Xenogears (ゼノギアス, Zenogiasu?) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for Sony's PlayStation. It was released on February 11, 1998 in Japan and on October 21, 1998 in North America. The game was never released in PAL territories. The game was re-released by Square Enix for the Japanese PlayStation Network on June 25, 2008.
Xenogears follows protagonist Fei Fong Wong and several others as they struggle to survive in a world torn apart by war between the nations of Aveh and Kislev. The principles and philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Jacques Lacan, as well as various religious themes influence the overall plot and world of Xenogears. A major theme of the game is the nature of human memory: from the start of the game, Fei has memory loss, which colors his interactions with other characters. In addition, the struggle between man and machine is also central to the game's plot. Each of the playable characters can ride in giant mechs known as gears and can use them in battle.
Overall, Xenogears was well-received by critics, with a 91% rating on Game Rankings and a score of 83 out of 100 at Metacritic. It was voted the 16th best video game of all time by readers of Famitsu in 2006. A commercial success, Xenogears has sold 1.19 million copies worldwide as of March 31, 2003. Due to these high sales, the game was re-released as a Greatest Hits title in December 2003.
Battle system
Battling is a variant of the Active Time Battle system found in various Final Fantasy games and Chrono Trigger.[4] Most enemy encounters in Xenogears are random, and once a battle starts, the screen enters a separate combat screen. Characters fight with martial arts combat and "Ether" attacks along with special "Deathblow" moves that are learned through repeated combinations of strong, moderate, and weak hits. Attacks use Action Points (AP) and either cost three points, two points, or one point.[5] Each character can initially use three AP per turn, but at higher levels, characters eventually can use six AP per turn. At a certain point in the story, an additional AP is acquired, allowing characters to learn "Elemental Deathblows". In addition to being used for attacks, AP may be saved and used as Attack Points for combo attacks during later turns. A total of 28 AP may be accumulated for combo attacks.
Characters can also use magical abilities that either aid the party or damage enemies. These abilities are limited by the number of Ether Points (EP) that are available to a character and are not replenished between attack rounds. For most characters, these abilities are called Ether, but some characters' abilities have different names, implying differences in their origins. For example, Fei's magic is called "Chi" and Citan's is called "Arcane". While fighting in their gears, characters' Ether abilities are amplified, though some change or become unavailable during this type of combat.[4]
Gear battle
In addition to small-scale, hand-to-hand combat, the characters sometimes fight from within their respective combat robots, called gears.[6] For these particular battles, the combination style is reduced to a selection of strong, medium, or weak attacks that build up the attack level of the gear with each attack so that the gear can unleash a special attack. While in gears, the limiting factor of AP is replaced with a fuel gauge, with each attack consuming an amount relative to its power.[6] There are three levels of normal special gear attacks and one additional "infinite" level of special gear attacks that correspond to a character's learned Deathblow skills. Infinite level differs from the other three levels in several ways. "Infinity Mode" lasts for three turns; while in this mode, fuel can be recharged in larger amounts and gears can use "Infinity" attacks. To reach Infinity Mode, a character has to stay at attack level 3 while performing any other action. With each turn, there is a chance that Infinity Mode will be reached.
Gears can regain fuel with a "Charge" command. The gears can also activate "Boosters" which enable them to act faster at a cost of extra fuel per turn.[6] The "Special Option" command allows for gear HP restoration abilities and special attacks. When a gear has no fuel left, it can no longer execute attacks, use special options, or use boosters. They can, however, Charge to regain fuel and use Ether abilities. The main characters can purchase gear fuel, parts, and upgrades in shops or from certain individuals.
nb: taken from wikipedia.com
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