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Discussion Tetsuya Takahashi’s message: The next Xenoblade game will likely be vastly different in style and music

Yeah I thought about that lately, Imagine if the fabled action-game that is supposedly in the works at least since 2017 is in fact a crazy Takahashi‘s take on Cyberpunk/Starfield/XenobladeX megalomaniac secret project. I remember him stating in the past he’d love that MSI would be the Japanese equivalent of Bethesda or something on those lines, and also he initially wanted XCX to expand the world between many planets, space travel and such…

That old recruit page pointed to a parallel project or pitch made by Zelda‘s Unit (Dev team 2, aka non-Takahashi team), but who knows if he is working/supervising/writing for that other separated team at the same time… the guy is crazy enough… and that could somewhat explain that the ad is still up, and that after six years they would be still in mid-development and far from release. The other logical option is that the game was rebooted or cancelled, or shifted to Redacted sometime in the last years…

again, he doesn’t have the manpower or budget to make something close to those games but he proved with XCX and XC3 that he can make gargantuan games in terms of content and map exploration with relatively small teams and limited time/money…

ok, I need to stop dreaming and waiting for my Trinity Box…
 
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karmitt said:
The difficult part is that the connective tissue feels pretty weak other than combat systems and Nopon. The combat system is hardly one that's worth clinging to. And I kind of hate Nopon - or I should say I hate their English voicing. When I think of common enemies in the games I guess I think of those wolf things and the "giant overpowered gorilla" you spot in early zones, but beyond that I'm not sure what carries over?

As long as they put the same effort into their cast of characters, writing, cutscenes, and world building, I'll be there. Also don't make it a first person shooter.
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I'll take xenoblade's combat over any combat system of the FF's I've played barring XIV (not for the intrinsic class design which has been destroyed post HW but for the encounter design)

In any case the xenoblade games are far more connected than FF
 
Zeal543 said:
I'll take xenoblade's combat over any combat system of the FF's I've played barring XIV (not for the intrinsic class design which has been destroyed post HW but for the encounter design)

In any case the xenoblade games are far more connected than FF
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Yeah I agree. If we were so reductive then FF connective tissue would be just Chocobos and invocations.
 
You can tell when you’re playing a Xenoblade game.

-the world
-the British voice acting
-the combat
-Nopon

If someone gave me a game and didn’t tell me the title, I can guess if it was a new Xenoblade. There’s a feeling to them that you’ll know. The world design you can see it’s Monolith. The combat has been similar ish enough to know it’s Xenoblade. And of course Nopon are in every game.
 
TheGreatLugia said:
This is the sort of thing Tetsuya Takahashi usually says after each project.

From November 2015 (after the JP release of Xenoblade Chronicles X):


From September 2018 (after the release of Xenoblade Chronicles 2's DLC):


time.com

5 Things 'Xenoblade Chronicles X' Director Tetsuya Takahashi Told Us

It's one of TIME's favorite games of the year
time.com time.com

www.vg247.com

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Sales Outside Japan Far Exceeded Monolith Soft's Expectations

It's good to be a JRPG on the Nintendo Switch. According to Monolith Soft Executive Director Tetsuya Takahashi, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and its recent DLC, To...
www.vg247.com www.vg247.com
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The wording seems more... dramatic(?) this time around imo

We went from "pretty different" to "vastly different"
 
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Reading the newer translation, I can't say I watch enough anime to be aware of this trend, fully understand how Engage the Enemy, Counterattack, and Weight of Life follow the trend, or understand how the trend fell out of vogue or when it did. So in that way, it means nothing to me and doesn't give much of a frame of reference for what he's talking about or how it could be different. But I find it interesting Sawano was one of the composers he saw as leading the way on this trend and actually offered Sawano's music as a sample to the XC1 composers as what he was going for given how different X's music sounds from the rest of the series. Takahashi being over the "trend" would seem to imply he's not super eager to work with Sawano again wouldn't it? Though it seems like he was already over the trend by the time of 3 but stuck with similar-sounding music because it made sense for the game's identity so maybe he would still try to get Sawano back for an X-2 regardless.

