Compared to Faxanadu...

[Timedye]

So I love Faxanadu. I grew up on the game. It's one of my favorite NES games of all time.

How do the rest of the Xanadu games hold up in comparison? This looks like a very different type of game. I never got to play the Xanadu franchise outside of Faxanadu, so I'm curious if this game (or any of the Xanadu games) would appeal to fans of Faxanadu.

[Doomlord]

Xanadu games in general are almost always completely different with each release. This one is similar to Diablo, but not focused on loot, with an inter-connected map similar to Dark Souls 1 (the atmosphere also reminds me of Demon's Souls and if King's Field didn't exist I'd call Miyazaki a hack).

I can't really compare it to Faxanadu since it's completely different. There's some jank and XSEED didn't do the best job of bringing it over to Steam, but I still love the game.

The original Xanadu is more or less the prototype for Zelda II, so expect something along those lines with it.
I haven't played Legend of Xanadu yet because I'm waiting for the english translation to be released in a few decades.
Tokyo Xanadu is like Persona with a fairly clunky combat system that feels like an alpha version of what we eventually got in Ys VIII. This one I dropped because it bored me to death, but most people like it.

[Grail_Quest]

Originally posted by Timedye:

So I love Faxanadu. I grew up on the game. It's one of my favorite NES games of all time.

How do the rest of the Xanadu games hold up in comparison? This looks like a very different type of game. I never got to play the Xanadu franchise outside of Faxanadu, so I'm curious if this game (or any of the Xanadu games) would appeal to fans of Faxanadu.

There are some elements that hearken back to Faxanadu for fans of that game however. Level ranks carry the same titles as in Faxanadu (Fighter, Adept, Aspirant, Myrmidon etc.) and there are several returning items and spells such as the Black Onyx, Wingboots, Battle Suit, Death Magic and the Dragonslayer.

Faxanadu is my favorite game of all time, so when I learned that Xanadu: Next was part of the same family tree I snatched it up hoping it would be something like Faxanadu. It was very different from a gameplay perspective, but still carried a little of the mysterious charm of the old classic, and was EXTREMELY fun. I think most old school Faxanadu fans would enjoy Xanadu: Next. I highly recommend it!

[gregory peck but evil]

Always so hilarious how all of these older style games end up having "Dark Souls" elements. Play more video games!

[admiral1018]

This game is nothing like Faxanadu. I don't even think there is any thematic connection. It plays much more like a Ys game.

[Zanax]

I played this game after playing Faxanadu, and the best I can describe it is that it is completely different but you can still feel its influence. I think this is because Faxanadu and Xanadu Next both pull from the original Xanadu while doing their own thing.