Xenoblade 3 didn't need redemption, but it has it all the same

When Xenoblade Chronicles 3 really hit the meat and potatoes of the story and went into spoilerific territory, it kicked into high gear. For Xenoblade fans it was both a blessing and a curse; we all knew it would ??be hard to unring that bell, and by the time the credits hit, not everything was explained.

Future Redeemed attempts to not only tie up a few loose ends f??rom that adventure; but from the series as a whole. Thankfully it comes with some really rad quality of life bonuses that help showcase where it could go next: not just from a narrative standpoint, but design-wise, too.

[caption id="attachment_375791" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed (Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Monolith Soft
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: April 25, 2023
MSRP: $29.99 (part of the four-wave Expansion Pass)

As a bit of background, Future Redeemed is a completely separate story that even has its own main menu and save file. We're whisked away to another battlefield, and follow in the footsteps of Matthew: a hard-headed fisticuffs brawler that gives me strong Fei from Xenogears vibes. Although you can technically start it right away, a lot of it assumes you've already finished the core game, and various spoilers of the main quest and mechanical assumptions will potentially haunt you if you haven't cleared the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 campaign.

Things start off small with a fighter (Matthew) and healer-based (A) party, then escalate quickly. Every 30 minutes or so you'll meet a new party member until you have everyone: which also includes Shulk and Rex, the protagonists from the first two Xenoblade games. While his fighting style is reminiscent of a certain Xenogears character Matthew is decidedly not Fei: and is both intentionally and unintentionally hilarious. Without ruining it, there's massive dad energy all around in th??is party too, which is a nice dynamic that's fun to watch throughout.

Speaking of dad energy, character swapping returns to the DLC, which? is great news for folks who wanted to play as Shulk and Rex again. Both of those lovable lunks are all grown up now, and their performances and movesets reflect that in a?n interesting way. The DLC, to a degree, is inherently fanservice-oriented, but there's a lot more there than I expected when it comes to motivations and the gravitas of their actions. It keeps you on your toes in multiple ways, which feels appropriate for a high-profile DLC.

The frantic combat and Holy Trinity (heal, damage, tank) full party composition management is back, albeit with a little less customization this time. Ouroboros (read: the mech-like powers) party morphing is not in (mostly for story-related reasons), but it's actually?? a great thing as it further divides itself from the main game and lets the DLC walk its own path.

[caption id="attachment_375792" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

"Affinity goals" are now a thing, and they're effectively a challenge system that tasks you with completing meta-quests for bonus skill enhancement. T?hink of stuff like exploration, unique monster kills, sidequest completion, party chats, and collectibles. All of those collectively grant affinity points for pa?rty members, which are shared and can be distributed as you see fit.

I'm not sure it would work for the main game, but for a DLC, it's a nearly perfect way to encourage people to actually engage with Future Redeemed's smaller world. Things are less expansive?, sure, but they don't necessarily feel that way if you're doing actionable objectives that also happen to boost up your party. It also allows for several different playstyles, like rush on easy mode, or completing delving into everything the DLC?? has to offer on hard. The bosses nearly all feel like heavy hitters, which is another bonus of a more linear story.

It is weird in a way, because (like Torna) it shows how pointed Xenoblade could be, for those of you who don't dig playing through a massive, and sometimes meandering, full-on RPG. But by that same token, the team expects you to have already finished said massive game to fully appreciate what's going on. It's an interesting dichotomy Monolith Soft has created here, as it's a "for the fans" story, but one that happens to have a lot of really cool alterations that could have made? it into the core game.

[caption id="attachment_375793" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

About that "for the fans" comment: the ending (which I won't discuss here) is a bit too mysterious and withholding for my tastes and still leaves some lingering questions. I expected that out of this series, but don't come in assuming you'll get a fully conclusive crescendo. Length-wise, it's about the same level of time sink as Torna: The Golden Country from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (so 15-20 hours f?or the story, and a little more if y?ou're going for everything). That's fairly significant for a DLC that's already part of a season pass.

I had a fun time popping back into the world of Xenoblade with Future Redeemed. There's so much there that I didn't expect in terms of little mechanical tweaks, and it reminded me of when Nintendo would occasionally give other designers (sometimes up-and-coming talent) a go just to see what they could do. If you finished Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and even remotely wan??ted?? more, it's an easy recommendation.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the DLC purchased by the reviewer.]}

The post Review: Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed appeared first on Destructoid.

Still due on April 25

In case you missed it (and it was easy to miss!), Nintendo shadow-dropped a trailer and release da?te for the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 story DLC. Truth be told I expec??ted this thing to arrive ??in Q3 or Q4 of this year, but, uh, it's out on April 25!

Following the core reveal, the Nintendo of America YouTube channel also gave us a new song from the DLC, and it's a banger. The track is called "New Battle!!!" (make sure you get those three exclamation marks in there), and I can't wait to listen to it over and over in-game. Suddenly, the massive string of emotional JRPGs I played from the '90s through the early aughts came rushing back to me. I love how much Xenoblade Chronicles just does that on a regular basis, dating back to the r??e??lease of the original on the Wii.

With each and every release the Xenoblade name continues to be out there, and I hope that when the next inevitable entry drops, it's an even bigger success. Also, timing! This DLC got in right before Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which is going to be dominating the collecting gaming conversation come mid-May. Until then we have Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor to talk about.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC2Sf0GD4f8

The post The upcoming Xenoblade Chronicles 3 story DLC has a sick battle ??theme appeared first on Destructoid.

More greatness for one of the best RPGs ever

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has cemented itself as one of the greatest RPGs ever created. With its outstanding score, excellent battle system, memorable characters, and impactful story, it honestly feels like the summation of everything Monolith Soft has been working toward with this series. If you enjoyed the game, you probably picked up the Expansion Pass DLC already. Arriving way ahead of schedule for that DLC is Wave 4, the final wave of new content for the game. As promised, Wave 4 includes a new story scenario dubbed Future Redeemed.

If you've been waiting a while for this DLC to arrive, you won't have to wait much longer to play it because Nintendo is dropping Future Redeemed next week.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFlf_S5Woug

That's not the only bit of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 news Nintendo announced tonight. It confirmed the Pyra and Mytha Super Smash Bros. amiibo double-pack will launch on July 21, 2023. If you use these amiibo with XC3, y??????????????????????????ou'll unlock two unique Aegis Sword weapon skins for the ?Swordfighter class.

//twitter.com/Ni??ntendoAmerica/status/1648498494133641217

If you choose not to pick up the amiibo, Nintendo confirmed the Aegis Sword skins will be unlockable within the game following a future patch. If you are still an amiibo fan, know that two more Xenoblade Chronicle 3 amiibo figures are on the way for Noah and Mio.

//twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/164?8500990788915200

More information about the Noah and Mio amiibo figures will be released at a future date. In the meantime, you can enjoy a new chapter in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 when Future Redeemed releases on April 25, 2023. Future Redeemed is part of the XC3 Expansion Pass, which is available for $29.99.

The post Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s story scenario DLC, Future Redeemed, arrives next week appeared first on Destructoid.

