Xenogears is among the most popular JRPGs ever released on the original PlayStation, but Square Enix doesn’t seem interested in releasing the game to modern platforms, leaving it to fans to remake it using modern technologies.
3D artist Vitor Maccari is currently working on an Unreal Engine 5-powered remake of the classic JRPG using the HD-2D style made popular by Octopath Traveler and expanded by last year’s Star Ocean: The Second Story R. Using Maya, Zbrush, Houdini, Substance Painter, Megascan Textures, and SpeedTree alongside Unreal Engine 5, the artist was able to make an incredible recreation of the village of Lahan, making us hunger for a proper remake even more.
While an official remake or remaster won’t be coming anytime soon, there are still ways to experience Xenogears with improved visuals, thanks to an unofficial HD remaster that reworks the game’s interface, sprites, and over 9000 textures.
Xenogears was originally meant to be part of a bigger series, but the project ultimately was not realized due to its creator, Tetsuya Takahashi, leaving Square Enix, SquareSoft at the time, to form Monolith, who went on to develop the Xenosaga series, which explores similar themes, and Xenoblade Chronicles franchise. The third entry in the Xenoblade Chronicles series was released in 2022, followed by the Future Redeemed expansion, which launched last year.
