In some ways, I can certainly commend Dimps for attempting to greatly improve elements that were sorely lacking in episode 1: the lackluster, cheap looking environments are now replaced with really quite good 2.5D backgrounds and environmental details. The bizarrely animated and somewhat deepfried Sonic model of the first game is vastly improved as well, and there's a lot more polish to his animations and expressions on top of it. The stage themes are more original, the music soundfont is improved (...somewhat, Oil Desert 2 still exists), the special stages are better, Sonic even feels less stiff to control. By all accounts this should've been a marked improvement over the first episode, but unfortunately a lot of elements still aren't where they need to be, and in fact, some elements ended up being DOWNGRADED for some baffling reason. The level design is a lot more automated and homogenous than Episode 1, wheras that game had some issues with placing springs and boosters everywhere, it at least allowed for some semblance of decent design here and there. In Episode 2, the boosters and springs are even more prominent than ever before, and any semblance of original level design is replaced with homing attack chains and the game browbeating you into using the newest gimmick: the Tails Combos. Basically you press a button to combo with Tails, use it in the air and Tails flies you up, use it on the ground and you both spindash together at ridiculous speeds plowing through everything (you'll be using this basically a majority of the game). The rolling attack is so fundamentally broken that it essentially trivializes 90% of the game's design, and it ends up being very mindless. But if that weren't enough, without the Tails combos, the lackluster physics are laid bare plain to see this time. In the first game at the very least you could get a dopamine rush by spamming the broken airdash to gain a ridiculous amount of speed, but here that option is considerably nerfed due to the game wanting you to use the funny 69 rolling attack in order to gain speed. In general, this game has almost no sense of flow whatsoever; whenever the game wants you to use the Tails combos, the game freezes for a second as Sonic and Tails need to high five, do a little pose, and THEN initiate the combo. Because it happens so frequently the pace gets halted and restarted so many times it'll make your head spin. And dear god, the bosses in this game are abysmal. The bosses in Episode 1 weren't anything to write home about but the bosses here take so unnecessarily LONG, and there's so many periods where you can't even interact with the boss at all, just sit there and watch it do goofy nonsensical things until it finally becomes vulnerable again.

Despite being slightly lesser than Episode 1 in certain key areas, this game is still just ok at best, mediocre at worst. Both episode 1 and 2 are experiences that go in one ear and out the other. Like the old saying goes, you can do better, but you can also do worse.

I've already penned plenty of my thoughts on both Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles previously so I don't have a whole lot to add, but this game really contains the best of both worlds. Building on S&K's exploration of Sonic and Knuckles' different strengths and movesets to create different paths through each stage, this game lets you play as Sonic, Knuckles, or Tails, each with their own movesets and optimal routes. The game has stages from both Sonic 3 and S&K resulting in a game that is much meatier in scale than any of its predecessors, and reuses the save system from Sonic 3 to ensure you can enjoy the game in bite-sized chunks without getting burnt out. Minor gripe: they did Tails dirty in this, giving him the cheapest boss fight (Marble Garden Act 2), and not giving him a Hyper form.

Anyways, this is the pinnacle of 2D Sonic, a fitting synthesis and improvement of everything that came before it. Surely the series would move onto bigger and better things, right? Right??

"It's quiet. Kimahri go now."

Squaresoft and Yasumi Matsuno's second collaboration spawned the painstakingly crafted Vagrant Story, a hyper-intricate and hyper-mystifying gem, perhaps the culmination of the former's acrobatic presentation and the latter's disquieting writing. Alongside the visuals, what immediately stands out are the main cutscenes: A minimal and reckless form of storytelling, packed with refined - almost cryptic language and portrait-worthy shots in which characters enter, ponder and exit with (seemingly) little to no regard for identity nor coherence, only to slowly decode a tragic plot and cast as it proceeds. The best moments - in particular, emit an immersive yet disorienting atmosphere that reminds one of the more abstract, ghostly experiences of Xenogears' second disc, while others are boss fight intros rendered in creative and dramatic ways. Its structure, both narratively and functionally, had little in common with JRPGs; largely indifferent to the hero's journey and to the village-to-dungeon format (basically a gradually-unraveling dungeon-crawler that disposed of the hub, shops, friendly NPCs, currency, etc.), which becomes an attraction in itself.

