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Overview

Xenosaga is a series of turn-based rpg games released from 2002 to 2006 under Bandai Namco on the PS2. The main games are chronological sequels of each other. An anime and manga was also released that loosely covers the events of the first game. It was co-created by Tetsuya Takahashi and his wife Sorya Saiga.

The series follows a young woman named Shion Uzuki in the far future where interstellar travel is common and the universe is under attack strange alien beings called the Gnosis who are after an infinite energy generator called the Zohar. Over the course of the series she tries to uncover the secrets of the artificial being in her care called KOS-MOS while juggling the horrors of her past and present.

The plot is incredibly long and complex, and involves a lot of politics between different factions fighting for the Zohar and for custody over KOS-MOS. Like Xenogears, this game series also gets quite dark.

Some major themes include: How to live after trauma, the importance of connection to others, various religious motifs and commentary, metaphysics, philosphy, and cool gun fights in space.

Like Xenogears, this series also had a troubled production- though less so than its predecessor. After the first game, Namco forced most of the original team off the project (including Saiga) and its original six-part structure was cut by half. This caused some clear quality and direction differences between the first game and the two main entries in the series. Critics often deride Xenosaga for being 'too ambitious', and like Xenogears before it was was considered a commercial flop. It however, remains a cult classic among its fans.

Characters from Xenosaga have gone on to have many crossover appearances in other games due to their popularity.


Individual games:


Other Official Content:




Getting into it

A long game series like this with an incredibly complex plot can seem very intimidating, and it can feel hard to judge if its worth your time to get into from abstract blurbs. Fear not, this section is to help you determine that!

If you like:

Or if you liked:

Xenosaga may be for you!

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


Content warnings accross the franchise include but are not limited to (possible spoilers hidden unless hovered over):

Yes, like Xenogears before it, This Series Is A Lot. If that doesnt turn you off, then this game may be a good fit for you!




Where to find it

Unfortunately all of the Xenosaga games are fully out of print and as they are under copyright limbo and were considered relatively unsuccessful, they are unlikely to come back into print anytime soon. Because of this, legitimate copies are difficult to find and incredibly expensive and do not put money in the hands of the creators.

All that is really left at this point that is accessable to the layman is the less than legal route or to watch an LP on youtube. Unfortunately, Namco is copyright claim happy even still with Xenosaga and its difficult to get access to the unmarred audio of the game cutscenes on youtube in english OR japanese. This leaves emulation as the only way to have an uninterrupted experience. Vim's Lair is again an invaluable resource to preserving the series, as all three main games are on it.


Our Thoughts

Put thinky thoughts here WIP