Socran
Fresh Recruit
Posts: 17
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Post by Socran on Jan 15, 2017 17:27:49 GMT -5
I wouldn't COMPLETELY rule out Homura literally being the sword (although I think they'd need to add a radically new gameplay element to go along with it - maybe the entire party consists of Drivers and their Blades with some mechanic to activate/summon them or something), but yeah, I think the sword is a sign of their bond. It'd be kind of awkward for Rex to promise to protect Homura and then literally just swing her at the enemy as a blunt (laser) instrument.
Although one thing did occur to me which could potentially put a wrinkle in this. Assuming we can still visibly change outfits and Homura is a standard character we can do this with, that would mean that she loses most of her Monado similarities when she changes outfits. Of course, it could simply be that the visual similarities are established with the outfit she's first found in, and wearing different clothes ties thematically with Rex's choice to view her as a person rather than a weapon. Plus, she apparently goes to a bath house at one point, and it would be strange to go there in full robot armor.
The one thing that bugs me about his theories is that Elysium might be the surface, even though the name of the song is "Elysium of the Blue Skies". Again, not something I would completely rule out, but the evidence clearly points to the opposite being more likely. (Also, Zanza's Japanese name apparently wasn't Xanthe, it's actually spelled as Zanza in the official credits listing that includes Carna and Vandamme. There was a weird spelling for Mumkhar too, but I forget.)
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Post by ancientrune on Jan 15, 2017 19:08:47 GMT -5
I believe that the song that plays during the final battle is called Xanthe
Speaking of clothes change, he mentions that he thought it was the MC in a different costume riding the animal and not nia
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Socran
Fresh Recruit
Posts: 17
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Post by Socran on Jan 15, 2017 20:44:00 GMT -5
Yeah I have no clue how he came to that conclusion. He mentions that the bangs are a different color than the hat, but the hat is what has the same color as Rex's hair, while the bangs appear to be blonde. That's almost certainly Nia wearing a hat that has space for her ears.
(Why does the content of that quote keep disappearing no matter how many times I edit it? This board is weird as hell.)
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Post by Primulus on Jan 16, 2017 5:33:39 GMT -5
The site for MonolithSoft got some new images uploaded to it, so I'd thought I'd share. Two were taken as screenshots from the site directly since I couldn't pull them any other way, while the last one is just linked straight from the site. Some interesting bits and pieces here, like the shape of the Zohar/Lifehold piece on the redhead's chest not being there, and instead a more vaguely cross shape is there instead. Also of interest is the scar on the main character's chest; this is not present in the trailer at all. It looks kind of important, the way his costume is designed around it (and the fact that it's still designed as if it's supposed to be there in the trailer). Those curious to see this for themselves (including a much better view of the Whale artwork) can check out the site here: www.monolithsoft.co.jp/recruit/special/index.html
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Post by ancientrune on Jan 16, 2017 8:10:40 GMT -5
Speaking of artwork this was also found Conformation she doesn't transform into the sword like people suggested Also dat outfit. Ok now that im done ogling her cheeky personality does anyone else think that the tassels on her back represent wings, perhaps instead of transforming into the sword she transforms into some sort of flying beast, a Telethia maybe. Could that be what they mean by Rex being a driver. Also wanted to point out what Primulus said, the scar likely represents some sort of link between him and Homura especially since if he dies she dies.
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Post by flameheadshero on Jan 16, 2017 15:23:54 GMT -5
ancientrune That's not exactly a confirmation, I would say. This looks like promotional art and those aren't always drawn in a canon way. For example, the iconic Monado art that this image is inspired by takes place in a location that doesn't actually exist in the game. I think if we actually see her and the sword side-by-side in the actual game it will be a confirmation. That said, she might not necessarily turn into the sword but I wouldn't be surprised if she's like Fi from Skyward Sword where she is essentially a spirit that lives in the sword. In general, I think people are mostly thinking she is the sword because it's a very common trope in anime.
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Socran
Fresh Recruit
Posts: 17
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Post by Socran on Jan 16, 2017 18:22:35 GMT -5
Yeah I would only mark it as "evidence", not confirmation. Enough to hopefully shut people up who are insisting that she's definitely the sword, though. Also, do we know exactly where this picture came from? Primulus indicated that he couldn't actually find a source, and since it's a slightly altered version of a picture we already got, I wouldn't completely rule it out being a hoax either - albeit a very good one that doesn't fall into a few common "fake leak" tropes that I'm familiar with. But I have seen one or two instances before of edited concept art being used as a fake leak, so I'd like to be able to pin down an exact source.