Equally original is the gameplay, ostensibly a mix of action-adventure, platforming and ARPG whose combat combines free movement with menu-selection pauses (reminiscent of Parasite Eve minus the ATB gauge) and damage-able limbs a la Front Mission. But in reality, it's the systems that tower over the rest; dense and overwhelming in a vein similar to Ogre Battle (another Matsuno-led project). The most striking aspect is probably how one's equipment factors into hit/damage calculations, utilizing not one but three sets of resistances + weaknesses (affinity, class and type, i.e. elements, species and weapon blades, respectively), and partly governed by mutating stat levels (e.g. Fire, Undead, Piercing) tied to both gear and enemies. At the same time, mechanics such as Break Arts (weapon-exclusive supers unlocked via use-based mastery), Chain Abilities (that evolves SMRPG via quasi-unlimited, unlockable offensive/defensive follow-ups), and especially the aptly-named RISK (a secondary meter that trades accuracy and defense for crit-rate and healing power as chains accumulate) add even more rules and layers to this peculiar brand of strategic-action. This game's most trivial system would be a main feature on other RPGs.

Other - but no less vital mechanics complement the more distinguished ones, ranging from crafting, weapon mods, equipment tiers, durability, proficiency, etc. Altogether, these ideas form a convoluted web of interactions that turns each encounter into a flexible customization challenge, where bosses can either last for 20 minutes or fall to a single chain combo. Not even its many drawbacks (the overdemanding and sometimes hopeless early-game situations, the constant menu setup and the input-bloat) could spoil this multifaceted type-matching approach. By the end, the player has gathered and honed a virtual toolbox of equipment, magic and augments to construct specialized builds for any battle scenario.

A veritable alien JRPG encyclopedia, elegant and puzzling, theatrical but never awkward nor melodramatic, complicated yet intriguing, Vagrant Story absorbs and weaves together concepts from all sorts of past games without belonging to any of them.

Citan Uzuki
EDIT
This article pertains to Xenogears: the sub-database of Xenosaga Wiki.
“ Let us just say that I know a little more about the world than most do. ”
Dr. Citan Uzuki (シタン・ウヅキ, shitan udzuki) is a playable character in Xenogears. Serving as Lahan's doctor and a quirky inventor, he lives up the mountain path from Lahan with his wife, Yui, and his daughter, Midori.

As one of the first characters to join the party, Citan keeps an eye on Fei Fong Wong, and knows more about the world than he lets on.

“I am Alpha and Omega…
The beginning and the end…
The first and the last…”

I first played and finished Xenogears toward the end of February this year. Every day since 02/21/2021, I have thought about at least one aspect of Xenogears. Never have I played a video game that has entered my mind so relentlessly after finishing it. Since that day, I have wanted to write a review for the game, but I felt I had nothing to say that others before me haven’t already. I’m now going to make the foolish mistake of attempting to put into words just why I need to talk about it anyway.

“Those eyes were what scared me. When I looked in your eyes I saw myself staring back.”

Originally conceptualized as both a possibility for Final Fantasy VII and a potential sequel to Chrono Trigger, Xenogears did not receive the budget or support from SquareSoft as either game it could have been. This shows in its presentation graphically, opting for 2D sprites in 3D environments over the fully-3D visuals the team wished for. This could be considered “dated” by today’s standards, but if you enjoy games from the era as much as I do, you will feel right at home. By the second disc, the gap in budget and focus becomes painfully apparent as gameplay is sacrificed for the sake of finishing the story. This decision will not sit well with many, but I personally did not care much as the story content presented more than made up for the lack of consistent gameplay in the last third of the game. To make matters worse, Xenogears was meant to be the fifth part in a six-part series. Square even attempted to pressure the team into releasing Xenogears as disc one alone, but the team rightfully refused. Despite all these problems, Xenogears was finished (in a manner of speaking) and its message made clear to any who have played it.

