Xeno series
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
| 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 X | Wii U |
| 2017 | Xenoblade Chronicles 2 | Nintendo Switch |
| 2018 | Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country | Nintendo Switch |
| 2020 | Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition/Future Connected | Nintendo Switch |
Common Themes
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
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
- Mechon and Face Mechon in particular in Xenoblade Chronicles
- Skells in Xenoblade Chronicles X
- Artifices in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Torna ~ The Golden Country
The Zohar
The Zohar is a powerful object that appeared in both Xenogears and the Xenosaga series. In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, an object called the Conduit was introduced that looks almost identical to the Zohar and has about the same attributes. The Conduit is also canon to the original Xenoblade Chronicles. The only game that is still not connected to the Zohar is Xenoblade Chronicles X. Despite that, the Lifehold has the same shape as the Zohar, so do Mythra's and Malos' Core Crystals.
Characters with split personalities
The Xeno series has a long history of multiple personalities sharing the same body in some form. Excamples include Fei, Lacan, KOS-MOS, Jr., Nigredo, Fiora, Klaus and Pneuma.
Notes
- ↑ 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.