Retrograde Amnesia: Comprehensive JRPG Retrospective

Behold the introduction of a brand new segment: Egregious Oversights and Corrections. After that we're bebopping back into Nortune's D Block where we try to avoid talking about Citan's deviancy, attempt to trash talk our arena battling opponents, use our weakness as strength, and listen to some D Block poetry. We also realize Hammer might be playing us, and determine Gundam is patient zero for mech fiction. Then Wiseman literally drops in and solves inscrutable riddles from previous anime flashbacks. Everybody, Super Sonic Racing. 00:43 - Intro 02:03 - Egregious Oversights and Corrections 05:58 - Returning to D Block after slaying monsters 10:22 - C Block semi finals: Hamamoto, Firewheel, Silverstar 12:30 - Pre-battle blues 15:32 - Wiseman's lore dump showdown at the Gear Hanger (Music samples: "Jaws of Ice," "Knight of Fire (live)") 30:00 - Battle Arena finals versus Rico/Stier 32:00 - Twitter followers Rico voice actor submissions 34:30 - Rico's ominous resolve 35:29 - We meet Dominia while Elly & The Proud Boys talk ethics in genocide 43:36 - Outro Find us on Patreon at patreon.com/retroAM, on Twitter @RetroAmnesiaPod, and through e-mail at [email protected].

It's episode 13, the best number. We begin with an outrageous Blue Guy/Red Guy Digital Thunderdome sequence before moving onto the Battle Arena and discovering someone tried to make a fighting game in the middle of this role-playing game. We also find Hammer The Supplier in our modern society, get body shamed by French cooks on a planet that doesn't have France, question whether Rico seeks justice or recruitment, stomp out grotesque monsters in the sewer, experiment with vertical platforming, and discuss the biological and social nature of Solarian sympathy. Memory cubes exist in Xenogears' world but the real life versions of save points are apologies. 00:49 - Intro 02:17 - Eric's text-to-speech puppet theater production, "Red & Blue Brain Guys, Part 1" 04:53 - Breaking down brain ministry and their techno-sphere 12:23 - D Block'n around 15:28 - C Block, Battling Arena (music sample: "Invasion" "Stage of Death") 18:43 - There is a sub-Destrega arena mech fighting game in Xenogears 23:40 - Creeper in the darkness 26:16 - Battle Arena: Tin Robo, Titan, W-Shaver, MUSHA 28:46 - Seeking justice and beating ass in the sewer with Rico 37:25 - Citan's emerging skills 38:40 - CSI D Block Sewers 42:54 - Redrum 47:23 - Round 2 with Citan and "Emperor" in the JPEG Cosmic Zone 51:40 - Chris' Gebler etymology update 54:48 - Elly and the proud boys sort out their orders To Purge 01:00:50 - Outro Find us on Patreon at patreon.com/retroAM, on Twitter @RetroAmnesiaPod, and through e-mail at [email protected].

Hey. We're in Nortune now, which means everything is different until it becomes the same again. Enigmatic forces of questionable benefit are everywhere. Prison initiation rituals are unavoidable. There are suspect choices on diversity and representation. Fei finally sleeps a lot. We also discuss pretentious attempts at creating introspection, our wish for a D Block Animal Crossing spinoff, bomb collars in popular fiction, Rico's clear origins in Blanka, and bro'ing out Hamer The Supplier. At the end our JRPJesus returns to put more sins on a tab that he will never pay. 00:40 - Intro / Elru + Element Corrections 02:38 - Enter Kislev 04:25 - Kaiser Sigmund's musical detour (music sample: "Pray For The People's Joy") 08:43 - Snake basket spaceship and its Masked Woman 11:43 - Pretentious old timey film grain flashbacks (music sample: "Far Away Promise") 18:21 - Bunk Bed, Dorm, D Block, Kislev, Nortune 19:23 - Meeting Rico & The Battle Boys 23:21 - Questionable prisoner ranking systems via Baptismal Ceremony 28:30 - Exploring D Block (music sample: "Invasion") 38:04 - Latina's Bar and its shifty anthropomorphic otter, bro 41:44 - Rue Cohen's battle arena hard sell 43:15 - D Block has a new doctor 51:15 - Outro Find us on Patreon at patreon.com/retroAM, on Twitter @RetroAmnesiaPod, and through e-mail at [email protected]