"It's because they are weak that they can develop kindness... and never look down on people."

As with many RPGs worth mentioning, the story, characters, and world are what make Xenogears memorable, but that doesn’t mean the gameplay falls short in any regard. Combat is handled in two separate but linked forms—ground combat and Gear combat. Ground combat blends traditional ATB combat from Final Fantasy with a new Deathblow system. Characters perform attacks using the triangle, square, and cross buttons at the expense of Action Points (AP). The strength and AP cost increase from triangle to square to cross, but the accuracy decreases. This adds a layer of depth and strategy to the combat—should you risk a miss for higher damage or play it safe with weaker attacks? On top of this are the Deathblows themselves. Once you have reached the appropriate power level and experience in each attack move, characters will learn Deathblows—flashy and powerful combo finishers that make up the bulk of the damage in ground combat. AP can also be stored for future turns, allowing characters to unleash a flurry of Deathblow chains to decimate enemies.
As one might expect from reading the title, machines are involved in the form of Gears that will excite anyone familiar with the mecha genre in Japanese media. Gears perform differently in that characters must balance fuel supply and build attack power over multiple turns rather than simply performing Deathblows. Gears are customizable, allowing for more risk & reward-based strategies in combat. Should you focus on raw power? Maybe you’d rather have survivability with higher defense and more fuel efficiency.

“It’s okay not to feel ‘whole’. Even if you feel only partly complete, if you repeat that enough, it’ll eventually be ‘whole’. A part… is better than zero.”

The story of Xenogears is difficult to sell to anyone not already familiar with the game without spoiling something major in its narrative. Xenogears tackles a myriad of concepts and draws from a ridiculous amount of sources. Its influences range from numerous mecha anime to American novels and films to several paths of psychology and even a few different sects of religion. As I want to keep this review as free of spoilers as possible, I will only touch upon the themes in Xenogears lightly.
A war generations in the making finds its way to the village of pacifist Fei Fong Wong. The soldiers pilot giant weaponized mobile suits known as Gears. Caught in the crossfire, Fei takes control of a Gear himself to defend his village, thrusting him deep into the conflict. As he travels the world, Fei looks for a reason to fight, a place to call home, and sets out to discover his true self.
Through its characters and world, Xenogears tackles the horrors of war, the desire to change the world, helplessness and self-loathing, the impact of parents’ actions on their children’s psyche, psychological trauma and coping mechanisms in response, relationships that transcend lifetimes, the pursuits of retribution and redemption, fate, discrimination, god and the demiurge, the wakes of disaster brought about by blind faith, the loss of humanity through the evolution of science, the power of confluence, and last but not least—becoming whole.
Xenogears approaches all of these concepts with a surprising level of maturity and depth rarely seen in videogames during this period. Through its rough translations performed by mostly a single man, the messages of Xenogears are profound, thought-provoking, and long-lasting. I reflect upon its themes and narrative beats on a daily basis, simply because its impact is so strong.

“That dream changed me... That dream was the catalyst for me to resolve what my purpose was. I think I know now... What I have to do... That long, long memory of a dream... Perhaps it was the memory of my soul...”

