Xanadu Next

My favorite game of all time is the NES classic Faxanadu (Title derived from "Famicom" and "Xanadu"). The sidescrolling RPG adventure which served as a side story to the game "Dragonslayer II: Xanadu" which was itself, incredibly popular in Japan, setting sales records for a PC game at the time. (400,000 copies sold.) Released in the U.S. in 1989, Faxanadu was a deep and atmospheric experience which wrapped players up in an unforgettable journey to the top of the World Tree on a quest to retrieve the fabled sword 'Dragonslayer' and destroy the 'Evil One' who was abusing the radiating power of a fallen star to corrupt the denizens of the great tree and turn them upon each other. The game left an indelible mark on me and I have always wanted to experience more games in the Dragonslayer and particularly, the Xanadu series. Unfortunately, despite boasting a library of 8 main installments and over 20 sequels and expansions, the majority of games in the Dragonslayer series have remained exclusive to Japan. So, I was stunned when I saw that Xanadu: Next had been released on GOG. I excitedly snatched it up immediately upon discovery and lost the next 4 days of my life. Not knowing what to expect, I went in with an open mind. The game was far different from my beloved Faxanadu, no longer a sidescrolling RPG akin to Zelda II, it had evolved into an isometric 3D dungeon crawler that was more evocative of Diablo, only with a Japanese flair. This was fine however as there were many themes that tied the game back to the world of Faxanadu (and based on my studies, to the greater Xanadu franchise) such as recurring items, magic, armor and Weapons, not the least of which is the legendary 'Dragonslayer' sword. Every level risen bestows a rank (ie. Fighter, Adept, Myrmidon, Hero etc.) and these ranks lined up exactly with the titles earned in Faxanadu. Playing through and discovering these little connections to my favorite game of all time added an additional element of enjoyment for me, but the game truly stands on it's own merits. Pros: Developing your character is an ultra addicting time sink. Combat is so much fun and deep customization options for your characters growth mean that you will not notice the hours flying by as you plumb the depths of ancient ruins, or scour the countryside in your quest to unravel an ancient mystery. When you gain levels you are granted points which can be distributed amongst several stats such as you see fit. These include Strength, Mind, Reflexes, Constitution etc. Weapons and armor require specific stats to be at certain levels in order for you to wield them, so you are constantly working toward your next objective. Every weapon has both a proficiency rating that grows as you use it from 0% - 200% (so they do more damage as you become more proficient) as well as a unique skill that can be equipped for special moves or passive bonuses. When your proficiency with a weapon reaches 100% you learn the skill and retain it's use even after equipping a different weapon. Guardians can be found throughout the game world and joined to the player for extra unique bonuses such as additional XP gain, boosted magic, more effective healing items etc. These guardian that is joined with you levels up as you fight and can be swapped out at any time for another. Between leveling to use more powerful weapons and armor, mastering weapon proficiencies, learning skills and magic spells and leveling up your guardians, character development is never ending, and thoroughly enjoyable. The game takes place over a variety of locales from dank, murky dungeons to snowcapped peaks and from lava filled tunnels to epic labyrinthine fortresses. I never tired of traversing the landscape and the environment never became dull or boring for me. The music is AMAZING! True to the spirit of the old school JRPG, I found myself humming along with the soundtrack at times. The Eaglet Mountain and Lakebed Ruins themes especially were heroically dramatic and the Town theme was serene and peaceful, reminding me a little of the score from Dark Cloud. The pacing of the games dungeons was pretty much perfect. You strike deep into the heart of each area, unlocking shortcuts back just when you need them to allow for a return trip to town, to restock, rest and save before plunging in again. The dungeon layouts were sensible and even the 'Maze' like areas encouraged exploration and were more fun then frustrating. Cons: The graphics are dated. The game engine just does not hold up well and looks like a high res version of something that could have been a 3D PS1 game. (Make sure you change resolution settings right out of the gates, as the game defaults to 640x480 although you have plenty of options to change them to. I played in 1024x768.) This wouldn't be so bad, but the game released in 2005, four years after the PS2 ushered the PS1 into the twilight. It may have something to do with the fact that the game originally released as a title for the ill fated Nokia N-Gage. There are a lot of little touches that enhance the atmosphere such as roots growing down into dungeons from above or reflections on watery surfaces but the 3D is very basic overall. If playing via a gamepad, the interface can be a little cumbersome when navigating menus. The interface is pretty great in combat as hot button assignments allow for quick healing, spell casting and skill usage, but when during inventory management and when using the shopping and leveling menus, I found myself switching between the gamepad and the mouse. Overall though, I found that neither of these two cons detracted from my overall enjoyment of the game or sense of sheer fun I had while playing it, therefore it retains a perfect score of 5 stars from me. After falling in love with Faxanadu and losing myself thoroughly to this game, I desperately hope that more games from the Dragonslayer and Xanadu series become available in the west. I now count myself a fan and will be eagerly waiting for when they do. When they 'Xana-du'! :)