I just saw this! This is awesome!
Finally! I'd have a longer post, but I don't have time.
This one is my favourite of the Xenoblade games and is one of the five main games I want most on Switch that hasn't yet been released/announced (along with Xenogears, Skies of Arcadia, Chrono Trigger, and Terranigma). Also my favourite Xeno-game since Xenogears (which remains my favourite game of all time).
I figured they'd wait until the Switch 2 to release this. So this is a bit of a surprise.
As a note to those unfamiliar with the game. It's not the same as the other Xenoblade games:
(Note, this was meant to be a quick edit... but it became a big thing).
1. The story is about a colony ship the size of a city landing on an alien planet. You are one of many humans that are working to survive on this new alien world, and there are forces that oppose you. Whatever job you take in the new world, you more or less help the city to not only survive, but thrive in this new alien world.
2. The story structure unfolds like an onion from the inside out: it's a bunch of short stories available that flesh out the universe, and as you move through the game, there are main quests that move time forward a bit, opening up another wider layer of the onion. As the game moves on, you bring more types of people into your city, what began as a human city, can become a bustling city of different alien species with different products and services in town. Also more stories, including those dealing with the xenophobic elements of society. The focus in this game is more about the short stories through the world, while the "main story" is really only a small part of that.
3. You can go everywhere you can see. This is the first modern open world game by Nintendo to do that. But the ability to do so is tied to the story are new mechanics in the form of Skells (which are basically the Gears of Xenogears, Magitek Armour from FF6, or ridable mechons from XC1). At the start, you're on foot with a gigantic world to explore, some areas are not accessible, but most of it is. You can get around easier once you have vehicles to do so. Later on (as shown in the trailer) you gain flight. Once advanced enough, anywhere have a lot of land to explore, but as the game goes on you gain vehicles that allow you to reach areas of the map that you couldn't before.
4. Combat is more streamlined. Your characters toggle between ranged and melee combat, and there are a bunch of different classes to pick from which allow for different armour and weapon types. I prefer it because the one thing I dislike about Xenoblade are the chain attacks which I find fun in the beginning, but disconnected from the battle, and as the game progresses they go from being something you can do in boss battles to something you should do in almost every battle... For me, this mechanic becomes a chore - as I want to beat the crap out the enemy, not play a mini-game. These sorts of intrusive mechanics have plagued nearly all the Xeno-games right back to Xenogears (the combo system), but thankfully, XCX has severely cut down on this. The only time you really need them are for specific big battles (mostly optional).
5. You don't have to play a 12-18 year old kid, you can make your main character whatever you want. Wanna play a rugged middle aged man that looks like Geralt? You can do that. Wanna play a woman? You can do that too. The character is a silent observer type which has roles in the story, but (much like Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest games) the story is told mainly through the other characters. If you're looking for a hero, Elma fits that role. But there are stories for other characters too.
Now, just for the memory - one of my favourite trailers in gaming history:
Last edited by Jumpin - on 29 October 2024I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.
