Monolith Gentle has grow to be some of the recognisable of Nintendo’s first-party builders in current instances. Led by legendary RPG author and director Tetsuya Takahashi, the studio is famend for the monolithic (pun meant) Xenoblade collection. Combining MMORPG-style, memorable worlds, gorgeous music, and philosophical writing, the Xenoblade Chronicles franchise has taken the world by storm. Monolith Gentle’s historical past, nonetheless, is as monolithic as its now-flagship collection.
Takahashi is maybe most well-known for co-writing and directing the seminal PS1 RPG Xenogears, which he created throughout his time at Squaresoft. However within the years following Xenogears’ 1998 launch, Sq. determined to focus all of its vitality on the Ultimate Fantasy collection. Xenogears underperformed within the eyes of the corporate, however Takahashi had large plans for his proposed franchise, of which Xenogears was meant to be ‘Episode 5’.
Xenogears did not match into Sq.’s future, so Takahashi — together with Hirohide Sugiura (producer of Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring) and Yasuyuki Honne (artwork director of Xenogears and Chrono Cross) — based Monolith Gentle on 1st October 1999. The corporate was shortly acquired by majority stake by Namco, who revealed the Monolith’s early titles.
However even within the early days, Monolith Gentle began on the correct foot with Nintendo.
Play your playing cards proper
Within the early 2000s, Takahashi was prepared to hold on his Xeno-saga, and the corporate’s first new sport got here to be the subsequent ‘entry’ within the pseudo-Xeno collection – Xenosaga Episode I. Whereas this was a PlayStation 2 unique, a few of the youthful workers banded collectively beneath Honne and tri-Crescendo founder Hiroya Hatsushiba to create a wholly new turn-based RPG for the GameCube, Baten Kaitos: Everlasting Wings and the Misplaced Ocean.
The event of this card-based RPG took round two years in whole, and it had an all-star forged on board. Masato Kato of Chrono Set off, Ultimate Fantasy VII, and Xenogears fame penned the story, with music from Valkyrie Profile and Tales of collection composer Motoi Sakuraba, alongside a number of different Xeno and Chrono alums.
The GameCube wasn’t identified for its RPGs, however in a 2004 interview, producer Shinji Noguchi mentioned of the choice: “We needed to supply a real RPG for GameCube customers and ultimately set up a prime franchise for the platform.”
Launched in 2003 in Japan, 2004 in North America, and 2005 in Europe, Baten Kaitos nonetheless seems completely gorgeous at this time. The sport’s card system goes nicely past battle mechanics, with the whole world constructed upon it. These ‘Magnus’ are the essence of every thing. There are over 1,000 distinctive playing cards within the sport, from collectible constellations to magic spells, armour, and the like. And a big chunk of those playing cards change as in-game time passes – meals rots, hearth swords burn out, and milk pasteurises. Because of this, a 100% “speedrun” of this sport takes practically 340 hours.
Baten Kaitos’ poor gross sales and competitors from an entry in a longtime JRPG collection (and arguably console-defining RPG), Tales of Symphonia, initially damage that prospect. However Baten Kaitos Origins was ultimately greenlit because of the first sport’s heat vital reception. Revealed this time by Nintendo, the prequel refined the battle system and streamlined plenty of parts, and it was as well-received as its predecessor, however the Wii was introduced in direction of the tip of growth. Sugiura recollects the corporate figuring out that porting the sport “was not value the fee and labour hours,” which finally led to the 2006 sport by no means releasing in Europe, which is a darn disgrace.
On the identical time, Monolith Gentle had additionally been engaged on Xenosaga Episode II and III, alongside a DS port of the primary two video games (which by no means left Japan), so Western Nintendo followers solely had this “anti-Xenosaga” to go on.
After relations with Namco started to bitter and the merger to create Bandai Namco occurred, the corporate felt it was being restricted creatively. Thus, an opportunity session with Shinji Hatano, then government director at Nintendo, impressed Monolith to interrupt away from Namco, and Nintendo acquired an 80% stake within the firm.