Why is everyone so loud?

Every December, I, like many others, take a look back at the biggest games of the year. Usually, I limit myself to the games that I actually liked, but this year, I dipped my toes into Horizon Forbidden West, a sequel that I don't care for to a game that I don't care for. I also watched a few YouTube videos of God of War Ragnarök. I was going to play it in full, but Horizon Forbidden West put me off of paying full price for sequels to games I dislike (and 2018's God of War left me pretty cold). I just wanted to get a feel?? for the year's big trends. What I discovered was one major through-line: distressingly talkative characters.

I am not the first to make this observation. Most people, Destructoid's Chris Carter included, liked Horizon Forbidden West more than I did, but it was critiqued for protagonist Aloy's constant internal monologue. Ragnarök's cast of overly-helpful companions go??t a shoutout in nearly every discussion of the game. Once I was aware of the Year of the Loud Game, ?though, I started noticing it everywhere.

It's all around us

[caption id="attachment_356215" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 carries the Xenoblade torch by having characters constantly yell their favorite quips at you; Gotham Knights, a game about being a quiet, brooding vigilante, brought back the Totally Natural Citizen Banter that has plagued superhero games ??for years. Both of these examples are games that would have been dramatically improved by just a little more peace and quiet, time to luxuriate in their evocative and interesting settings without hearing "You're on fire, Lanz!" But the trend didn't stop at new releases. No, even games that have been blessing our ??ears for decades saw the addition of full voice acting in 2022.

Both Live A Live and Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion brought great games to modern platforms in pleasant packages, but they also came with new voice acting. Both games are paced around their text-only dialogue, but neither remaster provides significant updates to their scripts to accommodate the newly talkative characters. They both feel awkward, as though voice acting was only included because the games needed more noise, and I spent much of my play time wishing the largely likable characters in both games would just shut up.

[caption id="attachment_356216" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

Then, I got around to revisiting one of my favorite games of the ?year. And I was very relieved.

Rise, Tarnished... but keep it down

Elden Ring has a lot going for it. It's got one of the best open worlds in the history of video games, its combat is the natural culmination of the last decade of FromSoftware games, and the ghost horse is very cool. The thing I appreciated most about revisiting Elden Ring, though, was its blessedly silent protagonist. The silent hero is a dying art, and Elden Ring resuscitated it at just the right time.

[caption id="attachment_356217" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bandai Namco[/caption]

The Tarnished in Elden Ring is not really a character. That's fine. 2022 had a lot of video game characters who were desperate to prove that they were characters, with a lot of pe??rsonality and pizzazz, and a lot to say. The Tarnished doesn't need the player to know who they are. You can project any story you like onto them, or you can choose not to project anything onto them at all. Crucially, you can choose to simply ignore them.

Most of the games I've talked about here have had really beautiful worlds with lovely music and sound design, all of which is totally drowned out by party members helpfully reminding you to attack the enemy. Elden Ring has no such party. There are speaking characters, but they're not too talkative, and you have to actively seek them out. Elden Ring is full of d?esign decisions that encourage the player to appreciate the artistry of the world, the mechanics, the music. The game wants you to experience everything, and its quiet star is central to that ethos.

The post In 2022, ev?eryone was chattering except the Tarnished appeared first on Destructoid.

Slowly rolling backwards on the year

Another year has c??ome to a close, and so we're looking back at the breadth of games we saw throughout these last 12 months. Many came and went, and gradually, I've managed to whittle the crowd down to something resembling my ten favorite games of 2022.

It wasn't an easy task, to be honest. Sure, this year saw the delay of multiple big-name projects ??into 2023. I'm ??a bit grateful for that though, as it at least gave me time to spend on some smaller indie releases. And wow, did they come out swinging.

This year was the year of small games, tactics games, story-driven and narrative titles, and more. I played a lot of games this year that felt like they were pushing forward, whether through new mechanics and ideas or just pushing hardware to its limits. Sitting down to whittle down my list, I was cutting games that I genuinely enjoyed and could have easily made my list last year. Plus, I got way into Final Fantasy XIV.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFlDRhvM4L0

This was also the year of Chainsaw Man, and I'm not -not- mentioning that.

2022 had some stiff competition. My honorable mentions list could stretch on for ages. And my top 5 or so have all swapped around constantly as I've thought this over and over. Heck, I had to cut off Midnight Suns and Chained Echoes from consideration, as I just didn't have the time to properly dive through the??m?? before I finalized my list.

Well, le??t's get to the heart of the matter. Here are ten of my favorite games from this year, in no particular order except the last one.

Neon White

Part-speedrun tutorial, part-Toonami special, but 100% dripping in style and incredible design choices, Neon White is a breath of fresh air for folks who still boot up Titanfall 2 just to run the Pilot's Gauntlet. Everything, from its incredible vision of heaven and unabashed commitment to the bit down to the actual movement and gunplay, felt rock solid. The story still didn't move me quite as much as it did for others, but the action and killer soundtrack of Neon White have been stuck in my mind all year. Seriously, even against a line-up of heavy hitters, Neon White is one of the best OSTs all year.

Pokemon Legends Arceus

I was down-and-out on Pokemon for a long time headed into 2022. I've got friends and family who adore the series, but the mainline series hadn't hooked me in since the Game Boy Color. Pokemon Legends Arceus is the entry that didn't just re-imagine Pokemon; it re-ignited my spark for this series.

The catching mechanics of Arceus turn the semi-open, Monster Hunter-like environments into careful cat-and-mouse games, heightened by the presence of terrifying Alpha Pokemon. I loved the danger and the thrill. I loved how this journey wasn't taken over well-trodden roads, and the world felt like it was still wild and new, despite being a region long-time Trainers know well. It was easily the better of the two Pokemon entries I played this year, and hopefully the Legends line is something The Pokemon Company ret??urns to in? the future.

AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative

Mystery, laughs, twists, and great puzzles. The nirvanA Initiative is what I've wanted to see from Uchikoshi and company since the Nonary Games concluded, and what I'd hoped the first AI: The Somnium Files would be.

There's a lot to be said for a shift in leading characters; Ryuji was fine, but Mizuki easily steals the show. Still, what endeared the nirvanA Initiative to me was seeing this series embrace real puzzles and escape room-style scenarios for its dream-diving sections. It was more enjoyable to puzzle these out than any of the more esoteric, dream-logic problems were. And the overall story structure ends up twisting and winding in a more interesting manner, too. This felt like the team finding their footing in the Somnium unive??rse, and making it stand tall in the pantheon of murd?er-mystery adventures.

Vampire Survivors

Honestly, who didn't fall down a Vampire Survivors hole this year? While there's been an influx of players recently thanks to its DLC and Game Pass debut, I've been on the Vampire Survivors beat since this time last year. And yet it's never really gott??en old or dull in that time.

Sure, there have been times I've taken breaks or even uninstalled it from my computer for a couple weeks. But poncle's effective blend of active inaction, avoiding enemies while hoping you've made the right upgrade decisions and maneuvers to stay afloat, mixes tower defense and roguelite into a beautiful blend. It's one of many indie success stories this year, but poncle and the Vampire Survivors crew have really put in the? work, all the whi??le offering an incredibly fun game at a mind-bendingly low price.

