Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht
Encyclopedia
is a console role-playing game for the PlayStation 2
and the first title in the Xenosaga
series. Der Wille zur Macht
, "The Will to Power", is a reference to Friedrich Nietzsche
's posthumous collection of notes and unused aphorisms, which was intended to become his magnum opus. While supplies lasted, players who pre-ordered Episode I received a limited-edition artbook featuring original art from the game.
Episode I begins the trilogy that centers around the characters Shion and KOS-MOS. A young woman employed by Vector Industries, Shion aided in the creation of the battle android KOS-MOS and is present throughout much of the game. During this game, the U-TIC Organization attempts to steal one of the powerful Zohar Emulators, sources of energy used by humans.
Episode I was designed by Tetsuya Takahashi
, director of the PlayStation
game Xenogears
. The Xenosaga series is often claimed to be a spiritual prequel to Takahashi's earlier game, although the game's creators deny any real connection.
along the way. Enemies are not encountered randomly; they patrol fixed locations on each map. When the player touches an enemy, he or she will enter a battle. Like most RPGs, battles in Episode I feature turn-based combat, which involves a numeral system that determines health (Hit Points), magic/mana
(Ether Points), and damage. Status effect
s are common in Xenosaga, and feature both beneficial and detrimental effects. Benefits include increasing damage or defense, while detriments include falling asleep or being poisoned. Characters gain experience points after each battle and when a character obtains a certain amount of points, he or she levels up
. When a character rises in level, his or her statistics increase accordingly, although there are other ways to increase them.
Episode I introduces several new features during battles. When a party member attacks, his or her "Boost Gauge" increases. If he or she attacks on a specific turn, this increase may be furthered. When the gauge reaches at least Level 1, that character may use the Boost command to "Normal Boost", which usually results in he or she immediately receiving a turn in battle directly after the present character. However, the enemy may use a "Counter Boost" to override this normal one. Each character can attain up to three Boost levels in one battle. During battle, players can board mechs called A.G.W.S.. Although the A. G. W. S. units generally feature special attacks and higher statistics, they are limited in turns, ammunition, and actions (for example, a character may not use any healing ethers or items when he or she is inside an A. G. W. S., also the A. G. W. S. will retain damage after the battle that cannot be restored normally). This system is similar to the "Gear" battle system from Xenogears
. When attacking an enemy, a character may initiate a string of different attacks. However, the number of attacks that may be used is determined by the amount of Action Points (AP) that the character has stored. Characters usually obtain four AP at the start of their turn, but they can also save up to six unused points. There are items which can increase the normal 4 AP to 5 or even 6, allowing more actions to be performed. Different actions take different amounts of AP.
In addition to monetary and experience awards after each battle, characters will obtain Ether, Tech, and Skill points upon completing a battle. If the battle ends on the "Points Boost" turn, even more points will be rewarded. Ether points can be spent to obtain new Ether, or character-specific magical spells. Tech points are used to either increase stats, such as attack power, Hit Points, and dexterity or to improve the power and usefulness of Tech attacks. Finally, Skill points can be used to obtain special commands, status attack guards, or other features.
Episode I features no universal world map
, but the player can travel to several regions of the game through the EVS (Environmental Simulator), a location replicator/virtualizer also seen in Episodes II
and III
. Other features include an in-game database, several mini-game "plug-in" systems that can be accessed from Shion's portable UMN console, and an e-mail
system that allows players to make playful decisions that have little significance to the main plot. Episode I, 2, and 3 includes a treasure hunt side-quest, in which the player may find decoders for eighteen locked doors scattered throughout the game. The doors lead to various treasures and skills. The game map features a small radar that detects the locations of enemies and allies.
