Despite all the highly anticipated Nintendo games releasing later this year, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has managed to turn a surprising amount of heads. With an uncharacteristically early release date and all the boundless freedom and user agency that fans have come to expect from the Xenoblade Chronicles series, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 looks incredibly promising so far. However, the recent ESRB description paints a better picture of what fans can expect from the game.
Some members of the gaming community may not know this, but ESRB ratings can sometimes allude to major occurrences within games or even predict the existence of entire consoles. Back when the Xbox Series X was still in development, the ESRB rating of certain games hinted at the Xbox Series S being developed in tandem with the Series X before it was even announced. Now, since receiving its official ESRB rating, a brief description of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 reveals certain moments from the game.
Over on the official ESRB website, the description given for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 details various facets that players have seen in practically every installment in the series, such as third-person melee battles, suggestive armor, several instances of violence during cutscenes, and much more. However, the very first line of the description reveals a substantial part of the narrative.
During the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 announcement trailer, it was revealed that the game would center on a conflict between two warring nations, and the ESRB description echoes that sentiment within the first sentence. The description also explains various acts of violence that occur throughout the game, such as a woman shooting herself offscreen, a man stabbing himself offscreen, and several characters getting impaled by swords.
While the description luckily doesn't give away too much in terms of narrative, it does give fans of the series a better idea of what to expect from the upcoming third installment. The Xenoblade Chronicles franchise is comparably younger than a lot of other Nintendo properties, but the excitement that people have for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is certainly noticeable.
It's surprising how popular Xenoblade Chronicles has gotten over the years. Back when the original Xenoblade Chronicles was released in North America, a relatively small amount of people in the gaming community knew that it even existed, but the series has now gotten so recognizable to the point where fans managed to notice an Xenoblade Easter egg in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. With any luck, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will manage to live up to its predecessors.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 releases July 29, 2022, for Nintendo Switch.
