The Xenoblade Chronicles 3 release date has been moved up for a July 29 launch.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was previously scheduled for September 2022, so it's been pushed up by nearly two full months. Nintendo announced the advanced release date alongside a new trailer which details the sequel's combat, including the new "Interlink" system connecting pairs of characters.
The latest trailer shows off seven party members all fighting on-field at once: protagonists Noah and Mio are joined by Eunie, Taion, Lanz, Sena, and Zeon. Pairs of these characters – Noah and Mio, Lanze and Sena, plus Eunie and Taion – can join together "if certain conditions are met" to summon mech-like but humanoid forms called Ouroboros.
The battle interface shows an Interlink meter alongside the usual attack and tactics inputs, and this seems to determine the strength, duration, or simply the availability of Interlink. This mechanic sits alongside the chain attacks that have come to define Xenoblade combat, and the reward-boosting Overkill bonus is back too, increasing battle payout when you use chain attacks to deal excess damage.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will also seemingly feature more customizable protagonists than the previous game. Noah and Mio start as a melee Swordfighter and agile Zephyr, respectively, but Nintendo confirmed that you can change their classes as you unlock new ones later in the game.
Developer MonolithSoft previously explained that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 takes place in the far-flung future and is said to connect and resolve the fate of the worlds depicted in the first two games. The studio described it as a story centrally about "life," with Noah and Mio fighting for peace and survival between the hostile nations of Keves and Agnus.
Noah and Mio's flutes aren't just set-dressing – there's a reason they bring those instruments to the battlefield.
