Xenogears

Xenogears is a 1998 role-playing game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation. Directed by Tetsuya Takahashi and written by Masato Kato, the game blends deep turn-based combat with giant mecha (Gear) piloting. Players follow Fei Fong Wong, an amnesiac martial artist who becomes entangled in a conflict spanning the surface-dwelling nations and the floating empire of Solaris. The game features a combo-based attack system, where chaining light, medium, and heavy attacks unlocks powerful Deathblow moves. Battles take place in fully 3D environments, while exploration uses pre-rendered backgrounds. Players control a party of up to three characters, each with their own Gear that can be customized with parts and weapons. The story explores themes of reincarnation, religion, and psychology, referencing gnosticism and Jungian concepts. Xenogears was initially conceived as a proposal for Final Fantasy VII, and its ambitious narrative was spread across two discs. Unfortunately, the second disc abandons the open exploration for a visual-novel style presentation due to time and budget constraints. Despite this, the game is praised for its soundtrack by Yasunori Mitsuda and its complex plot. It has since become a cult classic and spawned the Xenosaga and Xenoblade series.