Summary
Square Enix has been making good on its promise to comb the company’s back catalog for titles deserving of a remake, and this week continued that trend with the release ofStar Ocean: The Second Story R. A remake of the beloved PS1 RPG from developer TriAce and publisher Enix,Star Ocean: The Second Story Rstrikes a perfect balance between innovation and nostalgia for fans of the original while adding in modern quality of life features to help endear the title to a new audience. IfSquare Enixis going to continue parsing through its library for more classic titles to remake,Second Story Ralso provides the perfect template for the next game the company should tackle: 1998’sXenogears.
Much likeSecond Story R,Xenogearsfeatures 2D character sprites navigating 3D worlds. The originalStar Ocean: Second Storyimplements pre-rendered backgrounds for its environmental assets, but the remake changes these to full-3D spaces that feature plenty of depth and dynamic lighting, and it’s a change that would fit perfectly ina remake ofXenogears. As a cult-classic PS1 RPG, a remake ofXenogearsshould opt to stay as close to the source material as possible while also polishing and updating aspects of the title that might not have aged as well, following in the footsteps ofStar Ocean: The Second Story R.
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Why Xenogears Needs and Deserves a Remake
Xenogearsis the 1998 Square RPG from the mind of Tetsuya Takahashi, who would go on to found Monolith Soft and follow-up the game with its spiritual successors in both theXenosagaandXenoblade Chroniclesfranchises. After famously beginning its life as the original version ofFinal Fantasy 7before being deemed too dark and complex forFinal Fantasy’s more mainstream audience,Xenogearsbecame its own separate title at Square and Takahashi was given more creative freedom to implement its complex themes centered around Gnosticism and Freudian psychoanalysis. The production eventually slipped past budget and time constraints, causing the title to ship with a mostly unfinished second disc.
The title still holds up as one of the most-beloved RPGs coming from Square during the company’s legendary PS1-era output, and it unfortunately still remains trapped on the platform outside some PS1 Classic ports to the PS3, PSP, and PS Vita. It’s largely because of the game’s unifinished second half that the title is deserving of a remake, and giving the title the samecare afforded toStar Ocean: The Second Story Rcould seeXenogearsreemerge as a hit among a brand-new audience, provided that it stays true to its source material and Square Enix was able to get Takahashi to spearhead the finishing of the game according to his original vision.
Features From Star Ocean: The Second Story R That Should Reappear in a Xenogears Remake
Given thatXenogearsuses a very similar visual pallette asStar Ocean: The Second Story, a remake of the title that borrows heavily from thefeatures included inSecond Story Rmakes perfect sense. ThatStar Ocean: The Second Story Rfaithfully reintroduces the beloved RPG in a modern context with the right kind of updates yet still adhering to the brilliance of the original is just the icing on the cake.
Use of Original 2D Sprites Over Brand-New Full 3D Backgrounds
The original 2D character sprites ofXenogearshelp to give the game a timeless quality when compared to the early 3D RPGs likeFinal Fantasy 7orWild Arms. If aXenogearsremake happens, it should absolutely follow inSecond Story R’s footsteps and use the original character sprites while updating the full-3D backgrounds of the original using modern technology and dynamic lighting.
A New, Fully-Orchestrated Soundtrack Arranged by Xenogears' Original Composer
Yasunori Mitsuda’s score forXenogearsis just as memorable and iconic ashis work onChrono Trigger.Second Story Rkeeps its original score but updates it with full orchestration, arranged by original composer Motoi Sakuraba. Mitsuda’s work onXenogearsdefinitely deserves the same treatment.
Subtle Refinements to Xenogears' Already Great Combat System
One of the highlights ofSecond Story Ris the way it keeps much of what made the original great while subtly improving the flow of gameplay.Xenogearshas an excellent hybrid combat model where human characters fight using melee combos and then battle in the titular gears using light, medium, and heavy attacks. The combat model works great as-is, but a remake ofXenogearscould improve the character progression model and add-in new Deathblows.
Xenogears
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A mysterious organization is turning the tides of a century-long war with ancient technology - giant combat robots known as Gears. A failed attempt to steal one of these powerful mechanized weapons places it in the unwilling hands of a young Fei and his dubious allies. Now he is pursued by military governments, royal pirates, spies, the emperor, and his own forgotten past.
