Nintendo’s latest direct presentation gave a ton of insight into the new Xenoblade Chronicles 2 with 2 full featured segments. The first focuses on 6 territories across the cloud sea. Each is built upon Titans which the player will navigate and interact with. And each of the nations has its own agenda and ideology for how to preserve and run its nation.
The 6 kingdoms shown so far are:
- Kingdom of Uraya: Has a deep respect for nature and excels in biotechnology
- Kingdom of Mor Ardain: A Militaristic Kingdom that focuses on using machinery to control its Titan and brings heavy armaments to the battlefield.
- Imperial Province of Gormott: A plentiful land recently fallen under control by the Kingdom of Mor Ardain.
- Indoline Praetorium: A theocracy of people who worship and revere the Titans, all while controlling the supply of core crystals which blades are born from giving them major influence in the world’s military affairs.
- Argentum Trade Guild: A shrewd collection of traders that take advantage of the strained relationships among the kingdoms to foster their own wealth.
- Torna: A secret organization that operates from the shadows. They seek the legendary blade The Aegis, which if fallen under their control could spell disaster for the entire cloud sea.
The second portion of the Nintendo Direct focuses more on the worlds we can expect to see and combat mechanics. Narrated by one of the worlds’ smaller Titans, Azurda introduces us to our protagonist Rex and gives a brief introduction to our story in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. As you explore the world of Alrest, you will venture inside of various Titans, each with their own unique ecosystem populated with civilizations and dangerous creatures. Each Titan has its own quirks that the player must work around. Some may feature giant labyrinths while others may be lush forests, open fields or even barren deserts.
Rex used to be an excavator hunting for treasures within the cloud sea until he met a Pyra, a girl who needs his help reaching Elysium. Pyra comes from a line of synthetic life form called blades, and they work in tandem with organic life forms called drivers when combat arises. XC2 will give the player 3 drivers to use in combat with each one being supported by a paired blade. Each driver can have 3 blades attached to them in order to swap on the fly while in combat based on the situation. In addition, blades have 3 archetypes: Attacker, Defender, and Healer.
Depending on which blade you are paired with, it will determine the driver’s weapons and their Driver Arts. Driver arts are special abilities that are charged up through normal combat to deal heavier damage than basic attacks. There are also Blade Arts that enable the blade to enhance their drivers with buffs to damage, accuracy, and other bonuses. The final skill is a Blade Special that can be charged up to 4 levels, and these will be your most devastating attacks and should be used strategically.
Check out the trailer below for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and let us know what you think in the comments below.
Nintendo will also be releasing a special edition which comes with a metal case packed with a 220-page hardbound art book and sound selection CD featuring music from the game. Launching alongside the game will be a Xenoblade Chronicles 2-themed Pro controller so the player can game with style.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is scheduled to release for Nintendo Switch December 1st.
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