Xenoblade Chronicles X

Xenoblade Chronicles X (simply Xenoblade X in Japanese and colloquially) is a 2015 video game for the Wii U, developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo. The game follows a colony ship from Earth that has crash-landed on a planet called Mira, as its inhabitants struggle to survive against both the alien landscape and the factions that destroyed the Earth. The game was remastered for the Nintendo Switch in 2025 as Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, including a new story chapter.

Gameplay

Elma

We've been spotted and it's big.
Strength comes from experience, that's true on any planet.
Engaging! Lay down some fire for me!

Lin

Jeez, all I see is its legs!
Is this edible...? Hey Tatsu, take a bite and see if it's poison!
Punch first, ask questions later!

Doug

Hold up, we're taking on junk in the trunk here?
Watch and learn kids!
Should I stop now? Should I?!

L

Here comes a sucker this minute.
It's a horse-eat-horse world.
This number has been...disconnected...

Lao

Your size is about to become a liability.
Here comes some more idiots.
This damn weather. Somebody fix this!

Gwin

Oh yeah I'm all over this.
Does this count as excessive?
Whew! Think I had about ten near-death-experiences there.

Irina

The bigger they are, the more ass there is to kick.
Get ready for a group pounding!
Now! Knock 'em right out of their beauty sleep!

Alexa

This is gonna put my skills to the test.
Come on, baby. Give me all you got.
Kid gloves are off!

Bozé

By all means impress me.
Namo, say goodbye!
Buff up and let's put THEM in a corner!

Celica

We should run. Why fight needlessly?
I think this was the button.
Time to hurry home and make dinner for Rock.

Frye

I like the dangerous jobs.
Look upon the ostrich and be very afraid!
I smashed them up good! Now move in!

H.B.

Hmm, that probably counts as large.
Ready! Oh I'm so gifted I scare myself.
Perfection! Though I expected nothing less.

Hope

Please be gentle.
Time for your confession!
What a blessing!

Mia

Okay, but I didn't wanna fight.
So you want a little face time, huh?
Look how far I've come; where are my high fives and hugs?

Murderess

What say we give them a demonstration?
It's just not the same unless I get to squeeze the life out of them with my bare hands.
I'm not in the mercy business. Open fire!

Nagi

Do I look like your puppet?
Your life is mine!
Little strokes fell great oaks. Take aim!

Phog

Oh no... Can I go home now?
I don't belong on a battlefield.
Are we having a 'bro moment'? Okay then, fire away!

Yelv

Easy there bub!
Give me more skulls to crack!
I think something's busted, but who cares? Open fire!

Story

Prologue

[Two alien factions fight abvove the Earth, which is battered in the crossfire.]

Narrator: July, 2054 A.D. The Earth was caught in a great battle between unknown alien forces. Their weapons were terrifying and powerful beyond human reckoning. Our planet was overwhelmed—its surface reduced to ash and rubble in the blink of an eye. The Coalition government knew the war was coming; in response, they prepared the Earthlife Colonization Project—Project Exodus. Interstellar arks were launched all across the planet—from every major city on Earth. Bravely, we leapt from our cradle—our home for the last four and a half billion years. But...most of the arks never even made it out of the atmosphere. Only a small handful managed to escape. Among them was our ship, the White Whale.

[Some ships escape the Earth as it is destroyed.]

Narrator: After leaving Earth behind, we spent two years wandering in space, searching... We thought of ourselves as the lucky ones—the pioneers who would settle a new world. But our past caught up with us. Literally.

[The enemies from before catch up with the ship and attack.]

Narrator: The alien blitz was unrelenting. If not for the efforts of a lone hero, we would never have survived. Our ship took heavy damage—we lost control. With our flight systems down, the White Whale was pulled into the gravitational field of a nearby planet, its hull shattering and breaking to pieces as we plummeted toward the surface...

[The habitat portion of the ship detaches and crashes on a planet.]

Narrator: Since then, two months have passed.

Elma: Hmm, you're not half-bad... There's plenty of work back in the city for someone who knows how to handle a weapon, you know.

> Nod - Show interest in finding work.

Elma: Then you're interested. In that case, I might have just the job for you...

> Scowl - Look depressed at the idea of work.

Elma: Hey, I'm not trying to pressure you into anything, all right? It'll be your decision in the end.

[Elma has taken Cross into the crashed habitat portion.]