But also looking at replies here, are there any Xenoblade fans who actually like Xenoblade and it's style? I feel like all I ever hear is how the game should be different and do this and that. But does anyone actually just like fantasy worlds with sci-fi backstory, real-time but stat-based combat that allows for things like evasion builds, and ACE music? Surely I'm not the only one who played a weird sci-fantasy game in 2012 and said "I want more of this". I guess I'm happy I got two more of it, but Dragon Quest got 11, Fire Emblem got 20-ish, Kirby's probably got 20-ish too, Mario got a whole bunch of games with similar worlds and aesthetics.
 
If Takahashi can make a Final Fantasy 9 type of game for the next Xenoblade would be amazing!

He hasn’t done that kind of medieval theme
 
Reading what he said about Carrying the Weight of Life is devastating, but it’s understandable if his tastes have changed.

It worked extremely well when it was played, and is absolutely amazing to listen to outside of the game. I selfishly hope each Xenoblade game continues to get an equivalent track, even if Takahashi views it as a “compromise”
 
FF9 is interesting setting-wise, the architecture is rather medieval but the technology tends to push it more toward steampunk. In terms of DnD settings, FF9 is way more Eberron than Forgotten Realms. I actually wouldn't say it's that far from Xenoblade 2's world. I mean we had castles in Fonsa Myma and Auresco. Torna architecture was more Asian than European but still leaning toward medieval. While Fonsa Myma was European inspired but more Renaissance - though that's not too far from FF9's culture. The main difference is magic is actually mystical in Final Fantasy so it's less fantasy that's actually scientific (in-universe) and more science and technology aided by magic (which is how Xenoblade 1 and 2 present themselves up front).

I guess I'd be down for it. It's a thousand times more palatable to me than pure sci-fi

edit: though pure fantasy seems out of the question given they're still going to connect xenoblade 4 to the existing Xenoblade universe
 
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EtherPenguin said:
But also looking at replies here, are there any Xenoblade fans who actually like Xenoblade and it's style? I feel like all I ever hear is how the game should be different and do this and that. But does anyone actually just like fantasy worlds with sci-fi backstory, real-time but stat-based combat that allows for things like evasion builds, and ACE music? Surely I'm not the only one who played a weird sci-fantasy game in 2012 and said "I want more of this". I guess I'm happy I got two more of it, but Dragon Quest got 11, Fire Emblem got 20-ish, Kirby's probably got 20-ish too, Mario got a whole bunch of games with similar worlds and aesthetics.
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Because once you dig past thr surface, Xenoblade's 4 games are all pretty damn different from each other. So, of course, it's gonna have people holding a gun to each other when from the outside looking in, it's all Spider-Man pointing memes.

Spider-Verse-Feature.jpg
 
karmitt said:
The difficult part is that the connective tissue feels pretty weak other than combat systems and Nopon.
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I'm not sure I agree with this at all? Every game in the series feels distinctly "Xeno" to me, even outside of the combat. It's evident in their world design, the themes and certain elements that carry from one game to another. I'm playing Xenoblade 3 right now and it would still feel very close to the others even if it had a different combat system and if the Nopons were deemphasized. I don't think there needs to be much more than that to connect the games.
 
Dardan Sandiego said:
I'm not sure I agree with this at all? Every game in the series feels distinctly "Xeno" to me, even outside of the combat. It's evident in their world design, the themes and certain elements that carry from one game to another. I'm playing Xenoblade 3 right now and it would still feel very close to the others even if it had a different combat system and if the Nopons were deemphasized. I don't think there needs to be much more than that to connect the games.
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Well it helps that XC3 was to better connect 1 and 2.

It might be better to keep the Trilogy as one set of games and Xenoblade X as its own set. But then we only have 2 sets as a reference point and can't make a trendline
 
Wow, I can't believe we're going full circle and finally getting the videogame version of Xenoglossia, the secret Xeno chapter.



British Haruka Amami will certainly be interesting to hear.
 
