We know a fair amount about Xenoblade Chronicles 3 already — we've met some of the characters and poured over many of the game's combat in the upcoming RPG. Today, Nintendo has introduced us to two of the game's areas — and one's got a particularly familiar foe for Xenoblade fans to challenge.

These two new areas tick a couple of JRPG boxes and a couple of Xenoblade boxes, but what always makes these locations stand out is the variety of fauna, flora, and the sheer scope and detail of each place. Don't forget, we might have seen snippets of these places before, but this is the first time either location has been named — so get a little refresher from a few weeks ago first:

All caught up? If you're a series fan, you might notice a few connections between these two new locations and past games — so if you're worried about that, now might be the time to step away! Executive director Tetsuya Takahashi has already confirmed that 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." But the more we see of the game's locations, the more real that statement feels.

So, let's take a look at what the world of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has to offer! We've grabbed everything from Nintendo UK's official Twitter so it's all in one handy spot for you:

Millick Meadows

A river flows through the vast grasslands of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 ’s Millick Meadows. The lush nature on display here sure looks inviting, but beware – the creatures (and even plants) who live here don’t take kindly to passers-by.

The Millick Meadows looks totally lovely, like a typical Xenoblade early area, and that's not a bad thing! It reminds us of Gaur Plains from the first game and Gormott from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 with its sweeping lush fields to the types of monsters roaming around. The rushing water and big blue skies just take us right back. In some of the screens, you can see the two giant ancient (from the box art) in the background, and something that looks very similar to one of the huge arches from Gaur Plains is in a couple of shots.

Oh, and look who that is in the top left! The Territorial Rotbart has been a mainstay since Xenoblade Chronicles — it's a Unique Monster who is usually around level 80 (with other variants at higher levels), and it's sort of a rite of passage to run up to this severely underlevelled only to get annihilated. We promise.

Eagus Wilderness

If you like sand in your shoes, then pay a visit to Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s Eagus Wilderness. You may spot a familiar landmark while evading this desert’s sandstorms. Is that a…giant mechanical finger?

Eagus Wilderness is decidedly less calming (if you can call a field with a giant ape-like creature running around in it that). If anything, this place looks a little like Oblivia in Xenoblade Chronicles X. The plants are all dried out here, and some monsters have rocks and crystals growing out of their backs. But Nintendo UK points towards a mechanical finger — which you can see in the top left picture. But what's it doing there?

It's likely the Mechonis' finger, from the first game. Now, we won't go into details, as it involves a late-game location in Xenoblade Chronicles (and we know some of you are trying to catch up before July), but there are some hints in some of the screenshots to suggest what this place used to be.

We're nearly two months away from Xenoblade Chronicles 3's launch on 29th July. That feels a long way off, but it'll soon catch us up, and suddenly we'll be panicking about having too many video games to get through before it drops!

You can pre-order the game below, and remember, if you're in the US, you can grab a $50 eShop card for 10% less from our store using the code NLIFE10:

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Nintendo eShop Card $50
Nintendo eShop Card $50

Have a chat about these new locations in the comments, but be mindful of spoilers for those who might not have finished 1 or 2!

[source twitter.com]