Elden Ring

Two moments stick out to me, that ensured Elden Ring would be on my end-of-year list. The first: opening a treasure chest and waking up in Caelid. Walking out into that blasted land, with the scarlet canopy weaving around its shores and cliffs, ??I knew ??I dug this game.

The second was another teleportation, this time to the Haligtree. Here, I needed a moment to just take in the scope and wonder of this massive area, completely separate from the critical path. I beat every boss, conquered all foes, built the perfect Tarnished and in the end, ushered in an era of stars with the witch Ranni. Elden Ring is a big, gorgeous culmination of years of Souls development, and it really manages ?to achieve all it set out to d??o.

Pentiment

With Microsoft building up a wealth of studios and building out Game Pass, Pentiment is the sort of end result I was hoping for in all of it. This passion project from a team over at Obsidian is not the sort of blockbuster, big-budget, all-out affair you??'d expect.

Instead, Pentiment is rich, beautiful, and wonderfully focused on its historical narrative adventure. Following Andreas Maler through the ages as the world evolves around him, dealing with the times while also investigating a murder, was something a bit different. And it clicked incredibly well because of it. Pentiment is sharp in its writing, art style, presentation, and more, and well-worth checking out.? It's an exciting sign of the possibilities for smaller projects from the big studios under the Xbox banner.

Signalis

I had been struck by Signalis' style since an early demo I checked out. Pixel art, anime style, and low-poly environments made for a mix of styles?? that felt boun?d together just right. It was exciting to see that rose-engine's survival horror game managed to stick the landing, too.

Signalis feels like a love letter to classic survival horror. Dark hallways and corners loom large. Ominous, vacuous silence makes every step feel louder than it should, as you carefully navigate through dangerous, monster-filled corridors. The limited inventory and elaborate puzzles meant I was constantly making choices, juggling what I could hold and what I was willing to risk every outing. Signalis is such a tightly packed, perfectly paced bite of survival horror that I? can easily see myself booting up again several times over.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

This is my crow-eating moment: I did not think Xenoblade was for me. Despite loving the Xenosaga series, Chronicles never managed to draw me in. But the war story focus of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 caught my eye, and boy, ??am I glad I gave it a chance.

There hasn't been a party that I've dug as much as Xenoblade Chronicles 3's group of rag-tag adventurers in some time. Brought together by fate and driven to discover just why they are born to die in never-ending war, it doesn't take long for them to start fusing into robots and fighting gods. But it's the little moments that kept me locked in; campfire hang-outs, character-focused quests, and tons of time spent on developing this crew and their growing group of cohorts made the big moments hit. I've been, diving into side quests and extra content, holding off on rolling credits because I don't want to be finished with this world. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is easily one of my ??favorite RPGs I've playe??d in a while.

Immortality

As a fan of both FMV and Barlow's previous work, I was eager to see what the team at Half Mermaid would do with Immortality. The match-cut system is interesting enough, but as it turns out, Immortality is much, ??much ?more than just a novel navigation tool.

This mystery, that ambiguously sends you searching through the lost film history of a missing star, smartly breaks down the barrier between film and subject. It draws you in, not just with the match-cut that asks for careful observation of scenes, but in its framing too. You can go for a long time without using an interface, and all the while be absorbed in the story, connecting dots and matching names to faces. It drew me in, and didn't let me go, ultimately revealing a dialogue about creation and creativity that's been stuck in my head for months. In a year full of fascinating narrative design, this was a highlight.

Citizen Sleeper

Given how early it arrived in the year compared to some other games on this list, I wasn't sure where Citizen Sleeper would fa??ll on my ?list as more and more games arrived. It might be the greatest testament to Jump Over the Age's sci-fi, narrative-driven RPG that it's still held up through it all.

In Citizen Sleeper, you play a Sleeper, a r?unaway worker formed from an artificial consciousness in a failing body. Camped out on Erlin's Eye, every day is about staving off hunger and damage, alongside the looming threat of planned obsolescence without ?the corpo-mandated medicine. But then something clicks. Amid all the daily dice rolls, hoping for high rolls and trying to keep ahead, you start to form a community.

Others trying to get through life, drifting through the Eye, start to drift into your orbit. Soon, you're not just trying to survive. You're forming a co-op and commune., or h??acking the station for ancient secrets. You're building a still to try and keep an old haunt afloat.

All the while, Citizen Sleeper asks the player to juggle clocks, ticking up towards success and down towards failures. This experience made me think about how role-playing games operate, and what emotional stories can be formed from the looming stresses and dangers of life on the outskirts of the universe. By the time I left the Eye, I?? felt at peace with my journey there, and what might be next for my Sleeper. That journey was easily a highlight of 2022, and my favorite game of the year too.

The post Eric Van Allen’s favorite games of 2022 appeared first on Destructoid.

Find out how much time you sunk into the Switch this year

Another end-of-year tradition is upon us: the annual wrap-up. Every online service seems to d?o it these days, and Nintendo's Year in ?2022 for the Switch is live now to cram and condense your Switch time into raw numbers.

All you have to do is log into the site here with your Nintendo account, and it'll automatically grab your play stats from the whole calendar year thus far. I guess that doesn't?? leave muc??h time to goose up the play hour count.

From there, the site will break down your games. You'll see what your most played games were, as well as those you might have played right at launch and even a spotlight on some t??hat have seen quite a bit of playtime.

I can't say mine were too surprising; Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has absolutely eaten away the hours, I put a lot of time into the new Pokemon, and Triangle Strategy ate up some time and more with its multiple routes. I'll give a special shout-out to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, though, which ??remains a joy to pop into and play ??every so often.

The site also s??potlights the breadth of games you've played, by days logged in and hours tallied up. It's a neat little look-back at the? year.

525,600 minutes (spent in Xenoblade)

While it's nice to see what games I've sunk hours into on other platforms, there is something special to me about the Switch in-review. Other hardware are staples of my at-home life, but the Switch travels with me. I can tell when I was travelling, or when I was taking my Switch to a friend's place for Smash Bros?. It's a neat little recap! And also a fun way to see what so many massive RPGs in a single year does to my free ?time.

The post The Nintendo Sw??itch 2022 Year in R??eview site is live appeared first on Destructoid.

Most of you won't even notice

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 patch 1.2 is out today, and some sleuths have noticed a cos?metic change with a story beat, amid the vague pa??tch notes provided by Nintendo.

As spotted by Noisy pixel thanks to a bunch of Xenoblade players on Twitter, a story character had their weapon altered to (depending on your view) better fit the story. Suffice to say I'll be as mysterious as possible to avoid any spoilers, but the model of a sword was changed??. As Noisy Pixel points out, most people who already cleared the game won't even notice, and even if you replayed it in its entirety this weekend, you may not even spot the difference off-hand.

Curiously, this was not mentioned in the?? patch notes anywhere. ??Here's the entirety of the version 1.2 notes:

"We've fixed some issues to make the game more?? enjoyable."

