A triumphant slam dunk of a conclusion to a troubled yet beautiful series, Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra serves not only as the final entry in the sci-fi epic Xenosaga series but also as a laser-guided missile aimed directly towards your heart. This is a game that just hits all the right notes, managing to smooth and iron out several issues that were prevalent in the previous two entries, while also building upon the multiple layers of storytelling and tying up an incredible amount of loose ends for the time given to this overly ambitious project. Everything is at its apex here, an extremely polished game that is intense and heart-wrenching, culminating in an incredibly heartfelt and deeply empathetic ending that acknowledges our shortcomings and weaknesses as human beings, yet has an unrelenting hope for humanity and the future.
Although it should come as no surprise, Xenosaga Episode 3 once again delivers a major overhaul to its gameplay. Gone are the days when encounters would last for 8 minutes as the combat has been reworked to offer fast, snappy and largely streamlined gameplay compared to the previous entries while establishing itself as something different through the introduction of the break gauge, which when filled will result in fatigue for either you or your enemy for two turns. Combat in Episode 3 is my favourite and pick for best in the series, as I really like the freedom you have over it, the break gauge never feels like it imposes itself upon you, the player, but rather acts as another angle to approach fights from. E.S fights also see changes, as they are much more exciting and operate very differently from ground combat. Although lacking in depth, the E.S combat visually is incredibly clean as the attack animations are very fluid and the constant alternating camera angles coupled with the music make them feel very intense and hectic. My only gripe with the combat would be how beefy the E.S bosses can get towards the end of the game, having such insane HP along with gimmicks that serve to further prolong fights can be a pain, but other than that it's all positive with the changes.
The inconsistency of Xenosaga may be apparent on the surface, looking at its frequent gameplay and visual changes, but it makes sure to never let go of is its ability to deliver on its characters, narrative and setting. Drifting abroad the Woglinde, the vast emptiness of space is the first introduction to the world of Xenosaga, with no knowledge of our surroundings or what is out there in the vast cosmos. Showing how far we've come since then, Episode 3 begins with a now masterfully detailed and fully realised world, with narrative weight behind its planets, numerous factions and history. The setting of Xenosaga is incredible not only in concept, as it is brimming with so many unique ideas, but also in the way it is managed, as it knows its place to never overshadow or intrude on the plot-driven and character-driven narrative. The reintroduced database is a testament to the setting and worldbuilding of the series, consisting of over 450 entries relating to all things like characters, culture, factions, events and weapons, from an entry about Shions curry to entries detailing the mechanics of hyperspace travel, it covers absolutely everything in the trilogy leaving no stone unturned.
Furthermore, not only is the setting very detailed through the narrative, but its also visually stunning as in typical Xenosaga fashion the setting is constantly changing throughout, and the way the environments are designed and look is nothing short of meticulous. An incredible amount of work has gone into even the furthest reaches of large, sprawling areas like the cities to really bring these places to life. You might look through a window in a space station, only to then see just outside a gigantic spacecraft docked nearby, or look deep into the backdrop of a city and see the thousands of people going about their lives, visible only as dots from your high vantage point. This sense of scale is truly impressive, present in every area of the game, and is extremely fitting and well-done for a sci-fi setting. The dedication to the world of Xenosaga doesn't just stop there, as Episode 3 scatters NPCs around its different areas, each with their own unique dialogue, introducing a system where almost every NPC has a word that you can hold the square button on while they speak, opening up a whole new conversation related to that word and contributing to the world. The great visuals and new additions that add to the world go hand in hand with the already pre-established lore of the environments to give a distinct look and feel to them, leading to one of my favourite parts of the game being just stopping to observe and take in everything about each area, as the team really did go to bat with the details and design of each location.
