In February, Nintendo unveiled new titles on the way for the Nintendo Switch. There were announcements of cult classics and niche titles getting either remasters or remakes, a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC pass, and more surprises. One of the biggest surprises that was the announcement of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, the next mainline entry in the Xenoblade Chronicles series, rounding out the trilogy's release on the Nintendo Switch. This first trailer of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 even announced that the game would be set to release in September of this year.
The main point of intrigue for many fans with this entry in the series are the characters and world. With the previous entry setting up plot threads that connected the first and second games together, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 seems like it will completely tie all three games in some fashion. This can be seen with the trailer's inclusion of possible returning characters like Melia and Nia. A number of new characters and party members were all shown off during the trailer as well, with some of them being included in a new piece of key art leaked by Nintendo.
This key art was discovered by Twitter user @MBgov1133, who had found this on Nintendo of America's website. Before the leak, the main piece of key art for the game was a shot from the game's trailer. It had two of Xenoblade Chronicles 3's protagonists, Noah and Mio, standing out in a field looking up towards a giant being in front of them. This updated piece of key art not only shows the two, but has included an additional four characters.
According to Xenoblade Chronicles 3's summary blurb, players will not only be playing as Noah and Mio on this quest, but there will be six characters hailing from the nations of Keves and Agnus. These six characters can all be spotted in this piece of key art, who are all confirmed to be party members of the game. Bios from Nintendo itself confirm these four additional party members to be Eunie, Taion, Lanz, and Sena, who each have their own sets of weapons and gameplay styles.
As of this writing, this key art has been taken down from Nintendo's website and has been replaced with the image it had before it leaked. Some fans noted that while this piece of art only contained the full party that has already been revealed, they also theorized that there's room for a returning character for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to become a guest party member.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will launch for Nintendo Switch in September 2022.
Source: Nintendo Life