. The project proceeds through a test experiment on the battle android KOS-MOS, during which a mysterious young girl (Nephilim) is encountered. After the test, Shion has another vision of Nephilim while investigating the Zohar Emulator. Eventually, the Woglinde is attacked by a group of Gnosis who are after the Emulator. This attack is partly orchestrated by U-TIC Organization operatives Vanderkam and Cherenkov, who wish to acquire the Emulator for their boss, Margulis. During the attack, KOS-MOS is activated suddenly, the Gnosis escape with the Emulator, Shion and Cherenkov are touched by Gnosis, and the U-TIC operatives escape (sans Cherenkov, who joins up with Shion and crew). Federation Lieutenant Virgil is also shot by KOS-MOS in a friendly fire incident and dies. After the Woglinde is destroyed, Shion, Cherenkov, Allen Ridgeley, and KOS-MOS are rescued by the Kukai Foundation's Elsa starship, which was investigating the ruins of the Woglinde as potential salvage. On the starship, the group encounters a mysterious boy, chaos, before asking Captain Matthews to escort them to Second Miltia.
Meanwhile, Margulis explains the significance of U-TIC's plan to recover the Original Zohar from Old Miltia. Thereafter, Vector's CEO, Wilhelm, is shown ordering Red Testament to "gather the necessary factors". Cyborg Ziggurat 8, nicknamed Ziggy, is assigned by the S.O.C.E. to rescue the 100-Series Realian Prototype, MOMO, who was kidnapped by the U-TIC Organization because she carries the Y-Data, which contains the steps to finding the Original Zohar on Old Miltia, among other information. The S.O.C.E. then orders Ziggy to bring MOMO to Second Miltia for extraction of the Y-Data. Ziggy reaches the U-TIC headquarters (Pleroma) and rescues MOMO. However, the duo is chased by U-TIC operatives in hyperspace until they encounter the Elsa. The two parties meet, defeat the pursuing U-TIC forces, and decide to join together on their journey to Second Miltia. During this incident, the never-aging U.R.T.V. unit, Jr., is attacked by a U-TIC battleship while investigating the Woglinde wreckage for any signs of the Zohar Emulator. His group is unable to find the Emulator.
After stopping at the Dock Colony, the Elsa runs into the Cathedral Ship, a planet-sized Gnosis created from the missing planet Ariadne and made complete with the Zohar Emulator taken from the Woglinde. While escaping the Cathedral Ship, Cherenkov mutates into a Gnosis and is killed by the party (from having been touched by one from earlier, though Shion was also touched by one and shows no ill effects). The Elsa and the party are rescued by Jr. and his Durandal starship, which was passing by in search for the Emulator. Jr. apprehends the Zohar Emulator from the destroyed Cathedral Ship and explains that he now has the twelve Emulators, but that the Emulators only contain a fraction of the power that is housed by the Original Zohar, trapped on Old Miltia. Jr. takes them back to the Kukai Foundation, where the party is introduced to Jr.'s fellow U.R.T.V. unit, Gaignun Kukai. The Galaxy Federation files charges on the Kukai Foundation for the destruction of the Woglinde based on a U-TIC-created forgery combining the battles between the Woglinde and Gnosis and between the U-TIC and Durandal. In order to prove their innocence, Shion Uzuki leads an Encephalon dive to into KOS-MOS's subconscious to retrieve an encrypted and verifiable recording of the Woglinde's actual destruction by the Gnosis. In the Encephalon, Shion and Jr. navigate a world based on childhood memories from the Miltian Conflict. The party meets Febronia, Febronia, who explains that a time will come where KOS-MOS will encounter the wave existence known as U-DO. She then requests that Shion free her sisters from their captivity. Febronia also states that all factions involved must travel to Old Miltia.
U-TIC realizes that their plot to distract Kukai and Miltia in order to apprehend MOMO has failed, so they dispatch Jr.'s brother and fellow U.R.T.V. unit, Albedo, to formulate his own strategy. Albedo decides to activate the Song of Nephilim, which generates a Gnosis attack around the Kukai Foundation. In the confusion surrounding the attack, Albedo kidnaps MOMO and brings her to the Song of Nephilim. Shion and the party go to the Song and defeat Albedo, but before escaping, Albedo successfully searches MOMO for the Y-Data and extracts an incomplete copy. Afterward, the Blue Testament appears and demands that the party travel to Old Miltia. The Song deactivates and the Gnosis attack is thwarted. However, Albedo summons Proto Merkabah, the space station created by Joachim Mizrahi, in an attempt to destroy Second Miltia and the Kukai Foundation. Albedo quickly destroys the entire Federation fleet in the region with a single salvo. He then prepares to fire on Second Miltia. This does not adhere to the plans of U-TIC, but the Blue Testament, revealed to be the previously-killed Lt. Virgil, decides to let it continue.