Well then!

This is coming right off of a major expansion pass update, which is the first real content drop Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has gotten since launch. The first part of the pass mainly involved some cosmetic extras?? and items, but now we have characters in the mix. That character/challenge drop pattern is set to repeat again in 20??23 (April 30 to be exact), followed by the meat of the pass: an expansion.

The post Xenoblade Chronicles 3 patch alters a c?utscene model, add?s fixes appeared first on Destructoid.

Get more party members in the mix

The next addition to the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass adds more party to the mix. Mechanical hero Ino leads the additions to Xenoblade Chronicles 3 in the Wave 2 DLC on October 13.

Alongside Ino, there are also some challenge missions a?nd a special cosmetic set of swimwear for the ??crew.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHicDEKC9K0

Here's the trailer info:

Expand your Aionios journey with wave 2 of the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 DLC Expansion Pass! This new hero looks…mechanical? Complete her quest & she’ll join your party. Plus, earn spe??cial rewards & new outfits in tough Challenge Battles!

The post Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Wave ???2 DLC adds a mechanical new hero to the mix appeared first on Destructoid.

The entire patch addresses issues

The new Xenoblade Chronicles 3 patch is live (version 1.1.1), and the entire focus of it involves some bugged quests. While we wait for the English patch site to catch up, the Japanese site has the full details.

There's two big fixes here that fans have been asking about since launch. So one of the quests (the Mysterious Raider in Severed Connection) actually deals with one of the lengthiest and well-hidden questlines in the game, which you can dig into with more detail here.

Another one involves a food-related bug. So in certain circumstances, some food effects (which buff the party/player and provide bonuses, like extra XP) di??dn't apply correctly. Now, as of version 1.1.1, they should work. The team even has a retroactive fix for the talent arts button, which could bug out on occasion. There's also the classic vague "extra fixes" line that's typical of Nintendo patch notes ("in addition, we fixed some issues so that you can play the game comfortably"), which hopefully translates to extra quality of life features.

In the meantime, this is good t??abl??e-setting for the upcoming DLC, and 2023 expansion.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 patch Ver.1.1.1 [2022.9.7]

The post Check out the new Xenoblad??e Chronicle??s 3 patch: It might fix your bugged quest appeared first on Destructoid.

Don't let maps and bars get in the way of your perfect shot

I've been slowly whiling away the hours over the last few weeks with Xenoblade Chronicles 3, a fun and incredibly scenic RPG. And this week, I picked up a little trick that I wish I had known about from the get-go: a shortcut for easy, HUD-less Xenoblade screenshots.

In most games, I tend to be a screenshot fiend. Part of that is, well, part of the job; if I know I'm going to want to write abo??ut something later, having a bevy of good screenshots is useful. But I also like to catalogue my journey, remembering specific moments, lines, and vistas from throughout my time there.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has some good camera options, including one that lets you essentially go full-on first-person mode. But Nintendo of Europe tweeted out this handy tip that changed my Xenoblade screenshot life for the better. If you press the L and R buttons simultaneou??sly, you can easily snap a screenshot without the heads-up display.

//twitter.c?om/NintendoEurope/status/?1559132800028233729

After seeing this, I went directly into my game and start??ed trying it. And indeed, it's basically a macro. The game dips out the HUD, snaps a screenshot, and re-ups the ??display. It's startling how well this works in real-time; I was a little worried I'd have to give it a bit of lead time, but no, it happens pretty darn fast.

A photo album of adventure

Now I've been revisiting all the places I blew through in my early hours of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to g??et new screenshots. Capturing some of the massive lands?capes, beautiful views, and colossal sights makes for a fun diversion from the main plot.

It helps that Xenoblade Chronicles 3, on top of being quite a good game, is also a very scenic game. It feels like Monolith Soft ekes incredible views out of the Nintendo Switch, and now, I've got a great tool ?for preserving them without too much fuss.

The post PSA: Xenoblade Chronicles ??3 has a?? handy shortcut for HUD-free screenshots appeared first on Destructoid.

Wave 4 is live now through August 26

A new set of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 icons are now available, ??and all you need to do is log?? into the Nintendo Switch Online hub and grab them.

This set involves chibi icons of the core cast, as well as two "heroes" (side party members). You can pick them up through August 26, at 9:59 JST �at which point they'll cycle out for something else. They cost a nominal amount of Platinum Points from the My Nintendo system? to pick up, and you'll grab them on your actual Switch in the?? Switch Online app.

Week 4 of the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 icons (August 18 tweet):

//twitter.com/Xenob?ladeJP/status/1560431971314315265

As a reminder, if you want physical rewards, you can find our full Platinum Point guide here, which has been updated with details on weekly missions: bookmark it for when you need quick points for a reward. A handful of points is incredibly easy to get, as that’s basically just 15 minutes with Super Mario Run, or a quick sign-on to the 3DS or Wii U 3Shop. Also remember that any shipments are bundled together, so you can p?ay a flat rate for multiple items instead of payi?ng it each time. Just know that items go out of stock on My Nintendo frequently, and some are never restocked.

The post Grab these Switch Online Xenoblade Chronicles 3 icons before they go ??away appeared first on Destructoid.

The end of the Xenoblade series is not nigh!

Recently, there have been staff comments alluding to the potential end of the Xenoblade series, but that's not exactly correct. Instead, the team is mostly referring to the end of the "trilogy," as a new email from Xenoblade Chronicles 3 director Tetsuya Takahashi (obtained by Nintendo Everything) sh??ed??s some more light on where the series is going from here.

Note that there? is one spoilery element, which I have removed with the bold emphasis bel?ow:

Greetings to everyone who purchased Xenoblade Chronicles 3. This is Takahashi from Monolith Soft. Thanks to your support, we’ve released the third Xenoblade title, twelve years after the original Xenoblade was released for the Wii in 2010. Xenoblade 3 has been called the culmination of the whole series up until now, and it truly is the culmination. We at Monolith have put everything we have cultivated over the past twelve years into it. It is also a stopping point to me. This title depicts the conclusion of the Xenoblade story that began [X]. While it is a conclusion, that does not mean it is the end of the Xenoblade series. It is just a stopping point in my mind. I think that everyone who played this title and the additional stories in the Expansion Pass can imagine what lies in the future for Xenoblade. I have one recommendation for how to play Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Some things are marked by a ? on the game map. Even if you are in the middle of progressing the main story after finding the ? marks, try taking a detour. There are many encounters waiting there. Thank you for your continued support of Xenoblade Chronicles 3!

So, how about that teaser for the expansion pass? With everything due by the end of 2023 (which culminat??es with another campaign), it sounds?? like it's going to be really spicy stuff, especially if it helps folks "imagine what lies in the future" for the series.

I mean, it makes total sense. As a whole this series is a nice little gravy train for Monolith Soft, with a baked in audience that seems to grow with every iteration. The only thing on my wishlist: more respect for Xenoblade Chronicles X. It'?s barely mentioned in any of the recent interviews!

