Nintendo has revealed the release date for "Xenoblade Chronicles 2," an upcoming role-playing game (RPG) for the Nintendo Switch.
"Xenoblade Chronicles 2" is coming out in December. Not only will it have a standard release, the game will also come with special, limited edition merchandise for fans.
The Special Edition will include a copy of the game, a soundtrack CD, a 220-page art book and a steelbook case. All this will retail for $100. The company also announced a special "Xenoblade"-themed Switch Pro controller which will retail for $75.
Developed by Monolith Soft, "Xenoblade Chronicle 2" is the sequel to the Nintendo Wii game. It will once again be an open world RPG filled with quests and monsters as well as adopt a chibi, anime-inspired game style that seeks to emphasize the size of the game's environment.
"Xenoblade Chronicles 2" will feature Rex and his friend Pyra as they search the world for Elysium, the ultimate paradise for humanity in a world of endless clouds where what is left of civilization rests on the back of the Titans.
Monolith Soft co-founder Tetsuya Takahashi has spoken about how the real world influenced the game.
"In this game world that we're trying to create, there are these enormous beings called Titans that people live on and, that's their land. But their land, the Titans, are dying," he told Gamespot. "Once they die, they sink into the cloud sea, so all these people are going to lose their land."
"They're not going to be able to survive, and I think when you look at it in the real world, I think something like that, something similar happens where there is a lot of competition for resources in the world we live in right now," he added.
Takahashi also mentioned that while the United States and Japan are relatively wealthy countries where people live comfortably, there are countries that are very poor and people struggle as part of their everyday existence.
He said that "trying to think about what can we do for all of us to live together well and how can we do that" is one of his inspirations when he comes up with games such as "Xenoblade Chronicles 2."
The game comes out for the Nintendo Switch on Dec. 1.
