https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tpzCdnCFNM

Nintendo extensively showcased the upcoming Xenoblade Chronicles X in a 24 minute-long Nintendo Direct broadcast this morning. The video shows off the wild planet of Mira, and introduces us to the characters and the game’s systems. You can watch the stream above.

The release date for Xenoblade Chronicles X is April 29 in Japan, with European and North American releases following later.

Summary

The planet Mira consists of five continents in total (these names refer to the biomes of the continents): the Black Steel Continent, the Forgotten Canyon, the Luminous Forests, the Primal Wilderness, and the White Tree Continent, all of which are shown off in the video.

After the game’s characters crash land on the planet, they establish a city, New Los Angeles, composed of commercial, residential, industrial, and military areas.

The video shows off the basic game systems, too. The Navigation Ball and Hopper Camera are showcased. The former guides players from destination to destination, while the latter lets players see their characters’ surroundings from an aerial perspective.

We get a much better look at the mecha Dolls, which players can ride and control, in particular the robots’ various forms and modes of transportation. Players can traverse the game world on foot, but the Dolls allow them to travel faster, across land, water, and air.

Pre-loading for the game begins today in Japan. According to NeoGAF, the pre-load confirms the following: a singleplayer RPG; 4-player online quests; and 32-player indirect online play (for information and item exchange).

Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X bundle

Nintendo have also announced a Wii U bundle for the game, which will include a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles X; a Nintendo pre-paid card, featuring an original design inspired by the game, worth 1,000 yen; a physical map of the game world; and an art book. This Wii U bundle will launch in Japan at the same time as the game, and will cost 35,000 yen (about US$300).