Xenogears - Retroview

The Biggest Epic on the Face of the Earth

By: Phillipe Richer

Review Breakdown
Battle System	8
Interface	6
Music/Sound	10
Originality	7
Plot	10
Localization	8
Replay Value	6
Visuals	7
Difficulty	Easy
Time to Complete	60-75 hours
Overall
Criteria

   Hailed by fandom as one of the greatest RPG ever, the mere mention of the word Xenogears instigates controversy around the net in the gaming community. Obviously, a game of the sheer magnitude such as this cannot appeal to all and the fact that the emphasis was placed on the story detracts others as well. Before you venture into Xenogears' universe, be forewarned; Tetsuya Takashi, the game's writer, has a story to tell, and those absolutely opened to it and ready to hear him out will never quite be the same.

   The game starts out innocently enough. After some early foreshadowing, you'll assume the role of Fei, the protagonist. Fei was abandoned while he was still young in this village of Lahan, surrounded by the war-torn kingdoms of Aveh and Kislev. War has taken a drastic turn as it is now waged by means of Gears, giant humanoid walking robots excavated from ancient ruins. As both camps struggle for power, a unit from Aveh led by Solaris agent Elhaym Van Houten steals a special prototype from the Kislev forces. After being tracked down, both units make an emergency landing on Fei's village, an event which will unhinge the cogs of fate of the entire planet. Let's get things straight: while many, many games pretend to have a story of epic proportions which usually lets us down, Xenogears stands above them all, millions of miles away.

   As you progress through the game, you will of course be thrown in numerous battles. Xenogears is very unique in this department as it introduces 2 totally different battle systems: hand-to-hand fights and Gear battles. In both cases, an ATB gauge will determine characters' turn. In hand-to-hand fights, 3 of your characters will trounce their way though many enemies with different combinations. The triangle, square and X buttons all serve as triggers to initiate an attack, be it weak, strong or fierce respectively. A weak attack uses 1 AP, strong 2 AP and a fierce one 3 AP. You start the game with 4 AP per turn, and by the end you'll have 7. By combining those attacks into sequences ending with X, you'll be able to perform deathblows, stylish combos inflicting major damage on the enemy. You learn more deathblows by performing the sequences in battle. You can check your progress on soon-to-be-acquired deathblows in the menu. Once the gauge reaches 100%, your character will be able to perform that deathblow. You can also stock up your AP, using a minimum of 1 per turn, and unleash multiple deathblows in a chain using the combo command. This is particularly useful on enemies who tend to heal often. Characters can equip 1 weapon and up to 3 accessories to boost whichever stat you fell needs a lift. You may also use items and cast spells, acquired automatically when you level up, at the cost of EP. This setup allows very fast-paced and entertaining battles.

What does this ship have to do with anything? The truth may be too much to handle.

   Gear fights are a whole different ball game. When faced against larger enemies you will have to call on your Gears power to emerge victorious. Gears all have a set amount of fuel. Once you run out, you won't be able to attack, and the only way to refuel inside of battle is by "charging", which recovers a small portion of fuel. A weak attack consumes 10 fuel units, a strong 20 and a fierce 30. The Gears' deathblows are determined by which deathblows its pilot has already learned. The availability of deathblows in battle goes in accordance with the attack level which starts at 0. If you attack once, your attack level will rise. Once you reach level 1, you can perform either one of two combos, reducing your