It's Episode 11, our 12th episode. We open with Ramsus' nightmare and try to determine who's pulling the most strings. We battle with Elly's Loser Squad and watch Elly get dosed with space racism. We witness Vanderkaum realize his destiny, watch Ramsus transition from Powerful to Pathetic, note strong directorial decisions with archaic assets, identify who desires the power, and wonder if there really is a Mother God. Finally, the "Demon of Elru" debuts with monstrous, awestruck-dread energy. 00:36 - Intro, assembly of truth 01:41 - Ramsus' Red Guy nightmare 06:29 - Miang has a friendly chat with Grahf 09:00 - Identifying string-pullers 11:20 - Hot sounds with Franz 11:48 - Checking in with Elly & the Loser Squad (music sample: "Knight of Burning Fire (slow version)") 16:10 - Fei dungeons up a mountain with his disposable buddies 19:29 - Fei/Weltall vs Loser Squad x2, Loser Squad x3, Elly/Vierge (music sample: "Tears of the Stars, Hearts of the People") 29:18 - Old Mason, Omen Mason 29:35 - Bledavik ambush 32:57 - We must play an awful shoot 'em up to penetrate the border fleet 35:59 - Vanderkaum's questionable credentials, Fei/Weltall vs Main Gun 37:55 - Fei/Weltall vs Vanderkaum/Dora 40:16 - Grahf thinks no one man should have all this power, shares it (music sample: "Grahf: Emperor of Darkness (20th Anniversary Concert)") 43:44 - Ramsus demands surrender from Yggdrasil crew, considers Sigurd 47:03 - Ultra Vanderkaum 51:45 - Demon of Elru - or - The Coolest Shit in this Videogame (music samples: "The One Who is Torn Apart" , "Fuse") 01:07:10 - Outro Find us on Patreon at patreon.com/retroAM, on Twitter @RetroAmnesiaPod, and through e-mail at [email protected]

Schöne Grüße. Xenogears is a Japanese role-playing game, which means we have to wind up in a church. After poking around in Nisan we spend some time in its cathedral. Here we learn incest is an aspirational fantasy, contemplate the morality of genociding the Gonzales clan, and speculate Gnosticism's influence on Sophia, the Ethos, and Nisan. Later, we discuss Solarian abductions, conduct operations for an all-out assault against to recapture Aveh, and what happens when we meet characters with names...but not portraits. Don't call me son cause you ain't my pops. 00:40 - Intro 02:26 - Exploring Nisan (music sample: "Singing of the Gentle Wind") 10:25 - Is Fei really an artist 13:02 - Entering the Cathedral (music sample: "The Wounded Shall Advance into the Light") 16:28 - Gallery gazing at the top of the cathedral 22:15 - Gnostic aeon breakdown 28:30 - Observing the painting of Sophia 33:35 - Checking in with Sister Agnes in the scroll room 36:05 - Old Mason rented a house in which Sigurd and Citan dump lore (music samples: "Nature", "The One Who is Torn Apart" , "The Jaws of Ice") 41:10 - Chris' Solaris quiz-down spectacular 45:23 - Bart storms off (music sample: "The Bonds of Sea and Fire (20th Anniversary Concert)") 47:02 - Talking about our feelings on a bridge instance #2 48:18 - We have a town hall and a table and a plan 52:02 - Predeployment on the Yggdrasil 54:50 - We're controlling Citan 57:40 - Xenogears' Lunar cycle speculation 58:20 - Outro Find us on Patreon at patreon.com/retroAM, on Twitter @retroamnesiapod, and through e-mail at [email protected].

