Few studios have built a legacy quite likeMonolith Soft. Known for their world building, deep stories and some of the most emotionally gut-twisting moments in gaming, this team has been quietly shaping RPG history since the late ’90s. If you were there for the early days of Xenogears or got pulled in by the vast biodiversity of the Xenoblade Chronicles series, chances are you’ve felt the studio’s impact. Monolith Soft builds massive, fully-realized worlds packed with likeable characters who you actually care about and empathize with. Let’s be honest, few studios commit harder to making players feel both amazed and emotionally trashed by the end.
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While Xenoblade tends to dominate the conversation, Monolith Soft’s catalog runs deeper than most fans remember. The studio has experimented with strategy crossovers, ambitious GameCube exclusives with card battling andeven contributed to projects behind the scenesfor other little-known franchises like The Legend of Zelda. No matter the scale, their games share a signature style with complex systems, smart writing and a surprising amount of soul. So, it’s time to dive back through their best releases, ranked of course, and appreciate just how much Monolith Soft has contributed to some of gaming’s most unforgettable RPG adventures.
8Project X Zone Series
Worlds Are Colliding!
Project X Zone 2
Project X Zone and its sequel are the kind of crossover games that sound impossible on paper, but somehow Monolith Soft made it work (evenone of the best). Released on the Nintendo 3DS, these tactical RPGs threw characters from Capcom, Sega, Bandai Namco and Monolith’s own franchises into one massive, turn-based free-for-all. The result felt like pure fan service, and honestly, the wackiness was part of the charm.
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The story barely made sense, but no one cared. Watching Ryu, Mega Man, Jill Valentine, KOS-MOS and dozens of other characters team up made every mission feel like a nostalgic fever dream. The combat system rewarded over-the-top and frantic combos, and the roster just kept growing. It wasn’t the deepest tactical RPG around mechanically, but few games understood the assignment better. Project X Zone existed to deliver the ridiculous crossover fans always wanted.
7Xenosaga Episode I–III
A Starry-Eyed RPG Saga
Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht
The Xenosaga trilogy was ambitious even by Monolith Soft standards. Released on the PlayStation 2, the series is a space opera packed with overtly obvious religious symbolism, giant mechs and layers of philosophical dialogue. Episode I opened with huge promise, but by Episode III, it was clear the story struggled under the weight of its own complexity.
Still, the ambition behind Xenosaga was impressive. Players spent as much time watching cutscenes as they did battling Gnosis and somehow that became part of the appeal. The trilogy wasn’t afraid to dive deep into themes most games wouldn’t touch and it introducedKOS-MOS, one of Monolith Soft’s most iconic mascot characters. Xenosaga was messy, emotional and a classic. It also laid the foundation for everything the studio would fine-tune later. This game trilogy needs an HD remaster so fans can experience the story.
6Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster
The Artsy Card Battler That Got a Second Chance
Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster
Baten Kaitos was one of the few, but more unique RPGs on the GameCube, mixing traditional exploration with a card-based combat system. The world was colorful and artistic, the sky islands were stunning and the story delivered genuinely unexpected twists. For years, it sat in cult classic status, remembered mostly by the few people who actually took a chance on it. The voice acting for the English version was notoriously bad in the best kind of way.
The HD remaster finally gave new players a chance to experience both games. While the card mechanics aren’t for everyone, there’s something special about watching your deck evolve as the story unfolds. The visuals still hold up especially for a twenty-year-old game and the remaster made sure the emotional gut punches landed just as well as they did years ago. Baten Kaitos proved Monolith Soft wasn’t afraid to get experimental and test things out.
5Xenoblade 2 + Torna: The Golden Country
A Massive Adventure With The Most Random Cast
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 took everything Monolith Soft learned from past games and took it up a notch. The result was an anime-inspired JRPG packed with great characters, deep combat systems with crazy-looking BLADES (with one appearingin Super Smash Bros as DLC) and a world just begging to be explored. While the story leaned into wild tone shifts, the emotional send-offs hit hard, especially in the final chapters. It wasn’t perfect, but it became one of the Switch’s most unforgettable RPGs.
