The party also has "tension", which increases as enemies are attacked and decreases when they are attacked, which also affects damage output and attack accuracy. Attacking enemies fills up the Party Gauge, which can be used to revive incapacitated allies, and when it is filled the player can perform a Chain Attack, in which the party consecutively attacks enemies. Occasionally, the player will receive a vision of the future, in which the enemy uses one of its more powerful arts to deal damage to a character; the player then has a time limit to counteract and "change the future" before they can attack.

The game finally features an affinity system, which gauges the party's relationships, both between party members and non-playable characters and locations. Players can build affinity between party members by pairing them up in the party and battling, giving gifts, or through "Heart-to-Hearts", special moments between characters. Location affinity is built by interacting with non-playable characters and doing quests for them.

Technical details

Technical details Media: Wii Game Disc* Digital download (Wii U) Download size: Wii U: 6853.0 MB Input / compatible controllers: Wii: Wii Remote + Nunchuk, Classic Controller Wii U: Wii U GamePad, Wii Remote + Nunchuk, Classic Controller

Other releases

Title	Cover art	Platform	Release date(s)	Notes
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D		New Nintendo 3DS	NA: April 10, 2015 JP: April 2, 2015 EU/AUS: April 4, 2015 KOR: May 1, 2015	A port developed exclusively for the New Nintendo 3DS, developed by Monster Games.
Xenoblade Chronicles		Wii U	NA: April 28, 2016 JP: July 27, 2016 EU/AUS: August 5, 2015	A direct port of the original game as a digital download on the Nintendo eShop for Wii U.

External links

Xenoblade Chronicles on other NIWA Wikis:
StrategyWiki

• Xenoblade Chronicles on Wikipedia

References

Xenoblade Chronicles (3D • Definitive Edition) • X • 2 (Torna ~ The Golden Country) • 3
Related NIWA Wiki: English  • Italian