EtherPenguin said:
FF9 is interesting setting-wise, the architecture is rather medieval but the technology tends to push it more toward steampunk. In terms of DnD settings, FF9 is way more Eberron than Forgotten Realms. I actually wouldn't say it's that far from Xenoblade 2's world. I mean we had castles in Fonsa Myma and Auresco. Torna architecture was more Asian than European but still leaning toward medieval. While Fonsa Myma was European inspired but more Renaissance - though that's not too far from FF9's culture. The main difference is magic is actually mystical in Final Fantasy so it's less fantasy that's actually scientific (in-universe) and more science and technology aided by magic (which is how Xenoblade 1 and 2 present themselves up front).

I guess I'd be down for it. It's a thousand times more palatable to me than pure sci-fi

edit: though pure fantasy seems out of the question given they're still going to connect xenoblade 4 to the existing Xenoblade universe
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Yea. Let’s get a Final Fantasy 9 world for Xenoblade
 
ILikeFeet said:
Well it helps that XC3 was to better connect 1 and 2.

It might be better to keep the Trilogy as one set of games and Xenoblade X as its own set. But then we only have 2 sets as a reference point and can't make a trendline
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I felt the same way about XC1 and XC2.
 
A dirty admission... I was really glad to read Takahashi's thoughts on 'Carrying the Weight of Life'. It's a fantastic track, and used perfectly in the game--but any more would have been too much. I loved 'Engage the Enemy' back in the day, but 'Counterattack' was played so frequently in XC2 that it started to get on my nerves--too predictable. Compositions like these--with such exaggerated emotion, cheesy electric guitars and massive melodies--run the risk of drowning out the emotions implicit in a scene. I felt a similar way about 'Desolation' and 'Walking With You' in XC2. Still wonderful, but I felt like the series was ready for a different approach.

--and that approach is exactly what we got in much of XC3, probably because Mitsuda's talents were wisely focused on the cutscene tracks. Those have much more the qualities of a film score--but an astounding, generational film score. A highly reassuring message to read. I'm greatly looking forward to the future (my money's on sci-fi ).
 
karmitt said:
The combat system is hardly one that's worth clinging to.
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😡

EtherPenguin said:
But also looking at replies here, are there any Xenoblade fans who actually like Xenoblade and it's style? I feel like all I ever hear is how the game should be different and do this and that. But does anyone actually just like fantasy worlds with sci-fi backstory, real-time but stat-based combat that allows for things like evasion builds, and ACE music? Surely I'm not the only one who played a weird sci-fantasy game in 2012 and said "I want more of this". I guess I'm happy I got two more of it, but Dragon Quest got 11, Fire Emblem got 20-ish, Kirby's probably got 20-ish too, Mario got a whole bunch of games with similar worlds and aesthetics.
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Yes, that'd be me, with the only difference being that I didn't catch on until 2013.

I'm excited for whatever they make next, but I adore the combat, and ACE (and really all the composers, Kiyota doesn't get enough love), and the seamlessly blended fantasy and sci-fi elements, and

I think you get it lol. But in fairness, you're naming IPs that got their first entries when games took a couple years to make. Since more time passes between entries now, it's not too surprising tastes are changing faster relative to the number of games compared to before.

Pierre Menard said:
I loved 'Engage the Enemy' back in the day, but 'Counterattack' was played so frequently in XC2 that it started to get on my nerves--too predictable.
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Hah, I wonder if this was in part because this style was a trend that had ran its course. In base XC2, Counterattack is used 8 times, to Engage the Enemy's 9 in XC. (Though Torna used it an additional two times while I don't believe FC used Engage the Enemy at all.)

That said, the chapter structure of 2 was more predictable than the first game's, and Counterattack was used almost exclusively at chapter climaxes - like Takahashi describes. XC1's emotional high points were more randomly strewn about.

Still, it was a touch predictable there too - all but one Metal Face appearance saw Engage the Enemy used, including the fairly close together Valak Mountain and Sword Valley encounters.
 
