Xenosaga Trilogy -PS2- 10

September 16, 2024

Intro

For the last several weeks, I decided to take a break from the backlog and revisit an old favorite of mine: The Xenosaga Trilogy for the PS2. I originally played these games when they released roughly 20 years ago, and I remember them fondly for their ambitious storytelling, deep revelations, complex characters, and great rpg gameplay. This epic space opera tells a story set 4000 years into the future, where humanity survives by space travel, and civilization is still heavily influenced by religion and politics.

Ep1

Starting from the beginning, Ep1 drew me in all over again with its mysteries of the Zohar Monolith and where we end up long after Earth has been abandoned. The story starts at a deliberate pace without much resolution in Ep1, but it all pays off in spades later. The intrigue and mystery surrounding each of the characters was so brilliantly done, that I could not stop playing to see what happened next. Every cutscene is given full cinematic treatment with passionate performances by the large cast of brilliant voice actors. Shion, KosMos, Jr, Momo, Ziggy, and Choas will always be some of my favorite heroes in all of role playing games. The battle system with the ability to boost extra turns and save up energy for longer attack combos is also very solid. Also having the option to transfer into giant mechs during battles is really cool. Ep1 delivers as a strong introduction to one of the most epic stories I’ve ever experienced in an rpg. And its ending cutscene left me breathless!

Ep2

Ep2 is seen by some as a bit of a black sheep in the series, but I could not disagree more. I loved it when I beat it in 2005, and I love it just as much now. After the introductions in Ep1, the story really starts to heat up in Ep2. More characters enter the stage, and more fascinating mysteries arise as you continue through this monumental journey. Certain revelations happen in Ep2 that had my jaw on the floor, and the dramatic beats were absolutely riveting. And the bit of dialogue just before the end credits rolled was the biggest mic-drop moment. I thought Ep2 completely delivered where it counts.

Ep2 sports a slightly different graphical style from Ep1, designed to have a more realistic look. Usually, it looks great. But some of the cutscenes use the in-game engine without the extra layer of polish with the facial animations, particularly at the beginning of the game when you first catch up with Shion and the main party. But as the game progresses past the first couple hours, more cutscenes with the high-res faces are used, especially during the story’s biggest moments.

There are also some new voice actors in Ep2, but I did not mind. Chaos’ and Momo’s new actors actually sound better than the previous ones, and they stick around for Ep3. Shion’s new actress sounds fairly similar to the old one, and handles the weight of the roll very well. I honestly like both actresses for Shion, but the old one does return for ep3. The new actress for KosMos was the only one that was jarring to me at first, but I got used to her as I got further through the game. By the end, I thought she started to sound much better. (She did not even have very many lines in this episode, and the original actress returns for Ep3.) All the other main and supporting actors appear to be the same from Ep1. The battle system also got some big changes, and I personally thought they were good. I enjoyed figuring out the combo of attacks to break the enemies guard to launch them in the air or knock them down. This added a deep layer of strategy, and kept me thinking ahead during battles. I also liked the healthy dose of new sidequests this episode offered. (I completed 21 out of the 36, each one giving me useful upgrades for my characters.)

In spite of some otherwise controversial changes, Ep2 is a pivotal chapter in the most ambitious rpg series I have ever played. It is a marvelous continuation of the masterful storytelling set up in the first game, and it got me excited to play Ep3 again after all these years.

Ep3

Right before jumping into Ep3,  I researched and watched the events of “Pied Piper” and “A Missing Year” on YouTube. Both side stories cleared up a couple of holes that I remembered from when I first played the game 18 years ago, so that was very helpful.

Ep3 is the grand finale to the enormous Xenosaga storyline, and it is the best in the trilogy. This is the big payoff. The bonds between the main characters grow deeper, and the revelations that are dropped towards the end are the most shocking and enlightening I have ever seen in a narrative of this scale (alongside the creator’s previous project, Xenogears). The ending stirs the soul and will bring you to tears. Xenosaga 3’s hour-long ending cinematic is the best ending I have ever seen in a videogame.

The original voice actresses for Shion and KosMos return for this final entry, and it’s great to have them back. They put their heart and soul into their rolls, as does everyone else in this glorious cast. These were powerful performances that truly brought these characters to life. As their ties grow deeper, many scenes will hit you on an intensely emotional level.

