History VideoGame / Xenosaga

* HotterAndSexier: ''Episode III'' stands out as this, especially in comparison to ''[[UncannyValley Episode II]].'' There's significantly more fanservice, certain characters have markedly more revealing outfits (e.g. Shion and even KOS-MOS), MOMO went up a couple cup sizes since the first two games (one could dismiss it as aging, but she's a Realian, and no other one has been shown to do so).

* [[AMillionIsAStatistic A Billion Is A Statistic]]: For being a series that does like to go over the topics of WhatMeasureIsANonHuman and the worth of human life itself, it's odd that the game barely made us care at all for the planet Ariadne, which was one of the reasons why the Woglinde was sent out; to search for said planet. Despite a brief mention here and there, it eventually gets lost in the crowd, so to speak. An in-game quote nicely summed this up:

** To be fair, looking for Ariadne was just an excuse. [[spoiler: They were really meant to pick up the Zohar Emulator, due to the strings U-TIC pulled with their spies in the Federation.]] Lots of characters during the beginning of the game noticed their objective were shifting the moment they found the Zohar emulator.
** The player party does eventually find Ariadne, when a particular [[spoiler: gigantic Gnosis known as a "Cathedral Ship"]] is found to have been [[spoiler: created from the planet Ariadne itself, thanks to a mishap during a Link Experiment with aforementioned Zohar emulator]].

** [[EnsembleDarkhorse Orgulla]] does this as well, wielding both a regular sword and a LaserBlade.

* [[spoiler:DwindlingParty]]: [[spoiler: Played with somewhat in that the deaths are by no means peppered throughout the whole series; in the ending sequence of ''Episode III'', almost half of your party winds up dying; both Jin and KOS-MOS perish in an attempt to stave off the Gnosis for long enough to protect chaos, Nephilim!Mary, and Abel from shifting the area to Lost Jerusalem space. chaos does shortly thereafter.]]

* [[GoodRepublicEvilEmpire Good Foundation, Evil Organization]]: While good might be [[AntiHero a bit of a stretch]], the Kukai Foundation aids the party multiple times and are certainly nicer than the [[ChurchMilitant U-TIC Organization]].

* [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace The UMN Is A Scary Place]]: U-DO and Gnosis lurk in the depths of the do-everything network.

** [[FridgeHorror It's never explained what happened to Second Jerusalem through Fourth Jerusalem]].

* [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo One Game For The Price Of Three]]: The series consists of three separate games, of which only Episodes I and III are long enough to qualify as full-length [=RPGs=]. Episodes I and II were originally intended to be a single game which was subsequently split in two. The so-called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXDk8ufe7I8 8 Minutes and 8 Seconds]]" trailer for Episode I showcased events such as Jin and Margulis's sword duel and the activation of Proto-Ω--two events which occur near the climax of Episode II. The combined Episodes I&II were later released as a UsefulNotes/NintendoDS game, [[NoExportForYou which never made it out of Japan]].

* [[OncePerEpisode Once Per]] [[IncrediblyLamePun "Episode"]]: Quite a few.

* [[TheWorldIsJustAwesome SPACE Is Just Awesome]]: The scene where Nephilim takes you through space and shows you [[spoiler: KOS-MOS destroying a planet in the future]] is just full of this. Complete with the characters literally standing on nothing yet still attached to the ground and the background detail showing many planets, cosmos, and stars compared to the rest of the space scenes in the game, which just show some stars. It looks, well, awesome.

* [[YourMindMakesItReal Your Mind Makes it Real... In the Future!]]: Used as a plot device to explain [[spoiler: why, while playing in Shion's consciousness during Episode III, Abel's Ark had to be summoned by adult Shion right after kid Shion summoned the Gnosis.]] Also used for (or at least implied) why KOS-MOS stayed repaired once the characters returned to the real world after the spoiler happened. Considering that the UMN and Encephelon dives actually [[spoiler: connect you the collective unconscious and brush against higher planes of existance where time and space start to lose meaning]], this may be justified in part or in whole.

* ''Episode I'' essentially reveals no major information about anyone or anything. Jr.'s past and what happened with he and his fellow URTVs? Not told until ''Episode II''. What trauma did Shion go through that is alluded to during her time in KOS-MOS' subconscious? You get a couple of flashes but not the details until ''Episode III''. What exactly happened with Ziggy other than that he killed himself as a human? You don't find that out until ''Pied Piper'' (which no one played) or ''Episode III''. Why is chaos so weird? No answers until ''Episode III''. Essentially, only Shion, MOMO, and KOS-MOS have any sort of major backstory or development explained. As for story, just as unlucky.

