Square’s Xenogears is perhaps one of the most beloved PS1-era RPGs and a certified cult classic among genre fans. Originally released on February 11, 1998, the game would make its way to the West later in the same year. Notably, Xenogears would begin its life as the original version of Final Fantasy VII. Following his work on the Final Fantasy series for many years, Tetsuya Takahashi was given the approval to spearhead his own project at Square. Together with his wife Kaori Tanaka (now Soraya Song), Takahashi would conceptualize a complex game tackling esoteric themes using the Active-Time Battle (ATB) system developed by colleague Hiroyuki Ito.
Following several delays in production (in part due to budget constraints and having to compete with the ongoing development of Final Fantasy VII), Xenogears would eventually ship to market in a somewhat unfinished state. The game’s second disc is notoriously absent of most major dungeons, instead opting to brush over major sections of the game originally intended as gameplay segments using dialogue boxes and vignettes of in-game footage. Despite this, Xenogears would earn considerable praise for its story and gameplay. Aside from its strong critical reception, Xenogears did surprisingly well for such a niche game, going on to sell over a million units in just a few years. The thematic ideas and spirit of the original Xenogears continue to show up in Takahashi’s later work on the Xenosaga and Xenoblade franchises.
Xenogears Premise
©Xenogears gameplay screenshot – Original
The story of Xenogears puts players into the shoes of the main character Fei Fong Wong. An orphan whose past is unknown to him, Fei becomes inextricably connected to a vast conspiracy involving a secret society controlling the world’s nations and forcing them into conflict with one another. Despite having no previous experience, Fei discovers he is capable of piloting Gears, massive humanoid robots unearthed from the ruins of a previous technologically advanced civilization. Together with his allies, Fei works to end the centuries-long conflict between the world’s two main powers all while exposing the nefarious force that seeks to control and enslave humanity for its own aims at immortality. Xenogears‘ plot notoriously delves into complex themes and subjects regarding human psychology, psychoanalysis, and Gnosticism.
In terms of its gameplay, Xenogears borrows heavily from the template of other Square RPGs of the era. In fact, Xenogears was originally the conceptual version of Final Fantasy VII before being deemed too complex and spinning off into its own game. Players control a party of three heroes who explore a world map, towns, and dungeons. Unique to Xenogears are the titular Gears, giant robots that players control during traversal and battle. The game is split into two halves, with players controlling the party both on foot and within the massive Gears. Combat is turn-based and uses a manual button input system to execute melee combos. Additionally, characters can use elemental magic spells and restorative healing abilities.
Xenogears Main Characters
©Xenogears character artwork – Original
Central to the story of Xenogears is the game’s main character and protagonist, Fei Fong Wong. An orphan with a mysterious past, Fei awakens to strange and terrible powers when a terrible tragedy occurs in his adoptive village, prompting his former neighbors and friends to cower in fear and exile him. Searching to uncover a reason for his existence, Fei gets wrapped up in an ongoing conflict between two warring nations, Kislev and Aveh, while also uncovering a sinister conspiracy behind the seemingly endless war and a secret society in the sky hoping to revive an ancient God-like AI. Main characters in Xenogears include:
- Fei Fong Wong: The main character and hero of Xenogears, Fei is a powerful martial artist who struggles to come to terms with the terrible power he wields.
- Citan Uzuki: Citan is Fei’s closest ally and a gifted martial artist and doctor. He has a dark past and occasionally disappears under odd circumstances.
- Bartholomew Fatima: Bartholomew is the rightful ruler of the Kingdom of Aveh who currently takes to the sands as a pirate. Despite originally fighting against Fei, the two become best friends.
- Elhaym Van Houten: Elhaym or Elly is Fei’s love interest in Xenogears and a commanding officer in the army of Solaris. She and Fei share a deep connection born from their spirits being linked throughout time.
- Krelian: Krelian is one of the leading scientists for Solaris and a former ally of Citan. He seeks to awaken the slumbering AI Deus in hopes of evolving humankind.
- Miang: Miang is the reincarnation of the original human born from Deus after its crash-landing on the planet. She embodies the concept of the Demiurge.
