Watchful fans of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 have noticed that developer Monolith Soft made a sneaky change to one of the RPG's cutscenes. The change went unmentioned in Xenoblade Chronicles 3's recent major update, which wouldn't necessarily be a big deal if it was a small edit. The alteration did get noticed, however, and for good reason. It's a surprising change to a significant Xenoblade Chronicles 3 cutscene and Monolith Soft's decision has already led players to speculate there could be more to it than meets the eye.Blades in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 are important. It's named Xenoblade, after all. A Blade doesn't have to be a sword. It can be a gun, shield, hammer, or any other weapon. What's important is that the Blade be used to kill people in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which in turn feeds Flame Clocks used to feed life into the game's Ferronis military installations. It's a dark premise, to be sure, but it's important so as to make clear that Blades represent more than just a weapon in-universe.As recognized by Twitter users ui_frara and TheJeminiteLaw, a key cutscene in Xenoblade Chronicles 3's has seen an important character's Blade replaced (beware the spoilers). The cutscene in question features N, key antagonist of Xenoblade Chronicles 3. N's sword, a black blade similar to protagonist Noah's Lucky Seven sword, has been replaced by something else entirely. The new sword notably features an ouroboros in its hilt.
The change is particularly notable due to, as mentioned, N's sword looking remarkably similar to Noah's sword. The Lucky Seven is a mysterious Blade that Noah was given by the cuddly Nopon character Riku. This Blade was described as a sword of legend crafted by seven Nopon, but why it's so powerful is never fully explained. Its power is clear, however, due to its ability to destroy a Flame Clock.
That N had a near-identical sword to Noah makes sense within the context of Xenoblade Chronicles 3's story. But it also potentially spoils a major plot point before players arrive to it. That Monolith Soft changed it could be in an effort to preserve that spoiler, or it could be for different reasons altogether.
Regardless of the reasons why Monolith Soft made the change, it's rare to see a developer do something so radical this late after launch. The vast majority of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 players who want to experience the game's story have likely already done so, so there's no reason to make the change. But there is a possibility that the change isn't for the game as it is, but for what's to come. Perhaps the new Blade will be relevant when Xenoblade Chronicles 3's fourth DLC, which features an entirely new scenario, releases by the end of 2023.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is available now on Switch.
Source: NoisyPixel