''[=Xenosaga=]'' is a series of {{Eastern RPG}}s created by Japanese developer Creator/MonolithSoft, a studio composed by ex-members of Creator/SquareEnix who worked in many of the company's greatest hits of the 1990s, most notably ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', to which ''Xenosaga'' is supposed to be a CreatorDrivenSuccessor to. To be precise, the original creators of ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', the married couple Tetsuya Takahashi and Kaori Tanaka (known under her pen name, Soraya Saga), wanted to turn ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' into a big franchise, telling a story divided in multiple episodes, ''Franchise/StarWars'' style. However, Creator/SquareEnix wasn't interested in the idea, so they, along with some of their team mates, and after partnering with Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment (or rather just Namco, before they merged), decided to create their own studio to tell a whole new story using their ideas for ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' as a starting point.

''Xenosaga'' also has its own CreatorDrivenSuccessor in the ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'' series, which was created after Creator/MonolithSoft ended its partnership with Creator/BandaiNamco and became a first party Creator/{{Nintendo}} studio.

* CreatorDrivenSuccessor: Was originally intended to be a full-blown ContinuityReboot of ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', but due to being cut down from six games to three covering the first two intended chapters of the planned MythArc (the first chapter ended up being split into two games), it ends up being a spiritual prequel that covers the period of the interstellar period that preceded Deus's crashlanding.

* MythologyGag: Being intended as a CreatorDrivenSuccessor to ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', the series references it quite a bit:

* ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming: The entire series, and even moreso its CreatorDrivenSuccessor VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}, are heavily influenced by Gnosticism. Proper names and even the overall mythology of the series reflects Gnostic cosmology.

* BaldBlackLeaderGuy: Representative Helmer is the leader of Second Militia.

''[=Xenosaga=]'' is a series of {{Eastern RPG}}s created by Japanese developer Creator/MonolithSoft, a studio composed by ex-members of Creator/SquareEnix who worked in many of the company's greatest hits of the 1990s, most notably ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', to which ''Xenosaga'' is supposed to be a SpiritualSuccessor to. To be precise, the original creators of ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', the married couple Tetsuya Takahashi and Kaori Tanaka (known under her pen name, Soraya Saga), wanted to turn ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' into a big franchise, telling a story divided in multiple episodes, ''Franchise/StarWars'' style. However, Creator/SquareEnix wasn't interested in the idea, so they, along with some of their team mates, and after partnering with Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment (or rather just Namco, before they merged), decided to create their own studio to tell a whole new story using their ideas for ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' as a starting point.

''Xenosaga'' also has its own SpiritualSuccessor in the ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'' series, which was created after Creator/MonolithSoft ended its partnership with Creator/BandaiNamco and became a first party Creator/{{Nintendo}} studio.

* ContinuityReboot: To ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', according to WordOfGod.
** [[WhatCouldHaveBeen It didn't exactly]] [[AbortedArc work out]].

* UsefulNotes/{{Gnosticism}}: The entire series, and even moreso its spiritual predecessor VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}, are heavily influenced by the Gnostic religion. Proper names and even the overall mythology of the series reflects Gnostic cosmology.

* MythologyGag: Being intended as a SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', the series references it quite a bit:

* SpiritualSuccessor: Was originally intended to be a full-blown ContinuityReboot of ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', but due to being cut down from 6 games to 3, ends up being a spiritual prequel that roughly covers the period of the interstellar period that preceded Deus's crashlanding.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: The 100-series Realians and KOS-MOS have blue hair, MOMO has pink hair, and Shelley has purple.

''Xenosaga'' also has its own SpiritualSuccessor in the ''Franchise/XenobladeChronicles'' franchise, which was created after Creator/MonolithSoft ended its partnership with Creator/BandaiNamco and became a first party Creator/{{Nintendo}} studio.

''Xenosaga'' also has its own SpiritualSuccessor in the ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' franchise for Creator/{{Nintendo}} systems, which was created after Creator/MonolithSoft ended its parternship with Creator/BandaiNamco and became a first party of the Kyoto company in 2007.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The enemies Striborg/Svarozic/Perun which appear in all three games have a giant crotch-bulb-thing. Which it thrusts at you when it's casting a spell.

* {{Expy}}: Numerous 'Saga cast members have 'Gears counterparts, most notably Jin. He's a bit of a subversion, though. Despite their superficial resemblance, Citan was hyper-competent with a beautiful wife & daughter & successful practice as a town doctor. Jin is a layabout who washed out of the medical profession, had a lousy relationship with his family the only woman he ever loved wound up trying to kill him. He's still a badass, though.
** It goes beyond just the human characters. Episode III pits you against the SuperRobot Omega-Universitas and its more powerful transformation Omega-Id, which are more or less direct copies of Fei's gear, the Weltall, right down to the fighting style.

* MythologyGag: The series naturally references ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' quite a bit:
** Jin Uzuki is quite an obvious {{Expy}} of Citan Uzuki (nee Hyuga Rikudou), sharing his surname, design, aspects of his personality, and even [[Creator/HideyukiTanaka voice actor]].

