| Xanadu | |
|---|---|
 MSX cover art | |
| Developer | Nihon Falcom |
| Publisher | Nihon Falcom |
| Designer | Yoshio Kiya[2] |
| Composers | Toshiya Takahashi(PC‑8801) Yuzo Koshiro(Scenario II) Takahito Abe(Scenario II) |
| Series | Dragon Slayer |
| Platform | |
| Release | |
| Genre | Action role-playing |
| Mode | Single-player |
Xanadu (ザナドゥ,Zanadu), also known asXanadu: Dragon Slayer II, is anaction role-playing game developed byNihon Falcom and released in 1985 for thePC-8801,X1,PC-8001,PC-9801,FM-7 andMSX computers.Enhanced remakes were later released for theSega Saturn, PC-9801 andWindows platforms. It is the second entry in theDragon Slayer series, preceded byDragon Slayer and followed byDragon Slayer Jr: Romancia, which, as most games in theDragon Slayer series, have little relation with each other.
Xanadu set asales record for computer games in Japan, with over 400,000 copies sold there in 1985.[3] It was one of the foundations of therole-playing genre, particularly the action role-playing subgenre, featuringreal-timeaction combat combined with full-fledged characterstatistics, innovative gameplay systems such as theKarma meter and individual experience for equipped items,[3] andplatform game elements combined with thedungeon crawl gameplay of its predecessor.[4][5] It also had towns to explore and introduced equipment that change theplayer character's visible appearance, food that is consumed slowly over time and is essential for keeping the player character alive, and magic used to attack enemies from a distance.[5]
The following year saw the release ofXanadu Scenario II,[6] an early example of anexpansion pack.[4][6] The game spawned theXanadu series, a spin-off from theDragon Slayer franchise.
Dragon Slayer laid the foundations for theaction role-playing game genre, influencing future series likeYs.[7][8][9]Xanadu was an earlyreal-time action RPG with full-fledged characterstatistics, and it introduced several innovative gameplay mechanics, such as the Karma morality system, individual experience for equipped items,[3] a heavy emphasis onpuzzle-solving,[9] equipment that changes theplayer character's visible appearance, food that is consumed slowly over time and is essential for keeping the player character alive, magic that can be used to attack enemies from a distance, and training facilities to improve various statistics.[5] It also introduced aplatformer-styleside-scrolling view,[4] including the ability to jump.[5] The side-scrolling view is used during exploration and switches to the overhead view of its predecessor during battle,[4] while certain rooms also use an overhead view.[5] This gameplay is credited as a precursor to the development of themetroidvania genre.[10]
The game begins with the player directly in control of the protagonist, with little to no introduction. To progress, one must speak with the king, who gives the player the bare essentials and a small amount of cash to train. After selecting which attributes to raise, the player must navigate of the city and into the vast underground complex. Finding this exit is the first of many puzzles the player will encounter, though the game is not a puzzle game but arole-playing video game with puzzle game andadventure game elements.
The protagonist can move left and right, climb down ladders, jump, cast equipped spells, enter doors, or use equipped items. Similar toFalcom's own laterYs series, damage is done by walking directly into the enemy; however, unlike withYs, inXanadu it doesn't matter which part of the target's body the player character runs into.
The main view inXanadu is a side-scrolling platformer view, though it is more in line withSorcerian than a typical platformer such asSuper Mario Bros. When engaging in a battle or entering a building, the view is changed to atop-down perspective. Each "layer" or stratum has its own complex network of buildings, caves and tunnels.
Tolevel up, the player must visit temples, where a minister will grant a level up to the protagonist provided the player has enoughexperience points. Otherwise, the minister will let the player know how much is needed to go up a level. There are two types of levels: fighting and magic. Fighting experience is raised through combat, and magic though spell use. The two systems go hand in hand and are used at the same time. Each enemy killed is either good or bad, even though all enemies will attack the player character. If the player kills too many good enemies, the Karma statistic will rise, at which point the temples will refuse to level up the player. This can be remedied by drinking a black poison bottle; these cannot be carried nor bought, and must be found within dungeons, and will remove half the protagonist's hit points.
All equippable items, such as swords and armor, have their own experience levels. This is raised simply by using the item; for example, swords by attacking, armor by being hit, magic by casting the spell, and so on. In this sense, a highly developed dagger will be more effective than a brand newlongsword. A highly developed sword will be far more useful than a maxed out dagger, so it is vital to upgrade equipment.
Xanadu has a limited number of enemies in each area, to deterpowerleveling. This requires the player to think ahead about how he handles the enemies, how to get the most experience out of them, and to keep Karma from getting too high. This is a factor that must be juggled with weapon experience; if the player defeats all enemies using a dagger, then upgrades to a sword and proceeds to fight the area's boss, the player will be at a disadvantage and should have either kept the highly developed dagger, or bought the sword early on so as to level it up with the finite number of encounters in the area. Every area generally has at least one boss, although it is not always required to fight them.
Enemies will drop various items, but most commonly will drop money or food. Money is used for upgrading equipment and buying items. The protagonist slowly eats his supply of food as time passes in the game. This slowly healshit points as well. If food runs out, hit points begin dropping at a rapid pace until more food is found or bought, or the protagonist dies.
In addition to purchasing them, items can be found in chests and in dungeon areas, or by entering a secret code name at the character creation area at the outset.
