News Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Switch) - releasing on July 29th

[Cacher]

Xenoblade Chronicles™ 3 for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site

Join Noah and Mio, members of the two opposing nations of Keves and Agnus, on a heartfelt journey through a rich open world to end the cycle of violence. A group of six characters from these nations join together to awaken the colonies of Aionios and exp…

www.nintendo.com

A vast world awaits in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, the next game in the acclaimed RPG series from developer MONOLITHSOFT. Players will step into the roles of protagonists Noah and Mio amid turmoil between the hostile nations of Keves and Agnus. Six characters hailing from those nations will take part in a grand tale with “life” as its central theme. Explore a new world that will connect the futures of both Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, launching for Nintendo Switch in September 2022.

Announcement Trailer

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Main Characters

 

[MomoVideo]

Can't wait. They fixed character designs which I hated in XB2. I wonder how the battle system will work. Do we have any information if the driver-blade system will be back from XB2/Torna? I personally would love to see a completely new battle system.

As for drip-feeding - Just knowing that a new entry is coming this year is enough for me. I want to go as blind as possible ( maybe with the exception of how the battle system will work). I can see that they slowly reveal the main cast, but I quickly scrolled past those tweets because I want to be surprised in the game.

 

[Cacher]

Can't wait. They fixed character designs which I hated in XB2. I wonder how the battle system will work. Do we have any information if the driver-blade system will be back from XB2/Torna? I personally would love to see a completely new battle system.

As for drip-feeding - Just knowing that a new entry is coming this year is enough for me. I want to go as blind as possible ( maybe with the exception of how the battle system will work). I can see that they slowly reveal the main cast, but I quickly scrolled past those tweets because I want to be surprised in the game.

I had problems with the clothing of Rex, Pyra and Nia in Blade-form, but they are pretty good characters overall so I end up happy with them. This time they go for tamed but elegant designs for these main characters which is delightful to see. Meanwhile I totally expect some kind of transformation around mid or late game so Saitom may go ape-shit on those designs again haha.

I followed the weekly blade reveal back then but didn't watch the launch trailer, so I will probably do the same here: read some tweets, avoid over-thinking, and avoid launch trailer. The Japanese tweets are also way more detailed than those in English, so do avoid them if you want to know less. There is already one information released that has attracted many speculations among fans. Lore-wise, I bet this game is going to be even more interesting than the first two.

 

[MomoVideo]

Let's not forget about this abomination

Spoiler

Like you said, Rex, Pyra and Mythra are biggest offenders in bad character design, but some blade designs also left a lot to be desired.

 

[Cacher]

Let's not forget about this abomination

Spoiler

Like you said, Rex, Pyra and Mythra are biggest offenders in bad character design, but some blade designs also left a lot to be desired.

Yep, I totally forgot about her haha. Personally I think Mythra is not too bad, but I do think both Pyra and Mythra's costumes in Smash Bros are vastly superior than those in the main game.

 

[Cacher]

The title image was automatically changed due to website update. Now it is showing the new key art.

 

[Cacher]

Release date trailer. English and Japanese. Release date got pushed early from Sep to July 29th.

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Japanese site outlines the three fusions of Xenoblade 3: world, characters and skills

Xenoblade3（ゼノブレイド3）：Xenoblade3を形成する3つの“融合” | Nintendo Switch | 任天堂

2022年7月29日（金）発売、Nintendo Switch『Xenoblade3（ゼノブレイド3）』の「Xenoblade3を形成する3つの“融合”」のページです。

www.nintendo.co.jp

• the fusion form is called Ouroboros
• by strengthening the bond between members, it would be possible to exchange their classes between each other

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Ouroboros forms are designed by CHOCO

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Original

 

[Cacher]

New Japanese blog post

【ゼノブレイド ノート vol. 1】『ゼノブレイド3』発売日が7月29日に決定。主人公たちが「融合」する戦闘など、最新映像で公開された要素をご紹介。 | トピックス | Nintendo

雄大な自然が広がる「アイオニオン」で展開する6人の若者たちの物語『ゼノブレイド3』。先日のNintendo Directで9月とお知らせしていた発売日が少し早まり、2022年7月2

topics.nintendo.co.jp

 

[Cacher]

 

[Cacher]

10 years to live and fight?!

Product Description
Live to fight and fight to live in a warring world with a dark secret. Every minute counts for the soldiers of Aionios who are given a mere 10 years to live and fight. Join Noah and Mio, members of the two opposing nations at the center of this conflict, on a heartfelt journey to end the cycle of violence. A group of six characters from these nations join together to awaken the colonies of Aionios to the underlying threat both nations face. Traverse massive, fantastical sci-fi landscapes as you expose the true enemy pulling the strings behind the conflicts.

