Xanadu Next

More than ten years after its original Japanese release, Xanadu Next is compact and addictive action RPG that was easily worth the wait.

I’m willing to overlook the graphical issues (and, in fact, did so easily during my playthrough), as for a game released in 2005, this game looks pretty good compared to some of its contemporaries. Xanadu Next still creates its atmosphere amazingly, certainly assisted by the excellent soundtrack.

Overall, Xanadu Next is a charming RPG title that seems to have sprung out of the past for new life. It reminds us of the old-school principles of gaming, with labyrinthine levels, a vast array of enemies including salamanders, minotaurs, lizardmen and more, and an off-beat lore centred around an epic English poem (interpreted in a Japanese way). This RPG is truly essential for anyone who is a fan of the Forgotten Realms RPG series, Darkstone, or Miyazaki’s work.

With the length ranging from 10 to 15 hours, Xanadu Next packs the right amount of content anyone who’s in the mood for a title that mixes action-RPG and puzzle elements. Like with many games that revolve around obtaining a legendary weapon, the Dragon Slayer is a blade that’s worth wielding.

Overall

Japanese developer Nihon Falcom has only recently started getting some well-deserved recognition in the West, but the team is rightly considered legendary in the East, thanks to several excellent titles released in the past. The action role-playing game Xanadu Next is among some of the best titles released by the team, and thanks to XSEED and Marvelous, Western players can now check out themselves what makes this game so good, despite some obviously outdated design choices which only impact the experience marginally.

XANADU NEXT, the return of a classic RPG franchise from the makers of YS, is finally here! This action-RPG has strategic swordplay, dozens of skills, and the best music this side of Final Fantasy IX. Grab your K/M or gamepad, crank the volume up to 11, and get reminded of what makes JRPG's so freakin' great!

Despite looking a bit dated and not quite as good as Xseed’s recent Ys games, Xanadu Next is still an enjoyable dungeon crawler.  It’s not without its faults such as some known bugs and the constant increase in key prices, but once you get around those quirks you’ll find a fun game that’ll keep you coming back to the ruins to explore some more.