Twin display screen desires
Underneath the Massive N, Monolith Gentle made the bounce to a brand new technology, in addition to transportable methods. Whereas the studio already had concepts for its first Wii sport earlier than becoming a member of Nintendo in Catastrophe: Day of Disaster, the corporate was drafted in to assist with Tremendous Smash Bros. Brawl. The studio’s first title beneath Nintendo was the Japan-only DS motion RPG Diablo-like Soma Bringer.
Plundering into dungeons with buddies on-line was the secret right here, with six distinctive courses and a loot system to dive into. Takahashi was the particular person behind this one and needed to create a sport you may play briefly bursts. And whereas Soma Bringers’ fight went by way of just a few iterations, it was – unusually – settled and accomplished earlier than the story was established. Written by Soraya Saga, Takahashi’s spouse (co-writer on Xenogears and Xenosaga), with music from Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Set off, Cross, Xenogears), it was way more simple in scope than Monolith’s different video games. Nevertheless, it was nonetheless text-heavy, that means this one is an actual problem for non-Japanese audio system.
That wasn’t the tip of 2008 releases for the corporate, whose solely non-RPG, Catastrophe: Day of Disaster, lastly launched on the Wii. An arcade-like journey, the sport has you surviving pure disasters and saving residents. Sadly, developmental woes and delays meant that this motion sport suffered and, consequently, wasn’t nicely liked by critics. It launched in Europe however by no means got here out in North America.
However Monolith was additionally arduous at work with different DS RPGs. Tremendous Robotic Taisen OG Saga: Limitless Frontier and its 2010 sequel, Limitless Frontier Exceed, noticed the corporate again with Bandai Namco. These turn-based crossover RPGs pulled inspiration from PS2’s Namco x Capcom, a 2005 crossover sport that Monolith Gentle labored on which mixes the worlds of Tremendous Robotic Wars, Xenosaga, and different Monolith video games. Working with Banpresoft, solely the primary of the 2 video games left Japan, however the distinctive turn-based fight and visuals confirmed Monolith’s continued aptitude for originality.
2009’s Dragon Ball Z: Assault of the Saiyans acquired comparable reward, a superbly animated turn-based RPG that adapts the twenty third Tenkaichi Budokai arc from the massively well-liked manga collection. With a timing-based guard mechanic, many thought this was among the finest RPGs to make use of the Dragon Ball IP, though it nonetheless had restricted enchantment.
However all of those smaller titles had been resulting in one thing a lot larger, and within the background, Takahashi had some large concepts for Nintendo.
The Chronicles of the Starting of the World
Takahashi was nonetheless decided to hold on the Xeno collection identify, regardless of Xenosaga having to be condensed down from six to 3 video games. Following Xenosaga III, workers morale was low, so when developing with a brand new mission, Takahashi recalled an concept he got here up with years in the past — folks dwelling on the our bodies of lifeless giants or ‘gods’. With different senior workers and artist Honne, the staff created a 3D mannequin of those two titans, frozen in everlasting battle. The staff offered the mannequin to Nintendo, and producer Hitoshi Yamagami remembers being shocked that Takahashi did not have the “finer particulars” nailed down, however it was sufficient to pique his curiosity.
So, with this imaginative and prescient, Nintendo introduced in Genki Yokota to assist direct the sport alongside Koh Kojima, who wrote Baten Kaitos Origins’ story. Thus, Monado: The Starting of the World was in manufacturing.
Nintendo, Yamagami, and Yokota proved to be a giant assist — and large motivators — in creating this epic “open-world” RPG. Monolith Gentle had taken on suggestions from Baten Kaitos and Xenosaga about being “old style” and needed to concentrate on creating one thing new.
With the proposed launch date looming, the staff bumped into difficulties. Takahashi proposed a number of options to Yamagami to get the sport out on time, however Yamagami refused, as a substitute going to Nintendo to make sure the staff had sufficient time to finish their full imaginative and prescient. Even the late Satoru Iwata left a mark on the sport in a small however important method. As a method of honouring Takahashi, “who poured his soul into making this and who has been engaged on the Xeno collection,” Iwata needed the sport to bear the Xeno moniker. And it is right here the place Xenoblade — or Xenoblade Chronicles — was born.
