Xenoblade Chronicles X Is More Than 5 Times as Large as the Original Xenoblade

The 271st issue of UK's Edge Magazine is starting to arrive in subscribers' hands. It's a Nintendo-focused issue with a main feature on Shigeru Miyamoto and inside peeks at several upcoming Wii U titles. One of the games on parade is Xenoblade Chronicles X, the sequel to the critically acclaimed 2012 Wii RPG Xenoblade Chronicles. We've already learned a lot about the game's development from E3, but one thing fans are particularly antsy about is any new information related to the rideable mechs. Well, Edge has you covered!

Over on NeoGAF, user Boy Wander has been sharing choice bits and quotes from the print periodical. Regarding Xenoblade Chronicles X, director Tetsuya Takahashi had this to say:

Vehicles are called Dolls. They are five times larger than a person. So to get the same feel as Xenoblade Chronicles, the map would need to be five times bigger. The game world in X is in fact even bigger than that.

Considering that one of the big talking points about the original Xenoblade was the massive world size, this news should no doubt get fans extremely excited.

Speaking of worlds, Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma had this to say about the open world in the newest Zelda:

Since we're talking about open worlds, let's state upfront that we don't plan to have an open world in the same way other companies have been doing in recent years.

What could this mean? Aonuma elaborated by explaining how as the series became more complex, progression became more linear so as not to make players feel completely lost. The solution is to return to a more simplistic structure so that players can know instinctively where to go without having to be guided, all while keeping the world connected and feeling like a real place. How will this be reflected in the final game? We'll have to keep tabs on new news to find out.

Xenoblade Chronicles X and the unnamed Zelda are scheduled for release on Wii U in 2015.