Titanic open world action JRPG on WiiU. Breathtaking planet Mira, playable mechas (Skells), colossal content. Less narrative than the first Xenoblade but exploration is exceptional. GamePad map is essential. A must for genre fans.
Your verdict
Category
RPG1 player12+
Description
Explorer Elma leads an expedition on the planet Mira to find scattered humanity and unravel the mysteries of this colossal world. Published by Nintendo, released in 2015 in Japan, the United States and Europe. Wii U exclusive open-world RPG with an entire continent to explore freely, real-time combat, Skell mechs to pilot on sea or in the air, and deep character customization.
XenobladeX review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
Planet Mira stretching as far as the eye can see: outsized continents, colossal fauna and alien flora compose a dizzying disorientation. The sense of scale, from micro-details to titanic horizons, both overwhelms and amazes. This visual ambition, organic and grandiose, pushes the limits of the open world.
Signed by Hiroyuki Sawano, the music blends epic orchestra, nervy electro and powerful vocals to dress the planet Mira in a science-fiction grandeur. Each exploration and each battle pulse with a galvanising, daring intensity. This sonic breadth, modern and inspired, elevates the immensity of this open world.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Roaming a vast planet, taking on a quest then refining your arsenal through combat sets up an exploration RPG whose horizon keeps receding. Unlocking a Skell, finding a rare deposit or mapping a new region always revives a goal to chase. The dense menus and stingy tutorial put off, but this sheer scale and sense of discovery grip you for dozens of hours.
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Landing on Mira means losing yourself in an open world of rare immensity, where every continent brims with colossal fauna and secrets. Mapping the planet, completing hundreds of side missions, piloting giant Skells and refining your class feeds an adventure whose endgame alone could suffice. This embraced gigantism makes it one of the most generous and singular RPGs on the platform.
Xenoblade Chronicles X, a vast open-world RPG by Monolith Soft, exclusive to the console, deploying an alien planet to explore on foot and in mechs. Sought and pressed in limited volumes, its desirability rests on this status as a major exclusive never reissued elsewhere and a real physical scarcity, accentuated by the machine's small install base. A flagship piece for an RPG set on the console.
An underrated gem
Trapped on a console with a tiny install base, this open-world RPG nonetheless unfurls one of the vastest, most otherworldly planets ever designed — explored on foot, then from the cockpit of giant mechs. Often overshadowed by the mainline Xenoblade entries, it keeps a devoted following. Its sheer scale and freedom will delight fans of boundless exploration.
Is XenobladeX still worth playing in 2026?
An action RPG by Monolith Soft exclusive to Wii U, Xenoblade Chronicles X offers an open world RPG adventure on an alien planet where humanity took refuge after Earth's destruction, with pilotable mechas. The sublime sci-fi art direction, real time tactical combat system and absolutely gigantic world make it an absolute JRPG reference on Wii U. For anyone fond of Xenoblade or seeking an absolutely essential JRPG, an absolutely essential recommendation today still truly here indeed.