Xenosaga Ep3 is a a gorgeous game with lush environments that pop out of the screen, and beautiful character models that have evocative facial expressions. These are the best graphics of the three episodes, with a happy medium between the anime style of Ep1 and the slightly more realistic look of Ep2.

Similar to Ep2, many of the cutscenes were not given equal treatment, undoubtedly due to budget and time constraints. The big dramatic moments and large action scenes were given the full cinematic polish, just like almost all the cutscenes in Ep1 and the big ones in Ep2. However, many of the expository segments of the story use the in-game engine, in tandem with 2D avatars and dialogue boxes. The avatars are beautifully drawn and every line of dialogue is fully voiced, so this style still work well during the story’s more talkative segments. This style is actually reminiscent of Xenogears. It would have been great if the development team had the time to give every cutscene the full cinematic treatment like they did in Ep1, but they must have run out of time and resources. Rest assured, that just like Ep2, most of the cutscenes towards the end of the game are indeed given the full cinematic treatment they deserve.

Ep3 plays the best out of the three episodes. Battles load lightning fast. This entry does away with the trial&error combos from Ep2 (which I liked anyway), but still keeps the concept of breaking the enemies guard with a new break meter. You also still have the boost option from Ep1&2, but you can now save up your boost to perform special attacks. I liked the battle systems in first two games a lot, but this final one is indeed the best. Ep3 also has a plethora of fun sidequests and secrets to discover. I was deeply engrossed throughout the whole adventure finding all the best weapons, accessories, and magic attacks to pummel the bosses and enemies.

Conclusion

Playing through the Xenosaga trilogy a second time after all these years has reminded me why I rank these games among the greatest RPG’s of all time. Their masterful storytelling is on a level that has rarely been touched. The way the writers ingratiated philosophy and religion into this space opera was absolutely brilliant, and I am in complete awe of how deep and multifaceted this future universe was.

The mysteries surrounding each character’s motives and pasts kept me intrigued from start to finish, and the payoffs and reveals were unforgettable. All the heroes were passionately voiced by the perfectly cast actors and lovingly designed by the team at Monolith Soft. The bonds between the party members grew deeper and very emotional by the end. The trilogy also had some of the absolute best and most multi-layered villains I have seen in a jrpg, all with their own hidden agendas.

The battle systems in all three games were great, and I loved the nuances that each episode provided. The skill trees I developed and the strategies the enemies pushed me to use were always intricate and engaging. There were also plenty of fun secrets, sidequests, and minigames to discover along the way.

To top it all off, each episode of Xenosaga boasts a fittingly epic musical score that perfectly punctuates the emotional beats of every cutscene. The blood-pumping “Escape” theme from Ep1, the rousing “Communication Breakdown” theme from Ep2, and the melancholic “Hepatica#3: I Believe in You” from Ep3 were just some of my favorite tracks, and they all fit their moods perfectly. Each episode’s end credits plays their own radiant vocal track. “Pain” and Kokoro” in Ep1, “Sweet Song” in Ep2, and “Maybe Tomorrow” at the end Ep3 were all beautiful songs. The music combined with the cinematic presentation in these games was outstanding all around, and I have listened to all three soundtrack many times over the last couple decades. The last two chapters at the tail end of Ep3 especially have some of the best music I have ever heard.

One can only dream what Monolith Soft might have done with the full budget and time allowance do all six episodes, as originally planned. It is difficult for game developers to make direct sequels that require previous play (due to most gamers never completing the games on their backlog). “Pied Piper” and “A Missing Year” should have at least been released as two full anime movies in between episodes, instead of a mobile game and an interactive slideshow. I also wish that there had been more uniformity with how the cutscenes were presented in Ep2&Ep3.

Regardless of these quibbles, the Xenosaga Trilogy is a masterwork of storytelling. No other videogame has matched the magnitude of these games’ storyline, with the possible exception of Tetauya Takahashi’s previous project, Xenogears. The Xenosaga episodes were and still are my favorite games from the entire sixth console generation. They weave a tale spanning the universe itself, with equal heart to match it. I cherish these games dearly, and it was immensely satisfying to experience them again after all these years. I rate the Xenosaga Trilogy a 10 out of ten.