Xenoblade Chronicles 3 launches in September for Nintendo Switch; character art and story ties revealed
Monolith Soft's RPG series will continue, as Nintendo has announced Xenoblade Chronicles 3 for Switch. During today's Nintendo Direct, the publisher confirmed Xenoblade's next entry will launch this year in September.
This third installment will tie both the first game and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 together through its world, Aionios, but it's unclear exactly how those narrative threads meet just from today's reveal. Featuring a cast of six characters, protagonists Noah and Mio will lead the story in a tale of turmoil between the two warring countries of Keves and Agnus.
In a letter from executive director Tetsuya Takahashi, he explained the story should still be fit for anyone regardless of their familiarity with Xenoblade. However, there is an interesting moment towards the end of today's trailer and Takahashi acknowledged that Mechonis and Urayan Titan scene at the end.
"What is this visual hinting at? I can’t reveal that just yet," said Takahashi. "What I can tell you is that this visual was conceived quite some time ago. More precisely speaking, we came up with it sometime between the end of development of Xenoblade Chronicles and the beginning of development of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. So, it’s not something we recently added to the series."
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 character designer Masatsugu Saito returns with the third game, while Koichi Mugitani created key artwork. Composer Yasunori Mitsuda also returns to headline the sounds of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, along with Manami Kiyota, ACE (TOMOri Kudo, CHiCO), Kenji Hiramatsu, and Mariam Abounnasr.
Takahashi goes on the explain that while the newest title will maintain classic Xenoblade styles, there's still notable changes to the OST - like its use of a flute motif. "The flute is actually one of the key themes in this game," said Takahashi. "A variety of other elements and themes are hidden in the trailer andwe’ll be revealing the details a bit at a time going forward."
Trailers
English Trailer
Japanese Trailer
Official Synopsis
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.
Character Descriptions
Six soldiers hailing from these nations, will take part in a grand tale with life as its central theme.
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 specialises 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 flights alongside Mio using his smarts and insight.
Sena: This soldier is an ally of Mio and Taion. Despite her petite figure, Sena’s wields immense physical strength!
Country Descriptions
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.
- 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.
- A nation strong in ether, a magical technology.
- Their forces are built around units that specialise in ether combat, and they fight with small, mobile, autonomous weapons that use ether technology.
Screenshot and Artwork Galleries
