There was a time when the JRPG genre used to reign supreme on the PlayStation, with pretty much every second game released for the console being a JRPG in some way or the other. It was a golden age for the genre, mainly fueled by the dramatic and unprecedented success of Final Fantasy VII on the console.
This led to the development of some truly stellar JRPGs, which have gone down in history as some of the very best to have ever graced the genre. One such title that has such a magnificent allure to it is none other than Xenogears, a mecha-JRPG with heavy religious motifs that can certainly be called the Neon Genesis Evangelion of JRPGs.
The sheer quality of Xenogears itself turned it into one of the most beloved JRPGs of its time, even after a heavily shortened second half that turned the game into a visual novel with a few battles thrown into the mix. For anyone even remotely interested in this title, here are ten things about Xenogears that most people have no idea about.
10 The Cutscenes For Xenogears Were Animated By The Same Production House That Did Neon Genesis Evangelion
A number of interesting parallels can be drawn between Xenogears and Neon Genesis Evangelion, which makes it even more interesting that both the products were animated by the same studio.
One need only look at the animated cutscenes of Xenogears to realize just how much the art style — along with the story, religious themes, and the main character’s motivations — has in common with Neon Genesis Evangelion.
9 Xenogears Was Originally Named -Project Noah-, But This Was Scrapped
Xenogears was a game rife with religious motifs and allegories — something that Squaresoft was somewhat iffy about, given the controversial nature of the subject. However, the company was willing to take a risk and let this slide.
However, what didn’t fly by the company’s radar without any problems was the original name of the project. -Project Noah- seemed like overkill for Squaresoft, especially when they already felt the game was controversial enough as is.
Thus, the name was scrapped, and from the ashes of -Project Noah- came Xenogears.
8 Citan Is The Fastest Character In The Game Due To A Coding Error
Citan is one of the most useful party members in the entire game, mainly due to the fact that his speed is the highest out of every party member. The idea of playing the first move in any JRPG is quite valuable indeed, which made Citan such a valuable character.
However, the fact of the matter is that Citan was never meant to be that fast at all, with his speed being on part with Bart. However, a coding error led to the speed boost, making Citan all the more viable as a party member.
7 There’s A Weight Statistic For The Characters, But Its Effects Were Removed In The Final Release
There’s a hidden weight statistic for every party member in the game, which was supposed to shift based on the kind of food these party members devoured throughout their journey.
This stat is rumored to have been tied to a party member’s speed, but the idea was ultimately nixed before the game’s final release.
6 A Xenogears OVA Was Planned, But Nothing Has Come Of It Yet
With all the problems surrounding the game’s development, Tetsuya Takahashi — the game’s director — had to shelve some of the game’s plot due to time and budget constraints.
Some of this plot was apparently supposed to be revealed in an OVA that was based in the Zeboim era, but this OVA hasn’t seen the light of day yet either.
5 Margie Was Originally Meant To Be A Playable Character
Marguerite “Margie” Fatima is one of the quirkier characters in Xenogears, and the fact is that she was meant to be a playable character as well if one looks at her sketch in Perfect Works — a book accompaniment to Xenogears.
However, due to the problems surrounding Xenogears’ development, this idea was also ultimately scrapped.
4 Ramsus Was Also Meant To Be Playable, But Budget Constraints Put A Stop To That
Another character that people could’ve controlled in the game is Kahran Ramsus, a high-ranking officer of Gebler who serves as a thorn in the player’s side for the majority of the game’s runtime.
However, just like Margie, this idea had to be scrapped due to budgetary constraints.
3 It’s Rumored That Game’s Development Was Hampered Since Resources Were Redirected To Final Fantasy VIII
The idea of Squaresoft in its prime having to cheap out on their first-party titles is a rather weird thing indeed… but it all makes sense once people realize which major game Squaresoft wanted to focus on.
The pending release of Final Fantasy VIII meant that a ton of resources needed to be redirected towards this title, and the Xenogears project ended up being short-staffed as a result. This, coupled with the lowered budget, meant that Takahashi had to either end the game at Disc 1 or turn Disc 2 into a visual novel.
The route he took was the latter.
2 The Game Was Originally Pitched As An Idea For Final Fantasy VII
The connections between Final Fantasy and Xenogears don’t stop with just one title.
One interesting fact about Xenogears that most people might not be aware of is the fact that this game was originally pitched as a first-draft story for Final Fantasy VII.
While intriguing, Squaresoft decided to turn this pitch into a project of its own since the storyline felt way too dark for a Final Fantasy title.
1 Xenogears Lives On In The Form Of Xenosaga And Xenoblade Chronicles
One thing that Takahashi should be commended for is not letting his dream die, especially since he planned Xenogears to be the fifth episode of a six-part series.
Thus, the legacy of Xenogears continued with Xenosaga, which also saw a premature conclusion as well. However, Takashi wasn’t disheartened by this and decided to keep the series alive with Xenoblade Chronicles — a game that was well-received critically and commercially and serves as the perfect payoff for Takahashi’s relentless efforts.
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