Tag Archives: nephilim

Xenosaga Episode III Part 23b: TEotU Explained

Previously on Xenosaga: That’s what we’re here to talk about!

Let’s address the finale of the Xenosaga franchise in easily digestible, FAQ form. First question!

What in the name of chaos just happened?

Basically, the Xenosaga Universe got killed. All of the gnosis were sucked into a Nephilim-hole, many populated planets were destroyed, and the UMN, the “space internet” that allowed people to experience fabulous virtual reality and travel through space, was obliterated. In the end, all that’s left are a few planets (20%? Probably still a lot), the Dammerung (mobile center of technology for the galaxy), and approximately half of The Brews.

Is that supposed to be a good ending?

Kind of. It’s better than what Wilhelm had in mind.

What was Wilhelm’s plan?

Xenosaga Episode III Part 23a: The End of the Universe

Previously on Xenosaga: Shion was the director of Vector R&D First Division. She was anxious to activate the KOS-MOS project, a sentient android that also doubled as an anti-gnosis weapon. Shion decided she would enter a virtual reality construct to oversee KOS-MOS’s mental development. Then a bunch of stuff happened, and now her ex-boyfriend and boss are working together to reboot the entire universe. Somewhere in there, Junior got a puppy.

Before we begin, I’d like to note that this update is going to be a whopper. I have tried to make the majority of these updates approximately 150 to 200 screenshots, because, as was wisely recommended to me by you, the audience, like a year ago, it allows for a greater amount of discussion. This update is going to be… let’s see here… 389 screenshots. Really? Couldn’t do an even 400? Whatever. Point is that this is going to be a long’un, so get some cocoa or something.

If anything gets confusing (haha, “if”), our next update will be the mandatory “what the hell just happened” post. Please look forward to it! Additionally, we’ll be saving any character denouements for a later post as well. Again, going to be a long enough update as is.

And, incidentally, I did consider slicing this nonsense into more digestible sections, but XS3 crams all this nonsense down your throat at once, so who am I to argue with the director’s intention?

We’re starting with a gif? Okay, fine. Welcome to THE FINAL ROOM. The Brews just followed Kevin in here, and Wilhelm is chilling with some crazy glowy orb and a pair of mechs. The red mech is ES Judah, Kevin’s ES, and it never actually gets to do anything in the whole trilogy.

And Abel is suspended in the fetal position at the center of all this nonsense. Kid has not had a good… ever.

Wilhelm wordlessly snaps his fingers…

Xenosaga Episode III Part 21: Jesus, Mary, and Gnosis

Some years ago, I dated a woman that was a marathon runner. It didn’t matter if it was August or January, if there was a local (or even remotely local) marathon happening, she was in it. And these weren’t short little "fun runs", these were marathons that were grueling gauntlets that usually lasted all day. I believe the story was that she got started in track in high school, and then never gave it up. When she wasn’t actually in a marathon, she trained constantly "to relax", and would often come home… broken. It became a point of contention in our relationship, because I was seriously concerned that she was doing lifelong damage to her body. We were both in our 20s, but some intense training sessions would see her practically immobile for the next day. I was concerned, but she kept writing it off as "just part of the hobby". At one point when she was practically incapacitated from a particularly difficult run, I asked her why she kept doing this to herself. Her response, everything about it, is still burned into my mind:

"Sometimes you feel like you’re going to die, like you’re just going to collapse right there. Sometimes it’s like your entire body is going to give out, and that’s it, you’ll never get up again. But then you see that finish line, and you might not be first, you might even be last, but when you see that finish line, nothing else matters, and it all feels completely worth it. I’ve never felt anything else like that, and I wouldn’t give it up for anything."

Anyway, don’t know why I decided to mention that. Probably just wanted to brag about that time I dated a girl that liked going outside.

Previously on Xenosaga: Margulis is dead. Hey, didn’t he kidnap MOMO at some point? Huh, you might think she would have reacted to his death… Or Albedo’s… Or… Never mind. Let’s just move on.

Okay, so we’re following Shion’s pendant, which basically lit up in one general direction like a half hour ago. I think we’re just following the only way forward and hoping for the best.

So you know, this update is rated B for Bonkers for broad religious themes, breasts, violence, and breasts that cause violence. You’ve been warned…

Xenosaga Episode III Part 18: It’s the Little Things (About Giant Robots)

Previously on Xenosaga: Junior and pals wrapped up their little adventure, but we’ve still got a lot of ground to cover with the rest of the cast. So, naturally, we’re going to ignore all that in favor of…

Our next update will begin the final descent into the final dungeon. This doesn’t mean the next update will be our final update (as the final dungeon has… pacing issues), but it does mean this is our last dedicated respite before the end of the game (and the series!). So we’re going to take this update to cover all the sidequests available at the end of XS3 (and a sprinkling of the miniscule postgame, too).

This update will involve a little bit of a time skip, as there are a few cutscenes that precede this exact moment in the game, but they’ll make a lot more sense when visited in the next update. All you need to know right now is that, after escaping Abel’s Ark without incident, we are now parked in the Elsa on the surface of Michtam. Technically, we won’t leave the ship at all during this update, and will be abusing the virtual reality UMN interface. So let’s get to it…