Full review on my website: https://www.nepikigaming.com/reviews/xanadu-next/

''Nihon Falcom shows us yet again how they are able to create an intriguing adventure through their expertise in world-building. The constant motivation to explore these unknown lands and learn more about the places you visit through optional conversations and lore lives up to my expectations, though people who don’t care about world-building won’t be left in the dust either. And since the world-building goes hand-in-hand with the exploration, that part of the game is also very fun to execute. There’s a lot of secrets to be found in this interconnected world, and new areas unlock occasionally after finding a new tool to help you progress just like how Metroidvanias handle them. The combat is perhaps the weakest point of the game though, limiting you in playstyle due to how armour- and weapons require a specific stat spread, and also having only swords and two-handed swords as weapons to choose from. I personally have no issue with combat whatsoever, but it is something to keep in mind.''

Short and sweet dungeon crawler. The dungeons are a lot of fun to explore, the combat is straightforward yet satisfying, and progression (though not very involved) feels great, and there's lots of weapons and skills (magic especially) to fuck around with. The music manages to both complement the atmosphere of the game, and still be a joy to listen to. Much like the game itself, the story is also pretty simple, but still very engaging nonetheless. Speaking of interesting, I also appreciate the presentation of lore and backstory; unraveling the mysteries of Xanadu through tablets and memoirs was pretty intriguing.

Xanadu Next is a wonderful game, and I'm holding out for a proper sequel someday; Tokyo Xanadu looks like garbage. We need less Persona, and more Vagrant Story.

I'm surprised at how much this game has stuck with me over time. I expected I'd enjoy it, but it well exceeded my expectations. I still think about the characters/story and listen to the OST on occasion.
There are some flaws though- most of the bosses weren't that great, the gamepad controls are kinda bad, and there can be some jank at times. However, this didn't hardly hamper my enjoyment of the game.
The combat is pretty straightforward but great nonetheless. Positioning is key, and you need to ration out your spells/skills and potions in order to get through long stretches of dungeon successfully. The dungeon crawling is the real meat & potatoes here. The puzzles and level design within them is practically master-class, and the aesthetic and atmosphere take it even further to make it something truly special. A real hidden gem if you ask me.

Wow what can I say. Surprised this game isn't talked about more as when I finished this game it instantly struck me how important this game is. What we have here is a N-Gage game revamped and put onto PC. I want you to sit back and understand how crazy that sounds that a N-Gage game got revived and to boot is simply an amazing experience. Sadly some bugs and audio issues do hold this game back from being a 4 1/2 stars BUT that doesn't really mean much this game is simply amazing for its time.

This is a Falcom game so you should know what you are getting into when starting this game. You get an amazing OST with a very good cast of characters and world with a good story to be the cherry on top. This game plays a bit more slower in terms of combat compared to other RPGs in the genre but that doesn't hold it back at all as I still found the combat to be very fun as you can build your character in many ways which I always enjoy.

I truly believe this is a game every Falcom fan or just RPG fan should play through once. If you have a PC Please purchase this game on steam and experience the greatness of Xanadu next!!

"How meaningless can pursuing a role be?"
This is what Xanadu Next was about for me.
If destiny is fated, we have no other option but to wait for our time to play the role given to us. This is the dilemma faced by our characters in this game.
However, it is not a matter of changing our destiny or breaking away from fate. In fact, it shows how important it is to accept that time is an essential part of our lives. Waiting can be the only option, and some things only need time to work themselves out.
Pleasing aesthetics, excellent gameplay, and a nice story.

A JRPG that gets almost everything right. It's very light on story but the setting is a decent enough backdrop for the action RPG combat, clever 'Guardian' system that lets you prioritise aspects of your character build, weapon abilities and spells that you can permenantly learn and then apply to anything in your arsenal and - crucially - an occasional grind that feels relaxing rather than repetitive.

The combat is very basic but the little wrinkle in that you can dodge enemy attacks and do more damage from the rear, combined with some properly satisfying impact sound and visual effects feels good to use and fun to master.

There's a sprinkle of Ys, a touch of a dungeon crawler and a drop of Zelda in the mix here - a strong concoction and well worth ten hours of your time.

Probably one of the most overlooked Falcom games out there.

Xanadu Next is a top down action RPG with an emphasis on exploration-driven level design and stat progression. Although the combat feels a bit awkward at times and the mechanical depth isn't all that high, it is carried by great "metroidvania" style level design and feels like a nice middle ground between games like Ys which are the epitome of watching numbers go up as you hit things with the same few swords and games like Diablo where the metagame dominates over moment-to-moment gameplay. Replays are encouraged through a performance grading system at the end of the game.

