My friend shared more details with me.
But to add more things, Square Enix, Namco, and Nintendo aren't actually words of God regarding any of the Xeno games; those titles belong to Tetsuya Takahashi and Monolith Soft. And while that company has shifted ownership back and forth, they are consistently behind the story and gameplay of every Xeno related game. Also various concepts such as Ether are by lore and definition the exact same thing across all three verses. And the Zohar from Xenogears is like 1 to 1 the same one in Xenosaga; between having the exact same backstory, the exact same purposes, the numerous powers and abilities it shares, and was the lore devise that "Destroyed the entire universe and recreated and/or birth not just the new universe but supposedly an entire multiverse". And in Xenoblade, the Gate/Conduit is the exact same thing in every way only we actually see the very specific cutscene in XB2.
You can argue that Tetsuya is a very repetitive author who happens to know how to rewrite the entire "Birth of the Universe story using the exact same identically named plot devises of the exact same natures and origin stories" where he sometimes hints it didn't just recreate the universe the individual games set in, but an entire infinite multiverse that is often hinted throughout the series'. But it sounds far too alleges too pass this all as mere coincidence. Sure the parent companies own rights to the respective titles, but it's not like they control what Takahashi's intentions are or what's actually intended to be the canon story.
The entire interview that your acquaintance shared does the opposite of what they are trying to imply, repeatedly proving that they are not set in a similar continuity and there is no official connection. This is like a series being a spiritual successor to another. From the very first question you can see the creator state that it can't be said that it's a direct sequel or prequel.
Now that we are under a different company, we figured we should start everything from scratch all over again. Though there are familiar faces that serve as important characters in Xenosaga, others are more like self-parodies, so we don't really want Xenogears fans to overreact
Same for this question. At a glance we see that they are speaking of no direct connection, a new start altogether and that fans shouldn't overreact about this being a sequel because any familiar faces are at most self-parodies and not a real sequel. This explains things such as Abel existing in Saga and having a child Fei's/Gears Abel appearance but otherwise no connection or similarity in nature of his being.
Personally speaking, what do you consider is the connection between Xenogears and Xenosaga?I think all Xeno works are, so to speak, like rivers and lakes that once sprung from our mind, eventually became independent. They sure are kin, but not lineal.
The bottom line is that Xenosaga is not a seperate cosmology or universe from Xenogears. They are very much related to one another and are set in the same cosmology. Hell, the events of The Perfect Works basically
This never says that they are the same continuity either. Just that they are all works that came from their mind. Same quote, she states that they all became independent. Being kin because they are all works born from the same mind. A single author can have similarities between works but there is no confirmation. Homages, nods yes. But no shared continuity. Xenosaga has its own concepts and its own takes on things. It has parallels and concepts used in their own way.
And while Soraya's name is still relevant, in the same interview she answers that she missed Xenogears but that Saga was
a fresh start full of hope.
The bottom line is that Xenosaga is not a seperate cosmology or universe from Xenogears. They are very much related to one another and are set in the same cosmology. Hell, the events of The Perfect Works basically
They aren't. The WoG provided brings all the more stability to my claim. I read, Perfect Works and then Perfect Guide from Saga. There is nothing in Perfect Guide, in the whole database of Saga I and III, nothing in the source material of games to support this conclusion. I'd love if there were. That would add even more complexity to each, but I have no intention to act like it's there when it's not.
Keep in mind, Xenosaga being a "sequel" to Xenogears isn't necessarily contradicted by anything and it's basically supported by both WoG and many other details such as how The Perfect Works essentially connects to Xenosaga or the countless comparisons between them that were intentionally there to convey how Xenosaga is set in the same "universe" as Xenogears
No, there is no WoG connecting the two. The above interview points us in the opposite direction. That said, I'd like to know which part of Perfect Works from Gears connects to Xenosaga in any conclusive manner. If I read it and missed that somehow, I'd welcome being proven wrong with open arms for I am arguing for a fact that I hate. Notwithstanding my circumstances, I don't remember anything connecting Xenosaga to gears or Gears to Saga in the perfect works. This still sounds like misconceptions and conclusions drawn from logical leaping.
I can go on and on but the bottom line is that saying that Xenogears is fundamentally a different cosmology from Xenosaga is just wrong and also a wild claim considering WoG
Once more. Nothing in Gears or Saga draws solid connection. The WoG never connected them and the interview is being interpreted in a way that says they are confirming the two are connected when it is in fact the very opposite.
But to add more things, Square Enix, Namco, and Nintendo aren't actually words of God regarding any of the Xeno games; those titles belong to Tetsuya Takahashi and Monolith Soft. And while that company has shifted ownership back and forth, they are consistently behind the story and gameplay of every Xeno related game.
