See the future in Xenoblade's battles

Monolith Soft's Xenoblade remains something of a mystery, even one month before its Japanese release. A new trailer (after the break) and new screens, analyzed by IGN, shed some light on the way battles play out in the RPG -- and it's nothing like Xenogears or Xenosaga.

Monolith took the Final Fantasy XII/White Knight Chronicles route with this game: real-time movement combined with time-constrained attacks. Your party is controlled by AI, as are your character's basic attacks. You affect the flow of battle by using your character's special attacks. You can also use the Monado sword's "vision" ability to see a few seconds into the future and anticipate enemy attacks.

Xenoblade will be released in Japan on June 10. Prospects for a North American release are unclear.

[Via N-Europe]