It is time for Episode Nine. After coming to Margie's rescue, Bart faces off against Ramsus. Then Fei comes to help! Then they run into Elly! Then Margie's stuffed animal is a real animal! We learn the necessity of deathblow combos, explore the lack of stride animations in non-essential characters, and also develop an utter mistrust of Citan. Remember, Xenogears' first law states that something must be foreshowed ten (10) times before you're allowed to know the truth. 00:34 - Intro / Washed Reality 01:28 - Kislev vs Aveh status update 03:55 - Bart whips ass 04:48 - Bart escapes with Margie and then doesn't 07:00 - Ramsus and Miang arrive and distribute localized racism 08:31 - Bart & Margie vs Ramsus & Miang / Mirror Stance 14:20 - Fei literally jumps in and joins the fight 18:20 - Rats 20:00 - The gang gets in an elevator 21:45 - The gang runs into Elly! 24:34 - The gang does a sick runway launch 25:16 - Gebler brouhaha 28:10 - Fei and the gang are back on the Yggdrasil 29:30 - Pink stuffed animal obstacle 31:42 - Pink stuffed animal comes to life 34:40 - Let's talk about Mog 36:04 - We have a heart-to-heart with Margie (Music sample: "Bonds of Sea and Fire") 39:38 - Sand Cruisin' to Nisan 40:43 - Lore dump with Sigurd and Citan 46:47 - Blubbering Old Maison 48:00 - Outro Find us on Patreon at patreon.com/retroAM, on Twitter @retroamnesiapod, and through e-mail at [email protected].

Yes. This time we're exploring Aveh's capital, Bledavik, and plotting ways to bust Margie out of the prison she doesn't know she's in. We meet Ramsus, Miang, Shakhan, Vanderkaum, and an absolute wreck of a man who lives in the sewer. We wonder if gambling is the only human vice the stretches through time, speculate who's behind Dan's mysterious agency, and appreciate the interplay between fighting and sneaking. The best cure I ever came across for hangover was raw meat, and plenty of it. 00:37 - Intro 01:30 - Fei comes to terms with his responsibilities 02:10 - Sandcrawling across Ignas 06:20 - Enter Aveh (Music sample "The Ancient Dance") 07:20 - Let's meet Ramsus and Miang and talk shit about Vanderkaum 11:00 - Let's meet Shakhan 13:00 - Let's meet Margie 16:35 - Exploring Bledavik 23:20 - Exploring South Shakhan Square 25:24 - Exploring the tournament grounds / Operation Ruckus 29:10 - Sister of Nisan restructures our plan for us 29:40 - The importance of tournaments in fighting fiction 33:00 - Big Joe, fuckin' Dan, and Mystery Man 36:45 - Gay revelry 37:50 - Fei vs Gonzales 38:42 - Bart takes a button mash swim through the sewers 39:30 - Fei vs Big Joe 41:54 - Sneakin' through Aveh Castle (Music sample: "Invasion") 44:34 - Fei vs Scud 46:03 - Fei vs fuckin' Dan 49:00 - Fei vs Mystery Man / Wise Man 50:52 - Bart makes it to Margie 52:57 - Forced-shadowing 57:00 - Outro, disintegration of Chris Find us on Patreon at patreon.com/retroAM, on Twitter @retroamnesiapod, and through e-mail at [email protected].

