A fraction of the Xenogears staff took leave of Square to form the development team, Monolith Soft. Unable to carry on the Xenogears saga, due to Square’s ownership of the brand, Monolith Soft (now affiliated with Namco) has brought into being a new six-part series: Xenosaga. Originally rumoured to be a sequel and subsequently thought of as a literal prequel, Xenosaga is actually a new beginning, a rebirth and a second chance for the Xeno chronicles to be told in full.

Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht (The Will to Power) retains unmistakable parallels with the universe of its forerunner and immediately establishes itself as a would-be prequel. This opening chapter is designed to provide an introduction to the series, which will span six episodes/games (episode five of which should directly coincide with the events of Xenogears).

Taking place thousands of years in the future, Xenosaga documents the dawn of an epic struggle for the destiny of humanity. Mankind has abandoned the long-forgotten Earth and inhabits thousands of planets in deep space. This myriad of human worlds is supervised by an establishment known as the Galaxy Federation, which struggles to contend with the emerging threat of an alien species, the Gnosis.

Der Wille zur Macht’s main protagonist is a young woman named Shion Uzuki. Shion heads a team of scientists assigned to build a battle android, codenamed KOS-MOS. Refreshingly, Shion does not dictate the story and other equally strong personalities, encountered in due course, are given ample time to develop. The Xenosaga ensemble, all have interesting and elaborate back-stories, which give even the supporting personalities a satisfying layer of depth. A key strength of the narrative structure is that the numerous character sub-stories neatly converge towards and become an integral feature, of the main adventure itself.

At this juncture, further divulging story details would be detrimental to prospective players. The core of the Xenosaga experience is its unfolding and ever-developing story.

Gamers of a literary persuasion will find Xenosaga invigorating. The narrative here is of much grander ambition than the likes of Jak & Daxter and Grand Theft Auto. Challenging long-conventional systems of religion and spirituality, Der Wille zur Macht ponders upon the nature of existence and the ethical implications of godlike technology.

The audience that purchased Square’s Final Fantasy X will be able to enjoy Xenosaga without too much tribulation. However, there exist within the game concepts, references and double-meanings best interpreted by individuals with a theological background. Researching the terms and source material of Xenosaga is a game in itself; references to Nietzschean philosophy, Gnostic doctrine, and Jungian psychology co-exist with the frequent appearance of Hebrew symbols. Thankfully, Xenosaga does contain an in-game dictionary of sorts; prospective players are well advised to spend time with this tool.

With roughly thirty hours of the experience devoted to scripted scenes, Xenosaga is, from the outset, an acquired taste not suited to every gaming palate. In isolation, the cinematic technique of Xenosaga conveys a story of unrivalled sophistication. However, the pre-eminent story-driven products of today are known for their success in maintaining a satisfying equilibrium between cinema and gameplay, for the betterment of both areas.

Frustratingly, the gameplay Xenosaga accommodates can often seem like a diversion between strings of cinema. This notion is accentuated by a pedestrian gameplay design. Progression is attained principally by running through spartan corridors en-route to overcoming obstacles that lie in the way of A-to-B. The challenge is dictated by the sheer strength of enemies, subsequently neglecting to test the participant on a mental level.

A critical element for any RPG is the battle system. Monolith Soft has reintroduced and refined the basic combat model applied in Xenogears; however, the random battles abundant throughout its predecessor have been shunned in Xenosaga. Much in the vein of the Grandia series, monsters wander along set patrols waiting to be engaged. Fights can be avoided by sneaking past an enemy or escaping their range of patrol.

While combat is voluntary, the general difficulty of encountered enemies necessitates that the player must invest significant time and effort to strengthen the assembled characters. To this end, the level of customisation Monolith Soft has allowed for is certainly notable. New techniques learned automatically upon levelling up can be further enhanced. This introduces an element of strategy, does the player improve his/her ability to absorb attacks or should they increase the speed of a special move, with the pay-off that it can be called upon in fewer turns?

The combat model itself employs a tried and tested turn-based system as its template and builds upon this architecture. The modifications Monolith Soft have made to this foundation initially bare a daunting and elaborate format. In due course, once committed to memory, the finer points of the combat model augment proceedings and make for engaging skirmishes.

Character status is measured via the usual health and magic indicators. In addition, Xenosaga utilises AP (action points). Each character begins a battle with four AP, with each attack made during a turn costing a player two AP. A player may choose to defend or limit their attacks, thereby carrying over AP to the next attack phase. Subsequent increased levels of AP allow a character to execute special moves known as tech attacks, which deal larger amounts of damage to adversaries.

A further beneficial implement is the boost bar, which fills up as damage is inflicted upon opponents. Applying a boost allows the assigned character to jump to the front of an attack queue and in so doing disrupt the flow of an incoming enemy offensive. This technique is at its most invaluable during the precarious boss encounters.