The characters of Xenogears are a mixed bag ranging from outstanding to good to practically nonexistent. For a party consisting of nine playable characters, only five of them receive a notable amount of focus and depth. Fei Fong Wong in particular is what I would consider a true contender for the greatest and most engaging protagonist in any video game. Early on, Fei shows glimpses of a deeply flawed, but ultimately human character. As the player learns more about Fei, the intricacies that make up a truly complex individual shine magnificently through his struggles. I have never been so eager to learn more about the protagonist of a game than in Xenogears.
As the deuteragonist, Elly is a perfect compliment to Fei. Much like Fei, Elly has many human characteristics without feeling outlandish or without flaw. Her growth and connection to the central plot are unexpected and rewarding to say the least. She is one of the best examples of how to write a female character in my opinion. Though she is bound to another in the narrative, Elly can stand on her own with her personal conflicts and traits.
Citan and Bart are also worthy of note, but the rest unfortunately fall flat, becoming nothing more than background noise after their respective moment.
Though half of the main cast are not within the same ballpark as Fei or Elly, the villains more than make up for the weaker examples. Each major villain is given ample screentime and attention to fully develop them into human characters much like Fei. This is not a simple good versus evil plotline. Every major player has their stake in the world’s affairs for good reason, and conflicts are far from black & white.

"Music is a mysterious thing. Sometimes it makes people remember things they do not expect. Many thoughts, feelings, memories... things almost forgotten... Regardless of whether the listener desires to remember or not."

The music in Xenogears is simply phenomenal. Composed by SquareSoft veteran Yasunori Mitsuda—famous for his work on Chrono Trigger—the soundtrack of Xenogears is beautifully crafted with nearly every song being memorable and impactful. The only problem with the soundtrack is that it consists of under 50 songs. For a title that takes place over the course of 50 or more hours, this means that a number of songs are replayed at inopportune times, potentially lessening the impact of their original use. Despite that, it is easily one of my favorite soundtracks in video games and helps create unforgettable moments within the narrative. I cannot imagine Xenogears without it.

"You appear to be looking forward, but in reality you're only looking downward. You're only looking at yourself. Like that, you will find nothing."

Xenogears is not a perfect game. It has a number of production issues, a very shoddy translation, some unbalanced pacing, and the second disc is practically a slideshow. But, despite these shortcomings, I cannot recommend this game enough. With every new scene, questions are raised and seeds are planted to grow into awe-inspiring revelations and conflicts. To anyone that enjoys storytelling, complex characters, emotional moments, JRPGs, and insightful concepts… you must play this game. I cannot objectively give this game a full 10/10 simply for the problems caused by its scope, but in my mind, it is a masterpiece. Do not pass this one up.

STAND TALL AND SHAKE THE HEAVENS

Run through the cold of night as passion burns in your heart
Ready to fight, a knife held close by your side
Like a proud wolf alone in the dark with eyes that watch the world
And my name like a shadow on the face of the moon

Broken mirror
A million shades of light
The old echo fades away
But just you and I
Can find the answer and then
We can run to the end of the world
We can run to the end of the world

Cold fire clenched to my heart in the blue of night
Torn by this pain, I paint your name in sound
And the girl of the dawn with eyes of blue and angel wings
The songs of the season are her only crown

Broken mirror
A million shades of light
The old echo fades away
But just you and I
Can find the answer and then
We can run to the end of the world
We can run to the end of the world

epic guitar solo

We met in the mist of morning
And parted deep in the night
Broken sword and shield and tears that never fall
But run through the heart
Washed away by the darkest water
The world is peaceful and still

Broken mirror
A million shades of light
The old echo fades away
But just you and I
Can find the answer and then
We can run to the end of the world
We can run to the end of the world

So many reviews have been written of this game, expressed more effectively than I'm able to, so rather than even try to put my thoughts together in a coherent review I'm just going to put a TL;DR at the top and vomit out random thoughts underneath (much like how this game approaches its storytelling... ooooooooh!)

TL;DR - I'm so conflicted about this game. 2.5 star reviews usually mean I'm lukewarm about the game, but in this case it's anything but. The game is so ambitious and large in its scale, with an inimitable soundtrack and sense of style that I can't bring myself to give it a negative review. But literally every aspect of its gameplay is a chore, the translation is clumsy, and its storytelling is needlessly clunky (more on this below) so I can't bring myself to give it a positive review. So 2.5 it is.