** Omega being a superweapon powered by the Zohar makes it the analogue of Deus. Omega Metempsychosis, the proper final boss of the game, looks almost identical to Deus's final stage, and just as Final Deus had two angels growing out of its hands, Omega Metempsychosis has lookalikes of Weltall and Vierge tethered to its hands to boot.

* ShoutOut: Episode III is littered with subtle and overt nods to ''Xenogears''. One of the bosses in the third game is [[VideoGame/{{Xenogears}} Welltall, which later changes to a red Weltall-Id]].

** Omega Metempsychosis is reminiscent to Deus from Xenogears, having two smaller mechs attached to its arms.

* MythologyGag: The series naturally references Xenogears quite a bit.

* FamousLastWords:
** "Is that your answer? That does sound like you..., Yeshua." [[spoiler: Wilhelm]]
** It's quiet now. I don't think it's ever been this quiet before in my whole life. This is what I sought. And yet, now that the time has finally come... I long for the noise of the past. I long for those hectic and chaotic days that once were. But this, too, is pleasant, in an odd sort of way. Yes. The time has come for me... to move on, Shion. [[spoiler: Jin Uzuki]]
** "Rubedo... the Zohar... and Abel... are on Michtam." [[spoiler:Albedo]]
** "I'm not saying goodbye. Let's play together again sometime. Until then, take care, Rubedo, Albedo..." [[spoiler:Nigredo]]
** "Farewell, Rubedo. I pray for the success of your mission." [[spoiler: Canaan]]
** "I guess both you and I still exist in this world, after all. As long as people... as long as the universe desires it, we will continue to exist. We haven't finished what we have to do yet. So, until then, sleep well, KOS-MOS." [[spoiler:Chaos]]
** "Good Night." [[spoiler: KOS-MOS]]

* DummiedOut: Lots of things have been left out of the main three games. Ep. I had some character models unused, as well as some data of Jin being a playable character. The player would also find powerful spells that would be available later in the story, but ended up being recycled for Ep. II. Ep. II has the entire shop system still in the data, but it got removed because they ran out of time. Ep. III has swimsuits for the three GuestStarPartyMember.

* [[GoodRepublicEvilEmpire Good Foundation, Evil Organization]]: While good might be [[AntiHero a bit of a stretch]], the Kukai Foundation aids the party multiple times and are not nearly as bad as the U-TIC Organization.

* [[GoodRepublicEvilEmpire Good Foundation, Evil Organization]]

* StarfishAliens: The Gnosis appear to be this when they are first introduced. [[spoiler: They are later to be [[WasOnceAMan humans]] warped through their consciousness losing its connection to the Collective Subconsious.]]

''[=Xenosaga=]'' is a series of {{Eastern RPG}}s created by Japanese developer Creator/MonolithSoft, a studio composed by ex-members of Creator/SquareEnix who worked in many of the company's greatest hits of the 1990s. Most notably ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', to which ''Xenosaga'' is supposed to be a SpiritualSuccessor to. To be precise, the original creators of ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', the married couple Tetsuya Takahashi and Kaori Tanaka (known under her pen name, Soraya Saga), wanted to turn ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' into a big franchise, telling a story divided in multiple episodes, ''Franchise/StarWars'' style. However, Creator/SquareEnix wasn't interested in the idea, so they, along with some of their team mates, and after partnering with Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment (or rather just Namco, before they merged), decided to create their own studio to tell a whole new story using their ideas for ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' as a starting point.

* ''Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse'' (2004) [=PS2=] -- "Beyond Good and Evil" ([[VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil no, not that one]])

''Xenosaga'' also has its own SpiritualSuccessor in the ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'' franchise for Creator/{{Nintendo}} systems, which was created after Creator/MonolithSoft ended its parternship with Creator/BandaiNamco and became a first party of the Kyoto company in 2007.

* FasterThanLightTravel

** [[spoiler:The whole series can be looked at as a series of [[FetchQuest Fetch Quests]] that are actually relevant to the plot. For example, take KOS-MOS to Second Milita to get an upgrade, collect and deliver MOMO and bring her to Second Milita, and, perhaps the biggest one of all: Shion's pendant, which is the literal key to start up a machine that can return time to the beginning, passed down by Wilhelm through different people, (such as Kevin's mom giving it to Kevin, and him giving it to Shion) only to have it returned to him when the time is right. This is just to name a few.]]

* InNameOnly: Xenosaga was originally thought to be a remake/a complete overhaul of the supposed VideoGame/{{Xenogears}} series, but aside from some {{Expies}} and some similarities, it doesn't really connect with it at all. Also, ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'' was originally thought to be a continuation of Xenosaga when its name was announced. It turned out to be Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s way of honoring writer TetsuyaTakahashi, who wrote all three series.