Achieving success with the Xenosaga combat model is just as contingent upon timing and strategy as it is upon mastering the nuances of the system itself. The player must deduce the forthcoming actions of an enemy, thereby devising their own next step.

An alternative method of attack involves AGWS. AGWS serve the same purpose as the Gears of Xenogears; essentially they are giant robots with big guns and swords. Regrettably, standalone mech battles have been eliminated and characters always begin battling on foot. An option to switch to AGWS is almost always available but the advantage in doing so is mostly negligible.

For Xenogears veterans, this is a huge detriment to the proceedings. The Gear battles and the affinity in power between man and machine were a drawing factor and staple element of the Xenogears universe. The design and performance of the AGWS is far less sophisticated than that of the Gears, which were personalised in their appearance and far more dynamic in their movement. The industrial looking robots Monolith Soft have created, are perhaps intended to reflect an earlier point in the Xeno timeline and as such their usage may be intentionally less significant.

Graphics were not Xenogears’ point of excellence. Characters were animated as cel-shaded sprites that had a somewhat poor resolution up close. Xenosaga manages to better harness the abilities of its host machine. In particular, the three-dimensional character models exhibit a great deal of effort and detail. At the time of writing, Der Wille zur Macht’s Full Motion Video is perhaps of the highest standard yet seen on PlayStation 2. The frame rate of the game engine is certainly not a consistent sixty-frames-per-second, but the detailed characters and objects compensate accordingly. The solitary drawback to Der Wille zur Macht’s graphical department is the not uncommon and at times lamentably evident, occurrence of aliasing.

For its entire duration, Der Wille Zur Macht takes place aboard various star vessels and space stations. Artistically, Xenosaga could benefit from a wider array of environments that would make a broader use of colour. Xenogears, among many other locations, saw the player exploring simple villages, grand monasteries and Dune-esque deserts. This added to the cultural impact and atmosphere of the game. The ultramodern setting of Xenosaga does provide an ambient atmosphere, but conversely creates a very sterile climate. The inclusion of gadgetry such as “holo-consoles” can make the futuristic décor appear very clichéd.

The audio department of Der Wille zur Macht is very well represented, but somewhat under-utilised. The soundtrack itself was composed by the revered Yasunori Mitsuda (who also contributed to highlights of the genre, such as Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross) and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The audio itself is of a very high quality; however, there is a noticeable scarcity of background music throughout the game. The absence of an omnipresent soundtrack makes the experience seem less immersive than it could be and certainly lessens the atmosphere during the explorative segments of the game.

The quality of localisation is a pivotal element for any RPG of Japanese origin. Due to the intricate nature of its script and the sheer amount of voice acting, this is a particularly vital area for Xenosaga. More often than not, the voiceover performances are tolerable and certainly on a par with the likes of Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts. However, since the majority of the assembled actors have a background in anime dubs, there are occasional cases of overacting.

The biggest drawback to the localisation process is the very fact that it shows through. Although the translation and performance aspects could be far worse, the lip-synching itself leaves much to be desired. In the ever-developing age of DVD, many gamers will yearn for the dual-language and subtitle support options found in the latest DVD releases of Asian cinema.

While the scope and splendour of the narrative remains intact, the English script fails to successfully convey the occasional segments of comic relief; in addition to the sporadic overuse of space jargon, these moments can seem tacked-on and unnatural.

All things considered, Xenosaga is an excellent experience let down by a lack of cohesiveness between the disparate elements, which comprise its entirety. Even after taking account of the gameplay shortfalls, thanks to a riveting storyline, Xenosaga remains one of the most absorbing experiences on either Sony console.

The PlayStation 2 stable-mate that Xenosaga most closely resembles is Final Fantasy X. This is characterised by the application of voice acting, full use of three dimensions and emphasis on production. However, does the shift towards a film-like production impact upon subtle elements that have helped raise the RPG genre to prominence? The escalation in production values is certainly very necessary from a commercial stance; however, due to the obviously large investments of time and money for a large-scale project such as Final Fantasy X or Xenosaga, there is a danger that designers will have to limit the scope and size of their projects. It will certainly be interesting to see how, at the time of writing, more traditional projects such as Namco’s upcoming Tales of Symphonia compare.

Though a truly epic and welcome endeavour, Xenosaga (much like its predecessor), will be fondly remembered in years to come as a very demanding title. The alluring graphics and compelling narrative will undoubtedly please many, though (conversely) the protracted cut-scenes will estrange others.

Almost certainly, the foremost building block of any good plot-oriented product is an exceptional story; in this regard Xenosaga is a very tough act to best within its genre. Equally imperative, however, is the capacity of the game-design to reinforce the remaining elements, which comprise the gameplay itself. The Zelda and Half Life series’ are primary examples of this. The narrative of Xenosaga dwarfs all of its other elements, which are under-developed in comparison. Consequently, while the writer of this article certainly recommends Xenosaga with conviction and eagerly awaits subsequent instalments; from a truly objective standpoint it is not an absolute success from top to bottom.