Nintendo confirms ‘Xenoblade Chronicles 2’ will be released in 2017

By Brad Jones June 13, 2017

On Tuesday, Nintendo broadcast a special live-stream at E3 2017, which saw a heavy focus on new games headed to the Switch this year. Among that number was Xenoblade Chronicles 2, a sequel to Monolith Soft’s critically acclaimed Wii RPG, which was re-released for the Nintendo 3DS in April 2015.

When Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was unveiled at an early Nintendo Switch showcase event, we learned that its protagonist was on a quest to find something called Elysium. The opening narration to the new trailer explains that this is the name for a paradise where an entity known as the Architect is thought to have lived among the denizens of the world.

The trailer then dives into some RPG staples: Airships, characters wearing impractical costumes, and aesthetically arresting locales. The original Xenoblade Chronicles was praised for its lush vistas and it seems that the follow-up will be no slouch in that regard.

The clip moved on to a fast-paced selection of scenes seemingly taken from both gameplay and cutscenes. We saw a fair bit of battle mode, which is significantly enhanced by some stunning visual effects, which look set to push Switch hardware to its limits.

We also saw a brief glimpse of protagonist Rex traversing various areas in the game’s overworld, notable for the diverse weather conditions that could be seen in various locations, and the sheer sense of scale on display. The idea that size matters was reinforced later on when we got a peek of an enormous creature that will presumably serve as a boss.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was among the first games to be confirmed for the Switch and it seems that we will not have to wait too long to experience the adventure. While Nintendo stopped short of specifying a release date, the trailer did confirm that the sequel will land during the holidays of 2017.

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Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…

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