In its ongoing 61st season, the venerable soap opera Days of Our Lives delivered an unexpected surprise to Nintendo fans. A character on the show name-dropped one of Nintendo’s less mainstream franchises, much to the internet’s delight and bewilderment.
During a recent episode, Salem University student Aaron was seen attempting to flirt with his classmate, Arianna, outside his dorm room. Seeking a clever reason to invite her inside, Aaron confidently proposed they could “play Xenoblade on my Switch.” While some might argue a more universally recognized title like Mario Kart would have been a safer bet, Aaron stuck to his guns.
To both Aaron’s and the audience’s astonishment, Arianna accepted the invitation. She chuckled lightly and stepped inside, seemingly without any better plans. Aaron’s genuine surprise at his own success was palpable, and frankly, well-deserved.
A clip from Days of Our Lives (s61e008) shows Aaron using Xenoblade as an opening to invite Arianna into his room. This scene quickly went viral among Nintendo fans.
This memorable moment quickly made its way to social media, shared by gaming accounts and sparking widespread celebration among Nintendo enthusiasts. Many rejoiced at the unexpected mention of Xenoblade, especially after some were left hoping for new game announcements following a recent Nintendo Direct.
The Xenoblade Chronicles series, developed by Monolith Soft, first captivated players on the Wii in 2010. Since then, the franchise has expanded with several sequels and re-releases. Its most recent iteration, an updated version of the Wii U side-story Xenoblade Chronicles X, launched for the Switch earlier this year, just as many fans were eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Switch 2.
Zhenghua Yang, the founder of Serenity Forge (known for games like To the Moon), commented on the clip, stating, “This show has 61 seasons and I’ve never seen any bit of it until Xenoblade was mentioned. Top tier marketing.” Another fan, AmiibroN, added, “I know nothing about this show but Aaron is already my favorite character and there is no question about it.”
Days of Our Lives, which originally premiered in 1965, continues its run on the streaming service Peacock. The burning question remains: what happened next after Arianna stepped inside?
Image credit: NBC/Peacock.