115: Xenogears (with Michael Berger - Bits of Time)

Xenogears, by Square, is one of the big RPGs of this era that I wanted to check off. As a fan of the Xenoblade Chronicles games and JRPGs in general, going back to the root of the series felt like an interesting trip back through history. A few things had initially put me off, like all of the talk about an unfinished second disc and heavy use of religious and philosophical material that I would have to research outside of the game. And I'm happy to report that both worries were unfounded- the second disc is great, and I actually did feel compelled to go learn things outside of the game! This is a fantastic, flawed game, and it was a joy to record about it. Joining me to discuss Xenogears is Michael Berger, co-host of Bits of Time. You can check out Bits of Time on their podcast (https://bitsoftime.podbean.com/) and their YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_yEpI1SZpcrvEFx6uaJfXw)! You can also check out Michael's books, Ayla: A Science Fiction Novella (https://a.co/d/108Is61) and The Consumed (https://a.co/d/e5xpdPC). TIMESTAMPS Intros/Personal Histories/Opening Thoughts 2:06 Story Setup 14:29 Story Pacing/Characters/Religious & Philosophical Themes 27:56 Visuals/Music 42:07 Gameplay/Combat 53:32 Closing Thoughts/Recommendations/Housekeeping 1:07:04 SPOILER WALL 1:16:53 Music used in the episode was composed by Yasunori Mitsuda. Tracks used: My Village is Number One, Bonds of Sea and Fire, Light from the Netherworld, Emotions, Shevat ~ The Wind is Calling, Steel Giant, Yggdrasil, Flight, Fuse, The Valley Where Wind is Born, The Treasure Which Cannot Be Stolen, The Beginning and the End, Small Two of Pieces (with vocals by Joanne Hogg) Support Tales from the Backlog on Patreon! (https://patreon.com/realdavejackson) or buy me a coffee on Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/realdavejackson)! Join the Tales from the Backlog Discord server! (https://discord.gg/V3ZHz3vYQR) Social Media: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/talesfromthebacklog/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/tftblpod) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TalesfromtheBacklog/) Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://www.instagram.com/jackallencaricatures/ and his other pages (https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures) Listen to A Top 3 Podcast on Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-top-3-podcast/id1555269504), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/2euGp3pWi7Hy1c6fmY526O?si=0ebcb770618c460c) and other podcast platforms (atop3podcast.fireside.fm)!