For the sport’s situation, Takahashi acquired assist from Yuichiro Takeda (who beforehand labored with Takahashi on Xenosaga: The Animation) and Yurie Hattori (a situation planner at Nintendo). Takahashi’s unique idea went by way of a number of iterations, with debates – as revealed in an Iwata Asks interview –about potential get together member betrayals and whether or not the principle character, Shulk, can be a silent protagonist. The ultimate product is, arguably, certainly one of Takahashi’s most targeted.
Mitsuda returned to compose the sport’s ending theme, however Xenoblade Chronicles additionally introduced the world plenty of new expertise. Alongside veteran Yoko Shimomura, ACE+ and Manami Kiyota made their marks on the online game music world. Xenoblade Chronicles grew to become solely the second Xeno title to obtain a worldwide launch (beforehand, solely Xenosaga Episode II had been launched worldwide), with a fan marketing campaign from Operation Rainfall serving to the sport get extra consideration.
Xenoblade Chronicles makes a particularly robust case for being among the finest RPGs of its technology. Its gorgeous open-world environments have echoes of Baten Kaitos’ lush locales, and its hybrid MMORPG fight has a flip of the action-based get together fight from Soma Bringer. Basically, it took loads from every thing Monolith had executed beforehand and solely paved the best way to larger issues.
Crossing the zone
The shut working relationship with Nintendo resulted within the firm being trusted to help with the event of each The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and to this present day, Monolith Gentle is intently concerned in a few of Nintendo’s largest franchise entries.
After Xenoblade Chronicles, Monolith Gentle labored with Bandai Namco as soon as once more on Challenge X Zone for the 3DS in 2012. Scaling again from its god-sized world, the staff returned to large crossover RPGs containing characters from Satan Might Cry, Tales of Vesperia, Tekken, Xenosaga, and Resident Evil. The thought was all Bandai Namco’s, however Monolith’s work on Namco x Capcom as soon as once more proved invaluable to the corporate. A standalone sequel, Challenge X Zone 2, adopted in 2015.
Monolith Gentle started engaged on the Wii U by supporting Nintendo on Pikmin 3 and Splatoon whereas additionally aiding with large 3DS titles The Legend of Zelda: A Hyperlink Between Worlds and Animal Crossing: Pleased Residence Designer. And whereas Shulk was busy smashing round Nintendo characters in Tremendous Smash Bros. Wii U and 3DS, the subsequent part of the Xenoverse was brewing within the background, and it could mark Monolith Gentle’s foray into excessive definition with fashion.
X enchantment
Teased in a 2013 Nintendo Direct as ‘X’, Xenoblade Chronicles X departed from the unique sport’s extra story-based focus, as a substitute placing much more emphasis on the world and the sci-fi features that solely crept into Xenoblade Chronicles within the latter half of the sport.
Many names from the Wii sport returned for this non secular successor, with Assault on Titan composer Hiroyuki Sawano bringing his uncommon digital soundscape to the rating. And, should you thought Xenoblade Chronicles’ world was gorgeous, Mira has one thing to indicate you.
This grand scope did not come with out problem for Monolith Gentle. In an interview with Eurogamer, Takahashi felt the staff realized to “create areas which can be enjoyable to discover on a funds” with Xenoblade Chronicles because of the Wii’s restrictions. And whereas the Wii U was extra highly effective, Monolith Gentle nonetheless pushed the system to its restrict. The sport barely match on a Wii U disc and there have been optionally available 10GB obtain packs should you purchased a bodily copy, which would cut back load instances by putting in incessantly used knowledge in your arduous drive. Takahashi instructed Iwata that he initially needed to create a “entire planet” for the sport. Perhaps sooner or later!
What stays is a sport that is trapped on previous {hardware} and one which Xeno collection followers are begging to see ported to Change – which is likely to be a problem as Xenoblade Chronicles X closely utilised the Wii U’s gamepad (although you’ll be able to play the entire sport on the gamepad should you actually need — so come on, Nintendo!). However, the sheer scope and ambition of the sport are unparalleled, even in different Xenoblade video games. You’ll be able to trip Mechs, play on-line with buddies (otherwise you may) to take down highly effective monsters, and flesh out a whole metropolis with alien races.
Xenoblade Chronicles X was a serious indication of Nintendo’s continued religion in Monolith Gentle. The sport grew to become Nintendo’s large sport of the vacation season in 2015 after The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was delayed – which, curiously, Monolith Gentle was additionally serving to out on.