Inside Proto Merkabah, the party encounters Albedo, who summons a Gnosis to "test" the party and to buy Albedo time to escape. Albedo sets Merkabah on a collision course with Second Miltia, which the party stops by breaking the space station into thousands of pieces. However, during re-entry, the Elsa's heat shield begins to disintegrate. KOS-MOS' and chaos's combined powers form angelic wings to prevent the Elsa from being destroyed. Meanwhile, Albedo discovers that the Y-Data is protected and tells U-TIC that MOMO will have to connect to the U.M.N. before he can retrieve the rest. While these events are transpiring, Wilhelm stares at his Compass of Order, understanding that his plans have started in full motion.
and the rest of the Xenosaga trilogy. Many other developers from the Xenogears team joined Monolith Soft and the Xenosaga world is loosely based on that game. When Xenosaga was first announced, it was supposed to be a six-part game series, spanning three consoles and several years.
Episode Is soundtrack
was composed by Yasunori Mitsuda
and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra
. Mitsuda sampled Ralph Vaughan Williams'
Greensleeves
and wrote several new songs. Two versions of the game's soundtrack album have been released, as well as a single for the main theme of the game, "Kokoro". During cut scenes, voice actors act out much of the game's dialogue, with over fifteen hours of cinematic cut scenes.
Xenosaga Freaks On April 28, 2004, Namco released Xenosaga Freaks in Japan, a supplementary game including a Xenosaga-themed word-puzzle game based on Namco's Mojipittan
called Xenopittan, a comical adventure game Xenocomi, the complete dictionary of terminology from Episode I enhanced with audio and video clips, and a playable demo of Episode II. This is the closest that Xenosaga has come to Xenogears Perfect Works anthology beyond the Original Design Materials.
"dubious honor" award for the "Most pretentious game of 2003". GameSpot did however praise the game in their review, scoring it 8.1 out of 10.
Critics agreed that the game's strongly developed characters were a highlight. GameSpot.com's
Greg Kasavin wrote that "Despite the amount of time you'll spend with all these characters, Xenosaga isn't very heavy on character development, but its cast is endearing nevertheless." Noting that the game's characters do not stand out for costume design or weaponry, IGN's
Jeremy Dunham said that the cast is "possibly the most realistic portrayal of protagonists we've yet seen on the PlayStation 2" and that "the depth of each personality is so vast that it's akin to that found in modern literature." The game's plot found more mixed reviews, although it gained much praise. Kevin Jones of GamingAge.com stated that "Xenosaga has that extra special something that has been missing from RPGs for the last couple of years, an enthralling, profound story that leaves you truly wanting more." Jones believed that the character designs and animation styles in Xenosaga were not up to par with expectations, though. Dunham explained that the game's complexity would be too intimidating or "inactive" for casual gamers, but "For those of us who like this sort of thing, however, Xenosaga is a deeply enriching thrill ride towards the cosmos." Christian Nutt from GameSpy
disliked the length of the game's reliance on cutscenes, claiming that it slowed the pacing of the game.
Critical reception of Episode I's gameplay was mixed. GamePro's
review criticized the complexity of the battle system mechanics, including the A.G.W.S. battles and tech point system, later admitting that the "strange tweaks Xenosaga makes to the standard system are pretty intriguing". Dunham warned players that they must stay "open-minded" about the seemingly small percentage of actual gameplay compared to the number of cut scenes, stating that "there's plenty to do, despite what you may have heard elsewhere." He praised the combination of attacks and Tech attacks the players have the ability to use and the mini-game Xenocards.
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and the first title in the Xenosaga
Xenosaga
is a series of science fiction video games developed by Monolith Soft and published by Namco Bandai. Xenosaga's main story is in the form of a trilogy of PlayStation 2 video games. There have been three spin-off games and an anime adaptation. The Xenosaga series serves as a spiritual successor to...
series. Der Wille zur Macht
The Will to Power
The Will to Power is the title given to a book of selectively reordered notes from the literary remains of Friedrich Nietzsche by his sister Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche and Heinrich Köselitz...
