Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is still coming out by the end of this year, according to Nintendo’s E3 presentation. The highly anticipated JRPG is one of Nintendo’s key exclusives this year, and there has been some speculation that it would be pushed back until next year. However, during the presentation, it was still slated as a release for winter 2017. With Mario Odyssey coming at the end of October, this allows Nintendo to have one final key first-party release for the year, although it will compete a little with the port of Skyrim, which Nintendo is also publishing.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 had a brand new trailer during the presentation, showing off more of the characters, story, and environments. Nintendo also showed some gameplay during their Treehouse stream, and plenty of information was revealed as the stream went on. One interesting thing was why this game is titled Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and not Xenoblade Chronicles X-2. The first Chronicles game was more heavily focused on the story, and Chronicles X was more about exploring a massive world. Not to say that this game doesn’t look massive, but it is looking to have more of a focus on characters and story than Chronicles X did. However how much of the game is directly tied to the first is unknown.
Some other interesting highlights are that there will be a returning day and night cycle for the game, much like Chronicles X. Additionally, there will be a rising and falling of the tides, and depending on the time of day, and tides, certain areas will be accessible that were not when the tide is high. In regards to combat, it once again looks to play like an offline, solo MMORPG, where characters are playing certain roles in combat. For example, having a tank character who will pull aggro, and keep enemies busy while attack characters pick off the enemies, and a healer heals. The Blade system is interesting, as each core character has a support character or Blade, that is linked to them, that helps customize your team.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is shaping up to be a stellar way to end a year that has seen plenty of great JRPGs. Hopefully, the game stays on track, and it ends up on numerous wish lists for the holiday season. Will you be picking it up, excited for some epic JRPG action on the go on the Switch? Let us know below what you think.
Source: Nintendo E3 Presentation