The Xenoblade Chronicles 3 party is looking great with every reveal

destructoid.com:

Every Xenoblade Chronicles 3 party member reveal has been fantastic, and that includes this new one that showcases Juniper.

You can watch her slide in with “extreme” energy and use her beam bow in the below video:

ユズリハは、普段から森で暮らしているからか、とっても俊敏で木や細いロープの上もスイスイ動けるんですも！って危ないですも～！#ゼノブレイド3 pic.twitter.com/2vF1VJ4wtt

— ゼノブレイド総合 (@XenobladeJP) June 15, 2022

And this US tweet gives us a bit more background on the character:

The bow-wielding Juniper is among the heroes who’ll lend you their aid in #XenobladeChronicles3. Hailing from Agnus, this agile forest dweller can stealthily eliminate foes and take advantage of an enemy’s blind spot to deliver a powerful blow! pic.twitter.com/VZ5sDeQc4k

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 16, 2022

The “forest archer” trope is a tried and true idea, but she really rounds out the cast so far, which has been predominantly melee-focused. An agile stealth-based character sounds like a fun way to mix up your party, and I think alongside of Zeon, I have two front-runners.

That “final party cut” dilemma is a huge part of JRPGs, and I haven’t even played one iota of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and I’m really feeling it. Thankfully you can have a huge party in this game.

There’s a lot of nuance to some of the systems in the third entry, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it and dig in. Hopefully the story will deliver, especially in terms of the pacing. It’s one of the biggest things a Xenoblade Chronicles game can struggle with for a lot of people, and there’s potential to assuage that fear here.