, "The Will to Power", is a reference to Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
's posthumous collection of notes and unused aphorisms, which was intended to become his magnum opus. While supplies lasted, players who pre-ordered Episode I received a limited-edition artbook featuring original art from the game.
Episode I begins the trilogy that centers around the characters Shion and KOS-MOS. A young woman employed by Vector Industries, Shion aided in the creation of the battle android KOS-MOS and is present throughout much of the game. During this game, the U-TIC Organization attempts to steal one of the powerful Zohar Emulators, sources of energy used by humans.
Episode I was designed by Tetsuya Takahashi
Tetsuya Takahashi
Tetsuya Takahashi is currently the head of game software company Monolith Soft, Inc. In the past, Takahashi has worked at Square and on such games as Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger...
, director of the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
game Xenogears
Xenogears
is a science-fiction console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation. It was released on February 11, 1998 in Japan and on October 20, 1998 in North America. The game was never released in PAL territories...
. The Xenosaga series is often claimed to be a spiritual prequel to Takahashi's earlier game, although the game's creators deny any real connection.
Gameplay
In Episode I, the player controls a party of up to three characters, one of which represents the group on the map screen. Players progress through the story by crossing areas and fighting various enemies and bossesBoss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
along the way. Enemies are not encountered randomly; they patrol fixed locations on each map. When the player touches an enemy, he or she will enter a battle. Like most RPGs, battles in Episode I feature turn-based combat, which involves a numeral system that determines health (Hit Points), magic/mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
(Ether Points), and damage. Status effect
Status effect
In role-playing games, a status effect is a temporary modification to a game character’s original set of stats that usually comes into play when special powers and abilities are used, often during combat. It appears in numerous computer and video games of many genres, most commonly in role-playing...
s are common in Xenosaga, and feature both beneficial and detrimental effects. Benefits include increasing damage or defense, while detriments include falling asleep or being poisoned. Characters gain experience points after each battle and when a character obtains a certain amount of points, he or she levels up
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
. When a character rises in level, his or her statistics increase accordingly, although there are other ways to increase them.
Episode I introduces several new features during battles. When a party member attacks, his or her "Boost Gauge" increases. If he or she attacks on a specific turn, this increase may be furthered. When the gauge reaches at least Level 1, that character may use the Boost command to "Normal Boost", which usually results in he or she immediately receiving a turn in battle directly after the present character. However, the enemy may use a "Counter Boost" to override this normal one. Each character can attain up to three Boost levels in one battle. During battle, players can board mechs called A.G.W.S.. Although the A. G. W. S. units generally feature special attacks and higher statistics, they are limited in turns, ammunition, and actions (for example, a character may not use any healing ethers or items when he or she is inside an A. G. W. S., also the A. G. W. S. will retain damage after the battle that cannot be restored normally). This system is similar to the "Gear" battle system from Xenogears
Xenogears
is a science-fiction console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation. It was released on February 11, 1998 in Japan and on October 20, 1998 in North America. The game was never released in PAL territories...
. When attacking an enemy, a character may initiate a string of different attacks. However, the number of attacks that may be used is determined by the amount of Action Points (AP) that the character has stored. Characters usually obtain four AP at the start of their turn, but they can also save up to six unused points. There are items which can increase the normal 4 AP to 5 or even 6, allowing more actions to be performed. Different actions take different amounts of AP.
In addition to monetary and experience awards after each battle, characters will obtain Ether, Tech, and Skill points upon completing a battle. If the battle ends on the "Points Boost" turn, even more points will be rewarded. Ether points can be spent to obtain new Ether, or character-specific magical spells. Tech points are used to either increase stats, such as attack power, Hit Points, and dexterity or to improve the power and usefulness of Tech attacks. Finally, Skill points can be used to obtain special commands, status attack guards, or other features.
Episode I features no universal world map
World map
A world map is a map of the surface of the Earth, which may be made using any of a number of different map projections. A map projection is any method of representing the surface of a sphere or other three-dimensional body on a plane....
