Xenoblade Chronicles Won't Make Melia & Nia Evil - It Loves the Monarchy Too Much

thegamer.com:

While fans of the series are obviously excited for Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s launch in July, some are a little apprehensive about its potential handling of returning heroes Melia and Nia. It’s me, I’m a little apprehensive about its potential handling of returning heroes Melia and Nia. If we take the pre-release information at face value, the two are now the respective queens of the warring Agnus and Keves nations and everything about them so far – their ominous fashion sense, eerie masks, and apparent want to destroy the new protagonists – suggests they’ll be among the game’s main antagonists.

Bringing back beloved heroes as villains is always a risky manoeuvre and making Melia and Nia the bad guys would be one of the most boneheaded decisions Monolith Soft could make. It would completely undermine their own character arcs from the previous games. However, I’m confident this won’t be the case. Not just because I trust the writing team, but because I’ve noticed a trend across the previous two games regarding how they depict monarchies. Or more specifically, the monarchs/rulers themselves.

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This article contains major spoilers for Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2

The first game only has the royal family of the High Entia, but they’re portrayed as benevolent, noble, and compassionate rulers. Melia being a party member gets most of the spotlight, but her father and brother have several moments to demonstrate how likeable they are: emotionally supporting Melia, welcoming her new friends, and sacrificing their own lives to save others. Melia’s stepmother is the one exception – a racist who wishes to keep the family’s bloodline pure and orchestrates an assassination attempt on Melia’s life – and she’s