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/nintendo-switch/products/xenoblade-chronicles-3---nintendo-switch/11200239.html?condition=New

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[Cacher]

Looks like Nintendo of Europe stops translating the Japanese tweets, so I start posting the fan translated tweets here.

 

[Cacher]

 

[Cacher]

 

[Kvik]

Monolith still insisting on that MMO-esque cooldown-based combat, huh. Practically the only thing I'm least excited about.

 

[Cacher]

 

[Cacher]

I think the tweet meant to say holster the weapon, not withdrawing it.

 

[Cacher]

Translation note: The two countries should be reversed.

 

[Cacher]

 

[Cacher]

The new You will know our name track is super hyped. Riku and Manana looks so adorable, and I want to explore that world now!

 

[Kvik]

That UI looks so busy lmao. 7 party members? Frame times won't be looking so good.

 

[Cacher]

That UI looks so busy lmao. 7 party members? Frame times won't be looking so good.

UI is also very busy in Xenoblade 2 haha. Many people turned off by it.

And 8 party members on screen if you count Riku and Manana separately.

 

[Rogue Agent]

That UI looks so busy lmao. 7 party members? Frame times won't be looking so good.

Yeah the moment of truth will be when we see the performance once the game comes out, but bear in mind that Xenoblade 2 was kind of rushed and apparently was developed with hypothetical specs in mind for back when Switch wasn't released, plus it seems like the game was rushed in general. This time around, hopefully things should be different now that Monolithsoft is more used to developing on Switch so late into its lifecycle.

If the game does turn out to suffer from a bad framerate, then I'll have to eat my words.

 

[Cacher]

The map allows you to place marker. I think it will probably works like Breath of the Wild as people found that there are glowing pillars in some previous screenshots.

 

[Cacher]

The battle theme hnnnnnnnnnngggg

 

[Cacher]

Tank top RULES


And here is a huge spoiler (though we all expected this) from the Japanese blog post today. This means Ethel will join the party

 

[Cacher]

As usual, great cutscene direction. The animation of Mio blows XB2 out of the water

 

[Cacher]

Muscular chad and genius mechanic

 

[Kvik]

I was curious about the price and tried to sign in to my account, but the store is experiencing technical difficulties (lmao)




Anyway, seems like it's $90 USD ($130 AUD) for the game, steelbook and an artbook (250+ pages). I haven't bought any CEs for a long time, but it feels like extremely poor value. I'd expect soundtrack CDs to be included, or at the very least a soundtrack sampler disc—even then it's still a rather poor value.
Ironically, the regular edition is $70 on Amazon, which is surprisingly decent for a Nintendo game. Even less expensive than a certain PC game.

Not only that, but I think I bought XC2+Torna for $50 back in 2019, so it wasn't a bad deal at the time.

EDIT: Seems like they've fixed the store.

Xenoblade Chronicles™ 3: Collector's Edition (Art Book & SteelBook® Case shipping estimated Spring 2022)

Exclusive to My Nintendo Store, the Xenoblade Chronicles™ 3: Collector’s Edition includes the standard version of the game (29th of July 2022 release), in addition to package artwork from Masatsugu Saito, a full-colour, softcover concept art book with over 250 pages and a Nintendo Switch...

store.nintendo.com.au

 

[Cacher]

 

[Cacher]

 

[Cacher]

Kugimiya Rie Best character confirmed?

 

[Cacher]

The combat is going to be overwhelmingly deep with this fusion system. Also the two new tracks are sooooooooooooo good. Series veteran can probably notice some notes from tracks in the previous games.

 

[Ibuki]

I’m trying to decide if I will attempt to play XC2 before 3 drops at the end of the month. For context I played up to chapter 7 when the game first came out but ended up dropping it for various reasons. I just finished binging XC1 for the first time and absolutely adored it. Am I going to rob myself of anything major if I just watch some videos about 2?

 

[Alextended]

Thought it looked too much like XB1 before but the new trailer's kinda hype.

 

[Cacher]

I’m trying to decide if I will attempt to play XC2 before 3 drops at the end of the month. For context I played up to chapter 7 when the game first came out but ended up dropping it for various reasons. I just finished binging XC1 for the first time and absolutely adored it. Am I going to rob myself of anything major if I just watch some videos about 2?

Chapter 7 is exactly where the story goes "this shit gets real". Really depends if you enjoy the gameplay. Personally I think the gameplay of late game is extremely fun and there are cool locations after ch7, but watching all the cutscenes on youtube is a good alternative.

Thought it looked too much like XB1 before but the new trailer's kinda hype.

