Xenoblade Chronicles X for Switch Receives Unusual New Alert

The latest release of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition for the Nintendo Switch has raised eyebrows with a peculiar “sex” content warning on its European packaging. It wasn’t something players noticed in the Wii U version, and now it’s sparking curiosity about whether uncensored elements have somehow made their way into this edition.

When Xenoblade Chronicles X first hit the shelves in the West for the Wii U, it faced some heat over changes deemed necessary for Western audiences. Compared to its original Japanese version, there were alterations like censored outfits, and the much-discussed breast size slider for female characters was entirely removed. Even as Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition arrives for the Switch, players find that it’s based on the already-censored Western release, even in Japan. This background makes the sudden “sex” warning even more mystifying for fans.

Both versions, the original on Wii U and the newest iteration on the Switch, received a T rating in the United States and PEGI 12+ in Europe. But with the transition to the Switch, the European box now mysteriously includes a warning about sex—something that didn’t appear when the game debuted on the Wii U. Initially, the game carried alerts for violence and bad language. This newfound warning has left the community buzzing with speculations, including one social media post questioning whether any previously censored content has been reinstated.

So, what’s behind the sex warning for this Switch version of Xenoblade Chronicles X? According to PEGI, it owes to some innuendo-laden lines in the game, notably one where a character exclaims, “I’m going in for a quickie.” This could potentially link back to the expanded content in the Definitive Edition. It’s worth noting that the original game had its share of suggestive dialogues, though they didn’t prompt any sexual content warnings from PEGI at that time.

Curiously, the ESRB’s rating for the US release does highlight “suggestive themes,” but the details have been toned down compared to the original release for the Wii U. While both versions acknowledge aspects like lingering camera angles and revealing outfits, the ESRB’s Definitive Edition rating omits a previous mention of sexual dialogue. Despite this, many fans were hoping for an uncensored rebound of the original game, but it seems Monolith Soft and Nintendo stuck to the familiar roadmap, basing the game’s latest release on the already-edited Western version.

This new warning has done more than just hint at regional rating discrepancies; it’s ignited discussions within the gaming community and captivated players eager to discover what, if anything, has truly changed in this awaited re-release.