, but the player can travel to several regions of the game through the EVS (Environmental Simulator), a location replicator/virtualizer also seen in Episodes II
Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse
is an RPG for the PlayStation 2 and the second title in the Xenosaga series. Jenseits von Gut und Böse, literally "Beyond Good and Evil", is taken from a philosophical work by Friedrich Nietzsche of the same name...
and III
Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra
is an RPG for the PlayStation 2, and the third game in the primary Xenosaga trilogy. Also sprach Zarathustra, literally "Thus spoke Zarathustra", is also the title of Friedrich Nietzsche's most famous work, which introduced the concept of the Übermensch...
. Other features include an in-game database, several mini-game "plug-in" systems that can be accessed from Shion's portable UMN console, and an e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
system that allows players to make playful decisions that have little significance to the main plot. Episode I, 2, and 3 includes a treasure hunt side-quest, in which the player may find decoders for eighteen locked doors scattered throughout the game. The doors lead to various treasures and skills. The game map features a small radar that detects the locations of enemies and allies.
Story
Episode I mainly serves as an exposition for the characters and the developing plot. After Dr. Matsuda discovers the Original Zohar in 20xx AD in Turkana, Kenya, the focus shifts to the transport of a Zohar Emulator aboard the Galaxy Federation starship Woglinde. The Zohar Emulator was discovered in the wake of the disappearance of the planet Ariadne. The Woglinde is also the current location of Vector Industries' KOS-MOS development project headed by Shion UzukiShion Uzuki
is the female protagonist in the PlayStation 2 trilogy known as the Xenosaga series: Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht, Xenosaga Episode II Jenseits von Gut und Böse, and Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra. In addition, she was in the mobile game Pied Piper, Xenosaga I & II,...
. The project proceeds through a test experiment on the battle android KOS-MOS, during which a mysterious young girl (Nephilim) is encountered. After the test, Shion has another vision of Nephilim while investigating the Zohar Emulator. Eventually, the Woglinde is attacked by a group of Gnosis who are after the Emulator. This attack is partly orchestrated by U-TIC Organization operatives Vanderkam and Cherenkov, who wish to acquire the Emulator for their boss, Margulis. During the attack, KOS-MOS is activated suddenly, the Gnosis escape with the Emulator, Shion and Cherenkov are touched by Gnosis, and the U-TIC operatives escape (sans Cherenkov, who joins up with Shion and crew). Federation Lieutenant Virgil is also shot by KOS-MOS in a friendly fire incident and dies. After the Woglinde is destroyed, Shion, Cherenkov, Allen Ridgeley, and KOS-MOS are rescued by the Kukai Foundation's Elsa starship, which was investigating the ruins of the Woglinde as potential salvage. On the starship, the group encounters a mysterious boy, chaos, before asking Captain Matthews to escort them to Second Miltia.
Meanwhile, Margulis explains the significance of U-TIC's plan to recover the Original Zohar from Old Miltia. Thereafter, Vector's CEO, Wilhelm, is shown ordering Red Testament to "gather the necessary factors". Cyborg Ziggurat 8, nicknamed Ziggy, is assigned by the S.O.C.E. to rescue the 100-Series Realian Prototype, MOMO, who was kidnapped by the U-TIC Organization because she carries the Y-Data, which contains the steps to finding the Original Zohar on Old Miltia, among other information. The S.O.C.E. then orders Ziggy to bring MOMO to Second Miltia for extraction of the Y-Data. Ziggy reaches the U-TIC headquarters (Pleroma) and rescues MOMO. However, the duo is chased by U-TIC operatives in hyperspace until they encounter the Elsa. The two parties meet, defeat the pursuing U-TIC forces, and decide to join together on their journey to Second Miltia. During this incident, the never-aging U.R.T.V. unit, Jr., is attacked by a U-TIC battleship while investigating the Woglinde wreckage for any signs of the Zohar Emulator. His group is unable to find the Emulator.