The main cast of Xenosaga is exceptional, and one of the pillars of the series as it explores its myriad themes through its characters. From Shion to KOS-MOS, to Jr, Ziggy, MOMO, Jin, Chaos and Allen, the main cast are just so well fleshed out with their own personal motivations and arcs, but also have such great interactions together as a group. If you haven't played Episode 3, you may be questioning why Allen's name is mentioned, and with full confidence I can say that this game manages to somehow turn around Allen into one of the best characters in the series, finding his resolve and giving him possibly my favourite moment in the trilogy. It's clear that some characters were destined for more development across the series, namely the antagonists, as without Albedo as the main villain anymore there is a pretty big void to fill, yet Episode 3 goes above and beyond - filling this void and then some by committing itself to providing impressive characterisation to all of its cast throughout, ingeniously building up characters who previously had an absence of screen time into some of the most compelling in the series in just 1 episode, while also giving an extra push to pre-established characters, leading to an emotional but fitting conclusion for all of them.
One character in particular who really comes into their own in Episode 3 that I'd like to talk about is Shion; if Episode 1 was focused on Shion and KOS-MOS, then Episode 2 takes a slight detour and puts both Albedo and Jr in the spotlight instead. Episode 2s shift in character focus never bothered me as it works really well by basing its narrative around those two, but its Shion who remained as one of the most interesting characters and whom we started our journey with. Episode 3 follows up on this, placing Shion back front and centre in the story this time around as it thoroughly inspects everything about her character, from her past to her feelings, emotions and relationships along with her psychological struggle to comprehend the rapidly unfolding events around her, leading to her acting as the driving force for Episode IIIs narrative from beginning to end as one of the most fascinating and deeply explored characters I have seen.
Originally the series was intended to be made up of 6 games, but much like its predecessor Xenogears, it simply was unable to support itself under its overflowing ambition, and because of this Episode 3 is given the short end of the stick, having the daunting task of wrapping up the series in a meaningful and satisfying way, tying up the deeply layered plot and its unanswered questions. My feelings on whether Episode 3 succeeds or doesn't should be pretty clear from the intro, but I'll say it again. Xenosaga Episode III is a slam dunk, a home run, whatever reference you need me to make to get across how well this game is able to take Xenosagas story and create something beautiful out of it I will do, since it succeeds in all areas, never wavering as it provides a consistently fantastic plot.
For how much Episode 3 has to cover, Disc 1 paces itself quite leisurely at the start, offering more questions than answers before the halfway point, where the game begins to pick up its pace as it continually reveals more and more as the major revelations start to drop. Everything in disc 1 is leading up towards its final segment, the best dungeon in the series purely from a narrative point of view due to it being the culmination of 2 games worth of worldbuilding, delivering on an incredibly cathartic and oppressive atmosphere that left me completely swept away and speechless throughout. Coming straight from the cliffhanger ending of Disc 1 we have Disc 2, and this is where Episode 3 really shines for me, as the gloves come off and the story picks up at a rapid pace, taking you through boss fight after boss fight with story moment after story moment. Episode 3 will lift you up with an incredibly motivating and hype moment, before immediately tearing you back down constantly through Disc 2, as it capitalises so well on everything it has created up until now, whether that be its characters conveying their incredibly human and real emotions or the most insane plot thread you've ever seen reach its conclusion that you can only find inside of a Xeno game.
And then, the final stretch as we approach the ending. By describing these games as esoteric you would be completely right, consisting of countless religious undertones and philosophical themes, and to say that I understand everything about Xenosaga would simply be a lie. And yet in spite of this I was able to take so much away from such an abstruse piece of fiction that left me completely devastated by the end. The last 30 minutes of Episode 3 are incredibly touching, consisting entirely of cutscenes, and they hit me like a tidal wave. I bounced back and forth between intense sadness and happiness before those feelings were gradually replaced by a combination of everything as the game began to play its ending song, Maybe Tomorrow, which I still struggle to listen to without my mind wandering off to the final monologue of the game and being swept away by emotion. I love everything about this series, and Episode 3 is more than I could have ever asked for from it. A story that shows the effect that a single ripple can have on shaping the world, overcoming the fear of death, the importance of choice and breaking free from repeating cycles of pain and trauma. A story with such believable empathy and optimism due to its acknowledgement of our shortcomings and failures of humans, and yet one that believes in a future overflowing with hope.