Some preview videos are also great hype material. The presentation and music is god tier.

 

[Ibuki]

Chapter 7 is exactly where the story goes "this shit gets real". Really depends if you enjoy the gameplay. Personally I think the gameplay of late game is extremely fun and there are cool locations after ch7, but watching all the cutscenes on youtube is a good alternative.

Honestly I’m gonna consider just watching because I don’t want to burn myself out completely on Xenoblade right before 3. I might go back to the game someday but I’m not sure.

 

[Cacher]

Honestly I’m gonna consider just watching because I don’t want to burn myself out completely on Xenoblade right before 3. I might go back to the game someday but I’m not sure.

Totally fine. You should enjoy the game in the way you want. And this is a looooooooooong game so even just watching it will cost you a fair amount of time.

 

[Ibuki]

Totally fine. You should enjoy the game in the way you want. And this is a looooooooooong game so even just watching it will cost you a fair amount of time.

I'm considering just waiting a while and then playing 2 and Torna. The smart thing to do would be to just wait to play 3. I don't want to burn myself out on Xenoblade.

 

[Cacher]

I got the game yesterday. Game is fantastic. One thing that surprised me the most, and also my favorite thing from the game so far, is........... the music that plays when you open the menu.

 

[Derrick01]

I'm still in the beginning I guess but I feel this starts a lot slower than 2, despite it starting

Spoiler

during a war

. I'm having a hard time caring about any of the characters so far too. I've only played about 4 hours but in that time in 2 you go through most of the prologue and meet pyra and arrive on gormott. This game has lots of scenes but some are flashbacks and it's just dull so far.

 

[Cacher]

I'm still in the beginning I guess but I feel this starts a lot slower than 2, despite it starting

Spoiler

during a war

. I'm having a hard time caring about any of the characters so far too. I've only played about 4 hours but in that time in 2 you go through most of the prologue and meet pyra and arrive on gormott. This game has lots of scenes but some are flashbacks and it's just dull so far.

I agree that things seem to take longer to develop, but the setting and whole atmosphere of the premise would be best to take in slowly then abruptly.

For example, I really like the bath scene at the beginning of the game. If someone who is not playing the game may think it is yet another fan service scene in an anime game, but due to the premise the whole vibe is completely different here. It is literally telling the players these people lack common sentiment like normal human being because of the world they are living in, without outright spelling it out at front. This "show don't tell" story-telling is something very different from XB2. I love it.

 

[Cacher]

Finished Chapter 1.

...

Did I hear 6 or 7 different battle themes in this first chapter alone? I need to know what Mitsuda and his friends are smoking.

Edit:

Finished chapter 2. This fricking game. I am scared to think about what the rest of the game can offer, because the final fights in chapter 2 are already some of the best things I have ever seen from a JRPG.

 

[Rogue Agent]

Glad to see that you're loving it so far.

 

[d00d3n]

Finished chapter 2. This fricking game. I am scared to think about what the rest of the game can offer, because the final fights in chapter 2 are already some of the best things I have ever seen from a JRPG.

I am still on chapter 2, and had to take a break today due to work.

I have not reached those boss battles that you mention, but I agree that the game is pretty great. The open world sections seem to be a bit more narrow than in 1, 2 or X, but seem to be filled with more meaningful, varied and densely placed activities.

The ridiculous massive number of meaningless fetch quests from Xenoblade 1? Gone. No issues with that at all in the first 10 hours of the game.

The lack of tutorials from Xenoblade 1 and 2? Fixed. The game is now well-tutorialized for the genre.

The obtuse, too complex, and character specific gameplay concepts from Xenoblade 2 and partly 1? Gone. The gameplay systems are now cohesively described with classes, related skills and items reduced down to accessories.

The weak main story drive from Xenoblade 2 or Xenoblade X? The first three-four hours are quite slow, but the story picks up speed after that, well before 2 or X did, but maybe not as fast as 1.

The weak image quality and lack of effective anti-aliasing in 1, x or 2? Solved. The game looks fantastic for a Switch game.

I can't wait to continue playing the game tomorrow!

 

[Cacher]

I am still on chapter 2, and had to take a break today due to work.

I have not reached those boss battles that you mention, but I agree that the game is pretty great. The open world sections seem to be a bit more narrow than in 1, 2 or X, but seem to be filled with more meaningful, varied and densely placed activities.

The ridiculous massive number of meaningless fetch quests from Xenoblade 1? Gone. No issues with that at all in the first 10 hours of the game.

The lack of tutorials from Xenoblade 1 and 2? Fixed. The game is now well-tutorialized for the genre.

