Xenosaga Episode III - Also sprach Zarathustra (USA)
PlayStation 2
💿💿
🇬🇧
Reviewed in 2006
80
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✪ Reviewed on March 9, 2025
72
Xenosaga Episode III Also sprach Zarathustra closes the trilogy beautifully. Reworked combat, dense plot and a moving finale. Likely the saga's absolute peak.
Your verdict
Category
RPG1 player12+
Description
A Monolith Soft and Bandai Namco RPG released in 2006, the third and final Xenosaga franchise entry (Episode III - Also sprach Zarathustra / Thus Spoke Zarathustra in German). Epic conclusion of Tetsuya Takahashi's space opera with final revelation of the Original Zohar mystery. Turn-based combat redesigned in real-time hybrid, more polished HD mode, accomplished Nietzschean philosophical narrative. Considered the absolute Xenosaga peak. Japanese and US release.
Xenosaga Episode III - Also sprach Zarathustra review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
MAX
Story
★★★★★
"Masterful"
Ambitious cinematic staging, polished anime design and a grandiose science-fiction universe: the game aims for a playable space opera. The long cutscenes and intricate settings compose a fresco of rare breadth. This visual direction, dark and polished, carries a saga of unabashed excess.
Carried by Yuki Kajiura, the score unfurls a cinematic orchestra and ethereal choirs of a solemn beauty, elevating the conclusion of the epic. Between tragic grandeur and restrained emotion, each theme raises the story toward the sacred. This symphonic richness, sumptuous and overwhelming, magnificently crowns the saga.
Concluding a galactic fresco spanning several years, this final part at last ties the threads of a dizzying metaphysical plot. Between sacrifice, faith and the end of the world, the tale delivers a finale of rare scope and emotion. This ambitious resolution magnificently rewards those who followed the saga to the very end.
Gameplay
"Solid"
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Captivating"
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Bringing the fresco to a beautiful close unfolds a JRPG of sharpened combat and a poignant tale that gathers all the saga's threads. Following the epilogue, optimising your characters and combing the side content fills dozens of hours. That density, the climax of the Xenosaga trilogy, founds a longevity sci-fi fans savour.
Technical info
💾3 GB📅06/07/2006
Published by Namco Bandai Games
Xenosaga Episode III - Also sprach Zarathustra (PS2) price, value & rarity
The conclusion of Monolith Soft's Xenosaga saga, Episode III wraps the story of KOS-MOS and Shion across two discs. Released late in North America under Namco Bandai as the franchise faded, its reduced NTSC run and lack of any PAL version make it the hardest of the trilogy to find. Its value reflects fan demand to complete a series that has never been reprinted.
Is Xenosaga Episode III - Also sprach Zarathustra still worth playing in 2026?
The conclusion of Monolith Soft's saga, Xenosaga Episode III Also sprach Zarathustra closes the philosophical science fiction epic with a dense, moving narrative, sumptuous cinematic staging and a turn based combat system clearly refined over the previous episode. The power of the resolution, the narrative ambition and the thematic richness win over fans of cerebral JRPGs. The measured pace and the long cutscenes call for investment. A striking title for fans of narrative Japanese RPGs and ambitious science fiction.