Although it should come as no surprise, Xenosaga Episode 3 once again delivers a major overhaul to its gameplay. Gone are the days when encounters would last for 8 minutes as the combat has been reworked to offer fast, snappy and largely streamlined gameplay compared to the previous entries while establishing itself as something different through the introduction of the break gauge, which when filled will result in fatigue for either you or your enemy for two turns. Combat in Episode 3 is my favourite and pick for best in the series, as I really like the freedom you have over it, the break gauge never feels like it imposes itself upon you, the player, but rather acts as another angle to approach fights from. E.S fights also see changes, as they are much more exciting and operate very differently from ground combat. Although lacking in depth, the E.S combat visually is incredibly clean as the attack animations are very fluid and the constant alternating camera angles coupled with the music make them feel very intense and hectic. My only gripe with the combat would be how beefy the E.S bosses can get towards the end of the game, having such insane HP along with gimmicks that serve to further prolong fights can be a pain, but other than that it's all positive with the changes.
The inconsistency of Xenosaga may be apparent on the surface, looking at its frequent gameplay and visual changes, but it makes sure to never let go of is its ability to deliver on its characters, narrative and setting. Drifting abroad the Woglinde, the vast emptiness of space is the first introduction to the world of Xenosaga, with no knowledge of our surroundings or what is out there in the vast cosmos. Showing how far we've come since then, Episode 3 begins with a now masterfully detailed and fully realised world, with narrative weight behind its planets, numerous factions and history. The setting of Xenosaga is incredible not only in concept, as it is brimming with so many unique ideas, but also in the way it is managed, as it knows its place to never overshadow or intrude on the plot-driven and character-driven narrative. The reintroduced database is a testament to the setting and worldbuilding of the series, consisting of over 450 entries relating to all things like characters, culture, factions, events and weapons, from an entry about Shions curry to entries detailing the mechanics of hyperspace travel, it covers absolutely everything in the trilogy leaving no stone unturned.
Furthermore, not only is the setting very detailed through the narrative, but its also visually stunning as in typical Xenosaga fashion the setting is constantly changing throughout, and the way the environments are designed and look is nothing short of meticulous. An incredible amount of work has gone into even the furthest reaches of large, sprawling areas like the cities to really bring these places to life. You might look through a window in a space station, only to then see just outside a gigantic spacecraft docked nearby, or look deep into the backdrop of a city and see the thousands of people going about their lives, visible only as dots from your high vantage point. This sense of scale is truly impressive, present in every area of the game, and is extremely fitting and well-done for a sci-fi setting. The dedication to the world of Xenosaga doesn't just stop there, as Episode 3 scatters NPCs around its different areas, each with their own unique dialogue, introducing a system where almost every NPC has a word that you can hold the square button on while they speak, opening up a whole new conversation related to that word and contributing to the world. The great visuals and new additions that add to the world go hand in hand with the already pre-established lore of the environments to give a distinct look and feel to them, leading to one of my favourite parts of the game being just stopping to observe and take in everything about each area, as the team really did go to bat with the details and design of each location.
The main cast of Xenosaga is exceptional, and one of the pillars of the series as it explores its myriad themes through its characters. From Shion to KOS-MOS, to Jr, Ziggy, MOMO, Jin, Chaos and Allen, the main cast are just so well fleshed out with their own personal motivations and arcs, but also have such great interactions together as a group. If you haven't played Episode 3, you may be questioning why Allen's name is mentioned, and with full confidence I can say that this game manages to somehow turn around Allen into one of the best characters in the series, finding his resolve and giving him possibly my favourite moment in the trilogy. It's clear that some characters were destined for more development across the series, namely the antagonists, as without Albedo as the main villain anymore there is a pretty big void to fill, yet Episode 3 goes above and beyond - filling this void and then some by committing itself to providing impressive characterisation to all of its cast throughout, ingeniously building up characters who previously had an absence of screen time into some of the most compelling in the series in just 1 episode, while also giving an extra push to pre-established characters, leading to an emotional but fitting conclusion for all of them.