Torna: The Golden Country made the entire experience even better. Serving as both a prequel and an expansion, Torna fleshed out key characters and added much-needed depth to the world’s backstory, which is mentioned constantly throughout the original adventure. The combat felt smoother, the pacing tighter and the emotions somehow even higher. Together, Xenoblade 2 and Torna became one of Monolith Soft’s most ambitious and fun adventures.
4Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
Mechs, Planets, and Indigens. Oh My
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
Xenoblade Chronicles X was Monolith Soft’s most ambitious leap into open-world design (andone of the longer JRPGs). Originally released on the Wii U, it dropped players onto the alien planet Mira and handed over a mech suit called a Skell (at least around thirty hours into the adventure). Exploring massive biomes with diverse lifeforms, fighting towering creatures, and customizing your characters and Skell made every hour feel like you were starring in an anime, extraterrestrial version of Gilligan’s Island.
The Definitive Edition finally gave the game a chance to shine on Switch beyond its underappreciated launch for the doomed Wii U. While the story wasn’t up to snuff like other Xenoblade entries, the scale and freedom were unmatched. Few games let you hop into a giant robot, fly across a living world and still leave you wondering what is beyond the mountain in the distance. Xenoblade X proved Monolith Soft could handle massive worlds without losing their attention to detail. Also, no fall damage!
3Xenoblade Chronicles + Future Connected
I’m REALLY Feeling It (Xenoblade, That Is)
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
Xenoblade Chronicles didn’t just introduce players to a vast world on the back of giant corpses but redefined what JRPGs could do. Its massive environments, real-time combat similar to that of Final Fantasy XII, and emotional storytelling helped turn it into a cult hit, even before the franchise took off. The tale of Shulk, the Monado, and the war between the Bionis and Mechonis delivered unforgettable experiences, making this one of the most celebrated RPGs of its era for its originality.
Future Connected gave players a reason to return by expanding the story with an epilogue that offered a glimpse at the world beyond the main game’s ending. While it wasn’t as heavy as the original journey, it provided closure for longtime fans of Melia while connecting the game to future entries a bit more. Xenoblade Chronicles and Future Connected together proved that Monolith Soft had crafted something timeless and a game that still holds up no matter how many years pass.
2Xenoblade Chronicles 3 + Future Redeemed
The Spiral of Life and Death… Plus Great Cameos!
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 pulled together everything Monolith Soft had built over the years into one epic adventure. It combines the landmarks from previous entries into a new world, fast-paced combat and characters with a ten-year lifespan. The story wasn’t just about survival, but about legacy, loss and breaking free from a cycle of endless war and death. By the end, it felt like the team had delivered the most emotionally complete game in the series.
Review: Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 features an astonishingly robust class system and highly-customizable characters both on an aesthetic and functional level.
Future Redeemed took things further, tying the entire franchise together in ways longtime fans didn’t expect andremains some of the best DLC available on Switch. Characters from across the series returned and every reveal felt like a reward for sticking with the story with some better closure. Instead of being just an expansion, Future Redeemed became essential to the lore of the Xenoblade Chronicles series. Together, Xenoblade 3 and its finale delivered a send-off that made the whole journey worth it. Also, there are some tie-ins to the other Xeno games.
1Xenogears
The Psychological and Theological Classic
Before Monolith Soft became known for their giant worlds, there was Xenogears. It was a game so ambitious it pushed the PlayStation past its limits and delivers arguably thebest story in RPG history. The combination of fun combat, Gears and deep philosophical storytelling made it stand out. Monolith Soft didn’t just have players fighting enemies, but wrestle with questions about identity, religion and their meaning of existence.
Xenogears was famously unfinished, with the second half rushing through events after the budget ran dry turning the game into a visual novel with a sprinkle of gameplay. Still, the world, characters and lore were unforgettable, while the soundtrack is epic. Decades later, fans are wanting a remake that will finish the story the way it was meant to be. Until then, Xenogears remained a legendary game that was so ambitious it was meant to be the fifth episode in a six-episode series.
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