After stopping at the Dock Colony, the Elsa runs into the Cathedral Ship, a planet-sized Gnosis created from the missing planet Ariadne and made complete with the Zohar Emulator taken from the Woglinde. While escaping the Cathedral Ship, Cherenkov mutates into a Gnosis and is killed by the party (from having been touched by one from earlier, though Shion was also touched by one and shows no ill effects). The Elsa and the party are rescued by Jr. and his Durandal starship, which was passing by in search for the Emulator. Jr. apprehends the Zohar Emulator from the destroyed Cathedral Ship and explains that he now has the twelve Emulators, but that the Emulators only contain a fraction of the power that is housed by the Original Zohar, trapped on Old Miltia. Jr. takes them back to the Kukai Foundation, where the party is introduced to Jr.'s fellow U.R.T.V. unit, Gaignun Kukai. The Galaxy Federation files charges on the Kukai Foundation for the destruction of the Woglinde based on a U-TIC-created forgery combining the battles between the Woglinde and Gnosis and between the U-TIC and Durandal. In order to prove their innocence, Shion Uzuki leads an Encephalon dive to into KOS-MOS's subconscious to retrieve an encrypted and verifiable recording of the Woglinde's actual destruction by the Gnosis. In the Encephalon, Shion and Jr. navigate a world based on childhood memories from the Miltian Conflict. The party meets Febronia, Febronia, who explains that a time will come where KOS-MOS will encounter the wave existence known as U-DO. She then requests that Shion free her sisters from their captivity. Febronia also states that all factions involved must travel to Old Miltia.
U-TIC realizes that their plot to distract Kukai and Miltia in order to apprehend MOMO has failed, so they dispatch Jr.'s brother and fellow U.R.T.V. unit, Albedo, to formulate his own strategy. Albedo decides to activate the Song of Nephilim, which generates a Gnosis attack around the Kukai Foundation. In the confusion surrounding the attack, Albedo kidnaps MOMO and brings her to the Song of Nephilim. Shion and the party go to the Song and defeat Albedo, but before escaping, Albedo successfully searches MOMO for the Y-Data and extracts an incomplete copy. Afterward, the Blue Testament appears and demands that the party travel to Old Miltia. The Song deactivates and the Gnosis attack is thwarted. However, Albedo summons Proto Merkabah, the space station created by Joachim Mizrahi, in an attempt to destroy Second Miltia and the Kukai Foundation. Albedo quickly destroys the entire Federation fleet in the region with a single salvo. He then prepares to fire on Second Miltia. This does not adhere to the plans of U-TIC, but the Blue Testament, revealed to be the previously-killed Lt. Virgil, decides to let it continue.
Inside Proto Merkabah, the party encounters Albedo, who summons a Gnosis to "test" the party and to buy Albedo time to escape. Albedo sets Merkabah on a collision course with Second Miltia, which the party stops by breaking the space station into thousands of pieces. However, during re-entry, the Elsa's heat shield begins to disintegrate. KOS-MOS' and chaos's combined powers form angelic wings to prevent the Elsa from being destroyed. Meanwhile, Albedo discovers that the Y-Data is protected and tells U-TIC that MOMO will have to connect to the U.M.N. before he can retrieve the rest. While these events are transpiring, Wilhelm stares at his Compass of Order, understanding that his plans have started in full motion.
Development
Episode I was designed by Tetsuya Takahashi, director for both XenogearsXenogears
is a science-fiction console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation. It was released on February 11, 1998 in Japan and on October 20, 1998 in North America. The game was never released in PAL territories...
and the rest of the Xenosaga trilogy. Many other developers from the Xenogears team joined Monolith Soft and the Xenosaga world is loosely based on that game. When Xenosaga was first announced, it was supposed to be a six-part game series, spanning three consoles and several years.