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"The total walkable area"

Just how big is the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 world compared to the second game? A whopping five ti?mes as large, according to the d??evelopers.

This raw figure was disclosed via part three of an official developer interview series, featuring Tetsuya Takahashi (senior ??director and chief creative officer at Monolith Soft), Koh Kojima (??producer and director at Monolith Soft), and Genki Yokota (producer and director at Nintendo).

After being asked about the scope of the game, and how big it was intended to be as the third entry in a major series, Kojima laughed, and really let loose just how big the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 world really is:

"Come to think of it, we were just? talking about this yesterday in the office. That the world would be crazy big for this title. So I actually did t?he math, and it turns out that the total walkable area in this game is over five times larger than in the second title. It was like... "Yikes!"

Kojima elaborates, citing the hindsight of accumulated knowledge from prior games to really allow this map to sing. This allowed the team to get more "creative" instead of just re-using variations of the same landscape concepts, and cites the danger of over-designing things like "wall pattern" aesthetics, which can cut into development time needed to implement more gameplay. Draw? distance was apparently a priority though, and I think that was a good call �despite the limitations of the Switch hardware, the game managed to really surprise me at times with some amazing-looking vistas.

If you're interested in diving deeper into the world of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, you can ??find all three inter?views from the series below!

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 interview series links:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

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Both are around until roughly the first week in September

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Mario Kart Switch icons are at the forefront of the Switch Online app this month: and they're available now.

The Xenoblade Chronicles 3 icons will come in waves, and currently feature main protagonists Noah, Mio, Riku, and several side characters [heroes]. Wave 1 is available until August 4 at 5:59PM PT, and the entire line will cycle out on September 1 at 6PM PT.

As for Mario Kart Switch icons, you can find creations centered around booster course [season] pass waves 1 and 2 now, through September 5 at 6PM PT. Animal Crossing September birthday ch??aracters are part of the rollout too, and ru??n through September 5 at 6PM PT.

As a reminder, if you want physical rewards, you can find our full Platinum Point guide here, which has been updated with details on weekly missions: bookmark it for when you need quick points for a reward. A handful of points is incredibly easy to get, as that’s basically just 15 minutes with Super Mario Run, or a quick sign-on to the 3DS or Wii U 3Shop. Also remember that a??ny shipments are bundled together, so you can pay a flat rate for multiple items instead of paying it each time. Just know that items go out of stock on My? Nintendo frequently, and some are never restocked.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Mario Kart Switch icons gallery:

[gallery link="file" ids="337622,337623"]

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Change up the look of your physical copy

One of the perks of physical game ownership is being able to display your shiny new box on a shelf amongst your game collection. And if the base box art of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 isn't fitting in, or you'd just like some options, a new MyNintendo reward has you covered??.

Over on the MyNintendo page, a collection of three alternative box arts for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is available now. The collection will run you 30 Platinum Points. It's available now th??rough February 1??, 2023, so you've got time to consider them.

Once you've redeemed the reward, getting your new art is pretty straightforward. Just download the files and print them on a color?? printer at actual size, on 8.5 x 11" (letter-sized) paper. Nintendo recommends using Gloss Text-type papers.

As for what's on the box? Well, the first is a pretty stylize??d mash-up of the game's dual protagonists, Noah and Mio. The other features one of the Ouroboros robots they can fuse into, from the looks of it.

Personally, I'm pretty partial to the one that has cut-ins of all six party members. It's got a fun "everybody's here" vibe to it, and shows off the whole lineup of characters you'll be venturing with in Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwG04ZdXCOo

What's on cart

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 launched last Friday, and for those who picked up a physical copy, this is a nice little add-on. I always enjoy when Nintendo adds these for the MyNintendo rewards. Reversible box art is one thing, but having a wide variety of covers to slot into your Switch case ad??ds a little bit more flair and personality.

Chris seemed to overall enjoy his time with the new Xenoblade, so it's worth keeping your eye on, for sure. My copy, meanwhile, is still on the way. But maybe when it gets here, I'll print out some new art for it. In the meantime, we've got plenty of helpful guides to? ?get you prepped for what's in store in this beefy, 100+ hour RPG.

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These are near the endgame

Three Xenoblade Chronicles 3 classes are tougher to find tha??n all the others. Here's a quick rundown of how to ?pick them all up.

[Note that there will be no specific story spoilers below, but locations will be named, as will names of quests and classes (without proper character names).]

How to find the Machine Assassin in Xenoblade Chronicles 3

So this is by far the hardest class to find in the game, as it requires multiple quest chains. Note that you likely shouldn't attempt this? until you're at least level 50, so you can just go back and eventually close this one out: or do some of the required quests along the way.?? Your choice.

Once you reach the Fornis Region you'll have the opportunity to do quests for Colony 4 (pictured here). Complete all the quests you can inside of the confines of the colony, and eventually, you'll be able to get "Severed Connection" outside of the col?ony's gates with a question mark icon (?) appearing to denote it can be picked up. Complete that (simply head to the quest marker and finish one fight).

Later in the game, through listening to a rumor in The City, you'll get this quest from the same location called Writer's Block. That??'s the next step of the questline. Compl??ete that quest (all you need to do is have it as a focus, and go to the locations it tells you to).

After that, head here to the Upper Aetia Region. Once Writer's Block and Severed Connection are complete?, a question mark icon (?) will appear right here. That will lead you directly to the Machine Assassin questline.

How to find the Royal Summoner in Xenoblade Chronicles 3

After finishing the game, head here with a clear file. The "questline" is essentially a conversation and you'll unlock the Royal Summone??r.

It's that simple! I'm?? keeping things as vague as possi??????????????????????????ble.

How to find the Lifesage in Xenoblade Chronicles 3

After finishing the game, head here with a clear fil??e. The "questline" is another conversation and you'll unlock the?? Lifesage.

It's that simple! I'm keeping th?ings as vague as possible.

The post A spoiler-free guide on how to get the ?three toughest to find Xenoblade Chro??nicles 3 classes appeared first on Destructoid.

You'll carry over most of your stuff

Yes, there is a Xenoblade Chronicles 3 New Game+ mode.

Since a lot of people like a heads-up about ?how the end of the game works, you can read all about it?? here. Note that there are no spoilers at all, but the guide will talk about continuation options at the end of the game (hence the question at the very bottom). So come back later if you only want to know near the end.

Can you continue exploring your original Xenoblade Chronicles 3 file after your save?

Yes. After you finish the game, you'll have the opportunity to make a clear save file. Loading it up will bring you back to the area you were at before you finished the game. Clear save files will be denoted by a gold medallion in the top left corner of the file.

Just in case, you may w?ant to save that clear file in a slot you aren't using (it doesn't really matter, but it might matter to you).

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 New Game+ carries over most of your progression

You can also opt to just play a completely new file and start the game over again. A new option will appear on the mai?n menu right next to "New Game," for "New Game+."

Here is exactly what carries over, in the words of the game's own tutorial for NG+:

• You'll retain your character growth.
• All the tutorials you've read thus far will not come up again (but you can access them via the in-game menu).
• All of your inventory outside of key items stay (but you will keep shards and nopon coins).
• Unique monster kills will be reset (graves will revive, but if you clear them again you can see your original kill record).

