Back

Xenogears was released in 1998 under Square on the original Playstation. It was co-created by Tetsuya Takahashi and his wife Sorya Saiga.

The game follows Fei Fong Wong, an amnesiac man in a war-torn world where battles are fought with large mechas called 'Gears' as he tries to figure out just what is going on with the world and himself. The plot is long, complex, and incredibly dark and eventually winds up -as many RPGs tend to- at killing god and stopping the apocalypse.

Some major themes include: The very real effects of fascism and abuse, the importance of connection to others, various religious motifs and commentary, mental illness, metaphysics, philosophy, and Big Cool Robots.

The game had an unfortunately troubled production, and was originally planned to be several games but was cut short. This is clear from the end product, as disc 2 is very different from disc 1 in terms of pacing and gameplay. Executive meddling, budget, and time constraints seemed to play a factor in this.

Its English translation was also infamously troubled, with all but one of the translators quitting because it was too dark and religious, and the remaining translator being forced into crunch by Square.

Games like this can seem intimidating, and it can be hard to tell if they are your jam without wasting a lot of time. Fear not, this section is to help you determine that!

If you like:

• Mechas
• Complex plots and heavy worldbuilding and exposition
• Story-driven, cutscene-rich games
• Janky retro games turn-based rpgs with exploration elements
• Games with the themes mentioned in the overview
• Games where all of the characters are Going Through It

Or if you liked:

• Homestuck for the convoluted nature and symbolism-mythos
• Neon Genisis Evangellion for the dark mecha with religious symbolism
• Any of the other Xeno games in general
• Final Fantasy VII for its gritty memory mystery deal

Xenogears may be for you!

If you do not like the above things, you may not have a fun time with Xenogears.

Content Warnings (possible spoilers hidden unless hovered over):

• Accessability: Lots of reading required with no audio component and strobing and flashing lights in unskippable cutscenes
• Violence: Mass death, genocide, gore, body horror, aftermath of a shooting, and war
• Abuse: Child abuse of all kinds including CSA, domestic abuse by a woman to a man, medical experimentation and torture, and abuse by the state/systemic oppression
• Gorvernmental Oppression: Heavy focus on the effects of Fascism and all its components, stalking and surveillance by the goverment, iminent threat of nuking used as a plot point, and references to past nuclear war
• Mental health: Heavy focus on mental breakdowns, flashbacks, dissociation, and trauma
• Other dark topics: Alcohol and drug use & abuse (including injectable fantasy hard drugs), canibalism both intentional and not, and a character having considered underage sex work in the past
• Downers: Neutral to bittersweet ending and the villian technically wins
• Suggestive themes: Off-camera sex scenes, references to sexual topics, and nudity in both sexual and nonsexual contexts
• Religious themes: Crucifixion shown and heavy focus on religious symbolism common to Christian, Jewish, and Gnostic theology
• Dated Content: Dated handling of various topics including Dissociative identity Disorder and guns, dated graphics and game mechanics ('90s Jank')

Yes, that is A Lot. The game is A Lot. If that doesnt turn you off then this game may be a good fit for you!

Where to find it

Xenogears has been out of production for a long time and is currently stuck in copyright limbo, so copies of the original playstation game are hard to come by. HOWEVER, there are a few more feasable methods to playing the game, both legitimate and not.

If you wish for a legitimate copy to play for yourself, the PS Vita e-shop still has it for purchase.

If you do not care to play the game for yourself, there are full and complete let's plays on youtube, including commentaryless runs.

If you wish to gain unofficial access, Vim's Lair has a ROM of the game available. Keep in mind that the controls were intended for play with a playstation controller and will be less janky that way.

Our Thoughts

While this wasn't our favorite xeno game overall, it certainly was still very enjoyable for us and it holds a special place in our heart.

WIP WIP WIP