Final Fantasy VII is a classic. Everybody knows this. There is no debating that it’s a great game. Despite this though, Xenogears is better, in almost every facet. It has better characters, it has a better story, better worldbuilding, better lore, and a better combat system. Xenogears was originally pitched to be Final Fantasy VII, but was rejected because of the dark story and the religious references. Square thought it was too complicated. While it’s full of worldbuilding, a complicated political landscape, and full of religious references that may be too much for the West, Xenogears could have normalized these things. Instead Square went the safe route with the game that is now Final Fantasy VII, which is unfortunate because while it’s a good game, it’s vastly overrated.
Xenogears has incredible characters. Even the non-party members have a level of depth to them that are so rarely seen in games, especially today. It was a different era. Final Fantasy VII has some of that same depth, but lacks in comparison to Xenogears’ worldbuilding and lore. In that aspect, Xenogears is in a class of its own. I’m finally playing through it for the first time (I have played Final Fantasy VII and enjoyed it) and there is no comparison. It’s hard to articulate just how incredible Xenogears is. Not only that, it paved the way for seven (eight if you count Torna as its own game) more games set in the Xeno-verse. Xeno games have now surpassed Final Fantasy in quality, at least modern Final Fantasy, so maybe it was a blessing that Xenogears did not become Final Fantasy VII. If it had though, as it should have, it would have set new precedents for JRPGs and would have changed the genre forever.
Xenogears is a better game than Final Fantasy VII, despite the rushed last disc. It’s the best RPG of the PlayStation 1 generation, and that says a lot. It was dark, full of intrigue, deep, insightful, full of twists and turns, and had an epic nature that is not seen in today’s games. It puts Final Fantasy VII Remake to shame. It’s a shame that we never got to see a world where Xenogears became the standard JRPG, but maybe it was for the best, as we wouldn’t have Xenosaga or Xenoblade without it. Even still, a world where Xenogears is the standard RPG is a very appealing prospect.