Games in the Xeno Series
Despite plans for a sequel to Xenogears following the title’s positive reception, a proper follow-up would never materialize. Not long after, creator and director Tetsuya Takahashi would leave Square to form his own studio Monolith Soft, which would go on to create several RPGs that carry on several of the prominent themes and ideas from Xenogears. Interestingly, each of these games uses the “Xeno” prefix for their titles, indicating that they are each thematically linked in some way. The original Xenogears was intended to be the middle chapter of an ongoing story crafted by Takahashi and his wife, artist Soraya Song, and the later games from Monolith Soft can be seen as side stories or alternate timeline experiences taking place in the same shared creative universe. Games in the “Xeno” series include:
- Xenogears (PlayStation, 1998)
- Xenosaga: Episode I (PlayStation 2, 2002)
- Xenosaga: Episode II (PlayStation 2, 2004)
- Xenosaga I & II (Nintendo DS, 2006)
- Xenosaga: Episode III (PlayStation 2, 2006)
- Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii, 2010)
- Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U, 2015)
- Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Nintendo Switch, 2017)
- Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (Nintendo Switch, 2020)
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Nintendo Switch, 2022)
Xenogears Cheats & Secrets
While there are no official cheats for Xenogears, there are hundreds of Game Shark codes players can use as well as a few helpful secrets to unlock. Note that playing the game natively on a PlayStation requires having a Game Shark device to use any of the available cheat codes.
Xenogears Secrets
Additional Armor Pick-Ups During Aveh Tournament
While infiltrating the Aveh palace as Bart, you’ll come across a room with four pieces of armor. Using either a controller with a turbo function or by quickly mashing the interact button, it’s possible to grab multiples of each piece. Use this trick to quickly get 99 of the armor pieces in the room, selling off extras for some easy Gold.
Alice’s Wedding Dress
During the battle tournament in Bledavik, you will eventually fight Dan. Instead of attacking him, simply Defend until he gets flustered and leaves. As a reward, he will give you his sister Alice’s wedding dress. This is a useful armor piece for this point in the game and can be equipped by any character.
Music Video
Note: This trick requires having a physical copy of Lunar: Silver Star Story and playing Xenogears natively on a PS1.
Insert the Making of Lunar disc and wait for the video to begin. Open the disc drive to the PlayStation without turning the console’s power off and insert Disc 2 of Xenogears. This will play all the FMV movies on the disc but will also show a secret music video for the track “Star of Tears”. This music video is otherwise inaccessible.
Trader Card
The Trader Card item is a missable accessory that rewards rare item drops after battles. The only way to obtain this item is to defeat Hammer in Anima Dungeon 2 before he explodes. Prepare for the battle during Anima Dungeon 1 where you obtain Billy’s Omnigear.
Xenogears Deathblows
Deathblows are the manually input combos that players will use in Xenogears‘ combat. As such, there are Deathblows players can unlock for both the on-foot and in-Gear sections. Unlocking Deathblows requires players to input the corresponding button sequence a certain number of times after reaching certain level thresholds and having unlocked the previous Deathblow. Accordingly, it’s helpful to have a list of all available Deathblows for each character if you hope to unlock every one.
Fei Deathblows
| Deathblow | Input Sequence | AP | Learn Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raijin | Triangle, X | 4 | Level 6 |
| Senretsu | Triangle (2), X | 5 | Level 10 |
| Hagan | Square, X | 5 | Level 16 |
| Hoten | Triangle (3), X | 6 | Level 22 |
| Tenbu | Triangle, Square, X | 6 | Level 30 |
| Ryujin | Square, Triangle, X | 6 | Level 38 |
| Koho | X, X | 6 | Level 46 |
| Fukei | Triangle (4), X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Chikei | Triangle (2), Square, X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Kakei | Triangle, Square, Triangle, X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Suikei | Square, Triangle (2), X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Kokei | Square (2), X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 70 |
| Yamikei | X, Triangle, X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 80 |
Citan Deathblows
