Xenosaga I & II is a 2006 role-playing video game co-developed by Monolith Soft and Tom Create, and published by Namco for the Nintendo DS. A spin-off of the Xenosaga trilogy and forming part of the Xeno metaseries, Xenosaga I & II retells the events of Xenosaga Episode I and Xenosaga Episode II while expanding on its characters and narrative. Displayed from an angled two-dimensional perspective, Xenosaga I & II makes use of a turn-based battle system with elements carried over from the main Xenosaga games.

Monolith Soft's first portable game, Xenosaga I & II began development in 2005 following the completion of Xenosaga: The Animation. The scenario, drafted and supervised by series creator Tetsuya Takahashi, was intended to retell the story of the two games while incorporating events that had originally been cut. The game was released exclusively in Japan in March 2006, receiving generally positive reviews from critics but was not commercially successful.

Gameplay

left|thumb|upright=0.86|A battle in Xenosaga I & II; carrying over several mechanics from the main Xenosaga games, the game also has several unique mechanics.

Xenosaga I & II is a role-playing video game which retells the events of Xenosaga Episode I and its direct sequel Episode II. Environments can be freely explored, with breakable chests holding consumable items and accessories. Shops within the levels can be used to purchase items and equipment using in-game currency. Special EVA structures within the environment can be used to recover health points (HP) and a type of skill point called ether points (EP). Characters are able to both roam around open environments and enter story-based dungeons. Each character is given two actions per turn, with one physical and one magical attack per character. It was Monolith Soft's first time developing a portable game, as they had previously only worked on home console titles. Due to the size of the narrative, the game used a 2D art style so minimal story content was cut.

The game was first announced in December 2004 under the working title Xenosaga DS alongside a DS game in the Baten Kaitos series. The game's official title and release window were announced in September 2005 alongside reveal of Xenosaga Episode III and Baten Kaitos Origins. The game released on March 30, 2006; it was the fourth video game release in the Xenosaga franchise. Along with the mobile spin-off Xenosaga: Pied Piper, Xenosaga I & II remains exclusive to Japan.

Reception

During its debut week on sale in Japan, the game debuted outside the top ten, reaching fifteenth place with sales of over 17,000 units. By the end of 2006, the game had sold 38,500 units.

While Japanese magazine Famitsu praised the game's storyline, with one reviewer saying the story was the main reason for playing the game, another reviewer found the technical terminology slowed the pace.

Notes

References

  • at Namco Bandai