Random thoughts:
- First off. If this were an anime I'd give it 5 stars

- Enough has been written about how the camera angles and platforming make exploring a chore. But this game somehow managed to make talking to NPCs a chore too! The text scrolls uncomfortably slowly if you're a fast reader, and there is no option to change the scrolling speed. Then sometimes, NPCs will seem to finish talking (the text box even closes), but after 2 seconds they start talking again! This is usually just enough time for you to move on, see the dialog box reopen then close immediately because you walked offscreen, forcing you to go back and talk to the same guy again through like 5 windows of slowly-scrolling text.

- I was very enthused on the concept of deathblows and combos when I first started playing; there was a lot of potential to explore in that design space. I'd always felt that menu-based RPGs should give you multiple different 'free' moves (that don't use MP or items) rather than just one regular attack - for instance, one character could have a regular attack, a weaker multitarget attack, or a weak heal spell as 'free' options, which would give the player some strategic choice even if they were trying to conserve resources. The deathblow system could very much have been this! Unfortunately, the deathblows completely lacked depth as they were all single-target attacks of varying strength. The extremely fringe usefulness of combos meant that every deathblow but the most powerful one you currently had was irrelevant. In other words, rather than adding a layer of strategy to the game, the deathblow/combo system simply added tedium, turning "press X to win" into "press TTSX to win".

- I quite like the story - it's great stuff, even today. However, a pretty big caveat: if a story is going to have plenty of symbolism and require me to fill in missing gaps through inference, then two things are required. Firstly, the translation must be immaculate - not the case here. But secondly, I believe convoluted stories need to 'handhold' the viewer to some extent in terms of what is happening in the foreground of the story so that we can then make inferences about the background better. I don't think I described that very well, so here's an example of how the game didn't do it. At the beginning of the game, some giant robots land in the middle of your small village and start throwing down. A cutscene starts, you notice the cockpit of one of the robots is open, and you catch a glimpse of a mysterious figure inside. You then climb up into the mech, and... at this point I was expecting to get into a fight with the mysterious pilot, or have him jump out of the mech to escape, but nothing. I just started piloting the mech without any acknowledgement that there was anyone in the cockpit. Now the game eventually explains who the figure is (like 40 hours later) and then that scene makes sense... but I really wish they had just paid lip service to the fact that I'm not supposed to understand what happened yet. Just a throwaway line like "wasn't there someone in this mech? What happened to him?" Imagine that sort of writing but multiplied by many many times over the course of the game, and I spent 90% of the game in a perpetual state of wondering if I was actually supposed to understand what just happened and was just missing something obvious.

- Speaking of the story, its pacing had an infuriating habit of cutting away from the action that I cared about to focus on people I hadn't met yet spouting exposition I wasn't supposed to be able to understand yet. This was presumably to offer some 'bonus' for players who were going through the game a second time. There were two problems with this, however. Firstly, the scenes make for a very weak 'replay bonus' because they are completely irrelevant on your first playthrough. (Contrast this with say FFVII, where Cloud's narration of the past is relevant and interesting on first playthrough, then comes to take on an added layer when you view it through the lens of the second playthrough). But the other problem with scenes that only makes sense on second viewing is that unlike books by Diana Wynne Jones or movies by Christopher Nolan - both of which keep you confused for 90% of the way before finally offering payoff and incentivizing a second watch/read - Xenogears lasts 60 hours at a conservative estimate and much of its gameplay is a chore. I do like the story and wish I could catch more of the nuance of it, and I'm not averse to replaying games, but I don't think I'm going to come back to this.

- Despite most of my random thoughts above being rather negative, I did also like many aspects of it. It's probably dethroned Phantasy Star III from the top of my list of 'games that deserve a remake'. Its plot and ambition and multitude of interesting (but lacking in execution) gameplay ideas deserve a more polished game.