Here is what doesn't carry over (and will need to be unlocked):

• Chain [super] attacks
• Interlinking [Ouroboros]
• Key items

The post A spoi??ler-free rundown of how New Game+ works in ??Xenoblade Chronicles 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

And what's next

The Xenoblade Chronicles 3 season pass (referred to as an "expansion pass") was revealed during a recent Nintendo Direct presentation, but now that it's actually here, we have some info on what it actually comes with. Right now you're buyin??g into the "Adventure Support Pack," as well as the promise of two smaller DLCs, and one bigger expansion

[gallery link="file" ids="337243,337240,337242"]

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 season pass Adventure Support Pack contents

The eShop description says that it contains "a collection of helpful items??, as well as color variations for existing outfits," but we can do a bit b?etter than that thanks to snooping the expansion pass menu in the actual game:

• Nopon Coin (Silver) x 30
• Nopon Coin (Gold) x10
• Iron Temple Guard
• Circlet of Wisdom
• Silver Belt
• Auto-Balancer
• Glass Memory
• Nopon Strap
• Noah - Color 02 (outfit)
• Mio - Color 02
• Eunie - Color 02
• Taion - Color 02
• Lanz - Color 02
• Sena - Color 02

As you can probably glean, none of it is ??essential.

Nopon Coins are helpful in Xenoblade Chronicles 3(they can speed up gem creation, as well as class leveling and cooking), but you can easily get by ??without them or find more out in the world through exploration and quest completion (when choosing a side for world event clashes, try and err on the side of coins: you can always get XP later). All of the other items might be helpful early on as quick upgrades (especially when you don't have much to go around), but you need to unlock equipment slots anyway gradually by leveling up, and you can find plenty of good equipment through vendors and quests.

As it stands, you might ?want to wait for the second pack to com??e out before pulling the trigger, unless you really want alternate costume colors.

So what's next for the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 season pass?

On the immediate horizon, "pack 2" is called "New Hero & Intense Enemy Battles." Based on the official in-?game description, it includes:

• A Challenge Battle mode against difficult enemies
• A new hero character and accompanying quests
• New character outfits (this part is not directly advertised in-game, but is listed on the eShop description)

Expect it to operate like a lot of 2010s-style "arena bout" DLC, and you'll likely get a new hero to mess with (and thus, a new class) at the end of it. Nintendo says the release date for the pack will be "by 12/31/2022," so by the end of the year.

As for pack 3, it'll contain the exact same contents as pack 2, and will be released by "4??/30/??2023."

Pack 4 is the main event, and involves a "new original story scenario,"?? and will arrive by "12/31/2023," so by the end of next year.

The post All of the day one bonuses in the Xenobl??ade Chronicles 3 season pass appeared first on Destructoid.

As spoiler-free as possible

Want some Xenoblade Chronicles 3 tips? Well, play the game first, and come here if you get stuck or are sta?rting to feel frustrated!

If that's the case, we have you covered.

Head to every canteen you can

This is something you should start making a habit of early on. When you visit a canteen anywhere (mostly in colonies, which are like small outposts/towns so to speak), buy the one meal available. It'll "unlock" it for use at regular campsites as your team cook (Manana) can now wield the recipe. Canteens can be identified on the map ??with a handshake symbol (which is also shared by campsites): but it'll say the words "canteen" on the screen.

Here is a more detailed breakdown of canteens and the food system in Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

Go to every map spot with a question mark, and find the Hulk structures

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 uses question mark symbols on the map to denote important locations. This can be anything from a point of interest to a whole new optional party member. It's important to stop by and at least check them out when you're walking around, but if you miss some, you can c?ome back later instantly with the fast travel system.

There's also the "Hulk" structures to account for, which are littered about the map, an??d are kind of like micro-factories that can generate items. You'll come across one story-required Hulk around five hours in, and the rest are up to you to find. The thing is, they're marked on the map when you get? close to them!

While the question mark symbol (?) is?? straightforward, the Hulk symbol isn't. That's why I included it above!

Your amiibo won't add much, but you can scan three per day

Like most first-party games in the last several years, amiibo support i??s a rear-view feature, which is sure to delight a lot of people who don't feel like tracking them down.

The good news is that unless you care about the Shulk figure unlocking the Monado, the rest of them don't really matter. Scanning up?? to three amiibo per day provides rewards in the form of reagents (like cooking or crafting materials) �minor stuff in the grand scheme of things.

You can read more about the amiibo feature here.

Swap classes constantly

Whenever you find a new "hero" party member (read: ??a seventh guest spot you can cycle in and out), they'll come with their own unique class. These are typically alterations of the core three roles (?tank, attacker, support [healer]), but all of them have nuances and extra abilities that you can mix and match, and help you get an edge in tougher fights.

There's a catch: when you unlock them, only one party member resonates with their class. But if you use that party member and the hero, you can slowly raise the class points of each person to unlock the class for everyone else. Some heroes will unlock classes faster than others, so when they are "done" learning them, you can swap their class, swap the hero, and repeat the process to unlock everything you have at tha??t current moment. It helps to be proactive before you're swimming in extra classes.

Yo?u can find the full breakdown of how classes work in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 here.

Use chain attacks right as you hit the enrage portion of a boss health meter

So this is kind of a tricky one to visualize because I don't want to post a spoilery b?oss image this close to launch, but I got y?ou.

Bosses have a health bar at the top of the screen like everyone else, but they also wield an "enrage" symbol toward the middle: it looks like a burning flame. Once they reach that their entire health bar glows with fire, and they get a little stronger. As a result, it behooves you to save big attacks (like chain attacks) if a boss is just about to enrage, as you can potentially push them over the line and finish them off just?? as they're unlocking their full p??otential.

Keeping Ouroboros cooldowns ready, on top of your chain attack combo (used with the + button after your meter charges), and even your special party member moves (which are li?nked to the A button) can slash through the amount of time you'll spend fighting an enraged boss.

Later on you'll also have the ability to remove the rage status in some cases. Try and change the tactics of the squad (hold ZL) to "?burst" to attempt this (left option after holding ZL).

The post Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Five Quick tips for getting st??arte?d appeared first on Destructoid.

As soon as you unlock a class, use it

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 classes are highly customizable, as you can mix and match abilities from other classes into one synergized playe??r-crafted build. That said, you need to unlock the ability to use a class with everyone in yo??ur party. Here's how to make sense of the system.

[No major story spoilers will be discussed in this article.]

After meeting a new party member, you'll inherently unlock a new class

So this is actually important to understand. Typically, party members join up as part of the main storyline, or through optional quests. To find every possible party member (and thus, unlock all the classes), you'll want to head toward ? icons on the map, ?which generally denote points of interest like new quests: something meatier than a pickup or item stash.

After finishing their questline (which, for the most part, have yellow que??st markers in your quest menu to show that they are character related), they'll join the party as a "hero," and you can swap them in as the 7th member of your?? group. Here's where it gets interesting.