| Deathblow | Input Sequence | AP | Learn Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ukigumo (Amaoto) | Triangle, X | 4 | Level 6 |
| Mufu (Engetsu) | Triangle (2), X | 5 | Level 10 |
| Jinrai (Amagumo) | Square, X | 5 | Level 16 |
| Shinrai (Himatsu) | Triangle (3), X | 6 | Level 22 |
| Renken (Yako) | Triangle, Square, X | 6 | Level 30 |
| Hakai (Zanretsu) | Square, Triangle, X | 6 | Level 38 |
| Ougi (Myogetsu) | X, X | 6 | Level 46 |
| Willow Wind (Festive Wind) | Triangle (4), X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Rare Earth (Rumble Earth) | Triangle (2), Square, X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Hell Fire (Haze of Fire) | Triangle, Square, Triangle, X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Tsunami Ice (Crystal Water) | Square, Triangle (2), X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
Elly Deathblows
| Deathblow | Input Sequence | AP | Learn Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screamer | Triangle, X | 4 | Level 6 |
| Cyclone Kick | Triangle (2), X | 5 | Level 10 |
| Breakthrough | Square, X | 5 | Level 16 |
| Double Shock | Triangle (3), X | 6 | Level 22 |
| Sky Attack | Triangle, Square, X | 6 | Level 30 |
| Bright Spark | Square, Triangle, X | 6 | Level 38 |
| Sting Kick | X, X | 6 | Level 46 |
| Anemo Zap | Triangle (4), X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Terra Charge | Triangle (2), Square, X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Thermo Thump | Triangle, Square, Triangle, X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Aqua Frost | Square, Triangle (2), X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
Bart Deathblows
| Deathblow | Input Sequence | AP | Learn Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head Hunter | Triangle, X | 4 | Level 5/Have by Default |
| Twin Sonic | Triangle (2), X | 5 | Level 10 |
| Rhythm Shock | Square, X | 5 | Level 16 |
| Dynamic | Triangle (3), X | 6 | Level 22 |
| Astral | Triangle, Square, X | 6 | Level 30 |
| Bracer | Square, Triangle, X | 6 | Level 38 |
| Justice | X, X | 6 | Level 46 |
| Angel | Triangle (4), X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Land Break | Triangle (2), Square, X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Prominence | Triangle, Square, Triangle, X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Tornado | Square, Triangle (2), X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
Rico Deathblows
| Deathblow | Input Sequence | AP | Learn Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rico Rocket | Triangle, X | 4 | Level 6 |
| Death Drive | Triangle (2), X | 5 | Level 10 |
| Banderas | Square, X | 5 | Level 16 |
| Dragon Fist | Triangle (3), X | 6 | Level 22 |
| Fire Bomb | Triangle, Square, X | 6 | Level 30 |
| Pile Crusher | Square, Triangle, X | 6 | Level 38 |
| Spin Strike | X, X | 6 | Level 46 |
| Death Roll | Triangle (4), X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Flame Lariat | Triangle (2), Square, X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Hell Splash | Triangle, Square, Triangle, X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
Billy Deathblows
| Deathblow | Input Sequence | AP | Learn Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams Apple | Triangle, X | 4 | Level 6 |
| Gunholic | Triangle (2), X | 5 | Level 10 |
| Hell Blast | Square, X | 5 | Level 16 |
| Nut Crack | Triangle (3), X | 6 | Level 22 |
| Sky Walker | Triangle, Square, X | 6 | Level 30 |
| Devil Blast | Square, Triangle, X | 6 | Level 38 |
| Banfrau | X, X | 6 | Level 46 |
| True Dream | Triangle (4), X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Holy Gate | Triangle (2), Square, X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Dear Friend | Triangle, Square, Triangle, X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
Emerelda Deathblows
| Deathblow | Input Sequence | AP | Learn Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leg Cutter | Triangle, X | 4 | Level 6 |
| Wave Cutter | Triangle (2), X | 5 | Level 10 |
| Leg Spin | Square, X | 5 | Level 16 |
| Hammerhead | Triangle (3), X | 6 | Level 22 |
| Grand Arm | Triangle, Square, X | 6 | Level 30 |
| Divider | Square, Triangle, X | 6 | Level 38 |
| Flying Arm | X, X | 6 | Level 46 |
| Tornado Hand | Triangle (4), X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Reycount | Triangle (2), Square, X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
| Dark Beast | Triangle, Square, Triangle, X | 7 | After Shevat, Level 59 |
Weltall, Weltall-2, and Xenogears (Fei)
| Deathblow | Input Sequence | Fuel | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raigeki | Triangle, Triangle | 40 | 1 |