Episode Is soundtrack
Music of the Xenosaga series
The series is a series of science fiction role-playing video games developed by Monolith Soft and published by Namco Bandai on the PlayStation 2. The series began with the 2002 release of Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht, which was followed in 2004 by Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse and in...
was composed by Yasunori Mitsuda
Yasunori Mitsuda
is a Japanese video game composer, sound programmer, and musician. He has composed music for or worked on over 35 games, and has contributed to over 15 other albums...
and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
. Mitsuda sampled Ralph Vaughan Williams'
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
Greensleeves
Greensleeves
"Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song and tune, a ground of the form called a romanesca.A broadside ballad by this name was registered at the London Stationer's Company in September 1580 as "A New Northern Dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves". It then appears in the surviving A Handful of...
and wrote several new songs. Two versions of the game's soundtrack album have been released, as well as a single for the main theme of the game, "Kokoro". During cut scenes, voice actors act out much of the game's dialogue, with over fifteen hours of cinematic cut scenes.
Censorship
Episode I dealt with the censorship of several cutscenes in the North American release of the game, a majority of which take place during a confrontation between the game's main villain and another character. This was done presumably to avoid any possibilities of the title receiving an ESRB M rating. A scene involving an arm being snapped was softened for the North American version. In another scene of noticeable censorship, a character draws out a knife, which he uses to cut off his arm and head. For Western release he simply rips off his limbs without the use of a knife. A scene where a character draws out information by "reaching inside" another character was also altered; instead, he simply puts his hand over her face in the North American version.Xenosaga: Episode I Reloaded
In a mid-2003 effort to drum up hype for the upcoming Xenosaga: Episode II, Namco released a special version of Episode I called Xenosaga: Episode I Reloaded in Japan, which featured the English voice-acting and a few special features. These included two additional armors which serve as alternate costumes for KOS-MOS and MOMO, and a theatre mode in which the game's cutscenes can be played at will (provided they have already been played in an existing saved game).Xenosaga Freaks On April 28, 2004, Namco released Xenosaga Freaks in Japan, a supplementary game including a Xenosaga-themed word-puzzle game based on Namco's Mojipittan
Mojipittan
Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan is a series of Japanese word puzzle video games designed by Hiroyuki Goto and produced by Namco...
called Xenopittan, a comical adventure game Xenocomi, the complete dictionary of terminology from Episode I enhanced with audio and video clips, and a playable demo of Episode II. This is the closest that Xenosaga has come to Xenogears Perfect Works anthology beyond the Original Design Materials.
Reception
Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht received praise from critics, earning a generally favorable 83% on Metacritic.com. Most critics enjoyed the well-developed plot and characters, but argued that the long cut scenes ruined the pacing of the game. Episode I was given GameSpot.com'sGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
"dubious honor" award for the "Most pretentious game of 2003". GameSpot did however praise the game in their review, scoring it 8.1 out of 10.
Critics agreed that the game's strongly developed characters were a highlight. GameSpot.com's
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
Greg Kasavin wrote that "Despite the amount of time you'll spend with all these characters, Xenosaga isn't very heavy on character development, but its cast is endearing nevertheless." Noting that the game's characters do not stand out for costume design or weaponry, IGN's
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
Jeremy Dunham said that the cast is "possibly the most realistic portrayal of protagonists we've yet seen on the PlayStation 2" and that "the depth of each personality is so vast that it's akin to that found in modern literature." The game's plot found more mixed reviews, although it gained much praise. Kevin Jones of GamingAge.com stated that "Xenosaga has that extra special something that has been missing from RPGs for the last couple of years, an enthralling, profound story that leaves you truly wanting more." Jones believed that the character designs and animation styles in Xenosaga were not up to par with expectations, though. Dunham explained that the game's complexity would be too intimidating or "inactive" for casual gamers, but "For those of us who like this sort of thing, however, Xenosaga is a deeply enriching thrill ride towards the cosmos." Christian Nutt from GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
disliked the length of the game's reliance on cutscenes, claiming that it slowed the pacing of the game.
Critical reception of Episode I's gameplay was mixed. GamePro's
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
review criticized the complexity of the battle system mechanics, including the A.G.W.S. battles and tech point system, later admitting that the "strange tweaks Xenosaga makes to the standard system are pretty intriguing". Dunham warned players that they must stay "open-minded" about the seemingly small percentage of actual gameplay compared to the number of cut scenes, stating that "there's plenty to do, despite what you may have heard elsewhere." He praised the combination of attacks and Tech attacks the players have the ability to use and the mini-game Xenocards.