New classes can generally only be used by one party member at first

Once you unlock a new class, swap that specific core party member (one of the "main six" that can't be changed out) to that class right away. What you're doing here is beginning the process of "unlocking" the class for the rest of the p??arty.

Sometimes this will bring you out of your comfort zone. In other words, a "career healer" might drastically shift over to a damage-dealer. This is OK! You only need to keep them in that role until you unlock that class for at least one o?ther person, then they can swap back to their prior role or ?adjust to something else.

The more clas??s points [experience] you earn from using that class, the faster the class will unlock for everyone else. At some point, you'll earn enough for everyone on the team to use it, which opens up your options of cross-synergy abilities and more build options.

To level up classes beyond the standard limit of 10, you'll need to finish a questline

These quests generally come later in the game, sometimes all the way in the back half. You'll come across many of them naturally, and they'll be labeled as character/hero quests (with the same yello?w quest marker in your quest menu). You've se?en them before in the JRPG arena: they deal with character-specific storylines and can close out some arcs for guest heroes.

You'll even do a few of them as required by the main story! Just finish them and you can?? ?level up classes to 20, and unlock more abilities.

The post In Xenoblade Chronicles 3, always make sure you’re swapping classes appeared first on Destructoid.

This is as spoiler-free as you can get!

A Xenoblade Chronicles 3 canteen is useful for multiple reasons. It serves as a rest stop, which you can use to do all sorts of rest-stoppy things like add bonus XP and talk things over with your party for a chance at extra XP and more questlines. But the real thing that sets canteens apart from camps is the ability to learn new recipes for party member Manana. So make sure you?? make a point to hit every canteen you can!

Here's a very early? game (like first-few-hours-early) ??example!

Canteens are typically found in colonies

Colonies are by and large the "cities/towns" of Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Here you'll find opportunities to gather up ne??w quests, as well as some hidden caches (barrels full of useful items and equipment), and...??canteens.

One of the first things you'll want to do every time you locate a new colony is go to the canteen. If you aren'?t sure if something is a canteen or n??ot (if you're judging whether or not to waste precious fast travel load time), you can simply highlight it on the map and it'll appear on the screen with the full rundown. These can share the same "handshake" icon as camps, but it'll say "canteen" in the rest spot description.

Just order whatever food is available

Once you're at a canteen, buy the food available for a nominal gold fee. It's OK if you're overwriting a current effect (like th?e one shown here), you're going to be learning the recipe to use forevermore ??in any camp.

By ordering new food, Ma?nana (the party cook) will be able to replicate it on their own. You'll want to gather as many recipes as possible so that you can use the one that suits your needs (like if you need an XP boost, or a class point [CP] boost to reach a certain milestone to clear a boss/opti?onal encounter).

If you just caught this tip and haven't ordered anything at a Xenoblade Chronicles 3 canteen, don't worry! Just open up the world map and go to every canteen you've located, and order the food. Even if you've ordered it before, it's OK: the cost is?? generally minimal and you could end up acquiring a new recipe you missed.

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"Fixed some issues"

Nintendo and Monolith Soft just pushed out the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 day one patch (si?nce Japan is getting the game now) and it's pretty small!

For starters, the bulk of the update seems to be enabling the season pass. The studio also added the ability to open up the main menu (X) in-game and obtain delivery-based bonus items from ?the season pass. It also "fixes some issues," which are likely last-minute development fixes. But in my experience throughout the entire game, I didn't really see many technical problems outside of some framerate drops in massive areas.

With that in mind, the physical edition is fairly well preserved already (so far, at least), as all you're getting is "minor fixes" and the ability to add in (mostly futu?re) season pass content, which required an online connection anyway.

You can find the full notes here.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 day one patch notes - Ver. 1.1.0:

• • Added the ability to receive items delivered in the Expansion Pass.
    After downloading the Expansion Pass, the "Expansion Pass" item will be added to the main menu and you will be able to receive delivery items.
  • The main menu can be opened by pressing the X button during play.

• Fixed some issues to make the game more comfortable to play.

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Creating a whole new sound for Xenoblade

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 arrives this Friday, with a grand new world to explore backed by music from Yasunori Mitsuda and company. And in a new developer interview, the team details how it created the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 soun?dtrack with the help of some brand-new flutes.

Protagonists Noah and Mio each carry a flute, playing them at various points throughout the game. These are, according to a new Ask the Developer interview with the Xenoblade team, based on real-life shinobue flutes; a Japa??nese musical instrument made by drilling holes in shinotake bamboo.

Mitsuda, who has composed music for games like Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, suggested the flute to the team. Xenoblade creator Tetsuya Takahashi says that after listening to the sound of the instrument, he thought it would be a good choice a??nd would incorporate a "distinctive Japanese taste."

At this point, we've locked in the flutes. Excellent. I haven't played the game yet myself, but our reviewer Chris Carter tells me they're used in-g?ame for pretty somber moments.

Only, to make those somber moments together, the team didn't just add in flutes. No, they made flutes.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwG04ZdXCOo

If you build it

Director Koh Kojima recalls Mitsuda? te?lling him, "let's make flutes." At first, Kojima wondered why the team would make the flutes. But Mitsuda said that by "making the flutes from scratch, you can create a sound that hasn't been heard before."

The plan was for two melodies, Noah and Mio's, to eventually flow into each other ?in a single piece. And Ko??jima says that Mitsuda thought creating the flutes from scratch would enable him to freely control the scale and expression.

The team at Monolith Soft designed them with the intention of actually using them. Then, they sent the designs to a shinobue flute craftsman to make them. And they had a Japanese ??urushi lacquer craftsman decorate them.

In the end, two flutes were made and then used to record the music for Xenoblade Chronicles 3. So that's the story of how an RPG studio ma??de two real-life flutes for i?ts soundtrack.

It's not like Monolith Soft is any stranger to real-life models. As chronicled in Iwata Asks, Takahashi worked with Yasoyuki Honne to make an actual 3D model of the world for the original Xenoblade Chronicles pitch.

Cheers to Monolith Soft for always finding wild ways to step up their RPGs. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is out this Friday, July 29, for Nintendo Switch.

_{[Images via Nintendo's Ask a Developer interview.]}

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It's being published to celebrate Xenoblade Chronicles 3, but has tidbits on prior games

Nintendo just published an official Xenoblade interview that talks to key development team members, and it touches on prior games in the series, not just Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

[Note that the interview contains vague spoilers for the third game.]

The roundtable consists of Tetsuya Takahashi (senior director and chief creative officer at Monolith Soft), Koh Kojima (producer and director at Monolith Soft), and Genki Yokota (producer and director at Nintendo). The team kicks things off b?y saying this new entry is the "culmination of the trilogy," which is more like a broad statement in terms of depicting themes (confirmed immediately after in the same interviews), but also touches on a story justification for it.