Jersh said:
In base XC2, Counterattack is used 8 times, to Engage the Enemy's 9 in XC.
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Hahaha, that's fantastic! I think you're on the mark about why it seemed to stand out to me more, then--it's a matter of where it was used, and how it played into XC2's chapter structure. I do also think that Engage the Enemy has slightly more emotional malleability than Counterattack.

As for Carrying the Weight of Life, it's not like Hiramatsu just repeated the same thing--the guitar is way deemphasised and the melody somewhat more restrained. And of course the flutes at the end provide a contrasting emotion that, I believe, really amplifies the ambiguity and resonance of the piece. I think these differences between the three are expressed quite accurately in their titles.

Far be it from me to be too negative--I do love Xenoblade for being Xenoblade.
 
EtherPenguin said:
But also looking at replies here, are there any Xenoblade fans who actually like Xenoblade and it's style? I feel like all I ever hear is how the game should be different and do this and that. But does anyone actually just like fantasy worlds with sci-fi backstory, real-time but stat-based combat that allows for things like evasion builds, and ACE music? Surely I'm not the only one who played a weird sci-fantasy game in 2012 and said "I want more of this".
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Yup, me. The big fantasy-to-scifi shift was the point in the first game where I realized it'd be one of my all-time favorites. It landed so well, made a great world even greater, and it still sends chills down my neck to think about the moment I realized what was going on ("Landmark: Saturn" 🤯). I enjoyed X for the world they built (the story didn't really hook me) but then was thrilled to see XB2 return to form in the ways it did. And the ACE+ with added Mitsuda is a really big cherry on top that I hope will continue on for the series in whatever form the series takes.

The only thing I'm not a fan of is the realtime auto-attack battle system (and I'm a weirdo who preferred XB1/XBX's battle system to XB2's) but absolutely everything else is so good that I just power through and do my best with the battles.

Lugia667 said:
I do wonder if some of the desire to be different is just as result of the stigma that came attached with 2
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Not sure about others but my desire for something different just comes from wanting the team to keep things fresh and surprising. My concern is that Takahashi could be sorta pigeonholed into a specific game type by Nintendo (now that XB is doing well and gaining notoriety) and won't be able to make what he wants to make. If he wants to make a straight-up scifi next like Xenosaga, I'm down. If we wants to make a traditional fantasy like FFIX, I'm down. If he wants to make another hybrid of the two like Xenoblade, I'm down. As long as it continues to be the vision of Takahashi and the team.
 
ILikeFeet said:
Because once you dig past thr surface, Xenoblade's 4 games are all pretty damn different from each other. So, of course, it's gonna have people holding a gun to each other when from the outside looking in, it's all Spider-Man pointing memes.

Spider-Verse-Feature.jpg
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Well, yes and no. Each entry has its own combat system but they still fall under the general category of stat based realtime. Just feels like this is the only 'fandom' I'm a part of where most people want it to be something completely different. To me it's at the sweet spot where you can expect to get the general thing you like but the specifics are different every time to keep things fresh and always have a new combat system to explore while still getting the general type of of combat I like. And some work better than others for different people. 2's probably my favorite world in the series but my least favorite combat and party (aside from Nia). X is definitely the most different setting-wise but it also seems more like its own sub-series given its lack of a number, and gameplay-wise it definitely still feels like Xenoblade.

But with Fire Emblem, for the two most recent titles, we had one to go new places and expand the idea of a base camp in between chapters into a time management sim about raising your units through the academy and more JRPG-like customization of the characters with class hybridization. Then the second was a more back-to-basics barebones Fire Emblem with a paper-thin story. And people can debate endlessly the direction they want for the series. Very customizable units vs. better balanced set classes for units, activities between chapters vs. get on with the main gameplay. But regardless of what they do or what the specifics being debated are, we all know and expect the next entry will be about moving units around a grid in turn based battles at its core. You don't get many "why don't they just make it play like Kingdom Hearts" with Fire Emblem.

chocolate_supra said:
(and I'm a weirdo who preferred XB1/XBX's battle system to XB2's)
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Oh, I do too. The ability design for the series was at its best in those two
 
I just received an “reinsurance” email from Procyon about my Xenoblade 3 and Trinity soundtracks. They said they had some issues with the quality of the packaging (not protecting it good enough) and demanded the logistics company to change the materials and care to make sure the remaining orders are sent with warranties. They’re apparently expecting to ship all of them before the end of August, so we need to be patient I guess. Good news is that the OSTs will be quite well protected against transportation damage.
 
