Faxanadu

Physical

My Review

Faxanadu was the first action RPG I ever played. A spin-off of Falcom’s Xanadu, it blends side-scrolling platforming with RPG elements in a medieval fantasy world.

The player controls Nello, a wanderer returning to his hometown to find it under attack and the life-giving water poisoned. He must journey through the World Tree and the dwarves’ stronghold to recover a hidden sword and defeat The Evil One.

Gameplay involves combat, magic, item management, and exploration, with experience and gold.

Some of the levels and bosses in this game are truly memorable, and the soundtrack is fantastic. The difficulty is quite high, but that is part of its charm.

Trivia & Fun Facts

• The game doesn't have like most NES a way to save the game, so it utilizes a password system. Passwords, or "mantras" as they are known in the game, can be obtained from church-dwelling Gurus. Gurus also bestow ranks to the hero when he meets certain experience totals; these determine the amounts of experience and gold a player will possess upon resuming a game via password.