Elma: Well? Here we are. Not too shabby, huh? For a giant beached spaceship, anyway. But...like it or not, this place is our home now. We took the name from the city it was modeled after back on Earth. We call it New Los Angeles. Welcome to NLA.

[Cross takes in the view.]

Narrator: And so it was that another survivor came to join our band of refugees. Together, we resolved to forge a new way of life here on Mira, come what may. New LA was our beautiful lie to ourselves... Truth is, we were adrift, heading into the unknown. Our native home was gone, swallowed in a shroud of light... And our future was uncertain—we had no idea what fate lay in store for us... Only that we had to keep living in order to see it.

Chapter 1

Nagi: BLADE is an acronym. "Builders of a Legacy After the Destruction of Earth." Quite fitting, I think. It's a relatively new organization. Up there in space, we had plenty of provisions, and a crew trained to handle the limited amount of situations we might encounter in our travels... But, of course, all that changed after we lost most of our ship and came crashing down here on Mira. We needed food. Water. Search and rescue teams. Surveyors. Police... The list goes on and on. It was too much for the provisional government to manage on its own. So BLADE was born. The idea was to have one central organization with different disciplines to fill these various roles. Its core was pulled from the Coalition military, so it's mostly former soldiers. But...fighting isn't our most important duty. Right now, we have a single, top priority that supersedes all others: The search for—and recovery of—the Lifehold.

Elma: Take a look at this. The White Whale was designed to carry an exceedingly large number of passengers, all of them held in stasis... All housed in a structure called the Lifehold. This is a complete schematic of that facility. Only essential personnel were conscious and active for the journey from Earth. The flight crew, maintenance engineers... And of course, some military, so we could defend ourselves if necessary. But the vast majority were in the Lifehold—ARE in the Lifehold. With any luck, they're all still there, in stasis, waiting to be rescued. But, there's a problem... We know now the Lifehold broke apart along with the rest of the ship when we came down on Mira. What we don't know is exactly where all the pieces landed. Not very comforting, I know. BLADE's top priority now is locating the missing units.

[A Skell (bipedal mech) walks by.]

Lin: Get...a load...of that Skell... Even the way that they WALK is sooo coooool... Oh yeah, work it baby... Mmm-mmm-mmm.

> Clarify - Ask what a Skell is.

Lin: What?! You don't remember what a Skell is?! That gorgeous exoskeleton that just went by? Basically like the most incredible, awesomest superweapons EVER? Lasers! Force fields! Bipedal AND vehicular transformations! Sorry, just...I get so excited whenever I think about it!

> Geek Out - Gaze longingly at the Skell.

Lin: Now THIS guy gets it! Aren't they just the cooolest?! Just...everything about them! The lasers, the force fields, the bipedal AND vehicular transformations?! You ever have that dream where you're inside one, and it's just transforming over and over? And over? Yeaaah, you know what I'm talkin' about. Actually, I uh... I don't normally show this to people, but I've been working on some Skell fan fiction... Hold on, I'll just pull it up here, one sec...

Elma: Lin.

Lin: Oh... Uh, right. ...Sorry.

Chapter 3

Elma: We come in peace. And we're willing to negotiate. If you have any Earth alien prisoners, we'd ask the conditions for their release. If you don't...we'll leave you in peace.

Prone Scout 1: No negotiations. No conditions. We have our orders!

Prone Scout 2: All Earth aliens must die!

Elma: So if I understand correctly... This is your homeworld—the Nopon people are native to Mira. And then just recently, the Prone show up and quickly hunt you to the edge of extinction. Is that right?

Tatsu: Not just Prone. Prone and their nasty, evil buddies. Lots and lots of them!

Lin: Their buddies? You mean other alien races?

Tatsu: Other HUNGRY alien races. They all gang up on Nopon. They do horrible, terrible things to Nopon. Someday, Tatsu will turn tables and eat THEM for a change!

> Reassure - Show Tatsu you mean him no harm.

Tatsu: Then...you'll help Tatsu? Protect Tatsu?! Ohh, happy day! It settled then. In return, Tatsu will accompany friends back to their village!

> Tease - Stare hungrily at Tatsu.

Tatsu: T-Tatsu has seen those eyes before! Hungry eyes, like Prone eyes! Tatsu is here to serve, not BE served!

Lin: Yeah, seriously! What kind of barbarian would want to eat this little guy, just like that? We should take care of him. Wash and clean him. Season him.

Tatsu: That's right, that's right. This is exactly what Tatsu is saying. Take Tatsu to your village. Wash and clean Tatsu. Season Tatsu! Er, uh...wait.