Salutations! In our latest installment, we explore the expansive accommodations of the Yggdrasil, muse over whether or not Bart has actual respect or ironic respect, suspect Old Mason made an unwise investment in higher education, and receive another heaving heaping helping of lore from Mason and Citan. And then, our first boss gauntlet against Gebler's finest knuckleheads. This podcast is brought to you by —Drive—®. —Drive—Life Is Pain. Drink It Up® 00:24 - Intro / PlayStation 2's improvement of the PlayStation experience 02:00 – "The JRPG Protagonist Is Me Paradox" 03:31 - All aboard the Yggdrasil. "Yggdrasil" and "Leftovers from the Dreams of the Strong" (music samples) 08:00 - Fei's Gear has some blackbox parts, man 08:47 - On-board medic seems suspect 09:48 - The bunkhouse boys 12:00 - Engine room super smash brothers 13:02 - Old Mason's Elegant Gun Room 15:20 - Yggdrasil bridge 16:00 - The importance of Franz and secondary characters 17:35 - Arrival at Pirate's Lair 18:50 - Bart Fatima, hero of the proletariat 20:24 - Fuel source speculation / Big Slurp 21:25 - Tea time with Old Mason / Mason's Info Dump 26:00 - Fei the incurious 27:40 - Margie and Fatima Jasper info dump 29:26 - Planning room logistics 32:43 - Why we fight (ourselves) 35:45 - Sigurd and Citan provide the latest rationale for Fei to kill things 37:29 - Gebler Special Forces' procession of portraits 40:30 - Boss gauntlet 44:40 - Fei performs a CheckSum and resolves to help out 46:40 - Outro Find us on Patreon at patreon.com/retroAM, on Twitter @retroamnesiapod, and through e-mail at [email protected].

Greetings! The wrasslin' boys Fei and Bart have fallen Gear-first into a dank cave system. We discuss the contextually appropriate but questionably alive organisms down there before we run into your classic old-sage-in-a-cave, Balthazar. This prompts a dive into the influence of gnostic Christian texts, speculation on the creation myth metaphor, Xenogears' internal god-tier systems, and the tight grip on the pen that writes history. A man made god? Created with the wisdom of a god? Such a Gear would have the power of a thousand Gears. In a wave of its arm, it could destroy whole cities. Its battle cries would thunder in the heavens. 00:22 - Intro 01:18 - The boys fall through a sinkhole into a cave / Corvette sidequest 03:17 - Pirate territory and ethics 04:14 - Citan "Foreshadower" Uzuki chats with a silver-haired, very tanned man aboard the Yggdrasil 06:19 - Destroying the local flora and fauna in Gear combat 11:04 - Boulder #2 & Beyond 11:30 - Spelunking & self-sufficiency 12:35 - This cave-dwelling, Gear-fixing dude Balthazar lives here 13:20 - Balthazar etymology 15:40 - FOSSICKER 19:50 - Balthazar's myths and legends. "Omen" (music sample) 32:15 - Gear education and cave switch flipping 35:09 - Bart asks about the "God Gear" and we ask about localization 39:50 - Who's controlling history? 40:39 - Balthazar sees Weltall, the host for the spirit of the slayer of god 43:14 - Balthazar's relationship with Calamity 45:43 - Weltall & Brigandier vs Calamity 52:00 - Meeting up with Sigurd and (Old) Mason...and Citan 52:57 - Outro Find us on Patreon at patreon.com/retroAM, on Twitter @retroamnesiapod, and through e-mail at [email protected].

Hi. Before spending an entire episode on Xenogears' Desert Attack chapter, we inventory the accumulation of foreshadowing and its primary distribution method, Citan Uzuki. We go on to debate the logistical fallacies of Grahf's costume, spin our propeller-hats at Citan's conversation with "Emperor," and meet a surely band of sand pirates. We must find god's resting place and resurrect him. That is our final prayer. 00:22 - Intro 00:55 - On the prodigious amount of foreshadowing from Tetsuya Takahashi through Citan Uzuki (concert flyer referenced) 04:45 - Implications of a cut line of dialogue, and its reuse in Chrono Cross 07:33 - Anime dream with Grahf and two unknown conspirators 08:45 - Why's Grahf look like that 12:30 - Picking up with Fei & Citan, imprisoned in an Aveh transport trip 13:19 - "The One Who is Torn Apart" (music sample) 16:50 - Citan's interiority and the importance of em dash —Words— 18:50 - Citan astral projects to a meeting with "Emperor" 25:33 - Does Citan's family think he is Jack Bauer 27:44 - Imagining all of this from only Fei's perspective 29:10 - Sand Pirates 30:34 - Xenogears has anthropomorphic dolphins 33:15 - The boys finally break out of jail 34:40 - Citan "Lei Wulong" Uzuki 35:04 - Speculation on the origin of Fei's fighting style 35:40 - Sensei x Doc 40:52 - Brigandier vs Weltall 43:52 - Outro Find us on Patreon at patreon.com/retroAM, on Twitter @retroamnesiapod, and through e-mail at [email protected].