| Reppu | Triangle, Square | 50 | 1 |
| Raigo | Triangle, X | 10 | 1 |
| Hazan | Square, Triangle | 70 | 2 |
| Ryuten | Square, Square | 80 | 2 |
| Juji | Square, X | 20 | 2 |
| Raibu | X, Triangle | 100 | 3 |
| Ryubu | X, Square | 110 | 3 |
| Shinrai | X, X | 30 | 3 |
| Kosho X | Triangle | 10 | Infinity |
| Goten X | Square | 20 | Infinity |
| Kishin | X | 30 | Infinity |
Heimdall and Fenrir (Citan)
| Deathblow | Input Sequence | Fuel | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentsui | Triangle, Triangle | 40 | 1 |
| Reppu | Triangle, Square | 50 | 1 |
| Ryuei | Triangle, X | 10 | 1 |
| Shinrai | Square, Triangle | 70 | 2 |
| Fujin | Square, Square | 80 | 2 |
| Ryuga | Square, X | 20 | 2 |
| Hakai | X, Triangle | 100 | 3 |
| Kenjin | X, Square | 110 | 3 |
| Tensho | X, X | 30 | 3 |
| Ochiba | Triangle | 10 | Infinity |
| Zanretsu | Square | 20 | Infinity |
| Enken | X | 30 | Infinity |
Vierge (Elly)
| Deathblow | Input Sequence | Fuel | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double Impact | Triangle, Triangle | 40 | 1 |
| Hard Smash | Triangle, Square | 50 | 1 |
| Beat Storm | Triangle, X | 10 | 1 |
| Sonic Drive | Square, Triangle | 70 | 2 |
| Heart Strike | Square, Square | 80 | 2 |
| Mega Impact | Square, X | 20 | 2 |
| Flash Drive | X, Triangle | 100 | 3 |
| High Diva | X, Square | 110 | 3 |
| Blaze Dance | X, X | 30 | 3 |
| Flash Flail | Triangle | 10 | Infinity |
| Blue Blast | Square | 20 | Infinity |
| Dark Diva | X | 30 | Infinity |
Brigandier and Andvari (Bart)
| Deathblow | Input Sequence | Fuel | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chain Whip | Triangle, Triangle | 40 | 1 |
| Beat Serpent | Triangle, Square | 50 | 1 |
| Spark Wave | Triangle, X | 10 | 1 |
| Blood Snake | Square, Triangle | 70 | 2 |
| Hit Storm | Square, Square | 80 | 2 |
| Dead Cannon | Square, X | 20 | 2 |
| Dance Wave | X, Triangle | 100 | 3 |
| Twin Snake | X, Square | 110 | 3 |
| Sky Drive | X, X | 30 | 3 |
| Meteor Fall | Triangle | 10 | Infinity |
| Dead Dance | Square | 20 | Infinity |
| Soul End | X | 30 | Infinity |
Stier and El-Stier (Rico)
| Deathblow | Input Sequence | Fuel | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drill War | Triangle, Triangle | 40 | 1 |
| Bomber Head | Triangle, Square | 50 | 1 |
| Drill Diver | Triangle, X | 10 | 1 |
| Grand Slam | Square, Triangle | 70 | 2 |
| Twister D | Square, Square | 80 | 2 |
| Hammer G | Square, X | 20 | 2 |
| Mega Body | X, Triangle | 100 | 3 |
| Sky Drive | X, Square | 110 | 3 |
| Scrap | X, X | 30 | 3 |
| Drill Kaiser | Triangle | 10 | Infinity |
| Drive Kaiser | Square | 20 | Infinity |
| Iron Kaiser | X | 30 | Infinity |
Renmazuo and El-Renmazuo (Billy)
| Deathblow | Input Sequence | Fuel | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double Snap | Triangle, Triangle | 40 | 1 |
| Hard Snap | Triangle, Square | 50 | 1 |
| Hard Gun | Triangle, X | 10 | 1 |
| Gun Blaze | Square, Triangle | 70 | 2 |
| Impact Gun | Square, Square | 80 | 2 |
| Holy Fist | Square, X | 20 | 2 |
| Blaze Shot | X, Triangle | 100 | 3 |
| Hard Gatling | X, Square | 110 | 3 |
| Sky Gatling | X, X | 30 | 3 |
| Thousand | Triangle | 10 | Infinity |
| Holy Climb | Square | 20 | Infinity |
| Holy Soul | X | 30 | Infinity |
Seibzehn (Maria)
| Deathblow | Input Sequence | Fuel | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Hammer | Triangle, Triangle | 40 | 1 |
| Dyna Fight | Triangle, Square | 50 | 1 |
| Gravity Fist | Triangle, X | 10 | 1 |
| Dyna Rush | Square, Triangle | 70 | 2 |
| Head Dive | Square, Square | 80 | 2 |
| Gravity Press | Square, X | 20 | 2 |
| Meteor Press | X, Triangle | 100 | 3 |
| Iron Break | X, Square | 110 | 3 |
| Iron Storm | X, X | 30 | 3 |
| Fire Drive | Triangle | 10 | Infinity |
| Magneto | Square | 20 | Infinity |
| Maria Beat | X | 30 | Infinity |
Crescens (Emerelda)
| Deathblow | Input Sequence | Fuel | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arm Bash | Triangle, Triangle | 40 | 1 |
| Air Bash | Triangle, Square | 50 | 1 |
| Dance Bash | Triangle, X | 10 | 1 |
| Devil Hand | Square, Triangle | 70 | 2 |
| Devil Hold | Square, Square | 80 | 2 |
| Devil Bird | Square, X | 20 | 2 |
| Dead Spin | X, Triangle | 100 | 3 |
| Dead Drive | X, Square | 110 | 3 |
| Dead Melody | X, X | 30 | 3 |
| Dark Wave | Triangle | 10 | Infinity |
| Dark Force | Square | 20 | Infinity |
| Dark World | X | 30 | Infinity |
Xenogears Game Shark Codes
Players with a Game Shark device can use any of the following gameplay-altering codes. Some codes will cause Xenogears to become unstable and may crash the game. Accordingly, make sure to back up a save file before using any of the following cheat codes.
