The
game was originally intended to be a six game long story arc but due to the
lukewarm reception of the previous game a lot of changes had to be made and
this game become the final entry in the Xenosaga. But is the game as bad as
they claim though. Also minor spoilers.
Shion
Uzuki now resigned from her post of Vector now works with the mysterious group as
she works undercover to unlock the mysteries surrounding her former company.
But not everything is that easy as four powerful being called the Testaments
stand in her way of achieving her goal. To complicate matters more a new anti
gnosis weapon T-Series has just been unveiled rendering KOS-MOS somewhat
obsolete.
Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra plot is a
double edged sword at best. It still has the deep narrative and character
development that has been a staple for the franchise up to now but due to the
original six game being compressed into a trilogy the narrative is also its
downfall since a lot of the story was rushed and at certain parts omitted. One sample
in particular rescue of a certain mysterious auburn haired girl. Or a certain
persons involvement to a gnosis terrorism.
The game does compensate for this missing time and event jump
with providing players with a lengthy narrative and enough file to keep them
updated. They even went as far as summarizing the first two games as well. One
can only think of what could have been if the second game did well and we get
the original six game that was planned all along. We may never know.
Gameplay wise Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra resembles
much of what the first game was with taking into some elements that were
introduced in the second game like the ability to switch between characters
during combat. The skill menu is back as well. Sadly the game still feels
linear and there's still that lack of enemy variety as was one of the minor complaints
of previous titles. The game still doesn't have an actual world map to explore.
Character design wise I like how they returned to the more
anime inspired design that was set during the first game. You feel like these
characters could fit easily fit into some mecha anime out there. It is also
nice that the some of the original VA are back to reprise their respective characters
which was one of the major complaints in the previous games. They also gave
minor characters more involvement this time around to actually contribute in
moving the plot along.
Maybe it's a budget issue but I find the graphics of the
previous game a little better than what they did her. I'm not saying this game
is bad but you will see certain drops in quality both in the cinematic and on
how some of the areas and characters are rendered from time to time. It's not
going to hurt how you will probably enjoy this game but it is still there. Also
some of the areas look way bigger than it should have been and while some feels
way too small.
Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra tries to
tie up the loose ends left by the previous two games as well as trying to address
certain issues raised by fans during the first two games. The results feels
rush yet satisfying enough that I feel it did a good job at what it was trying
to do. Sure the game feels rushed in a lot of ways but still enjoyable enough
for any fans of the franchise with its character and story development.
Overall Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra is
a decent final act to a well loved sci-fi JRPG. The game is certainly far from
perfect but it does a decent job in tying everything together in its deep storytelling
and characters. Fans of the franchise will certainly enjoy this final third
game of the franchise. New players will probably need to play the previous two games
to fully enjoy this one.
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