Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Is Coming To Nintendo Switch This Fall

Nintendo just announcedd its first Nintendo Direct for 2022, revealing a long and comprehensive list of titles that will be making their way to the Nintendo Switch gaming console in "2022 and beyond." Nintendo has buckled up for back-to-back launches, including exclusive titles, and new as well as popular franchises that Nintendo Switch players are already familiar with. Among the exclusive announcements, Nintendo Switch is slated to get Xenoblade Chronicles 3, the next iteration of open-world fantasy RPG, in the month of September this year.

As part of Nintendo Direct, game developer studio MONOLITH SOFT showed us a trailer of what the next iteration to its hulking war-ridden saga looks like. Nintendo notes, "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."

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is set to "connect the futures" with previous titles in the series, Nintendo revealed. This continuity is expected owing to the coherence we have seen between Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, both of which are already available on the Nintendo Switch.

In a parallel post on Nintendo's blog, MONOLITH SOFT founder and Xeno series creator Tetsuya Takahashi shared some insights about the third installment to the Xenoblade Chronicles series. Without revealing what it refers to, Takahashi emphasized visuals from the trailer, including "a broken great sword of Mechonis" and "the body of the Urayan Titan with a gaping wound." Takahashi says these elements are not newly added to the series and were conceived even before the development of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 began.

The characters have been fashioned by the same team that was behind the development of the characters in the first and second parts of the Xenoblade series. The background score, too, has been handled by a team that has previously contributed to the music in the franchise earlier.

Music remains central to Xenoblade Chronicles 3 with flute melodies being key to the game's storyline. As the trailer also reveals, the flute will be a critical element in the gameplay. Takahashi also adds there is plenty of other themes and elements that are hidden away in the trailer for the fans to guess. The developer will reveal these details as we head closer to the launch in September.

In addition to Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Nintendo has announced 48 new courses that will be making their way to Mario Kart 8: Deluxe while also revealing a range of other titles including Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, Mario Strikes: Battle League, a remastered Chrono Cross, Star Wars: The Force, etc. that will be arriving on Nintendo Switch. Additionally, Nintendo is also bringing Switch Sports to the handheld console in April especially for fans of Wii sports.