You are looking at the HTML representation of the XML format.
HTML is good for debugging, but is unsuitable for application use.
Specify the format parameter to change the output format.
To see the non HTML representation of the XML format, set format=xml.
See the complete documentation, or API help for more information. 
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<api>
  <query-continue>
    <links plcontinue="1|0|Devolution_Compatibility_List" />
  </query-continue>
  <query>
    <pages>
      <page pageid="1" ns="0" title="Main Page">
        <links>
          <pl ns="0" title="3DS Flashcart Comparison" />
          <pl ns="0" title="3DS Glossary" />
          <pl ns="0" title="3DS Hacking FAQ" />
          <pl ns="0" title="3DS Homebrew" />
          <pl ns="0" title="3DS Homebrew Development" />
          <pl ns="0" title="3DS flashcarts game compatibility" />
          <pl ns="0" title="Creating/modifying your user page" />
          <pl ns="0" title="Current Staff members" />
          <pl ns="0" title="DIOS MIOS Compatibility List" />
          <pl ns="0" title="DIOS MIOS Lite Compatibility List" />
        </links>
      </page>
    </pages>
  </query>
</api>