Xenoblade Chronicles is back and its bigger than ever.
We got a hands-on preview of the opening hours of Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Here are our thoughts so far.
Now Playing:Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Could Be Nintendo’s Biggest Game Yet
Xenoblade Chronicles' impressive scale has always been a selling point for the series.
It boasts a new cast of characters, a fresh setting, and a new story.
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Flame clocks, ether channels, nopons, off-seers, life terms, Ouroboros forms, and so on.
While fans of the series have come to expect that kind of jargon, a newcomers tolerance may vary.
Noah is accompanied by Lanz, Eunie, and Mwamba.
Together they are a special forces unit tasked with keeping Noah safe as he attends to his mission.
But things go sideways and Noah and team are sent off on a globe-trotting adventure.
I feel like a tiny speck in a massive, dynamic world.
There’s also a lot to do in these open areas.
In these situations, before the battle begins, you are given the option to pick a side.
The side you pick determines the reward.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3, like its predecessors, features an MMO combat style.
Attackers are essentially DPS, Defenders are tanks, and healers are support.
Auto attacks and timers offset art cooldowns which can be combo-ed across multiple party members for devastating effects.
Better yet, unlike the previous games, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 lets you swap characters mid-battle.
This could be a game-changer, especially during long boss fights.
This is only the tip of the iceberg though.
I fully expect the combat to ramp up significantly as it did in previous games.
One of the most notable additions to combat is the robust class system.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 also adds the Ouroboros ability.
Eventually, they overheat and kick out both party members.
Additionally, 3 has a series of repeatable drills for players who might need a little extra guidance.
The in-game menus are also a marked improvement over Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
This time, flipping between menus and swapping between tweaks feels a lot snappier.
Sub-menus that were once buried in other menus are much more accessible.
I do worry about the ever-present limitations of the Nintendo Switch hardware with a game like Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Fortunately, the frame rate was consistent.
Whether or not it holds that consistency over the course of the game remains to be seen.
Overall, I am curiously optimistic for Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
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