A recent interview with Tetsuya Takahishi, director of Xenosaga, has been translated by GameSpot VG, revealing more information about the title. Literally speaking, in fact, the title was one of the things explained- "Der Wille zur Macht" is lifted from the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche(incidentally one of the people whose names are most often dropped in an attempt by the perpetrator to appear clever), and true to form, Nietzsche has nothing to do with the usage here; instead, the struggle for power will simply be an important theme in the game.

Dealing first with the series as a whole, Takahashi revealed MonolithSoft's plans for the Xenosaga story, which has six episodes. The company intends to produce each of these six chapters, including a re-release of Episode V, which was the basis for Xenogears. Additionally, it seems that Xenosaga will be a fair bit shorter than Xenogears; Episode I will weigh in at a relatively slim 20 to 30 hours to complete.

In terms of gameplay and story details, a fair number of details also surfaced. Players will be able to customize their A.G.W.S.es, fitting them with new parts and weapons. The game's battle system will also feature not random battles, but a situation where enemies have a certain range. When players enter that range, the enemies give chase, and if contact is made, then a battle begins. This is a decision made to give players the option to avoid battles where desired, and may come as a relief to those who dislike random battles.

Xenosaga will take place several thousand years in the future, placing it in a timeframe that would enable the game to focus on a variety of events that formed the backstory to Xenogears. The timeframe is still in dispute, however.

More details have also arisen concerning KOS-MOS and Chaos. While the robot lacks a real name, she is referred to as "Chitsujo"("Order") throughout the game, which makes her either the counterpart or opposite of Chaos, another character. With the revelation that both will appear throughout the six episodes, it seems clear they will play a critical role in the story. Finally, details on the space travel in Xenosaga have emerged. Starships travel through 'space portals', that form the Unus Mundi, or Onew World, Network(U.M.N.) This is a product of the Vector corporation, also responsible for the A.G.W.S. units and KOS-MOS androids.

Fans of Yasunori Mitsuda will be pleased to hear that Xenosaga's score will be performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. This should ensure a positively amazing aural experience to go with the rest of the game, which is currently scheduled for Japanese release in December of 2001.