Gaming Influence: Thoughts - Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct
Hello everyone,
Welcome to Gaming Influence which is a reboot of the same name that I created back in WrestleCorp. However, not only will I be giving my thoughts on certain video games and video game series, but also video game movies, video game anime, video game digital presentations, etc.
For this edition of Gaming Influence, I'll be giving my thoughts on the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct that happened on June 22, 2022.
Anyway, let's get started!
With this game coming out next month, did Nintendo did enough to satisfy Xenoblade Chronicles fans as well as players who never played the series before? Well, let's find out and talked about what they've shown.
Intro
The presentation starts off with a new trailer for the game where it was a story trailer as it gave a synopsis of what the main story of the game is all about with two worlds, Keves and Agnes, fighting against each other for survival as everyone who is a part of the war only has a lifespan of ten years before they are deceased.
Dang, that was an awesome story trailer where it doesn't really spoil much as this seems to be the beginning of the game where they showed the story trailer and man, judging by where the story is going, it's going to be very dark. The fact that everyone that is a part of the war only has about ten years to live before dying is quite depressing including the main characters so I'm very curious on how they will all work together in order to live. Either way, what I love about the Xenoblade Chronicles series is their stories and this one seems no different. I can't wait to see how the story will play out until the end.
Main Characters
There will be six main characters that the player will play as throughout this game and those six main characters are Noah, Eunie, and Lanz from Keves and Mio, Taion, and Sena from Agnes. The Keves team and Agnes team were fighting amongst each other until a mysterious man came in and told them the truth as the six main characters will team up in order to figure out who's the true enemy on why the two worlds are fighting each other.
We've seen this set of six main characters for the past few trailers now and we get to see more of their personalities and character which is nice to see. Loving the designs of the main characters and they seem to be a fun cast as well. Very interested to see what their playstyles will be like. Looking forward to that.
A Boundless World
The player will experience the world of Aionios where there will be many different terrains, environments, and climates to explore and to endure throughout the players' adventure. In addition, unique monsters will make a return in this game as they'll be labeled with detailed names that are different from normal monsters as they tend to be strong enemies to be dealt with. Players will be going to colonies to purchase items and to order food to increase the characters' stats, skills, and equipment. There are also resting areas for players to cook food and craft gems in order to increase the characters' stats, skills, and equipment in battle as well as activating side quests for players to do when they don't want to do the main story. Landmarks will make a return in this game where players can traverse to an area without having to walk all the way back to that destination. In addition, they have added a side tracker feature that will allow players to follow the trace in order to reach their destination for a quest. Changing time is another feature back in this game as the player can change the time from day to night and vice versa in order to encounter different enemies and monsters on the field.
I just have to say that the world in the game is beautiful, but not surprising as the other mainline Xenoblade Chronicles games have beautiful worlds as well as this one was no different. Glad to see them combining both elements from the first and second game into one while also doing its own thing which makes it stand out from the other two games which I appreciate. Can't wait to explore the world of Aionios as it looks to be a fun world to explore.
Battling It Out
Characters generally auto-attack during battles and in order to perform special skills, in this game is called arts, the player will press the button according to the layout of the arts being shown on the screen with the controller the player is using to activate and use the art. For example, A for Art 1, B for Art 2, X for Art 3, Y for Art 4, to activate Art 4, press the Y button. In addition, players can switch to any character they want during battle. Characters in this game also have a specific role that they played in this game where there are attackers (do offensive and physical attacks), defenders (defend attacks and draw aggro on enemies), and healers (heal party members in battle). Characters can also perform combos using the arts with the following combo: Break, Topple, Launch, and Smash. Finally, characters can perform Chain Attacks which will unleash a powerful attack.
Nice to see that the battle system in this game is keeping it simple, but also complex for veterans and newcomers alike. It seems like the role the character plays has a huge role in this game which will affect battles so that's something to keep in mind. I also like how you change which character you play as during battle which is a new feature in the series so that's nice to see. The combo in this game is similar to the ones in Xenooblade Chronicles 2 and the Chain Attacks look awesome and with each character having their own specific Chain Attack finisher which is quite sweet and new to the series as well. Looking forward to seeing how this game plays when it comes out.
