The big finale from this week's Nintendo Direct was the reveal of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, a title that's been anticipated for some time. The early look seemed rather positive, too - story segments suggest a more grounded and serious tone compared to Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and gameplay clips suggest that MonolithSoft has been able to optimise and improve its engine on Switch.
Due out in September, the coming months will no doubt bring us a lot of build-up and details for the RPG, and Nintendo has already shared an introductory message from Executive Director Tetsuya Takahashi, which you can see below.
Just over four years since the release of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and one and a half years since the release of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, we now bring to you news regarding the latest game from MONOLITHSOFT: Xenoblade Chronicles 3. As the name indicates, it’s the third instalment in the Xenoblade Chronicles series. We are currently making the final adjustments to ensure we make it the best game possible based on everything we’ve learned from the past games from the series.
The key visual features a broken great sword of Mechonis and the body of the Urayan Titan with a big gaping hole. I imagine everyone who saw the trailer was quite surprised by the final scene. What is this visual hinting at? I can’t reveal that yet. What I can tell you is that this visual was conceived quite some time ago. More precisely speaking, we came up with it sometime between the end of development of Xenoblade Chronicles and the beginning of development of Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
So, it’s not something we recently added to the series. We believe the game will be enjoyable for both those who’ve played Xenoblade Chronicles and/or Xenoblade Chronicles 2, as well as those who will be playing a Xenoblade Chronicles game for the first time.
The characters were designed by Masatsugu Saito, who also designed the characters for Xenoblade Chronicles 2. While we can’t show them to you at this time, Koichi Mugitani created some of the key artworks. As you can see, familiar staff members to the Xenoblade Chronicles series have once again come together to create this game.
The game music was also handled by artists who’ve contributed to the series in the past. The music for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was composed by Yasunori Mitsuda, Manami Kiyota, ACE (TOMOri Kudo, CHiCO), Kenji Hiramatsu and Mariam Abounnasr.
The music in this game maintains the unique Xenoblade Chronicles touch while also taking on a new challenge, namely that of integrating as its motif – a flute-based melody. The flute is actually one of the key themes in this game. A variety of other elements and themes are hidden in the trailer. We’ll be revealing the details bit by bit going forward.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a brand new adventure bringing together the worlds of Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 to take the players into the future. While there is still some time left before the release of the game, please look forward to it.
There are some interesting details there in terms of the game's themes, and highlighting that the concept for this title has been in plans for a number of years. In addition there are plenty of returning staff, which is definitely a positive.
As for 'elements and themes' that are 'hidden in the trailer', we can all have a bit of fun digging for hints there.
Are you excited about the release of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 in September?
[source nintendo.co.uk]
Comments 39
Flute summons Wyrdeer
Flute wakes up Snorlax
The music X exploration is the best thing about this series so making the music a more integrated theme of the game can only be a good thing.
Weird how there is nothing on the combat in this or the trailer.
I think my favorite part is that they're making this game accessible for newcomers even if you haven't played 1 or 2. That way, one can go back to 1 or 2 and catch all of the hidden details and references.
My play order was: X, 2/Torna, then 1 (DE). Since I played 2 first, going back to 1 really recontextualized not only the events of both games, but the protagonists as well as the final bosses of both. It really broke my mind on how such amazing storytelling can work even if one game is played in a different order than another.
With that being said, I can't wait for 3. I loved X, loved 2, and loved 1. This is easily my favorite RPG franchise and I expect great things from Monolith.
Absolutely can't wait for this. SO glad its a title for this year, wasn't expecting a september release at all! Pleasantly surprised.
Game of the year, easy. Looking forward to hearing more.
@maulinks
Hahah why did laugh so hard while reading your comment about snorlax.
@JR150 thats what I’m thinking too. I played it on the Sahne order. Except for x. Never bought in on my Wii U. I hope for an DE so we can play all XC titles on switch
@The-Chosen-one I gotta say I also imagined a giant titan-like snorlax in my mind, as the leading entity over the bionis and the aegises hahah but I tried to restrain myself
Can we get a new batch of physical copies of XC2 and Torna first?
@TKundNobody
Yeah!
Honestly though, Noah has some big shoes to fill. Compared to the driven, determined Shulk and the lovable, optimistic Rex, he's gonna need to have good convictions for both himself and his final boss if he's gonna end up as good of a protagonist. I'm cautiously excited.
@JR150 Eh... I wouldn't call Rex lovable. He's more obnoxious than anything. I feel like Noah will be better, since he'll probably have a better voice actor with better voice direction, along with being more around Shulk's age.
Seeing that giant, familiar sword in the trailer is what has me not only interested and hyped, but also willing to go back to 2 for another shot. I confess I didn't beat it back in 2017 because the story was losing steam for me, and the gacha mechanics for the blades was driving me bonkers.
But I will give the game another shot.
Does anyone else think this game looks way too similar to 2? At first I thought it was dlc based on the trailer.
@JR150 - It's actually quite interesting to see another company writing such an interwoven story through a series just as soon as Legend of Heroes started gaining more momentum in the west and people discovering how elaborate that one is.