Edit: That being said, it would be extremely bizarre to make concept art showing the same character essentially twice, if it is real. Not completely out of the question, but I feel if they really wanted to do that, they could probably have the sword sitting in the grass behind them like in the original Xenoblade title card. This would portray it as being more "detached" from the pair's current circumstance.
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Post by ancientrune on Jan 16, 2017 19:00:34 GMT -5
I just wanted to mention something about the supposed 2017 release date. I was watching easy allies review from the guy who played it at the event and he mentioned that he said nobody believes its coming in 2017.
I kind of agree but with how much Monolithsoft seems to be pushing it and Zelda, I would assume that since Zelda is done they might be bringing some of their team to help MS finish the game since its obvious MS had a big part in making BOTW
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Post by Wolfe on Jan 21, 2017 12:08:52 GMT -5
I had a bit of a distracting week surrounding the Switch stream so I'm sorry I haven't popped back in sooner. I'd also like to welcome Socran -- it's a pleasure to have you here, I hope you'll continue to join us to grow Xenoboards into a non-toxic place to discuss this now-burgeoning RPG franchise! Now to the driver part, when i first heard the term it made me ask myself a certain question "what does he drive" could it be a mech of some sort or an ancient ship. I then thought while that may be something we may see I figured that was just too simple for Takahashi and then it hit me, if there is a significant relationship between driver and blade and Taka loves his sci-fi I figured that Driver is something similar to a device driver in a computer. It seems that the Monado like blade is some kind of physical representation of said connection and applies to Rex and Homura that when the driver dies the monado is destroyed along with the Blade. I assume that why the zohar symbol is on sword and not Rex. I think you could be right on the money there, especially considering the implications from the ending of XC1 that the world is a computer program and the Monado is like a key that enables its wielder to read and change things within it, including (but not limited to) future events. If Rex's role as a driver is analogous to a device driver, that explanation would extend to the relationship between Driver and Blade, because if a device driver is terminated then the hardware/software ceases to function.
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Post by NotAShieldlesscapAlt on Feb 5, 2017 23:00:51 GMT -5
I've mentioned it on the GameFAQS board several times, but to me, the whale appears to be some sort of mix between a Telethia and a Scintimure. (Though I only really see this in the trailer, but not in the concept art)
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Post by triforcepower on Feb 6, 2017 11:13:23 GMT -5
Who all thinks this game is actually gonna release this year?
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Post by inquisitor on Feb 6, 2017 11:27:52 GMT -5
I'd say it has a snowball's chance in hell of releasing this year. I'll be very surprised if it doesn't get delayed at least once
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Post by DemonLordCipher on Feb 6, 2017 11:28:29 GMT -5
Who all thinks this game is actually gonna release this year? *Raises hand* I do. ...In Japan. I don't expect the US release to take tons longer after, though.. Maybe Holiday 2017 in Japan and a few months after for international.
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Post by triforcepower on Feb 6, 2017 11:35:37 GMT -5
Yeah, I expect it to release at earliest the end of the year in Japan, but Summer 2018 in the rest of the world. Again, that's the absolute earliest I would expect it.
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Post by flameheadshero on Feb 6, 2017 11:51:00 GMT -5
The fact that they already show voice acting and cutscenes in the trailer makes me feel like the game is farther along than when X was revealed since that was just gameplay which was clearly in some sort of test, beta mode. I think they didn't show gameplay for this trailer intentionally. So I think it will come out in 2017 in Japan and then 2018 for everyone else like you're saying. But I wouldn't at all be surprised if it gets delayed altogether. I think we'll know when E3 comes around.
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Post by triforcepower on Feb 6, 2017 12:16:50 GMT -5
We should definitely expect at least one delay so we're not disappointed when it eventually is pushed back. But I agree that it's probably farther along than X was. An important thing to remember is that one of the biggest reasons for X's ridiculously long period from the time it was revealed to the time it was released (in Japan) was that MS had never developed an HD game before. But with XC2, I'm pretty sure they're reusing the same engine from XCX. And even if not, they know how to make an HD game now and have learned a lot from XCX.
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Post by Wolfe on Feb 6, 2017 18:32:16 GMT -5
We should definitely expect at least one delay so we're not disappointed when it eventually is pushed back. But I agree that it's probably farther along than X was. An important thing to remember is that one of the biggest reasons for X's ridiculously long period from the time it was revealed to the time it was released (in Japan) was that MS had never developed an HD game before. But with XC2, I'm pretty sure they're reusing the same engine from XCX. And even if not, they know how to make an HD game now and have learned a lot from XCX. Yup, that's a significant difference here compared to XCX.