Hello! After a brief spell of hot-blooded desert carnage, Fei and Citan make their way to the artifact-hunting boom town of Dazil. We discuss the ethics of the Ethos organization, Citan's not very subtle manipulation of Fei, and the pointless but delightful omnipresence of Big Joe. Fei also has one hell of the time in the Aveh desert. Your hot-blooded desire for battle has not been tamed. Your basic nature is unchanged. It's great for us but not great for Fei. 00:21 - Introduction - Exit Blackmoon Forest 01:14 - Fei's present mental state 02:35 - The ethics of murdering and robbing prospectors in the desert 04:55 - Enter Dazil. Music sample: "City of Burning Sands" 08:30 - Citan's got a plan 09:20 - Ethos etymology 12:58 - Exploring Dazil 13:24 - BIG JOE 17:40 - Gear workshop / Bridge talk 20:56 - Sand buggy rental initiative 23:08 - Fei decides to run into the desert 25:30 - Fei encounters an unidentified flying object in the desert 26:43 - Fei hijacks a motorcycle and leaves a man to die in the desert 28:00 - Get in the Gear, Fei 29:57 - Grahf steals the show. Music sample: "Grahf - Emperor of Darkness" 35:00 - Grahf's three precepts 38:02 - Grahf and Citan as independently operating Fei life coaches 39:55 - I need you to kill this sand wyrm 44:13 - Outro / Lament of Fake Net Find us on Patreon at patreon.com/retroAM, on Twitter @retroamnesiapod, and through e-mail at [email protected].

Hello! Episode three consists entirely of rich narrative content experienced in Blackmoon Forest. We meet Elehayym Van Houten, a forest elf, a large boulder, and the Rankar Dragon. The trio of Fei, Elly, and Citan engage in self-doubt and determination around two (2) campfire sequences. A youthful reliance on Citan has, in our adult brains, transformed into supreme distrust. Does one really need the power to destroy everything? Could power possibly not corrupt a human soul, just this once? 00:23 - Introduction / Fake Net initialization 02:14 - Forest density 03:40 - World map musing, "Emotion" (live version sample) 06:15 - Enter Blackmoon Forest 11:40 - You there, hob, show me how to tree stump jump 12:30 - Deathblow development 14:10 - Bouldergeist—or—this game has environmental hazards 14:45 - Girl in Forest: Enter Elehayym 17:00 - Forest Elf abuse (Elly damsel'd #01) 19:30 - We love campfire scenes 22:00 - More anime / Evil Kid Fei vs Regular Kid Fei 24:29 - Elly as a party member 25:50 - Chris likes giant birds 27:16 - Elly's place in the prologue sequence 31:00 - Bloody flashback anime / Coward's Delight 33:52 - Silent Break 34:34 - "Knight of Fire" (live version sample) 35:34 - Rankar Dragon fight (Elly damsel'd #02) 41:20 - Observations on Citan's plotting 43:42 - Campfire scene #2, Citan conspires with Elly 50:00 - Reiterative lore dump ruminations 51:05 - Outro / the weight of time Get more Retrograde Amnesia: Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/retroam. Join the community and get bonus episodes, miniseries, and access to the RealNet. For a complete list of our bonus material, check out content.retrogradeamnesia.com. Twitter: @retroamnesiapod E-Mail: [email protected] Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com

