Xenogears has a very slow first 10 hours or so, with combat being quite simple, but it allows the player to learn the basics well. Once new gameplay elements are introduced the combat becomes very fun, and the exploration gets epic!
In combat, the player inputs attacks using the triangle, square, and ex buttons; each attack costs action points (AP). For example, Fei starts with 30 AP, a punch costs 10 AP, a kick costs 20 AP, and a headbutt costs 30 AP. 1 headbutt is a bit stronger than 3 punches, but if your headbutt misses, you will do 0 damage, instead of less damage. Eventually you learn combos, called Deathblows, so if Fei delivers a punch followed by a headbutt, it does a special, extra powerful attack. Once you gain access to more Deathblows, the combat becomes much more fun, but at the beginning of the game, when it’s just Fei, with one combo, in a forest, it’s not so fun. The only other game I’ve ever played with a similar combat system is Legend Of Legaia, also for the PS1.
Very early in the game, Fei gets to pilot a Gear, which has a different, yet similar combat system, They use the same combos and Abilities as characters, but have drastically different stats. Early in the game when Fei has 60 hit points, his Gear has 1500, and when Fei gains maybe 4 experience from defeating an enemy, his first Gear battle bumps him up 5 levels! Gears use up fuel instead of AP, which has a high total (in the thousands) as opposed to only 3 AP per turn. What really sets Gear combat apart from character combat, is that Gears have to build up attack power in order to use combos. Weaker attacks build up a meter, that, when full, allow Gears to unleash more powerful combo attacks. This unique combat system, combined with the differences between character and gear combat, keep battles fresh throughout the game. I should also mention that there are times when you can switch between characters and their gigantic Gears, where what would normally be a fair fight with your characters, is just a step and squish with your Gear. Most of the time it’s very obvious when a character or Gear is best suited for the situation, but it’s very awesome that the developers gave the player some room to playfully mess around.
Xenogears’ late game is fantastic. It gets very challenging, but doesn’t turn into a level grind-fest. The world map becomes a treat to explore, and there are many secrets and sidequests to be discovered. There is an entire Gear fighting game, found later on, which plays like Tekken meets Zone Of The Enders. Characters gain new weapons and Gears towards the end of the game, which keep them interesting to use. SPOILER ALERT: When Fei get his final Gear, you feel like a God! Instead of punching your opponent, Fei’s final Gear punches the air directly in front of it, to psychically knock enemies back. END SPOILERS. It’s taken me around 80 hours to beat Xenogears, both times I’ve front-to-backed it, and I did not complete every single challenge the game had to offer either time.
The graphics in Xenogears are heavily pixelated. The game uses the same graphics engine as Final Fantasy Tactics and Breath Of Fire IV. The character sprites are highly detailed, and very appealing to someone who appreciates 16-bit graphic aesthetics. Although character sprites are 2D, the world is a gorgeous 3D polygonal one. The 360 degree camera rotation leads to 8 sided sprites, and detailed environments. Xenogears has a very specific aesthetic, and it holds up very well today.
Xenogears’ main characters all have anime artwork for their talking heads. The video cutscenes combine anime characters with CG, to create gorgeous visuals. Every time a movie section comes on screen, it’s an exciting event, and these scenes are frequent. How could anyone not want to know what happens next!?
The music in Xenogears is incredible. Almost every tune is catchy, and unique. Again, Final Fantasy VII’s best score ever, is rivalled by Xenogears’. Choice cuts include “Faraway Promise”, “The Gentle Wind Sings”, “Ties Of Sea And Flames”, “The Valley Where Wind Is Born”, and “Dazil, Town Of Scorching Sands”. Xenogears was Squaresoft’s first game to feature a full-tilt theme song. Check out “Small Two Of Pieces”, the end credits song. You can make fun of me for liking adult contemporary, but that is a truly catchy and gorgeous piece of music!
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Xenogears was the first time that the developers worked directly with an English localization team, and it shows! The game’s script and dialogue are fantastic, but there are more than a few weird Japanese-isms to be found (ex. child referring to his sister as “well-endowed”), but those aren’t the fault of the translation. Another favorite line of mine is “Knowing him he’s most probably outside gasbagging right now.”
These articles will be released every month on COGconnected, and split up into 4 weekly parts: The Intro, The History, The Review, and The Verdict. So here ends The Review. Tune in next week for The Verdict!