One character in particular who really comes into their own in Episode 3 that I'd like to talk about is Shion; if Episode 1 was focused on Shion and KOS-MOS, then Episode 2 takes a slight detour and puts both Albedo and Jr in the spotlight instead. Episode 2s shift in character focus never bothered me as it works really well by basing its narrative around those two, but its Shion who remained as one of the most interesting characters and whom we started our journey with. Episode 3 follows up on this, placing Shion back front and centre in the story this time around as it thoroughly inspects everything about her character, from her past to her feelings, emotions and relationships along with her psychological struggle to comprehend the rapidly unfolding events around her, leading to her acting as the driving force for Episode IIIs narrative from beginning to end as one of the most fascinating and deeply explored characters I have seen.
Originally the series was intended to be made up of 6 games, but much like its predecessor Xenogears, it simply was unable to support itself under its overflowing ambition, and because of this Episode 3 is given the short end of the stick, having the daunting task of wrapping up the series in a meaningful and satisfying way, tying up the deeply layered plot and its unanswered questions. My feelings on whether Episode 3 succeeds or doesn't should be pretty clear from the intro, but I'll say it again. Xenosaga Episode III is a slam dunk, a home run, whatever reference you need me to make to get across how well this game is able to take Xenosagas story and create something beautiful out of it I will do, since it succeeds in all areas, never wavering as it provides a consistently fantastic plot.
For how much Episode 3 has to cover, Disc 1 paces itself quite leisurely at the start, offering more questions than answers before the halfway point, where the game begins to pick up its pace as it continually reveals more and more as the major revelations start to drop. Everything in disc 1 is leading up towards its final segment, the best dungeon in the series purely from a narrative point of view due to it being the culmination of 2 games worth of worldbuilding, delivering on an incredibly cathartic and oppressive atmosphere that left me completely swept away and speechless throughout. Coming straight from the cliffhanger ending of Disc 1 we have Disc 2, and this is where Episode 3 really shines for me, as the gloves come off and the story picks up at a rapid pace, taking you through boss fight after boss fight with story moment after story moment. Episode 3 will lift you up with an incredibly motivating and hype moment, before immediately tearing you back down constantly through Disc 2, as it capitalises so well on everything it has created up until now, whether that be its characters conveying their incredibly human and real emotions or the most insane plot thread you've ever seen reach its conclusion that you can only find inside of a Xeno game.
And then, the final stretch as we approach the ending. By describing these games as esoteric you would be completely right, consisting of countless religious undertones and philosophical themes, and to say that I understand everything about Xenosaga would simply be a lie. And yet in spite of this I was able to take so much away from such an abstruse piece of fiction that left me completely devastated by the end. The last 30 minutes of Episode 3 are incredibly touching, consisting entirely of cutscenes, and they hit me like a tidal wave. I bounced back and forth between intense sadness and happiness before those feelings were gradually replaced by a combination of everything as the game began to play its ending song, Maybe Tomorrow, which I still struggle to listen to without my mind wandering off to the final monologue of the game and being swept away by emotion. I love everything about this series, and Episode 3 is more than I could have ever asked for from it. A story that shows the effect that a single ripple can have on shaping the world, overcoming the fear of death, the importance of choice and breaking free from repeating cycles of pain and trauma. A story with such believable empathy and optimism due to its acknowledgement of our shortcomings and failures of humans, and yet one that believes in a future overflowing with hope.
4 Comments
maybe one day @antitoxinzero
idk man I think Episode II was better.
AntitoxinZero
20 days ago