Chapter 4

Vandham: According to the Pathfinders' report, there's a large number of indigens in the area—but thankfully no sign of any intelligent lifeforms.

Tatsu: No no, that wrong. Nopon visit Nightglow Woods all the time!

Vandham: Yeah, well, like I said, no "intelligent" lifeforms have been reported. But it never hurts to be cautious.

L: Well, the creatures here are hungry, yes. Granted.

Lin: "Gentle disposition" my butt.

L: It's just...hmmm...

Elma: What?

L: Well, who can blame them, with all the commotion here as of late? Not that we're pointing our fingers at you, mind. No, it's those Prone. Sons of bastards.

Lin: Yeah, we're not their biggest fans either.

L: We loathe them. They have ruined our once-peaceful life here. RUINED! They are all...how should we say? Asscaves.

Lin: Why would you do this? Why do you hate us?!

Goetia: Hate? Human extinction is duty—our duty, as Ganglion.

Elma: Ganglion? So that's what you call yourselves?

Goetia: Indeed. Humanity is a blight...a great cancer, festering on the cosmos. Our job is to eradicate it!

Elma: Humanity is here in peace—what gives you the right to destroy the Lifehold?

Goetia: Is that what you call it? So primitive. Your language...your technology... And yet, so dangerous. You must be purged. This is our calling as Ganglion—the cause of the righteous!

Chapter 5

Elma: ...What language are we speaking right now?

Tatsu: What language? Nopon, of course! Friends' Nopon very good, by the way.

Elma: See? Xenoforms have different anatomy, physiology—different vocal setups in general. It seems likely they would struggle with our pronunciations. And yet, here we are, conversing.

Lin: But if they can't even produce the sounds... this shouldn't be possible.

Elma: No, it shouldn't be. Unless...our words aren't being perceived as sounds at all. Maybe our intent is getting across some other way...

Elma: But how? ...Could it be something about this planet?

Elma: Before we go any further, I wanted to apologize. I should've realized you might've forgotten about this, but... As you've probably noticed, the body you're inhabiting is artificial. We call them "mimeosomes." "Mims," for short.

Lin: Mimeosomes are designed to mimic human physiology as much as possible. The whole point is for us to forget about them. That way we can still enjoy the things we love—like cooking!

Elma: We're all like this—every single crew member that escaped on the White Whale. All of us are mims.

Tatsu: But why would friends all become robots?

Lin: Well, just think about it: It could've taken decades to find a new planet to call home... or even centuries. We had no idea. Who would want to crew the ship if they knew they were going to grow old or die along the way?

Tatsu: Mmm... Tatsu see Linly point.

Elma: Our actual bodies are waiting in the Lifehold, in stasis with all the human passengers. We control our mimeosomes remotely from there. So you see? That's why it's so important for us to find and protect the Lifehold. Our lives are on the line here, too. If the Lifehold were to stop functioning for any reason while we're still there in stasis...

Lin: ...Everyone, including every mim in New LA, would drop dead on the spot.

Chapter 6

Lao: Speaking of which, it's pretty amazing you made White Whale crew, at your age... You have family here?

Lin: My Mom and Dad passed away. They didn't make it.

Lao: Ah...that day? The attack on Earth?

Lin: No, sir. It was before that. An accident.

Lao: Ah. I'm sorry.

Lin: My parents were both design engineers who worked on the White Whale project. But there was a mishap with the primary engine test... Still, it's thanks to them, and people like them, that the rest of us are all still here, you know? They made the White Whale spaceworthy. So they didn't die in vain. At least, that's what I like to think.

Lao: I see... So they gave you a spot on the White Whale to say thanks—thanks to your parents for all their hard work.

Lin: It's a debt I try to repay every day. Helping out folks any way I can.

Elma: Don't misunderstand, Lao. Lin earned her spot on the crew like anyone else. It was her talent and determination that made it happen. Her parents' positions provided an environment for her to learn in, but that's it. Lin got to where she is now entirely on her own.

Luxaar: You seem displeased, Ga Jiarg. Perhaps the great hero of Wroth does not enjoy taking orders from the Ganglion? Perhaps he feels it...beneath him?

Ga Jiarg: It appears nothing is beneath me of late.

Chapter 8

Ga Jiarg: And now, another city of innocents burns. All so they can lay claim to a single Skell...? Was this truly necessary? I have become party to madness.

Chapter 9

Elma: How has a noble species such as yours allowed itself to be reduced to such disgrace?

