In today’s Nintendo Direct, Nintendo ended the presentation with a reveal of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, with the new game set to release on the Nintendo Switch in September of 2022. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the next title in Monolithsofts critically-acclaimed RPG series.
The most recent game in the series, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, was released on the Switch in December 2017, and the first game received a remake with substantial additional content as Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, released in May 2020.
A new entry to the Xenoblade franchise has been teased for a while, most notably with Future Connected, an epilogue chapter included in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 seems to be a direct sequel to the previous games, which did not even take place in the same universe. As such, there are several details in the reveal trailer that would be familiar to longtime fans.
These two characters may be Melia from Xenoblade Chronicles and Nia from Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
In the trailer, there seems to be a couple of returning characters, Melia and Nia, but it is hard to say because they are masked, but their voice actresses sound familiar. There is also a character who looks and sounds like Vandham from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but the chances that this is the same person are unlikely. Concepts like the Blade and High Entia from previous games also seem to be making an appearance. However, the biggest detail from the trailer is the backdrop of the Sword of the Mechonis standing next to the remains Urayan Titan.
As far as gameplay goes, it seems that the series traditional exploration is staying, but it also seems as if four playable characters can be in a party at once, something that the series has only done in Xenoblade Chronicles X. It also seems that a boat can be piloted by the player, and hopefully other forms of transportation can be used as well. Nothing too specific was shown about the game’s battle mechanics, but they will probably be comparable to the previous entries.
The Sword of the Mechonis stands tall next to the decaying Urayan Titan. Fans of the Xenoblade series know that this scene is significant.
More details about Xenoblade Chronicles 3 can be expected in the next six months leading up to its release.