Classes Galore
Each character in the game is assigned to a specific class and players can change the classes of their character on however they seem fit. The classes that the six main characters are the following: Swordfighter (Balanced physical attacker), Zephyr (Can easily evade attacks), Medic Gunner (Can heal and strengthen stats from far away), Tactician (Disrupt enemies and strengthen stats), Heavy Guard (Defend allies and draw enemy aggro), and Ogre (Destroy enemies' defense with massive power). Characters can also learn Master Arts after learning arts from a different class to add to their own set of arts such as a Zephyr can use a Medic Gunner art in battle. In addition, when combining different arts from different classes, players can use fusion arts in battle to deal massive damage as well as use certain abilites from those classes.
This is pretty much where the new mechanics come in that weren't from the previous Xenoblade Chronicles games. The classes definitely add more depth and strategy on how to do battles in this game which is great to see. Plus, the addition of Master Arts as well as Fusion Arts are also new to the series as well which is something I'm very interested in trying. Can't wait to see how this plays out when trying out the game.
Heroes Join the Fray
Heroes will be the seventh party member of the players' team as there are several heroes that the player can have on their team. The heroes confirmed for this game so far are Ashera, Valdi, Riku & Manana, Fiona, Alexandria, Gray, and Zeon. Only one hero can be one on your team, but players can switch their heroes anytime outside of battle. In addition, each hero has their own class where the main six characters can use their class in battle. Examples of these hero classes are Guardian Commander (Boost abilities when in dire), Incursor (Insert more critical hits for higher attack power), and War Medic (Heal party members and give party members buffs). Players can customize their main six characters on what outfit they can wear whether it's their own or the heroes.
Oh yeah, the heroes are going to be a fun addition to this game and man, the designs of these heroes look amazing. Plus, their classes are so cool as well and the fact that you can even use the heroes' classes on your main party is awesome. The more customization, the better. Can't wait to see what the heroes are capable of in this game and how many there are.
The Power of Ouroboros
Two characters from the main six characters are form a powerful being known as Ouroboros as they have their own arts and skills in battle. The pairings from the main six characters for Ouroboros are the following: Noah and Mio, Eunie and Taion, and Lanz and Sena. When using the Ouroboros form, the player only has a certain amount of time before it expires to use the form as players can switch the form of the Ouroboros during battle as each Ouroboros has their own skills and abilities that can be upgraded in the future. Plus, Ouroboros can also be use in chain attacks.
This is another new feature that has been added to this game that doesn't have it in the other games and this look sick. This is pretty much Ultra Instinct mode for these characters, and I love it. Also, a lot of customization as well with this and I can't wait to see how this plays out.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass
There will be a DLC expansion pass for the game at $29.99 where it will include helpful items and outfit color variants (on launch day), two challenge battles, two new hero characters and quests, and new outfits (released by December 31, 2022, and by April 30, 2023), and a brand-new story scenario (released by December 31, 2023). In addition, amiibo are functionable in the game where you tap in any amiibo to gain special items where if you input the Shulk amiibo, the player can use the Monado for the Swordfighter class.
Yes, oh freaking heck yes! Just like with Xenoblade Chronicles 2, there will be a DLC expansion pass for Xenoblade Chronicles and I love it. The fact that this game will get support until next year makes me happy and I really hope we'll get a physical copy of the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 DLC story similar to Xenoblade Chronicles 2, make it happen Nintendo and Monolith Soft! Thank you.
Overall, this was a great presentation from Nintendo. This is pretty much everything I wanted for a veteran of this series like myself as they gave me more gameplay details, a DLC expansion pass for the game, and not giving many spoilers in terms of story expect the beginning which I'm fine so this was a win for me. However, for a casual and newcomer for the series, this might be too much for them to handle which I can understand as Xenoblade Chronicles is kind of hard to understand at times, but with practice and focus, they will have a blast and enjoy the series for what it is. Regardless, great job Nintendo and I'm looking forward to this game when it comes out next month.
You can watch the full Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct yourself with the link below:
Those are my thoughts on the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct. Did this presentation convince you to purchase the game?
Let me know why or why not and thank you for reading.
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