Ga Jiarg: What?

Elma: The Ganglion have committed unspeakable acts all across this planet. Surely, you must know that. They kill without cause or mercy. Why would you serve such scoundrels? Why sink so low?

Ga Buidhe: Mind your tone, human. Who are you to judge the Prince's actions? What could you possibly know of our people's struggle? Of how our homeland was torn away from us?

Elma: It's true, I cannot say I understand your plight. But humanity lost its home, just like you. And yet we chose to stand up and fight the Ganglion!

Ga Jiarg: The Ganglion have bought our compliance, yes. But make no mistake—the Wrothians would never sell their pride.

Elma: Prove it, then. Make a choice here that you can be proud of.

Ga Jiarg: The Ganglion would have us dismiss you as uncultured savages. But I see reason in your words, and strength in your bearing. Very well. We will settle this the old way. Defeat us in battle, and yes—you will also win your freedom.

[Ga Jiarg video calls Luxaar.]

Ga Jiarg: Councilor Luxaar—this is Mercenary Warlord Ga Jiarg, former prince of the kingdom of Wroth. It is with a heavy heart and deep regret that I must report to you that the Wrothian people are unable to carry out your mission to annihilate the human race. We realize this means we will no longer enjoy the benevolence of Ganglion patronage. So be it. The Wrothian people will make our way as an independent mercenary force, effective immediately. We look forward to settling our debt with you on some future battlefield. Until then...

Luxaar: Ga Jiarg, you TRAITOR! I should have known those ungrateful RATS would bite the hand that feeds them!

[He has no more words. The call ends. Ga Jiarg laughs.]

Ga Buidhe: You seemed to enjoy that, Prince Jiarg.

Ga Jiarg: Ahh, but what a shame. If only I could see the look on what that overgrown slug calls a face...

Ga Buidhe: [surprised] My prince? What has gotten into you?

Ga Jiarg: You disapprove?

Ga Buidhe: On the contrary. Everyone loves a scoundrel.

Ga Jiarg: Is that so? Then we're in luck. From this day forth, we are lawless vagabonds, subject to no one! What say you to that, you Wrothian scoundrels?!

[His mates roar in approval.]

Chapter 11

Lao: You should've let me die that day, Elma. You knew the truth—that I was a Ganglion spy.

Lin: What?!

Elma: I had my suspicions. But I didn't want to believe it.

Lao: Your mistake. And it'll cost you. The data, and your newest Skell, the Prog Ares. The Ganglion'll appreciate the gift.

Vandham: Boy, I am going to kick your ass so hard, your real body will feel it!

Lao: Not if you value your precious data.

Doug: Lao, what the hell is going on here?

Lao: Oh, look at this—the whole gang's coming out to say good-bye.

Irina: What the hell, Lao?!

Vandham: Hold your fire! He's got the only copy of that data on his mim.

Doug: Dammit.

Lao: A little insurance policy. Sorry, Doug.

Irina: You'd betray all your friends? Your entire species?!

Lao: I'm no big fan of theirs, believe me—the talking cats OR that giant leech. But the Ganglion and I share a common goal.

Doug: And that is?

Lao: Think about it, Doug. You know the answer.

Doug: The hell I do! You've lost it, man.

Lao: Yeah...I lost it all. Good-bye.

Lao: None of this will matter soon. Once they destroy the Lifehold Core, and all of us with it... this'll all be over.

Elma: You don't sound so excited anymore.

Lao: Course I'm excited, why wouldn't I be...? We can finally stop living this goddamned lie. We'll all be free, at last.

Lin: We'll all be DEAD, Lao! How does that free anyone? Instead of reuniting with our real flesh and blood?

Lao: Wrong. We're already dead, Lin. Our flesh and blood burned away with the Earth.

Lao: It was all LIES! If you weren't rich, or connected, or part of the first world elite, you got left to die on Earth.

Lin: What?!

Lao: Oh yes. The only reason people like you and me got on board the White Whale is because they could use our skills. Exploit our talents. But everyone else? All those countless souls boxed up in your precious Lifehold Core? The same elitist bastards that decided they're the only part of humanity worth saving.

Lao: I didn't sign up for Project Exodus because I wanted to save the human race... No... I signed up for Project Exodus... because I wanted to save my family... We knew there were no guarantees we'd be chosen, of course... We promised each other we'd accept our fate, either way. But at least, this way, we had a chance. ...We had something to hope for. Hope was all we asked for. But there was never any hope. Not really. The decision was already made... We just didn't know it yet. These scum DESERVE TO DIE, Elma!

