We finally have a full overview of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 today and the upcoming Switch JRPG looks huge. A 20-minute Nintendo Direct showcased more of the game’s existential story beats, multi-level combat engineering and other activities that players will do in its vast open world. Hopefully you like the icons on the screen because there were so many of them. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was only announced in February and is already at the gates. Wednesday’s extensive trailer made it clear that the game is not moving away at all from its strange and inner roots. If nothing else, it seems to focus even more on the series’ charm with war, class struggle and free will. Also machines, including giants that act as mobile military bases. The game takes place in a land called Eternal, where the inhabitants of two warring colonies, Keves and Agnus, experience ugly, bestial and short lives fighting for their leaders. Those who kill more are filled with a flame clock that prolongs their lives longer. But when two groups of young people from opposing sides meet during a special operations mission, a mysterious old man wearing glasses intervenes to reveal a deeper threat hidden behind the scenes. This is followed by intrigue, a monster inspired by Monster Hunter and great science fiction shows. We also took a full look at the main cast of the game. They are Noah, the “out” who wears a red jacket, Eunie, a “hilarious and blunt” weapon therapist, Lands, the massive guy with the sword, Mio, a magician with a double chakra, Tyon, the philosopher tactical and Sena, a tiny fighter carrying a giant wreck ball. Taion is already by far the best, which probably means he will either die or betray us. The following is a quick description of what else appeared in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct:
Eternal seems great, really great. The Xenoblade has always offered unjustifiably large and beautiful worlds for automatic enemy combat, but the one that comes with the Switch five years of life is the most exciting to date. I just hope the frame rate and pop-up do not suck when your group of six runs from search index to search index. Search paths underline the way forward. A red line will now show you exactly where to go to get to your destination. You no longer need to follow a marker on the side of a cliff just to realize that you have to turn to the other side. The craft, cooking and resting places return. But in a further level of adventure game, you will be able to sit with your companions in a fire and share what you have heard from NPCs to start new search lines. It seems cumbersome unless there is an aspect of relationship building. The characters have classes. In addition to roles such as attacker, defender, and therapist, each of the six members of your party will have relevant ranks that they can rank to further adjust their contributions to the battle. Master Arts are special skills that can even be equipped in all categories, allowing you to create hybrid constructions. You can recruit additional heroes. As if there were not enough six characters in the battle, there will also be unique NPC “heroes” that you will encounter throughout the game and can be selected to help in battle. Characters can be merged into mini-mechs. Called “Ouroboros”, these Gospel-based fighters are extremely powerful and can alternate between two different game styles, each tailored to the characters that shaped them. But you can not mix. Fusion pairs are based on history and are fixed.
Screenshot: Monolith Soft / Nintendo Originally due to be released in September, last month, the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 reached its release date of July 29th. Nintendo revealed Wednesday that Monolith Soft’s latest raid on the Xeno-verse will have a $ 30 Expansion Pass that will give it new characters and story content through December 2023. There will even be Amiibo support, giving players extra items, or case of Shulk Amiibo, the Monado laser sword from the first Xenoblade Chronicles. While I can confidently say that I’m ready for all the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 bullshit in the JRPG and more, I’ll be wondering if this can finally break out beyond the base fan base of the series. The games were traditionally too big, repetitive and loaded with awesome dialogues. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has sold over 2 million copies on the Switch, but it’s not as easy to recommend as things like Persona 5 or even Tales of Arise. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 might be different. I will let you know after it comes out and I have played 100 hours. Here is the rest of Wednesday’s Direct:
