The Nintendo Switch has seen big titles from multiple well-known franchises in its first year — The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Splatoon 2Â — but before the year is up, another big-name game will arrive on the hybrid system. We’re talking about Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and Nintendo will show more of the sprawling RPG during a Nintendo Direct on Tuesday, November 7 at 6 a.m. PT.
Originally announced during the Nintendo Switch reveal event in January, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a direct sequel to 2010’s Xenoblade Chronicles, which is widely considered as one of the best Nintendo Wii titles. Since its reveal, we have seen snippets of footage at E3 and in a Nintendo Direct in September.
The game features a new cast of characters and a new world to explore. Protagonist Rex, alongside his companion Pyra, must set out on an adventure to find Elysium, the last paradise for humanity. When Rex and Pyra are making progress, they will be doing so way up in the clouds where Titans, large mythical beasts, harbor the remaining bits of civilization on their backs.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 retains the real-time RPG mechanics of previous entries but introduces “Blades,” lifeforms shaped like weapons that can be used in combat. Players can also use items dubbed “Core Crystals” to summon new Blades. The Blades have different classes — healer, attacker, and defender. Up to three Blades can be brought into each battle.
With this premise, it still remains to be seen how the game ties back to the original. In the years since the original was released for Wii, Nintendo released a 3D port for new Nintendo 3DS systems and a spiritual successor, Xenoblade Chronicles X, for the Wii U.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 marks the first time in the series that the localization process occurred during development. Both Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles X launched in Japan prior to being released in North America and Europe. This time around, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 launches worldwide December 1.
The Xenoblade-focused Nintendo Direct will likely be the last time the game is shown off before it launches  We will be streaming the event right here in this post, so join us to learn more about the last big Switch game of the year.
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