Over the past decade, remasters and remakes have become integral to the video game industry, sparking debates on the appropriate ways to enhance the games we hold dear. Striking a balance between catering to the nostalgia of yesteryear, gamers and attracting new audiences is a common goal. Recently,Star Ocean Second Story Rhasexemplified an exceptional remakewith its innovative HD-2D meets 3D graphics, successfully appealing to both classic gaming enthusiasts and those seeking modern high-definition landscapes. In my view, this remake sets a standard for what an excellent revitalization looks like, leaving me eager for more games to adopt a similar HD-2D meets 3D design. Next in line should beXenogears.
Xeno-morphing to HD-2D
Both originating from the PS1 era, Xenogears and Star Ocean shared similar graphics, yet each possessed distinct visual characteristics. Star Ocean: The Second Story featured fixed camera angles and static backgrounds. On the other hand, Xenogears opted for a more dynamic approach with a 3D rotating camera and intricate 3D backgrounds.
With the recently released Star Ocean Second Story R, the character models retain their pixelated style, but the landscapes and environments take on a modern high-definition rendering. This animation tricks the eye by animating 2D objects in 3D space, using techniques like perspective and shadows. Animators create the illusion of 3D movement, making you see 3D animations from 2D elements, often by adding shadows to the 2D objects..
Now transfer that gorgeous style over to Xenogears: the beginning animated cutscene is redone in a similar anime style fashion to the original, but with improved rendering, much like the new intro to Second Story R. Once the game transitions into the in-game engine, we see the village Lahan on fire and caught in the crossguard of a mecha fight between main protagonist Fei Fong Wong and some then-mysterious enemies. Citan, another character who will join Wong on his journey, warns him that he shouldn’t fight in the village, due to the possibility of casualties. Flames lick the screen and then eerily transition into a different scene of Fei painting a picture of flames.
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In short, the remake could take the unique cinematic approach of the original and update it in a way that modernizes it, but also keeps the nostalgic look of the original. Xenogears is chock-full of these beautifully artistic transitions between scenes, such as during times in which the story’s pacing slows down, and we see reflective moments of the past revealing Fei’s true identity. I’d argue that more than half of the storytelling within Xenogears is through its art, which became the blueprints for the other Xeno series,XenosagaandXenoblade Chronicles.
Combat in Xenogears is quite unique. Initially, you have three types of attacks: weak, medium, and strong. With the points you have, you must figure out what types of combos you may put together. You only have three at the beginning, so you’ll have to be clever. With three, you can do a full strong hit or three weak hits. Discovering these different combinations eventually leads to actual attack combos you will learn.
The main goal, I believe, in this type of combat system was to create something that rewarded experimentation. The only way you could learn combos was either to repeatedly try different button pushes or to be like me and look them up online. This type of experimental element to combat is too frustrating within the modern gaming landscape.
The remake would be a chance for Xenogears to get a proper tutorial. Combos could be explained and revealed during this time. It’s not necessary for the game to be coy about how to gain true combos within combat. Provide us with a list of them, and let’s kick the enemies' asses as fast as possible.
Control Correction
Two of the biggest reasons why it’s hard to go back and replay Xenogears is due to its clunky controls and its infamous “Second Disc” issues.
First, let’s talk about the clunky controls. To this day, I find jumping around in Xenogears to be one of the most irritating aspects of the game. If you download the PSN version, which is only available to play on PlayStation 3 and Vita, you’re forced to use the arrow keys on your controller and suffer through a delayed jump mechanic. Timing is crucial, as you find yourself having to redo entire complicated platforms if you don’t get the jump right. The most notorious area for this in Xenogears is the Babel Tower.
It’s no secret in the Xenogears community that Babel Tower is the most frustrating dungeon in the game. This is one of the game’s “Gear dungeons,” in which you’re inside your mechs. It’s beautiful and reminded me of dungeons I loved in Xenosaga, which had a similar art style. Navigating this JRPG’s platforming-oriented dungeon becomes a test, especially with the absence of analog controls. You were restricted to fixed 45-degree camera angles, and random encounters could load in the middle of you doing something, like jumping between platforms, which would cancel your action and potentially result in you falling. The frustration peaks in two lengthy platforming sections where a single misstep sends you back to the start.
A remake would be an opportunity to correct the Babel Tower, which is a cool concept with awkward execution. With the use of analog controls and a more responsive jump feature, you’d find yourself in a far less irritating situation. It’s a pretty long segment of the game, and has this cool ‘you’re entering into a deep, interesting part of the story’ type of feel to it. It’s also the point in the game when Fei returns to the party, which is a great moment of relief. And the random battles could just be straight up thrown out, like they were in Second Story R. Story R employed the strange-looking floating dark fog-like entities that represent enemies in the game’s fields. You can avoid combat with them in many different situations, and Xenogears could deploy a similar system to offer the option of evading combat.
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Then there’s the infamous “Second Disc” issue. The game was spread across two discs on the PS1, with the second disc marking a distinctive shift in the game’s storytelling. Due to constraints in time and budget during its development, you’ll notice a change from the first half’s gameplay and exploration to a more narrative-focused approach. Instead of actively engaging in events, you’re presented with a series of cutscenes, text-based exposition, and summaries, guiding you through the latter part of the game’s story. This alteration has been a point of contention among us fans, as it diverges from the interactive and immersive experience established in the first disc.
A remake could take this entire narrative-heavy section and expand on it so that it’s a more integral part of the game. There’s a lot mentioned about both Fei and Elly (the female protagonist) and their complicated past during this time. And while putting it into a montage made sense for the developers to be able to finish the project, now is the time to show us what is happening instead of telling us. Recreate the summarized sequences similarly to the first disc to create a more well-rounded experience.
It’s hard to predict whether Xenogears will get a remake.Square Enixowns Xenogears, unlike Xenosaga and Xenoblade. Recently,Bandai NamcoandNintendo(the owners of other entries in the Xeno series) started showing signs of collaboration and evencombined the Xenoblade and Xenosaga universes, but Square Enix hasn’t really talked about including Xenogears in this reunion. With Square Enix historically working closely with Nintendo, there’s always hope, and there’s a fantastic blueprint right there with what the devs did with Star Ocean: Second Story R.
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