Xenoblade Chronicles 3 moves its release date up to July 29 ahead of its originally slated September release
Monolith Soft and Nintendo unleashed a brand-new look at Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Back in February during a Nintendo Direct, they originally announced that the next colossal entry in the Xenoblade franchise would be launching this year in September. Today, they've moved the release date of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 up a considerable amount to July 29, 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.
Alongside moving its release date up, Monolith Soft and Nintendo have also unveiled a Collector's Edition for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 that includes a 250-page hardcover art book and a steel case featuring new artwork from Xenoblade Chronicles 3's character designer, Masatsugu Saito.
Additionally, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 received a new trailer that shows off more of its characters and footage of the RPG's battle system in action for the first time. Players will be able to have up to seven characters in battle at once and a new system allows characters to interlink with one another; this allows them to form a tag-team and even combine into an Ouroboros form. Check out the new trailer and new screenshots down below.
Here are further details from Nintendo of America.
The latest entry in the long-running role-playing series, which connects the futures of the two previous mainline Xenoblade Chronicles games, invites players to embark on an epic adventure with “life” as its central theme.
In the game, players will step into the roles of protagonists Noah and Mio amid turmoil between the nations of Keves and Agnus. Six characters hailing from those nations join forces to learn the truth behind their conflict, and set their sights for Swordsmarch, a land pierced by a giant sword.
The new trailer for the game reveals the background of the group’s journey in Aionios, a vast and sublime natural world, and reveals new details about the battle system:
- Battle With Up to Seven Characters – Like in previous Xenoblade Chronicles games, battles start by facing enemies directly in the overworld. Players can control Noah’s party of six, as well as additional characters they’ll meet during the adventure. Each character has their own role in battle, which allows for diverse strategies.
- Class Change – Noah is a Swordfighter, specializing in close-range attacks, while Mio is a Zephyr, drawing enemy attention while evading their strikes. Thus, each character has their own class with their own strengths. Progressing in the adventure, players can change characters’ classes, creating a customized party.
- New Interlink System – Each of the tag-team pairs—Noah and Mio, Lanz and Sena, Eunie and Taion—can make use of the Interlink system if certain conditions are met. They will then combine into a giant form called Ouroboros. Each Ouroboros has its own powerful move set, and deciding when to transform can be the key to winning a battle.
And here is what Nintendo of Europe had to say, as well.
Characters
Bringing together the futures of Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, this title will take players to the world of Aionios, home to two hostile nations.
- Keves – a nation where mechanical technology was developed. Their armies are composed of units consisting mainly of combat vehicles. They use units of small, mobile weapons operated by soldiers riding them.
- Agnus – a nation strong in ether, a magical technology. Their forces are built around units that specialize in ether combat, and they fight with small, mobile, autonomous weapons that use ether technology.
Six soldiers hailing from these nations join forces to learn the truth behind their conflict, setting their sights for Swordmarch, a land pierced by a giant sword.
- Noah – One of the protagonists of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and a solider of Keves. Noah is also an “off-seer” who mourns for soldiers who’ve lost their lives on the battlefield.
- Lanz – An ally of Noah’s who wields a great sword that doubles as a shield.
- Eunie – A childhood friend of Noah and Lanz who has a sharp tongue and rough personality. She specializes in healing her allies in battle.
- Mio – The other protagonist of this story, Mio is a soldier of Agnus and an off-seer like Noah.
- Taion – A tactician who fights alongside Mio using his smarts and insight.
- Sena – This soldier is an ally of Mio and Taion. Despite her petite figure, Sena wields immense physical strength!
Battle
Like in previous Xenoblade Chronicles games, battles start by facing enemies directly in the overworld. With six characters in your party, you’ll need to use each soldier’s strengths to your advantage, taking into account their position relative to the enemy. Characters you befriend on your adventure can also join you in battle, further increasing your strategic capabilities.
As you progress through Aionios, customize your party by changing characters’ classes to better suit the situation at hand. If certain conditions are met during battle, each of the tag-team pairs, Noah and Mio, Lanz and Sena, Eunie, and Taion can combine into a giant form called Ouroboros. Each Ouroboros has its own powerful moveset, and deciding when to transform can be the key to winning a battle!
