In a new Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct video presentation today, Nintendo unveiled nearly 25 minutes of new footage featuring monstrous foes, intriguing personalities, and sweeping locales from the upcoming game.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (See on Amazon) launches for the Nintendo Switch family of systems on July 29, but today, you can catch an early glimpse at the chain of events that sends Noah, Mio, and their fellow soldiers on a grand journey of fate. You can view the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct video in its entirety below.
As the latest entry in the critically acclaimed role-playing series, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 connects the futures of the two previous mainline Xenoblade Chronicles games. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 can also serve as an entry point for anyone looking to become engrossed in an immense RPG world with dynamic characters, a rich narrative, and epic scope.
In Aionios, there are two opposing nations — Keves and Agnus — whose soldiers fight every day with their lives on the line. Six soldiers hailing from both these warring nations are tasked to take part in a special mission.
Can these characters, once filled with mutual hatred, find a path that lets them all live? In this spellbinding tale, you’ll get to journey with these fate-defying hopefuls to learn the truths of their world – a place where every victory in battle and each setback is another chance to change the course of history and triumph over an uncertain destiny.
Here are just a few of the features and activities that can be experienced on your quest.
XENOBLADE CHRONICLES 3 FEATURES
Explore a Vast World: Aionios features breathtaking natural splendor that stands in contrast to the grim conflict waged between the two nations. Traversing Aionios, the locations you visit are saved as landmarks that you can quickly select and travel to, making traversing this giant world more manageable.
Wander freely or follow a trail to your next destination by enabling a navigation feature. As you explore, you’ll encounter a range of surreal landmarks and diverse wildlife. And just like the lands they inhabit, the lifeforms here range from docile to dangerous. Some creatures, like the notorious Demonic Krenolur, make no secret of their ferocious tendencies, so approach with caution!
Learn the Arts of Battle: When you’re ready to enter a fight, you can harness powerful abilities called Arts to strive for victory. Some Arts can throw opponents off balance, some inflict more damage based on where you attack from, and some even heal allies!
You can link multiple Arts with stunning Chain Attacks to unleash havoc on your enemies. As you become more experienced in battle, you’ll be able to learn powerful Master Arts and Fusion Arts for even more devastating attacks.
Find Rest and Quests at Colonies: Exploring Aionios, you’ll get to scale cliffs, ascend sandy slopes, zipline across ropes, and sail the seas. While the stakes may be high, you can enjoy the world at your own pace and discover colonies where you’ll shop, dine, get to know residents, and take up quests.
You can catch a glimpse of the lives of Noah and his friends at these colonies and rest spots. Use materials you collect to cook or craft gems to strengthen your abilities. It’s nice to relax and unwind before taking in the next slice of awe-inspiring scenery or felling your next outlandish foe.
Master Character Classes: Each character in your party has a Class that influences how they battle. The Swordfighter leads the fight as a well-balanced attacker, but there are many other classes that specialize in healing, defense, and powerful strikes, among other abilities. You can freely swap the character you’re controlling in battle, and your Class can also be changed to match that of your allies. Spend time learning multiple Classes for a well-rounded team!
Recruit Heroes to Your Party: Your journey through “Xenoblade Chronicles 3” will feature a party of six main characters, but brave residents of Aionios called Heroes can lend their arms and aptitude to your team as a seventh party member. Only one Hero at a time can assist on the battlefield, but you can swap them out as you see fit.
They bring their own special Classes to your team, like Guardian Commander, Incursor, and War Medic. Your party members can even take on any of the Hero Classes as they become your allies. By recruiting more Heroes, you’ll grow the combination of Classes and Arts in your party, widening the breadth of your strategic options!
Fuse Into Ouroboros: By joining together in battle through Interlinking, two characters in your party can fuse into a fiercely powerful form known as an Ouroboros. Earn points in battle to make the already-mighty Ouroboros even stronger. Ouroboros can also join Chain Attacks with the rest of the party. Clear out the battlefield by using mighty Ouroboros Arts!
Expansion Pass Content: Broaden the world of “Xenoblade Chronicles 3” with a paid expansion pass. The additional content that will be released in four waves from the game’s launch through the end of 2023 will enhance your journey through Aionios.
The content will include helpful items, new outfits and color variants, challenge battles, new quests, new Hero characters, and even a new story scenario! The “Xenoblade Chronicles 3” Expansion Pass will be available for pre-order in Nintendo eShop later today for $29.99.
Use Any amiibo: “Xenoblade Chronicles 3” is compatible with amiibo accessories. Tap any compatible amiibo to acquire helpful in-game items for your adventure.
Tap the Shulk amiibo to change a character’s sword to appear as the Monado, the iconic weapon from the original “Xenoblade Chronicles” game, when using the Swordfighter class.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills to cover the latest streaming, movie, TV, and game news.