The xeno series started with mechs as a big part of the combat system. This was true for xeno ears and the Xenosaga trilogy. The differences Xenoblade Chronicles games still featured mechs and robots, but they were no longer a big part of combat, aside from the now-forgotten Xenoblade Chronicles X. It also took almost the entire game to get those mechs.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 marks the return of mechs to combat in a big way. The six core party members can mate and combine into mech-like entities that are referred to by many names, but Ouroboros is a common one. There are also guest members, but they cannot transform. How do they all score out of the six in the game? There won’t be any major story spoilers ahead.
6 Noah
Noah is the first character to realize the power of Ouroboros. Both Noah and Mio see their friends in danger when Consul D’s monstrous form appears. Their transformation resembles a standard mech design that appeared earlier in this series.
Noah’s leading form wields a giant sword, much like Noah’s default class in the game. It varies on the slower side of some of the other mechs, but is a nice bonus attack when these shapes start to appear. There are some cool weapons with this shape later in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 but no more spoilers will be said here.
5 Lanzo
Lanz’s entire character revolves around protecting his friends. He may look like a berserker-esque class like in some other RPGs, but that giant sword of his is more of a shield. His Ouroboros form has two giant shield-like plates that can take a lot of damage while inflicting its own wounds on enemies.
He unlocks this form along with Eunie during the encounter with Ethel. He guards his friends long enough to give Mio a chance to throw Noah at the Flame Bell, allowing him to split it in two. It’s a wild cutscene, but Lanz’s form gets better in some of the later cutscenes. This event unlocks the party’s ability to use these shapes at will during combat, which is a huge advantage for the player.
4 Sena
Sena and Lanz are perfect polar opposites. She looks small as if her character will be a support class in the game. This little body, however, is nothing but muscle, for she is the enforcer of the group. Lanz looks like the brute, because of his size, but is instead the protector.
So they are opposites of each other, but also equals. These two forms combine in both an offensive and defensive Ouroboros form that can destroy enemies in the blink of an eye. When Sena takes charge and transforms for the first time, she is able to flip an entire colony on its back with one push. That’s some girl power there.
3 union
Eunie unlocks her form with Taion while confronting Ethel. Like her starting class, this Ouroboros form has a giant sniper rifle that can take out enemies from afar. There’s a healing side to it too, again, just like her medical class in Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Eunice’s form also has leaf-like wings that look great and help stabilize her target with this massive gun. The best scene where she uses this form is when she fights Consul D for the second time. The tables have turned this time, and the rowdy Consul D never saw it coming. This might be Eunie’s best moment in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 but the full details will not be spoiled here.
2 Taion
Taion takes shape by fighting Isurd, his former commander. It looks like Isurd but turns out to be a copy in the end. Still, fighting his former ally Taion pushes enough to the limits for his new form to appear. Talon’s starting class is a support medic, but he also attacks with a bunch of robots that look like a flock of origami cards and birds.
He is also the strategist of the group, constantly inventing new ways to better fight their enemies. These robotic weapons are also part of this new form, allowing Taion to be more stealthy. He can appear as visions and use these weapons to create alternate forms of himself such as some of the best video game ninjas and impostors out there.
1 Mio
At first it seems like there are only three Ouroboros forms in the game as there are six main characters and the transformations happen in pairs of two. It is then revealed that the character initiating the transformation will make that shape look different. In the fight against the mud version of Isurd and his base, Mio and her fellow Ouroboros teammates discover they can change their forms.
Mio’s new form looks like she’s an armored version of Bayonetta because her heels look like they have her guns on them. She is much faster than Noah, although her attack power is lower. It would be cool if Mio gets a wink in the upcoming sequel to the bayonetta series.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was released on July 29, 2022 and is available on Switch.
0 Comments