The golden future
2017, the 12 months the Change hit cabinets, was an enormous one for Nintendo and Monolith Gentle. Not solely did Breath of the Wild launch to rapturous reward, however Monolith returned to work on the ink-splatting sequel, Splatoon 2.
Nevertheless, in 2014, concepts for a ‘correct’ sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles had been set in movement. Following X’s launch, Takahashi needed to return to a extra story-driven sport with new characters and a brand new world, reasonably than revisit the Bionis and Mechonis from the primary sport.
Nintendo needed to get the sport on Change early within the new console’s life cycle, however the specs for the system weren’t established by the point Monolith Gentle began engaged on the sport. Xenoblade Chronicles’ New 3DS port confirmed how the staff may condense one thing huge all the way down to a a lot much less highly effective system, and X had proved that the studio may additionally create even larger, extra different worlds.
With Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the staff – with Masatsugu Saito main the character designs – needed to create a extra anime-esque with extra visually-expressive characters. So a melting pot of artists, from Tetsuya Nomura and Xeno veterans Tanaka and Soraya Saga, got here collectively to create varied characters and Blades, which you get from summoning them from Core Crystals by way of a gacha-like system.
The sport was introduced and launched in 2017, that includes a world set on the “our bodies” of “beings” (this time titans) in a sea of clouds. Simplifying the fight from each 1 and X – the latter of which had already helped to hurry issues up – Xenoblade Chronicles 2 layered much more methods on prime of established ones to create a very deep system. And, regardless of Change generally struggling to run the sport, it is a visible feast. Even KOS-MOS and T-elos from Xenosaga made cameos, together with Shulk and Fiora from 1, and Elma from X.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was successful and, earlier than it was even launched, Nintendo introduced it could be getting a Season Move with a DLC story episode. Torna – The Golden Nation launched lower than a 12 months later and featured a full 30-hour marketing campaign that added context to a few of the occasions of the principle sport. The DLC was extraordinarily well-received, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 remains to be the best-selling sport within the collection thus far.
New Horizons?
Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s big success and Shulk’s return in Tremendous Smash Bros. Final — alongside Pyra & Myrtha changing into a mixed DLC character — cemented Monolith Gentle’s fame as a certainly one of Nintendo’s greatest studios. The corporate had opened studios in Nakameguro, Osaki, and Iidabashi – although the latter has since closed (and 2nd Manufacturing staff is presently aiding Eiji Aonuma’s Zelda staff on Breath of the Wild 2). The studio’s affinity for the skies, sea, solar, and all issues lovely, was put to make use of when drafted in to help with 2020’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons, too, presumably for environmental design.
The Change was removed from executed with Xenoblade, with Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Version hitting the console the identical 12 months, bringing rearranged music, improved visuals, and a model new epilogue chapter that expanded on Shulk and Melia’s story after the tip of the principle sport.
After which, there was Xenoblade Chronicles 3 in 2022. A shock announcement (nicely, aside from a leak the earlier 12 months), growth began in 2018 and – like XC2 – was introduced and launched the identical 12 months. With noticeable enhancements within the sport’s efficiency and visuals from each 2 and Torna, it felt like a “lesson realized” from all three earlier entries in a number of alternative ways.
Takahashi considers Xenoblade Chronicles 3 a “stopping level” for the collection, however actually not the tip of Xenoblade. Splatoon 3 has been holding the developer busy, and its ‘staff B’ is engaged on bringing us extra candy open-world Zelda, however we nonetheless have extra to come back from Noah and Mio’s story. We’ll should see what questions will likely be answered from Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s conclusion in subsequent 12 months’s story DLC and probably what lies past for the Xenoblade Collection.
In fewer than 25 years, Monolith Gentle has gone from power to power, and the corporate’s partnership with Nintendo has confirmed to be a massively fruitful relationship for each events. After feeling stifled all these years in the past beneath Sq., Takahashi and Monolith Gentle get the inventive freedom they want, and Nintendo will get a top-tier RPG collection, plus invaluable assist on a few of its largest IPs.
To say this has been a monolithic journey is not an understatement.
