Name: Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht a.k.a. Xenosaga Episode 1: The Will To Power
Company: Namco
Genre: RPG
Platform: PS2
Release Date: 02/24/2003 (USA)

Synopsis: Shion Uzuki is an engineer working for the prestigious technology company, Vector. Upon the death of her boyfriend, she takes up his job fine-tuning the battle robot KOS-MOS to defend the human race from the onslaught of the attacking aliens, the Gnosis. Right when KOS-MOS is about to wake up, the Gnosis attack…and KOS-MOS wakes up without any sort of outside stimulus. Barely escaping the Gnosis, the two of them are saved by a salvage ship, where they meet a rather strange young man named chaos. Meanwhile, an android named Ziggurat 8 is searching for the kidnapped daughter of a congresswoman, MOMO Mizrahi, only to find out that she’s a robot and that MOMO is her model number. How will their fates collide, and what did Shion’s boyfriend put into KOS-MOS that’s making her act so strangely?

The Highlights
Graphics: Pretty and cel-shaded. Solid, but nothing amazing.
Music: Beautiful…but repetitive.
Story: Linear and slow-paced, but fascinating in its own right.
Battle System: Slow and drawn-out, but almost tactical in its depth.
Symbolism: Deep and meaningful, but may seem overwrought to some.
Voice Acting: A mixed bag.

I’m noticing a trend in RPGs. Many of them weave “subtle” themes into the fabric of their plotline. Often, this ends up being a hindrance rather than a help, as the final product is often just a wet blanket of symbolism in a game’s clothing. It’s nice to finally see a game that manages to have a meaningful plotline laden with symbolism without drowning in its own pretentiousness.

That’s not to say this game is perfect. Actually, as interesting as the story is, it makes for an entirely linear game, which will turn many off, and the pacing is slow, which will make some extremely frustrated. The battle system, like the story, is extremely slow and unashamedly turn-based. It can get a bit boring, but it really shines in the boss fights, where strategy runs deep even if excitement runs low.

However, you can customize your character’s stats and ether abilities (think magic) in an almost unsurpassed way. After a battle, instead of just experience points, you also receive technique points, ether points, and skill points. Technique points go either towards making your stats higher or increasing the power of your attacks, ether points go towards getting new ether abilities and passing them on to other party members, and finally, skill points go towards learning skills, which are learned from items. This allows for you to put an interesting spin on your characters so that no one plays any set role in battle. Instead, everyone has their own separate strengths and weaknesses.

The graphics in this game were done in a pleasant, quasi-realistic cel-shaded style much like the Shin Megami Tensei series. Looking amazing for its 2001 Japanese release date and solid for its 2003 US release date, this game more than delivers graphically, which is good because of the sheer amount of cinematics in this game. If you skip the cinematics, you shave off about half of your playing time. However, this is okay because the plotline is more than interesting enough to support this approach.

The music in this game is pretty, but sadly it repeats itself far too much. There are two battle themes in the entire game, one of which is only played during the final battle. Luckily, the theme that’s played more often is excellent; otherwise, it would have me pulling out my hair. Also, the voice acting was a bit spotty in this game. KOS-MOS has a fitting robotic drawl, and Shion’s voice makes her sound like an energetic (if whiny) young woman of business. But, chaos’s voice makes him sound like he’s seven, and Ziggurat 8 has an unfitting voice for his character, making him sound much older than he is.

All in all, this game is perfect for someone who wants a video game that has an excellent plot. But if you want action, look elsewhere. The ending is less than conclusive. But this is excusable, as there is already a sequel to follow it up.

The Rating: 8

Reviewed by: ReadorDie