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Xanadu Next

in library

4.4/5

( 52 Reviews )

4.4

52 Reviews

English
Offer ends on: 11/05/2025 09:59 EET
Offer ends in: d h m s
14.994.49
Lowest price in the last 30 days before discount: 4.49
Why buy on GOG.COM?
DRM FREE. No activation or online connection required to play.
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Xanadu Next
Description
Whenever mist hangs over the waters of Lake Orwell on Harlech Island, sailors catch sight of a phantom castle just out of reach. As they draw near, it fades into the fog like a mirage, leaving only questions for all who have borne witness to this “Castle Strangerock.” An up-and-coming scholar name...
Genre:
Role-playing - Adventure - Fantasy
Tags:
Adventure, Fantasy, Role-playing, Great Soundtrack, JRPG, show 2 more... Isometric, Dungeon Crawler
Critics reviews
79 %
Recommend
PCMag
4/5 stars
RPG Site
9/10
RPG Fan
87%
User reviews

4.4/5

( 52 Reviews )

4.4

52 Reviews

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Product details
2016, Nihon Falcom Corporation, ...
System requirements
Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / 10, Pentium III 866 MHz, 1 GB RAM, 32 MB VRAM, 3D accelerator compatibl...
Time to beat
13 hMain
18.5 h Main + Sides
26 h Completionist
16.5 h All Styles

Game length provided by HowLongToBeat

Description
Whenever mist hangs over the waters of Lake Orwell on Harlech Island, sailors catch sight of a phantom castle just out of reach. As they draw near, it fades into the fog like a mirage, leaving only questions for all who have borne witness to this “Castle Strangerock.”

An up-and-coming scholar named Charlotte L. Wells has had her interest piqued by this local legend and desperately wishes to study it in person—but of course, Harlech Island is no place for an unescorted young lady. To aid her in her investigation, therefore, she enlists the help of an old childhood friend and fallen knight who agrees to accompany her on this adventure.

Arriving in Harlech and catching sight of Castle Strangerock almost immediately, Char dives into researching the mystery head-on, leaving her companion to explore the surrounding environs on his own in search of any artifacts that might help trace the origins of this ephemeral stronghold.

Sadly, this almost immediately leads to his death at the hands of a mysterious swordsman seemingly displaced in time...but death is to be only the beginning of his adventure.

Xanadu Next is an exploration-centric action RPG from Nihon Falcom, the acclaimed creators of the Ys and The Legend of Heroes RPG franchises. A late entry in their immensely popular Dragon Slayer series and a spiritual follow-up to the late ‘80s cult classic Faxanadu, Xanadu Next puts players in the shoes of a gravely injured knight given a new lease on life through ancient magic who must now seek a legendary sword called “Dragon Slayer” to ensure his survival.

Players will fight hordes of monsters in real time while exploring the lush, mysterious and perilous environments of Harlech Island, along with the ruins of an ancient paradise known as Xanadu that was partially inspired by tales of the Mongolian emperor Kublai Khan. Along the way, players will uncover bits and pieces of Xanadu’s past in the form of ancient stone tablets and memorandums, piecing together a complex tale of magic, war, an ancient dragon, and a mysterious figure known only as the “Black Bride.”
  • An Interconnected World Full of Secrets: Icy peaks connect with fiery caverns, old waterways, mystical forests and magical ruins, creating one single giant map to explore with countless secret passageways, alternate routes, shortcuts, hidden items, deadly bosses and new techniques to uncover.
  • Real-Time Combat with Dozens of Unique Abilities: Fight ruthless enemies in real time, using a wide variety of skills to aid you. As in Ys SEVEN, skills are attached to weapons and can be learned through repeated use of those weapons, adding an element of excitement and promise to every new armament found.
  • Exploration Rewarded with Rich Backstory: Stone tablets and old letters are scattered throughout the ruins on Harlech Island, each written in an ancient tongue. Fortunately, your companion is an accomplished scholar who can translate them for you in real time, providing valuable insight into important events and mythologies from the age of Xanadu.
  • Unique Gameplay Systems that Keep the Experience Fresh: Players can choose to level-down in order to tweak their stats, fuse themselves with “Guardians” to gain new passive abilities, learn spells, and even carve keys from monster bones to lessen demand for pre-made keys and keep their prices low.
  • Atmospheric Visuals and Music in Classic Falcom Tradition: Inspired by hardcore dungeon RPGs of the '80s and created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Xanadu, one of Japan's action RPG forefathers, Xanadu Next mimics the gritty, medieval look of its ancestor, but in full 3D and with ample amounts of subtle detailing, as well as a foreboding and wholly unique soundtrack composed by Falcom's venerable Sound Team jdk.