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EtherPenguin said:
Oh, I do too. The ability design for the series was at its best in those two
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Plus the arts palette was just easier for me to wrap my head around. All your arts are there, visible and selectable, nothing hiding behind, like what was it in XB2, having to hold L or R to flip the face-button arts to a second layer or something? I just like how even though the action was realtime the arts palette felt like a piece of a menu-based system still hanging on. It grounded the whole battle system for me, having a menu to scroll through for abilities. When they shifted it to the face buttons it felt like they were trying to action-ify the system further, which was not the direction I wanted to go in. 😅

ika said:
I just received an “reinsurance” email from Procyon about my Xenoblade 3 and Trinity soundtracks. They said the had some issues with the quality of the packaging (not protecting it good enough) and demanded the logistics company to change the materials and care to make sure the remaining orders are sent with warranties. They’re apparently expecting to ship all of them before the end of August, so we need to be patient I guess. Good news is that the OSTs will be quite well protected against transportation damage.
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Awesome that the cared enough to make a fuss and get that fixed, wow.
 
ika said:
I just received an “reinsurance” email from Procyon about my Xenoblade 3 and Trinity soundtracks. They said they had some issues with the quality of the packaging (not protecting it good enough) and demanded the logistics company to change the materials and care to make sure the remaining orders are sent with warranties. They’re apparently expecting to ship all of them before the end of August, so we need to be patient I guess. Good news is that the OSTs will be quite well protected against transportation damage.
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Good to hear for everyone else, my Trinity Box did come in with a damaged corner. I haven't made a fuss about it because I assume there's not much that can be done.
 
chocolate_supra said:
Plus the arts palette was just easier for me to wrap my head around. All your arts are there, visible and selectable, nothing hiding behind, like what was it in XB2, having to hold L or R to flip the face-button arts to a second layer or something? I just like how even though the action was realtime the arts palette felt like a piece of a menu-based system still hanging on. It grounded the whole battle system for me, having a menu to scroll through for abilities. When they shifted it to the face buttons it felt like they were trying to action-ify the system further, which was not the direction I wanted to go in. 😅
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That was Soma Bringer and Dragon Age. Xenoblade 2 had three arts per blade and switching blades on the D-pad. Interestingly, the whole driver and blade mechanic and the idea of switching blades seems to have resulted from a desire to have arts on the face buttons while de-abstracting 'page flipping' for which arts are on the face button. Takahashi talked about it a little in a Japanese interview that Nintendo Everything did a summary of. Apparently designing the combat to work with the joycons and making it easier to move while selecting arts came first and then the setting with drivers and blades sprung from that:

4Gamer then asks about the division of characters between the player-controlled Driver and the Blade partners. Takahashi answers that he thought of the gameplay system first before the world setting. Xenoblade Chronicles X had Battle Arts which use d-pad buttons to unleash techniques, but it would prove difficult to control these actions while moving. So to remedy that, considering the Switch has the Joy-Con that can be split in two, he assigned the buttons in a way so that players can feel like they have more direct control. But just simply doing that wouldn’t make it interesting, so when he thought about adding more personality to the characters, he came up with the relationship between Drivers and Blades.
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nintendoeverything.com

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 director on development, inspiration for the world and setting, upcoming DLC, more

Around the launch of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Japanese outlet 4Gamer caught up with director Tetsuya Takahashi for a lengthy conversation. The two sides discussed all sorts of different aspects regarding the game’s creation, including a return to numbered entries, the inspiration for the world as...
nintendoeverything.com nintendoeverything.com

This is also the interview we he reveals the original idea for 2 was Ultraman inspired and had the characters with giant mech companions instead of blades.
 