The obtuse, too complex, and character specific gameplay concepts from Xenoblade 2 and partly 1? Gone. The gameplay systems are now cohesively described with classes, related skills and items reduced down to accessories.

The weak main story drive from Xenoblade 2 or Xenoblade X? The first three-four hours are quite slow, but the story picks up speed after that, well before 2 or X did, but maybe not as fast as 1.

The weak image quality and lack of effective anti-aliasing in 1, x or 2? Solved. The game looks fantastic for a Switch game.

I can't wait to continue playing the game tomorrow!

Yes, they pretty much fixed all the major flaws from the previous games. The game is actually more complex than 1 and 2 but they explain the mechannics very well. The only odd thing so far is auto targeting was turned on by default but it is easy to turn it off in the option menu.

I rushed the game a bit because I really want to dive into the hero quests starting from chapter 3. I heard they occupy at least 50% of the content of the game, and they are comparable to the main story with voice acting and good cutscenes. On weekdays I can only play on train ride so my progress will slow down quite a bit, but savoring the game slowly seems to be a better way to play this game.

 

[Prodigy]

Been addicted to this over the weekend, actually makes me want to go back and play 1 now as I never got past a few hours.

In Xeno 3 though i am on Chapter 3, it seems to have opened up with more things to see and do. The world becomes more vertical which is great as I originally thought it was downgraded with all the flatter landscapes.

Not sure of the name of these abilities, but
1. When you turn into a creature it takes to long to hit with very small damage, not sure why i would ever want to do that.
2. The thing where you get three chances to hit an enemy is soooo long winded even though you can do good damage, but it takes so long that I also avoid it.

Otherwise it has been a great game, characters have all been good to me. Glad the nopons seem a lot more adult instead of cringe. Story seems interesting although bad guys seem cliche evil.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Been addicted to this over the weekend, actually makes me want to go back and play 1 now as I never got past a few hours.

In Xeno 3 though i am on Chapter 3, it seems to have opened up with more things to see and do. The world becomes more vertical which is great as I originally thought it was downgraded with all the flatter landscapes.

Not sure of the name of these abilities, but
1. When you turn into a creature it takes to long to hit with very small damage, not sure why i would ever want to do that.
2. The thing where you get three chances to hit an enemy is soooo long winded even though you can do good damage, but it takes so long that I also avoid it.

Otherwise it has been a great game, characters have all been good to me. Glad the nopons seem a lot more adult instead of cringe. Story seems interesting although bad guys seem cliche evil.

1. The Ouroboros form becomes noticeably more useful as you fill out the Soul Tree, ESPECIALLY the Arts Canceling node (which is why the game gives you a tip about that one)
2. Chain Attacks are not only good for damage, as they can also help turn the tide of battle in your favor (healing the entire party, inflict Break>Topple>etc. on the enemy). So, they can be crucial when fighting difficult bosses and unique monsters.

 

[Prodigy]

1. The Ouroboros form becomes noticeably more useful as you fill out the Soul Tree, ESPECIALLY the Arts Canceling node (which is why the game gives you a tip about that one)
2. Chain Attacks are not only good for damage, as they can also help turn the tide of battle in your favor (healing the entire party, inflict Break>Topple>etc. on the enemy). So, they can be crucial when fighting difficult bosses and unique monsters.

1. I have only unlocked about 8 nodes on each Ouroboros, so I can imagine that getting better further in.

2. Do you find you use the chain attacks as you get them or only when you need to turn the tide of battle?

 

[Big McLargehuge]

1. I have only unlocked about 8 nodes on each Ouroboros, so I can imagine that getting better further in.

2. Do you find you use the chain attacks as you get them or only when you need to turn the tide of battle?

2. It depends on how the fight goes. If it's not too difficult I'll use it as soon as it's available. For the difficult fights, I use it more strategically.

 

[Cacher]

I was on a train ride today. Walked around the chapter 3 map and levelled up a bit then suddenly the train reached my destination. What.

Also, something I thought about after rewatching the ending cutscenes of chapter 2:

Spoiler

When Noah pulled out Lucky Seven, the scabbard of the sword turns into a gauntlet. Two things:

1. During the cutscene where they introduced Lucky Seven, we can clearly see that Noah's blade is like a sword. But then Riku recommended him to turn his Blade into a scabbard to prevent himself from using Lucky Seven. Does this mean Noah's Blade can change form? Both Shulk and Rex were described to be able to use their power according to their will in late game, so we will probably see Noah going Super Seiyan in late game.

2. The design of the gauntlet looks exactly like Consul's red armor. I bet there's a connection here.

These questions will probably be explained very soon, but it is fun to speculate.