I am all for it, and the fact that each Xenoblade is self-sustaining makes it all the better for any future fan it gains.
They could've announced this at E3 2021, but as always surprising.
I think this game actually uses a new rendering engine from Monolith Soft that they hinted back in 2018. The cutscenes look much improved compared to XC2.
@VoidofLight
I disagree. It's mainly due to the poor voice direction, but since he's a child, his views on the world are much different and closed-minded than the average JRPG protagonist--at least at the start of the game. But over time, even as everything is falling apart around him, he never loses his way or gives in to despair or hatred so his friends can give him the generic "you're better than you think you are!" pep talk like other JRPG protagonists often do. Instead, HE is the one inspiring everyone else around him and leads a group that contains grown adults (Zeke and Morag) towards a better future. That, to me, is why he's lovable despite his flaws.
But if you disagree, that's fine. I respect your opinion.
@Paraka
Well, unlike Legend of Heroes, you won't have any lockout issues if you choose to play these games in a specific order. That, to me, is amazing storytelling because everything fits together like a "choose your own adventure" novel without forcing a reader to deal with a specific part/parts first.
And then, you come out of one game appreciating the other more. For example, I played 2 first, then 1(DE), and afterwards, it made me appreciate 2 all that much more for how it treated its final boss compared to 1.
So happy about this. Best possible Direct announcement for me.
@gloom I mean it's a literal mashup of of the worlds of 1 and 2. There's a lot of characters and environments that are pulled straight out of 1 as well. I do wish the character models would go with an upgraded version of 1's original style rather than have the giant eyes and overly solid colors, but they still look like a step up from 2 to me.
@JR150 - Still an impressive feat to pull regardless. Decades old and still, essentially, telling the same story. That's all the comparison was trying to make a point of. Not many games do this if at all.
Need to get the others going before even Xeno 3... lol. Those other are on backburner right now.
@kalosn Barring a couple obvious exceptions, Nintendo hasn't liked to announce games more than a year out for a while now. And even then, they sometimes don't do a full reveal until they're a couple months away. Plus, Directs are often held off until around a week after the last big game of the season has released. For people used to the normal marketing cycle, it seems to give the impression that there are never a lot of Nintendo games to look forward to, despite them often putting out more great exclusives in a year than the other platforms put together
I noticed that trailer has you playing multiple characters. Initially I thought it was just different chapters, but the more I think about it the more I wonder - are these player created avatars and it has more similarities in gameplay to Xenoblade Chronicles X than the other two.
@Anachronism Hmm I'll need to study that strategy that wasn't always there. I just imagined how they could've announced this like when they revealed XCX for the first time in January 2013 lol
GOTY 2022. Too bad, FromSoft.
Mórag vs. Metalface.
@gloom Swing and a miss. This doesn't look like XC2 that much. Also, this game is set in 1 and 2s world. But, this comment sounds like a troll comment.
There's hints in there.
Any... "X"... to mark the spot where?
@Synecdoche Just hop on Amazon. They should have some. Edit: I see what you mean. The physical edition is $80-$90 now and non existent in Gamestops case. If you have any brick and mortar stores near you like a Disc Replay or The Exchange, I would try those.
I just hope they do a better job of introducing the battle system for people and stop with the gatcha system. If there were a finite number of core crystals in 2 and randomly gave you a new blade, it would’ve been sooo much better. 200 hours in and I never got my last one…
I can't believe they casted a black guy as the nopon of this game, Nintendo became netflix :c
Definitely my 2022 Switch GOTY right behind Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Breath of the Wild 2, Triangle Strategy, and Bayonetta 3. Now if only Sonic Frontier doesn't suck.
Surprised there wasn't a Xenoblade Chronicles X remaster to be honest.
I've played the Xenoblade series in this order: X, XC:DE/Future Connected, and am now working my way through 2 with Torna to follow sometime between now and when 3 releases. This is hands down one of my favorite JRPG series, up there with the likes of Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy (some titles), and Ys.
I'm guessing this is the 3rd parallel world, or the merged worlds of 1 and 2 possibly since I'm guessing the series endgame is to reunite the "worlds" as a new Earth..... But that's conjecture.
I look forward to enjoying this game very much and need to get done with Torna.
@michellelynn0976 It’s an opinion or observation, not trolling lol. The only thing that was different to me was the new characters. Same character anime style tho, same location (that big mountain thing). I think we need to see a bit more because I’m probably wrong, but for now I just think it’s incredibly uninspired especially only being 4 years away from the previous release.
@gloom
Major Spoilers Ahead
The worlds of both 1 and 2 are more or less completely destroyed/remade by the end of their stories, and have some dimensional rift nonsense tying/fusing them together based on Future Connected and the new trailer. Plus it seems like a good deal of time has passed since the events of either of those games. So the familiar-looking areas in the trailer are likely to be very different from the ones they're based on, and there will probably be at least a few completely original areas as well.
@gloom You weren't looking hard. Also, some of it does take place in some of the areas in XC 1 and 2. Soooo
Please give us Xenoblade Chronicles X while we wait for this new gem. =)
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...