Fans of Monolith Soft‘s Xenoblade Chronicles 3 have spotted a sly edit to one of the game’s sequences. If the change was minor, it might not be a big concern that it wasn’t noted in the latest significant update for Xenoblade Chronicles 3. The difference was pointed out, though, and not without cause. Because of this change, gamers of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 may wonder if there is more to the plot than they have been led to believe.
Twitter users ui Ferrara, and TheJeminiteLaw noticed that a pivotal cutscene in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 included a character whose Blade had been changed. N, a primary antagonist in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, appears in this particular cutscene. N’s sword is no longer a black blade like the Lucky Seven sword used by the protagonist, Noah. Instead, the hilt of the new Blade, as is traditional, bears an ouroboros symbol.
Since N’s sword now looks like Noah’s, this transformation stands out much more. The familiar Nopon figure, Riku, gave Noah the strange Lucky Seven Blade. Legend has it that seven Nopon worked together to create this Blade, but the source of its incredible strength is never revealed. Its destructive potential against a Flame Clock is undeniable, however.
It fits the narrative of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 that N possessed a sword identical to Noah’s. However, this could reveal important story details before the player reaches them. Of course, it’s possible that Monolith Soft made the alteration to avoid spoiling anything, but their motivations could have been quite different.
It’s unusual to see a developer make such a drastic adjustment so close to the release date, regardless of Monolith Soft’s motivations. It’s unlikely that many people who have bought Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to play through the story haven’t already done so. Thus there’s no reason to alter the game in this regard. The tweak isn’t for the current game but rather something planned for the future.