Elma: No one deserves to die, Lao.

Lao: Tell that to Charmaine! And Chenshi! Tell it to everyone we left back on Earth! ...And you KNEW. You knew they’d sealed the fate of all those people... and then you lied—you LIED about why no one could know who made it onto the ship until after launch!

Elma: The decision came down to saving a subset of humanity or total extinction. I stand by that decision. And I'd do it again.

Chapter 12

Luxaar: I confess...you were right about one thing: I was indeed fearful of humanity, of your threat. At the dawn of the cosmos, the Samaarians arrived from another plane. We Ganglion are forbidden from turning against them. If we ever tried, we would be destroyed. I thought that it was just a myth... And yet, here you are. The descendants of Samaar. You—you miserable humans! How could YOU be their legacy? Such a primitive people. Barbaric! And yet the stories would have us bow down before you? NEVER!

Elma: So—that big machine hanging above us...

Lin: I've never seen one anywhere near that size, but it LOOKS like a seventh-generation quantum mainframe.

Elma: That's exactly right. It's by far the most technologically advanced computer humanity has ever created, in terms of both speed and capacity. It's also the foundation for the Earthlife Colonization Project. It's where all your consciousnesses have been recorded.

Irina: What?!

Lin: Elma... You mean...

Elma: Yes, that's what I mean. And not just everyone in New LA— The essence of all 20 million humans we brought with us from Earth are there. Including all their memories, their genetic makeup—anything and everything. It's all been digitized and stored away in the Core, right up there.

Doug: Then...what about our bodies?

Elma: You mean the originals all this data was sampled from? They were destroyed along with the Earth.

Gwin: Then...wait...you mean we're already dead?

Elma: You could see it that way. Or you could see it differently. The bodies you were born with, and all the chemicals and organs that created and stored your thoughts, are gone. But your SELF has lived on as data, from the moment the project scanned your minds. It's all been stored here as part of the long-term plan. Until it could be moved back into a real body.

Doug: Our bodies were REAL. We were BORN in them... And now you just snap your fingers and BAM, we get new ones? Is that even right?! It doesn't feel like it. Are we even humans anymore? Transferring our memories... Playing musical chairs with our bodies... Where do you draw the line? How do I know I'll be the same person I was wherever I end up?

Elma: To some extent, you won't be. But then, you never were. On a cellular level, we all wake up as slightly different people every day. It's only because of the continuity of consciousness that we even perceive ourselves as ourselves. It’s all a fragile illusion. And until anyone proves we all have a soul, one better left to the philosophers. You're right to have doubts, Doug. This was the single biggest debate among the ECP board...and rightly so.

Doug: So then—

Elma: We did talk about putting actual bodies in stasis. We seriously considered it. In fact, some of the other projects took that path...but they would've been lucky if their ships were able to hold 50,000. The Exodus arks were different. Enough data and materials to revive 20 million people, perfectly preserved on each and every ship. The board weighed all the pros and cons, the ethical issues and dangers of violating the natural order of things... But this is what they landed on. And I agreed.

Lin: So when Lao said our flesh burned away with the Earth... he wasn't just being dramatic.

Elma: No, he must have discovered the truth. Which only made his pain worse. That the same people who passed over his family were keeping this all secret.

Doug: It's no wonder he snapped... Poor bastard.

Elma: But even so, he never said anything. You know why, right? Because of you, Lin. He didn't want to see you lose hope. In the end, he led us here, right? In the end, maybe he accepted it. I'd like to think he did.

Luxaar: You primitive little ingrate! Have you forgotten what they did to you? What they did to your family?!

Lao: Oh, I remember all right. My family'd still be here if you hadn't brought your damned war to our doorstep! Because of you, there's only 20 million of us left... That leaves 9.98 billion reasons for me to want you dead. You who took my wife and daughter away from me...Luxaar!

Elma: Secretary...I'll stick to the facts. The system—everyone's consciousnesses and memories, the entire database... has been destroyed for some time.

Chausson: Destroyed?! What do you mean? Explain yourself.

Elma: The entire chamber is flooded. It's trashed. The system is completely shut down. And not just recently... It's been this way since we got to Mira.

Nagi: That's absurd! Then how are we... How in the world would anyone be...

Elma: I know. So then why...would you be alive? It's not possible... Without the database...all your identities should be gone, too. It's this planet. It's something about this planet...