The gameautosaves right before a boss fight and, in some versions, after leaving a building. The player can manually save, which costs 100 gold. The Sega Saturn remake did away with this by adding a Save command in the status menu.
AXanaduOVA was released in 1988 in conjunction with theMSX version of the game and amanga, titledXanadu: The Legend of Dragon Slayer. The plot was expanded and altered, with the main character now having a name, Fieg (フィーグ), and several new cast members. The new plot elements included several science fiction themes. For example, Fieg is a 21st-century soldier from the near future who is dropped into Xanadu after a bloody ambush.
A soundtrack to the film was released onrecord,cassette, andcompact disc shortly thereafter.
The manga follows the plot of the film, and was drawn by Tsuzuki Kazuhiko (都築和彦), who also did work onFalcom'sYs andSorcerian titles. It was republished as a 17 part serialwebcomic by Falcom for the release ofRevival Xanadu on the Falcom website, with accompanying music and an English translation.[11]
In its original PC-8801 release,Xanadu features music composed by Toshiya Takahashi. To promote the release of the game, Japanese heavy metal bandAnthem released an LP with two image songs, titled "XANADU".
The MSX versions of the game, which were released in 1987, have a different score.
Xanadu Scenario II, anexpansion pack, features a much larger set of songs. The soundtrack was composed by Takahito Abe andYuzo Koshiro, who would compose the music for many of Falcom's later titles. Koshiro's compositions for the opening theme and several dungeons were taken from the demo tape he had first sent to Falcom at the age of 18.[6]Revival Xanadu andRevival Xanadu II Remix, two loose remakes made by Falcom in the 1990s, feature their own unique soundtracks as well, composed by Falcom's sound team members at the time.
Aside fromXanadu Next andLegend of Xanadu, noXanadu titles have received a full, independentoriginal soundtrack on compact disc. However, a soundtrack was released for bothXanadu andXanadu Scenario II on a 12" vinyl record album; it is titledXanadu Anthem. Selections fromXanadu's music can be heard in various Falcom albums. In 1987, "All Over Xanadu" was released; it features arranged versions ofXanadu andScenario II's soundtrack played by arock band combined with a liveorchestra andsynthesizers. The main theme of theXanadu franchise, "La Valse Pour Xanadu", has been featured in the PC-88 and PC-98 versions ofXanadu and remixed into several audio tracks inXanadu Next.
Xanadu was a pioneer in the game industry, and received critical praise from Japanese gaming magazines and a large fan base. As of 2005, according to Falcom, its 1985sales record of over 400,000 copies sold in Japan has yet to be broken by any role-playingPC game released in that country.[3][12] However, Tokihiro Naito of T&E Soft has said that the firstHydlide (1984), an action-RPG likeXanadu, sold one-million copies across all computer formats when combining the sales - matching the Famicom version's sales of also one million copies in Japan.[13]
French magazineJoypad reviewed thePC-Engine version and gave it a 97% score.[14]
Xanadu is the only title Falcom has given a complete commemorative re-release in its original 1980s packaging. Though they had various degrees of success with older titles,Xanadu was Falcom's breakthrough that brought them into the spotlight.
Origin Systems founder andUltima series creatorRichard Garriott flew intoTokyo to have a meeting with Nihon Falcom about having Origin releaseXanadu in the US, as well as having Falcom help with releasing a port ofUltima IV: Quest of the Avatar in Japan.Xanadu contained artwork directly lifted from the manuals of the role-playing gameUltima III: Exodus. During the presentation of the game, several digitized pictures from the manual ofUltima III appeared in various shops in the game. Upon seeing this, Garriott and Origin ended the meeting and decided to sue Falcom; the lawsuit was settled out of court and the artwork in the game was changed to what appears now.[15]
Xanadu received the following expansions and re-releases:
The influence ofXanadu has been felt in many games developed by Falcom, and other development houses which have copied the look and feel.Ys featured a similar but quicker and more complex "bump" system for combat used inYs I,II andIV, while some of the laterDragon Slayer gamesRomancia,Dragon Slayer IV andSorcerian all had similarside-scrolling viewpoints. This bump system did not start withXanadu, but with its predecessor, the originalDragon Slayer. Several smaller companies copied the "bump" system, mostly in obscurePC-8801 titles.
The game's influence also extended beyond action RPGs, with the way the game reworked the entire game system considered an influence onFinal Fantasy, which would do the same for each of its installments,[2] as its developerSquare was previously the publisher for the MSX version of the originalDragon Slayer.[8]Xanadu is also likeZelda II: The Adventure of Link, due to being an "RPG turned on its side" that allowed players to run, jump, collect, and explore.
The game spawned theXanadu series. It has a large set of follow-ups, despite itself being technically a sequel toDragon Slayer. BesideFaxanadu, these include the action role-playing gamesThe Legend of Xanadu (風の伝説ザナドゥ, Kaze no Densetsu Xanadu) and its sequelThe Legend of Xanadu II, released in 1994 and 1995 respectively for thePC Engine CD, as well asXanadu Next, released in 2005 for theNokia N-Gage andMicrosoft Windows, andTokyo Xanadu, released in 2015 for thePlayStation Vita and re-released in 2016 as an enhanced version titledTokyo Xanadu eX+ for thePlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows.
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