Square (unfortunately) very much still owns the rights to the continuity of Gears. They can even make a remake of Xenogears any day they want and Tetsuya can not say a word about it. Topic was in a recent Square interview and they were secretive about it. Without a care they added Xenogears in World of Final Fantasy as a boss and a summon, complete with a fully animated revamped KISHIN because they felt like it. So yes, Square Enix IS WoG for Xenogears now, as much as I hate to admit that fact. And Xenogears does not belong to Tetsuya Takahashi anymore. Nor Monolith Soft.
They had WoG for the original work and that's about it. They no longer can touch Xenogears or its continuity no matter how much they may want to do more works or other material with it. Xenosaga and everything from there is a new beginning. Refer to the exact same interview that was linked.
Also various concepts such as Ether are by lore and definition the exact same thing across all three verses.
Actually, they aren't either. Ether in Gears has the Zohar as source of all and though my memory is faint for this last part, it disappears to almost everyone when DEUS is defeated (exception = Fei because Contact). Ether in Saga meanwhile has no connection at all to the Zohar and is a general catch-all terminology for every other thing achieved through supernatural means, scratch that, not even just magic or Gears. Nanomachine treatment that has nothing to do with the Zohar for example is also Ether. Spatial transfer is also called ether. So no. Even if they were and functioned exactly the same, which they are not, an author is entitled to use a similar source of energy across different continuities without that being grounds to say they are the same.
And the Zohar from Xenogears is like 1 to 1 the same one in Xenosaga; between having the exact same backstory, the exact same purposes, the numerous powers and abilities it shares, and was the lore devise that "Destroyed the entire universe and recreated and/or birth not just the new universe but supposedly an entire multiverse". And in Xenoblade, the Gate/Conduit is the exact same thing in every way only we actually see the very specific cutscene in XB2.
The Zohar Modifier (this is important) from Xenogears and the Zohar from Xenosaga, as well as the Twelve Zohar Emulators and the thirteenth replica made by Sellers to act as auxiliary for Omega Res Novae if I recall correctly.....are not the same thing either. Surely the Zohar has taken inspiration from the Zohar Modifier from Gears.
The Zohar Modifier of Gears had the Wave Existence imprisoned within it. Well, not really imprisoned as there is very fair reason to believe that it could have released itself from it,
even if that does make an odd point that it was more than alright with obliterating the entire planet with everyone in it, in the aftermath of leaving upon DEUS's defeat. Regardless it powered the Ether of all things. It passively does this all the time.
Meanwhile in Saga the Zohar still has infinite energy but because it acts as Window between domains and the influx of energy upon Activation is immense. This is also a key difference. Passively, the Zohar from Saga does not do anything. It doesn't power abilities except in some cases for God Tiers that use it as a power source (in this sense they can be called a spiritual nod to how DEUS used it in Gears, but entirely disconnected characters use it. At absolute most. Omega Metempsychosis does a nod to it by having some scenery reminiscent of Gears, and potentially Welltal and Vierge looking A. M. W. S. in its hands but these are at most aesthetical).
The Zohar in saga also spends majority of the narrative distinctly outside of reach of space and time, sealed in Old Miltia or dormant. And then we have emulators that also serve entirely different functions such as ignition key to activate the original at their core. So no, they have similarities but are fundamentally different. And once more, even if they were the exact same. Nothing stops an author from salvaging a concept or another across their different works.
This does not mean same continuity on its own. And do not share the exact same history or powers or mechanics of their powers either. On Xenoblade alone I can not provide you with anything since that is the one series still in my waiting list.
You can argue that Tetsuya is a very repetitive author who happens to know how to rewrite the entire "Birth of the Universe story using the exact same identically named plot devises of the exact same natures and origin stories" where he sometimes hints it didn't just recreate the universe the individual games set in, but an entire infinite multiverse that is often hinted throughout the series'. But it sounds far too alleges too pass this all as mere coincidence. Sure the parent companies own rights to the respective titles, but it's not like they control what Takahashi's intentions are or what's actually intended to be the canon story.
Once more, there's no confirmation, proof, or certainty of this. Xenosaga does nothing whatsoever to connect to Xenogears, it does not mention any concept from gears in the way it was in Gears, it revamps things in its own ways and even the occasional visual nod to Xenogears is its own thing that works by its own original Xenosaga rules.
It's not too far to declare that this is not the same continuity. It's the reasonable conclusion, only one that does not rely on speculation and drawing conclusions without confirmation from source material. Finally, even without its name being brought, there are no grounds to the claim. But Square does control the canon of Gears now. None of us wanted that but alas they do.
