Xenoblade Switch 2 adds out-of-place racing minigame 'Xenoblade Kart'

Yesterday was a fantastic day to be a Xenoblade fan. A Nintendo Direct revealed a brand new game in Xenoblade Genesis, and a shadow-dropped Switch 2 Edition of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition added a surprise minigame fans are calling Xenoblade Kart. Monolith Soft also introduced Ether Jets, all-new high-speed vehicles to zip around the Bionis and Mechonis, and unlocking them grants access to the Nopon Grand Prix.

That minigame includes Score Attack, where you collect crystals and hit checkpoints, and Battle Race, which pits party members against one another on courses such as Makna Forest, Alcamoth and Valak Mountain. Characters handle differently while driving — Shulk is an all-rounder, while Reyn has the fastest top-speed but poor acceleration — and the whole thing is delightfully odd next to Xenoblade Chronicles' serious main narrative, a quest full of death, revenge and heartache.

Fans have leaned into the silliness.

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