Jersh said:
Good to hear for everyone else, my Trinity Box did come in with a damaged corner. I haven't made a fuss about it because I assume there's not much that can be done.
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Sad to hear that :( it can be frustrating when they do limited editions and these kind of things happens. I remember Nintendo Ibérica (and shipping company) screw up big time with Xenoblade 3 LE goodies sending it in a soft bubble envelope instead of a more secure cardboard box and some people got it damaged.
 
ika said:
Sad to hear that :( it can be frustrating when they do limited editions and these kind of things happens. I remember Nintendo Ibérica (and shipping company) screw up big time with Xenoblade 3 LE goodies sending it in a soft bubble envelope instead of a more secure cardboard box and some people got it damaged.
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Yeah. But at least for me, I'm someone who gets joy from actually playing the CDs instead of ripping them to my phone once and leaving the box on a shelf forever, so I don't regret the purchase.
 
Jersh said:
Good to hear for everyone else, my Trinity Box did come in with a damaged corner. I haven't made a fuss about it because I assume there's not much that can be done.
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I would definitely contact Procyon Studio support about that. From messages I've seen on Twitter they're trying to send out replacements for damaged parts. (Still waiting on my albums myself. I ordered both and I have a suspicion that people who ordered both are last in line for shipping.)
 
I just hope the music is still as good. I dont want vocal music in this game during my gameplay.
 
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I'm not terribly attached to the combat system but I also don't think it needs to be completely jettisoned for a new entry as long as they have ideas to keep it fresh. I do wish they took more notes from Final Fantasy XII though. With XB I always feel like I don't have quite as much control as I'd like to have.
 
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Toad King said:
I would definitely contact Procyon Studio support about that. From messages I've seen on Twitter they're trying to send out replacements for damaged parts. (Still waiting on my albums myself. I ordered both and I have a suspicion that people who ordered both are last in line for shipping.)
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Well, I wish I had done so upon receiving it then, but I suppose I may as well try now. Thanks for the heads-up!

Edit: Though if anyone else is doing this, I think this page is more appropriate, and what I found them link to on Twitter for a similar case: https://www.procyon-store.com/en/pages/contact
Similar, but it's Procyon Store, not Procyon Studio.
 
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A week later, they've responded:

Before packing and shipping the item, the logistics company in charge of shipping your order confirmed that the exterior of the item was not damaged. Unfortunately, it seems that it was damaged during shipping. Generally, we do not accept requests for replacements after 8 days have passed since the item was delivered...
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Well, my own fault for waiting - and makes sense, to protect against customer-damaged parts, but:
...however, we have decided to make an exception in your case. While we cannot replace the entire item, we would like to provide you with a replacement of the damaged top part of the box.
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Well, how nice of them!

I'm mainly posting this just to say if you receive a damaged product, reach out immediately to https://www.procyon-store.com/en/pages/contact with details. They'll request a follow-up email with photos (there's not way to do it in the initial ticket creation).

(Is this worth creating a new thread over for visibility?)
 
Finally! Just got the Fedex notification/track number the very last day of the month they were not kidding lol!

They estimate the parcel to arrive next Wednesday, a bit too long for a "priority" delivery IMO (maybe they're expecting a delay on customs or just being conservative...) but oh well... at least it finally coming.

Can't wait to se the flute replicas and the Trinity box and booklet :D !!!
 
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You know, I'd be perfectly ok with a Xenoblade Chronicles X complete reboot.

  • Wipe all the characters, there's no one to save here.
  • Send the designer who likes to put 13yo in bikini suit to jail.
  • Explore the past of your writers, if they worked on Star Ocean The Last Hope, Eternal Sonata or Star Ocean : Integrity and Faithlessness, fire them immediately.
  • Bring back the character designer from Xenoblade Chronicles 3. If he doesn't want, force him to watch a longplay of Star Ocean The Last Hope with a team that only consist of Edge, Lymle, Meracle and Sarah. He WILL work with you afterwards.
  • Kick that composer in the nuts if he wants to rename his tracks in K3v1n.
 
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