However, Takahashi insists that each game is a standalone story (having finished Xenoblade Chronicles 3, I feel like this is apt): "No, the stories of one, two, and three all stand alone. Although some elements and designs from one and two will appear in this third entry here and there, there is no need to have played the first and second games to understand the story or how to play. However, since this is a series of works, the underlying theme is consistent, and in each case, the story unfolds based on 'the relationship between foreign things.' Also, I used the word 'culmination' earlier, but this title brings together all the themes that have been developed over the past 15 years since 2007, when development of the first title in the Xenoblade Chronicles series began, as well as the gameplay systems that have been developed throughout the seri?es."

Takahashi also talks about the core thesis of the game (what would people do if they only lived for 10 years), and how the formative years of his life influenced that concept. Yokota agreed that it would be the best way forward, stating: "We had a great deal of discussion in the beginning about why to have a 10-year life span. Although the seriousness was in full swing from the beginning, I remember hearing the thoughts Takahashi-san just mentioned, and I was in complete agreement. Doing so would surely bring out that sense of Xenoblade-ness, and ??I thought that I wanted to stay the course with this story??line."

If you're a hardcore Xenoblade fan, it's definitely worth reading in full (though sadly there is no respect for Xenoblade Chronicles X). Two more interviews are arriving today and tomorrow (July 27 and July 28), billed as "Chapter 2 and Chapter 3."

The post T?his official Xenoblade interview is a celebration of the entire se??ries appeared first on Destructoid.

You have to Xeno-start somewhere

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is out this Friday, and already?? it's quite a swell ?behind it. Monolith Soft's latest is obviously of high interest to RPG fans, but we're curious to see who else might finally try the series.

This third Xenoblade Chronicles game is the latest Switch game for Monolith, a company that both crafts Xeno- games and supports other projects at Nintendo. The first Xenoblade Chronicles was a big hit for the studio, bringing a massive open-world RPG to the Nintendo Wii. Its follow-up, though, proved a little more divisive. And spin-off entry Xenoblade Chronicles X is still landlocked on the Wii U.

The review embargo lifted for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 today, and the critical consensus seems keen on it. The new entry got an Essential badge over at Eurogamer, high marks at many score-giving sites, and a 9.5 here at Destructoid.

It's reasonabl?e to guess that some might be considering trying the series, possibly for the first time. And hello, I'm among them.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwG04ZdXCOo

What's in a Xeno-name?

I never got around to Xenogears, the first Xeno-prefix game made under Squaresoft. My hop-on point was later, with Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht on the PlayStation 2.

Xenosaga's weavin??g of sci-fi, religion, and bonkers robo??ts hit the bullseye in my heart. It was a staple of my PS2 collection, and I still own a copy to this day.

So years later, when Monolith Soft and Nintendo announced a new Xeno game for the Wii, why didn??'t I jump in? Well, for one, I didn't have a Ninte??ndo Wii. (My family did, but I didn't get to steal that away to college.)

And once I could actually play it, the MMO-ness of it intimidated me. I'd heard stories about how it handled like an MMORPG, and after not clicking with games like World of Warcraft, I was ready to write it off.

Thrice upon a time

So what changed? Well, I got really into Final Fantasy XIV, for one thing. And I've also long-held the opinion that if something is incredibly popular, it's probably popular for a reason. And Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was popular enough to cause the Nintendo Store some problems with its collector's edition.

The story also seems right up my alley, as a war conflict tale in a vast fantasy world. My biggest concern was whether familiarity with the series was necessary for jumping in. Our own Chris Carter allayed my fears with this section of his review:

"Because of the way everything funnels back into the emotional core, this isn’t a bad “first dip into the pool�if you’ve never played a Xenoblade game before. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 didn’t need to do a whole lot to keep me invested, as I was all-in very early on. The cast,?? the weight of the story, and the freedom of party compo?sition are the power trio that won me over."

But my question, readers, is simply this: Are you also dipping your toe in the Xeno-water for the first time with Xenoblade Chronicles 3? Are you a longtime Xeno-ficionado with some helpful hints and tricks? Are there still things that concern you? Let us know?? below!

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Playthroughs will vary wildly, but here's some numbers to work with

Now that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 reviews are out in the wild, I've seen all sorts of playthrough lengths flying around. So exactly how long is Xenoblade Chronicles 3? Let's dig in!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwG04ZdXCOo

The Xenoblade Chronicles 3 core story (and nothing else) is roughly 60 hours

Note: that's a rough estimate, and rea??d the below provisos!

JRPG game length is a hot-button issue, and I came prepared. So for this review, I actually used a timer to keep track of when I deviated from the main storyline. My first clear took around 85 hours or so, and taking away side content and some exploration, I ended up with a 60-hour estimate if you just go for the main story (this is when the credits rolled for me).

Difficulty levels will also mess with this number a bit, as will failures in combat/boss battles. Some rare encounters can go on for upwards of 15-20 minutes, so multiple failures can add an hour or so to any given storylin??e-driven section.

I've seen a few figures saying that there is "over 100 hours of just main story content" and that could be a misnomer, because many people will be able to clear the story in about half that time, especially those of you who will aim? for easy mode just to see the credits.

An average Xenoblade Chronicles 3 playthrough will likely take 80-100 hours

So taking into account all of the above, and adding back in side content and mid/heavy amounts of exploration, most people are going to be looking at more than 60 hours.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 contains many engaging sidequests that have lengthy storylines, so the urge to finish at least a portion of them, even if you're looking to speed through the game, will be strong. It's also going to be hard to repel the siren's song of equipment right there on the horizon when wandering around �you can safely tack ??on at least 20 hours to accoun??t for that, at minimum.

If you do everything, you can muster more time out of it

"Over 100 hours" is accurate if you're looking ??to clear every quest, and attempt to find every collectible/hidden cache/supply drop in the game.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3's length is variable, as you can see! "60-120 hours" is going to be the norm once the game gets in everyone's hands �but the latter is not a hard figure if all you w?ant to do is see things through until the end, so don't let it scare you off!

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You have until September 15 to enter

Nintendo has a new Xenoblade Chronicles 3 prize pack up for grabs, and you just need to head to this page and click?? a few buttons. After that Nintendo will pick some winners on September 15 at 2??AM ET, and send them out.

Here's what the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 prize pack from Nintendo includes:

• An HD metal sublimation print (wall art of the core cast members)
• A sidekick sling bag (a bag that can hold a tablet and includes the game logo)
• Two water bottles (vacuum insulated with art featuring Riku and Manana)
• Postcards (six cards with one from each main character)

To enter it's technically part of the My Nintendo system, so you'll need 10 Platinum Points per entry, up to a max of three entries. I just...want to buy all this stuff on its own!

As a reminder, if you want physical rewards, you can find our full Platinum Point guide here, which has been updated with details on weekly missions: bookmark it for when you need quick points for a reward. A handful of points is incredibly easy to get, as that’s basically just 15 minutes with Super Mario Run, or a quick sign-on to the 3DS or Wii U 3Shop. Also remember that any shi??pments are bundled together, so you can pay a flat rate for multiple items instead of paying it each t??ime. Just know that items go out of stock on My Nintendo frequently, and some are never restocked.

The post This Xenobla??de Chronicles 3 prize pack from Nintend??o is pretty rad appeared first on Destructoid.