The Nintendo Switch 2 version of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 arrives on July 30. Polygon reports the release takes the form of an upgrade pack rather than a separate purchase, and that it bundles new storylines and improved graphics alongside new outfits for the game's two central Blades, Pyra and Mythra.
The distribution model is the notable part. Polygon notes a run of recent Switch 2 editions have asked players to buy semi-recent games again at full price even when they already own them, and that Monolith Soft's role-playing game is being handled as an upgrade to the existing version instead of a fresh release at full cost.
What changes for Pyra and Mythra
Both new outfits are redesigns rather than recolours. Polygon describes Pyra's armour as retaining part of its original silhouette while shedding much of its signature red in favour of a white, black and green palette. Mythra's is the larger departure: her vivid light green is replaced by white and a darker blue, and her blonde hair becomes white with a bluish gradient.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 released in 2017 as one of the first large role-playing games on the original Nintendo Switch, and Polygon credits the wider series with establishing Monolith Soft as a major studio in the genre. It follows Rex, a salvager who dives into a sea of clouds, meets the red-haired Blade Pyra, and agrees to help her reach Elysium at the top of the World Tree. Polygon notes the story threads carry through the series as far as the "Future Redeemed" expansion for Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
The two characters have also become the series' most visible representatives outside their own game. Polygon reports they are the only Xenoblade Chronicles 2 characters playable in Super Smash Bros., and the only ones to have received their own amiibo.
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