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Post by ancientrune on Feb 7, 2017 16:35:22 GMT -5
Haldo! I've got a loooot to say about this one, but I'm trying to avoid the GameFAQs page thanks to a combination of OCD and not wanting to deal with s***. (Those of you who know me from Xenoblade X's pre-release know that I was kind of infamous for obsessively keeping track of absolutely everything and reading and responding to every topic. Yeah, not good for your mental health in communities as toxic as anything Nintendo-related has gotten lately.) So here's my take on the trailer!
(Dunno how to put quotes in the middle of a post on this board but I'm quoting this: "In one, Vandam(yes, everyone's favorite), is discussing some relationship between "Blade" and "Driver" with Rex. He explains that the "Blade" is immortal and will recover from injuries quickly, unless some 'core' on their chest is destroyed, or if their "Driver" dies. Rex says something about how "Drivers" protect the "Blade", and thus, he will protect Homura.")
Huh. Primulus actually told me about the first part, but either left out that last line or I just missed it. At any rate, less than an hour ago I suddenly thought, "Wait! What if the redhead is a Blade and Rex is her Driver? This is such a revelation!" Apparently not so much, lol. But there's one detail you may have missed. After coming up with this theory, I did a double take, and realized that Homura's design is pretty much a personified form of Rex's Monado (or whatever it'll be called). I believe that the plot of this game is set off by Rex discovering the Monado, which acts as a key that inadvertently activates its Blade counterpart, essentially sealing a pact between them with him as her Driver. Rex strikes me as someone whose normal occupation is as a scavenger, with that outfit likely being meant to protect him as he explores dangerous locations looking for scrap and old relics, and he ends up finding both the Monado and a deactivated Homura in the process.
But that's all just guessing. What I really wanted to post about is that tree at the end. It seems like pretty much nobody has taken a close enough look at it to realize that it keeps going up, past the point where its branches end. But rather than being more tree, it almost looks like it's just a straight pole sticking out. So what is it? Well, let's look at the mythological influences... That tree definitely has the vibes of some sort of "world tree". In mythology, a world tree frequently serves as a sort of link between different worlds, with its branches extending into heaven and its roots reaching down into the underworld (give or take six more worlds depending on how Norse you are). "Elysium" (or "Rakuen" in Japanese) seems to be the name of an important place in this game, and both are the names of a paradise in the afterlife - Heaven, basically. Which means it's very likely that this tree serves as a path to Elysium. But why the pole? Well, it's a Takahashi game. He loves blending fantasy and sci-fi together. And do you know what sci-fi (and possibly not "fi" forever) concept links the Earth to the heavens? An orbital elevator. I believe that Elysium is a high-technology civilization in the sky, like Solaris from Xenogears, and the tree disguises the elevator that connects them with the world below. They're likely the ones who created the Monado and the Blades, which could explain why Rex wants to go there for Homura's sake.
One last thing that I noticed while waiting for my activation e-mail for this board to come through. That moving mountain at 0:18? Well, it's hard to really pin it down exactly, but it kind of looks like the fin of a giant fish from the perspective of someone standing on its back. That giant white whale (ha) that we see in the title shot may actually be our Bionis. But if that's the case, and the game really does take place in the sky, then what's underneath the clouds? One thing I really liked about the first Xenoblade was that everything was relevant and had an explanation. Nothing was added just for the sake of having "neat lore", like so many other RPGs these days. So I expect that whatever is underneath those clouds (with the simplest answer being just "the ground") is relevant to the game's story. Especially since it seems the tree/elevator extends both upward past your current elevation and downward to the surface, backing up its status as a world tree that connects the Earth, the heavens, and the underworld. In that case, if the higher world is called Elysium, perhaps the lower world is Tartarus? I think that knowing how Takahashi loves his plot twists im thinking that a major twist may be the fact that Elysium is actually more likely a bad place and not the promised land they think it is
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Post by gamersoft on Feb 7, 2017 16:45:24 GMT -5
There is either underwater exploration or we are diving under the clouds like skyward sword.
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Socran
Fresh Recruit
Posts: 17
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Post by Socran on Feb 7, 2017 18:22:25 GMT -5
I think that knowing how Takahashi loves his plot twists im thinking that a major twist may be the fact that Elysium is actually more likely a bad place and not the promised land they think it is I think it's not so much a "bad place" as it is "the place where the bad guys live". I expect that the "Egil" of this game will be from there.
There is either underwater exploration or we are diving under the clouds like skyward sword. Rex's outfit isn't airtight at all, and I think even the front part of the helmet has open grates on it, so I wouldn't take it as a sign that we'll be going underwater. It seems to be more for environmental protection.
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