General Cheats
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| Infinite Items (All Slots) | 801DBC32 2400 |
| Save Anywhere | 80059170 0100 |
| Debug Menu | 8004F34C 0000 |
| Gears Always in Infinity Mode | 800D2C34 0804 |
| No Random Encounters (World Map) | 8009D64C 0010 |
| Infinite Health (Character 1) | 800CCD34 03E7 |
| Infinite EP (Character 1) | 800CCD38 0063 |
| Infinite AP (Character 1) | 800D32A0 0020 |
| Infinite Health (Character 2) | 800CCEA4 03E7 |
| Infinite EP (Character 2) | 800CCEA8 0063 |
| Infinite AP (Character 2) | 800D32A8 0020 |
| Infinite Health (Character 3) | 800CD014 03E7 |
| Infinite EP (Character 3) | 800CD018 0063 |
| Infinite AP (Character 3) | 800D32B0 0020 |
| Infinite Health (Gear 1) | 800CCDEC FFFF |
| Infinite Fuel (Gear 1) | 800CCDC4 FFFF |
| Infinite Health (Gear 2) | 800CCF5C FFFF |
| Infinite Fuel (Gear 2) | 800CCF34 FFFF |
| Infinite Health (Gear 3) | 800CD0CC FFFF |
| Infinite Fuel (Gear 3) | 800CD0A4 FFFF |
| Infinite Health in Battle Arena | 800987E0 012C |
| Never Overheat in Battle Arena | 800987E2 0000 |
| Infinite Gold | 8006EF58 967F 8006EF5A 0098 |
| Game Time 000:00:00 | 80059488 0000 8005948A 0000 |
| Extra Items | 50003602 0000 8006F5C4 0101 50003602 0202 8006F65A 0201 |
| Have All Items & Infinite Items | 50009601 0001 3006F65A 0001 50009601 0000 3006F5C4 0063 |
| All Abilities (Every Character) | 50000B20 0000 8006ECF6 FFFF |
| All Deathblows (Every Character) | 50000B20 0000 8006ECF4 FFFF 50000B20 0000 3006ED0B 0007 |
Xenogears Cheat FAQs
What is the max level in Xenogears?
The max level for all characters in Xenogears is level 99. Through careful planning and allocation of accessories, players can also min/max each character’s stats. This means that it’s possible to put in the work to have all characters have 999 HP and MP as well as max stat values.
How do you reach Infinity Mode in Xenogears?
To reach Infinity Mode in Xenogears, players must first reach Level 3 with their Gears during a Gear battle. After, executing any action that doesn’t reduce the Gear’s power level will allow the Gear to remain at Level 3. Remaining at Level 3 creates a chance that Gears will trigger Infinity Mode, unlocking powerful attacks that are otherwise unavailable.
What is the most powerful Gear in Xenogears?
The most powerful Gear in Xenogears is the titular Xenogears, which Fei pilots in the final parts of the game. Xenogears is not an Omnigear but instead, the transformed version of Weltall after Fei makes contact with the Wave Existence.
How long to beat Xenogears?
In comparison to other RPGs, Xenogears‘ length is fairly standard. Players can expect to spend 55-60 hours completing the main quest. However, the final dungeon and boss will be much easier if players tackle every optional side quest and other non-essential content, sufficiently powering up their characters and their Gears in the process. Not to mention, players will get to experience more of Xenogears‘ best-in-class story. Completing everything Xenogears has to offer will take players anywhere from 75-85 hours.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©CheatCC/Matt Karoglou.