Xeno series
- "Xeno" redirects here. For xenos in Xenoblade Chronicles X, see Xenoform.
The Xeno series is the unofficial term used for Monolith Soft's group of games that begin with the prefix Xeno-, which include Xenogears, the Xenosaga series, and the Xenoblade Chronicles series collectively. Although the Xeno series of games share various common elements, they are not necessarily related to each other. Whilst all the games are developed by Monolith Soft (except for Xenogears[1]), the three different Xeno titles are owned and published by three different companies, which are Square Enix, Bandai Namco Entertainment, and Nintendo respectively.
Series installments[edit]
| Year | Game | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Xenogears | PlayStation, PlayStation Network |
| 2002 | Xenosaga Episode I - Der Wille zur Macht | PlayStation 2 |
| 2003 | Xenosaga Episode I Reloaded | PlayStation 2 |
| 2004 | Xenosaga Freaks | PlayStation 2 |
| 2004 | Xenosaga Episode II - Jenseits von Gut und Böse | PlayStation 2 |
| 2004 | Xenosaga: Pied Piper | Mobile |
| 2006 | Xenosaga I & II | Nintendo DS |
| 2006 | Xenosaga Episode III - Also Sprach Zarathustra | PlayStation 2 |
| 2010 | Xenoblade Chronicles | Wii, New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch |
| 2015 | Xenoblade Chronicles 3D | New Nintendo 3DS |
| 2015 | Xenoblade Chronicles X | Wii U |
| 2017 | Xenoblade Chronicles 2 | Nintendo Switch |
| 2018 | Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country | Nintendo Switch |
| 2020 | Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition | Nintendo Switch |
| 2020 | Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Connected | Nintendo Switch |
| 2022 | Xenoblade Chronicles 3 | Nintendo Switch |
| 2023 | Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed | Nintendo Switch |
| 2025 | Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition | Nintendo Switch |
Common themes[edit]
- Main article: List of thematic parallels
Despite being a metaseries that spans three different publishers (Square Enix, Bandai Namco and Nintendo), the Xeno series has multiple themes that are "typical" for a Xeno game.
Mechs[edit]
Each game has its own kind of Mechs:
- Gears in Xenogears
- E.S., A.G.W.S. and A.M.W.S. in the Xenosaga series
- Face Mechon in Xenoblade Chronicles
- Skells in Xenoblade Chronicles X
- Artifices in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Torna ~ The Golden Country
- Levnises and Ferronises in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Future Redeemed
The Zohar/Conduit[edit]
- Main article: Zohar
The Zohar is a powerful monolithic object that appeared in both Xenogears and the Xenosaga series.
In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, an object called the Conduit was introduced into the Xenoblade Chronicles series that looks almost identical to the Zohar and has similar attributes. The only game in the Xenoblade Chronicles series that is not directly or indirectly connected to the Conduit is Xenoblade Chronicles X. Despite this, the Lifehold pieces have a similar shape as the Conduit.
Multiple personalities inhabiting the same body[edit]
The Xeno series has a long history of characters with split personalities, and more broadly, multiple personalities or characters sharing the same body in some form.
"Van-" characters[edit]
Almost every Xeno game has a character with a name that begins with "Van-" who have some association with a military:
- Vanderkaum from Xenogears is a squadron commander serving under Gebler.
- Vanderkam from the Xenosaga series is a commanding officer serving under the U-TIC Organization.
- Vangarre from Xenoblade Chronicles is the colonel of Colony 9's Defense Force.
- Jack Vandham from Xenoblade Chronicles X is the commander of BLADE.
- Vandham from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is the leader of the Garfont Mercenaries.
- House Vandham from Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the head of the Lost Numbers, with members including Guernica, Monica, and Ghondor Vandham.
- Matthew Vandham is the main protagonist of Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed and the founder of House Vandham, the first for a Van- character.
Ending Themes[edit]
Ending themes are a recurring type of track in the Xeno series, sometimes simply named "Ending theme". They are used to refer to a vocal song, sung in English, that plays in the game's ending and/or during the game's ending credits. One exists for every mainline Xeno game and many non-mainline entries. These include:
- Xenogears has SMALL TWO OF PIECES ~Broken Shards~ play in the ending sequence and the credit roll.
- Xenosaga Episode I - Der Wille zur Macht has Pain play in the ending sequence, as well as Kokoro playing in the ending sequence and the credit roll.
- Xenosaga Episode II - Jenseits von Gut und Böse has Sweet Song play in the ending sequence and the credit roll.
- Xenosaga II to III: A Missing Year has my long forgotten cloistered sleep play in the ending sequence and the credit roll.
- Xenosaga Episode III - Also Sprach Zarathustra has maybe tomorrow play in the ending sequence and the credit roll.
- Xenoblade Chronicles has Beyond the Sky play in the ending sequence.
- Xenoblade Chronicles X has Your Voice play in the ending sequence and the credit roll.
- Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has One Last You play in the credit roll and post-credit scene.
- Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country has A Moment of Eternity play in the credit roll and post-credit scene.
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has Where We Belong play in the ending sequence.
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed has Future Awaits play during the credit roll and the post-credit scene.
Gallery[edit]
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Notes[edit]
- ↑ Whilst Xenogears was technically developed under Squaresoft, the title's core developers would eventually found and become part of Monolith Soft after leaving the company.