(c)2005 Nihon Falcom Corporation. Licensed to and published by XSEED Games / Marvelous USA, Inc.

Goodies
avatars wallpapers
System requirements
Minimum system requirements:
Recommended system requirements:
Recommended system requirements:
Why buy on GOG.COM?
DRM FREE. No activation or online connection required to play.
Safety and satisfaction. Stellar support 24/7 and full refunds up to 30 days.
Time to beat
13 hMain
18.5 h Main + Sides
26 h Completionist
16.5 h All Styles

Game length provided by HowLongToBeat

Game details
Genre:
Role-playing - Adventure - Fantasy
Tags:
Adventure, Fantasy, Role-playing, Great Soundtrack, JRPG, show 2 more... Isometric, Dungeon Crawler
Works on:
Windows (7, 8, 10)
Release date:
{{'2016-11-03T00:00:00+02:00' | date: 'longDate' : ' +0200 ' }}
Company:
Nihon Falcom Corporation / XSEED Games
Size:
731 MB
Links:
Forum discussion
Game features
Achievements
Cloud saves
Controller support
Single-player
Languages
English
audio
text
Critics reviews
81
Top Critic Average
79 %
Critics Recommend
OpenCritic Rating
PCMagby Gabriel Zamora
4/5 stars
The classic RPG series returns with numerous labyrinths, brutal challenges, and plenty of old-school charm. Its visuals are dated, but don't let that deter you from experiencing one of the finest action-RPGs on PC.
Read full review »
RPG Siteby Adam Vitale
9/10
More than ten years after its original Japanese release, Xanadu Next is compact and addictive action RPG that was easily worth the wait.
Read full review »
RPG Fanby Robert Fenner
87%
Xanadu Next is short, sweet and satisfying; an immensely addictive dungeon crawler that manages to be textbook Falcom with refreshingly quiet aesthetics.
Read full review »
Reviews powered by OpenCritic
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User reviews

Posted on: September 2, 2025

silexcorp

Verified owner

Games: 172 Reviews: 12

Awesome game

I'm very surprised that this gem has controller support, I love it, it's very well done, I'm a fan of this type of action RPG games.

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Posted on: September 5, 2025

Eglaios

Verified owner

Games: 90 Reviews: 7

Skillfully crafted

All in all, made by people who clearly knew what they were doing, and put a lot of thoughts into it. Cool postgame elements, but you will miss no lore if you don't want to go for it.

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Posted on: September 10, 2025

AngryMan93

Verified owner

Games: 154 Reviews: 10

Rough, but Old School Fun

The game doesn't have a means of fixing the resolution or rebinding keys, nor did I know half of what I could do. That said, once I found out, this game is just that special kind of fun you don't see nowadays. Like how older action RPGs used to be. Good stuff.

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Posted on: September 12, 2025

ATravelingMan

Verified owner

Games: 111 Reviews: 17

A great JRPG classic

Games like this are the reason the istay with GOG that an the great prices at GOG. Thanks again GOG for a classic

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Posted on: October 7, 2025

RiverRabbit_

Verified owner

Games: 19 Reviews: 1

Zelda meets traditional leveling

The game overall has a very serene and mysterious vibe, which I like. The combat feels well-built, with a simple system expanded through some unique quirks, like leveling weapon abilities and affinity. The gameplay loop gets much more fluid after getting a certain item in the second "dungeon" looking area, if the you don't like the initial flow. The bosses are surprisingly tough in comparison to the mobs, but it does make them an actual challenge!

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