Hello! For our second episode, we're coming to terms with the PlayStation's size limit for polygonal levels, discussing Citan's precarious position as a father figure and puppeteer, going over battle system basics, and cherishing the emotional necessity of Mitsuda's "Knight of Fire." Remember: if you're a kid who falls into the cockpit of a giant robot and you're going through some emotional mental trauma, you're going to have a bad time inside of this robot...but you're also going to unlock the robot's abilities. 00:23 - Introduction 01:00 - Speculation of Citan's living situation 01:30 - Absence of music & direction 03:15 - This Japanese role-playing videogame has a jump button 04:48 - On-foot battle system overview / Monster economy speculation 09:55 - Citan's cartoon junk house at the top of the mountain 13:04 - What's in the shack out back 15:41 - Citan is my dad 17:00 - "Knight of Fire" appreciation & obsessive exposition 20:57 - Fei returns to Lahan village 22:29 - Chris explains the Anime Freakout trope 23:30 - Get in the robot, Fei / Prologue revisited 26:07 - Mysterious commander Gear??? 26:44 - Fuckin Dan / Cruel Destiny 28:39 - Level 2 Anime Freakout 31:20 - Aftermath 33:48 - That's some good world map music ("Emotion") 35:20 – Outro Get more Retrograde Amnesia: Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/retroam. Join the community and get bonus episodes, miniseries, and access to the RealNet. For a complete list of our bonus material, check out content.retrogradeamnesia.com. Twitter: @retroamnesiapod E-Mail: [email protected] Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com

In the first proper episode of Retrograde Amnesia, we frame the anime introduction in the context of the time it was made and Xenogears' overarching narrative. We go on to debate the necessity and the rationale for an additional three layer-prologue before some discussion on Lahan Village and its freakish populace. We also talk the importance of portrait-characters, the deliciousness of technobabble, small-town sleeparounds, and that son of a bitch Dan. Episode One covers the prologue through Fei's exit from Lahan village. 00:23 - Xenogears introduction 01:32 - Anime prologue recap and discussion / biblical references 03:50 - Technobabble dissection 07:48 - Speculation over depictions of mania inside the Eldridge 08:30 - "You shall be as gods," as a statement and a repeating theme 11:30 - Spotlight on the Eldridge's captain 13:08 - After the Eldridge crashes 16:45 - Prologue text / Lore dump of the modern world 19:00 - Lahan flash-forward sequence 21:50 - Xenogears actually starts in Lahan village 22:50 - Imminent flashback sequence from Fei's maid 24:30 - Fei's house, Fei's friends, local wedding preparation 24:48 - Fuckin' Dan 26:37 - Speculation that Fei, like Goku, is slightly too optimistic and aloof 27:27 - Futzin' about town / Lahan village appraisal 29:56 - "My Village is Number One" sample 33:59 - Prostitutes & Prophets 35:01 - Fuckin' Dan 37:25 - Checking on Alice / Fei through time 40:23 – Outro Get more Retrograde Amnesia: Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/retroam. Join the community and get bonus episodes, miniseries, and access to the RealNet. For a complete list of our bonus material, check out content.retrogradeamnesia.com. Twitter: @retroamnesiapod E-Mail: [email protected] Website: www.retrogradeamnesia.com

In the pilot episode of Retrograde Amnesia, a podcast series covering Xenogears in exhaustive detail, we contextualize Xenogears in the professional (and our personal) climate of 1998. We clarify why we've decided to make this comprehensive podcast series, whether we expect Xenogears' themes and ideas to stand the test of time, and how to best play Xenogears with modern hardware. Episode Zero lets you decide whether this project is either a rationalization or an explanation of our devastating attentiveness to a twenty-one year-old videogame. Subsequent, proper podcast episodes will devour Xenogears chapter-by-chapter (and the recording quality greatly improves after episode two). Links & References: Xenogears' story lives on, thanks to its ambitious creator by Jeremy Parish, Polygon.com