I love it
As time went on, studios created a lot of “singular protagonist controlled” JRPGs. In moderation and in some visions, it could work. But occasionally, it would get old. I want to control the entire party! It’s their journey after all. The Xenoblade Chronicles 3 party switch mechanic will blow that wide open.
Through a pair of unlisted videos on the Japanese Nintendo YouTube account (drawn from this page here), we can see a bit more of the game in action. The first clip is short but fairly important for a lot of people out there. It shows off running in the field, with the ability to quickly swap out party members. While the video showcases banter when swapping, I hope it goes even further and we get monologues and such from the active party member.
Here’s a video of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 party switch mechanic in the field, with banter!
Next up is the “quick move” mechanic, which lets you move around freely when fighting, either for positional moves, or to get a better vantage point. It also showcases a bit of the battle system in action, without trailer magic.
Then there’s another quick video on starting combat with an enemy in the field, with the HUD included.
This level of freedom is fantastic. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 seems to be improving the series in a few key spots: and as much as I like the first two games, there’s a lot of room for improvement in terms of quality of life features like this.
Again, all of the above info is collated here on the Japanese website for the game.