Xanadu Next may have dated graphics, but the atmosphere and lore is pretty top notch. I also like how the game mechanically-incentivises you to get invested in the lore by giving you exp and healing items for reading text entries you find while exploring, which is something I rarely encounter in games. The soundtrack is different from most of Falcom Sound Team's usual fare but it's different in the best possible way, and Xanadu Next's soundtrack is probably my favourite Falcom OST in a non-ys game.

Another thing that was pleasantly surprising while playing is that the boss fights actually kinda slap. The bosses basically feel like ark-engine Ys game boss fights and that style of design still very much works in this kind of slower paced exploration-driven ARPG. They aren't as good as the bosses in Oath in Felghana or Origin but I would personally say they are better than Ark of Napishtim's janky bosses.

The only big problem I have with Xanadu Next is the key system. You might expect the keys you rarely come across or buy from the town shop to unlock optional chests as is usually the case in dungeon crawlers, but nope. Keys are used to unlock any kind of locked door in any dungeon, and are consumed upon use. This is a problem because there are a LOT of these locked doors, and having to go back to town to get more keys whenever you run out kills the pacing of the game, especially in the early game before you find a warp item.

I also had some weird technical issues, which got worse the further I got through the game. NPC models started to glitch all over the place and the framerate sometimes tanked while playing (even though this is a game from 2005), even causing a crash to desktop at one point. The only way to fix these issues was to restart my computer entirely. Odd.

Xanadu Next has a lot going for it. A very unique and mysterious atmosphere, an unmatched feeling of exploration and adventure and a really rich and interesting lore that becomes intertwined with a sweet and melancholic storyline. It's a game I would recommend on these merits alone, but some of the crust and jank proper to its genre, some questionable dungeon designs and a lot of astoundingly annoying elements of rust keep it from being something for everyone.

If you can battle through the mud and dirt to enjoy the absolutely beautiful music and wonderful atmosphere of this game, then be my guest. If you're not so sure, i'd pass.

This game's only flaw is the idiotic key system. Someone realized it was dumb too because they have the bone carvings to make keys on the fly, but you'll still run out. It feels bad to make a deep run into a newly discovered dungeon and properly manage your health only to be thwarted by an unlocked door. You'll never buy enough!

Anyway Xanadu Next is a chill masterpiece. Music, art, and action is sublime. The story is not amazing but its doled out in a way that makes it better than it is. If your script isn't high literature, then at least make it important to the world and characters you've drawn up. It's like wrestling, the best actors can make me buy into even the dumbest plot.

Booted up the game and presented a cutscene and opening segment to set the tone for the entire game. Mystery, a feeling of the golden age has passed and the future is unknown. A tale that far exceeds you and do not deserve to see the full picture.

I was having a lot of fun for the 1st half, had a mystery building while having a good side plot happening at the same time between the protag and the knight meeting at the beginning. I like the potency mechanic, the enemies are unique and found myself overwhelmed when fighting a group of enemies. When I saw the stats and get to choose where my points go into, I was excited as I’m a megaten fan, I love things like this as it gives the game replayability.
What carried this game the most has to be the map design, each area is memorable in the way you have to navigate and keep notes to come back to certain segments. The transition of area to area felt natural and rewarding to opening gates, the puzzles, and secret areas light my inner light bulb nearly each time.

Then at the 2nd half, the budget of the game really started to show as like the “newer” enemies are reskins with no new added mechanics to them except maybe a status element change. I learnt that building your stats mean nothing and are forced to conform, by putting your stats all-rounder as it’s needed to meet a certain threshold to equip this armor, weapon and so on. Then it’s easy found out that magic found is far and few except the upgrades in the shop of course. The spells/skills are found or gotten are underwhelming to say the least. The skills that are in the game are so basic the enjoyment to come out of them drains quickly. However, I did find a lot of enjoyment putting status elements onto the blade! Bonking monsters on the head with an electric blade feels great every time when you hit them from the back and the sfx comes along with it.

I feel the skill mechantics could be more fun if there was more to play around with and yes, I would go out and grind a weapon’s potency for skills or bonk enemies for drops, I still feel a content drought in the skill mechanization. The same goes for the guardians, they don’t add enough to the table. Enough to switch some around like what your intent is. Trying to grind a weapon’s potency? Add the guardian to help the grind. Going into a boss fight? Maybe should add tue guardian that gives you more skill points so you can use more spells. However, the guardians impact wasn’t enough to make builds around the guardians.

Skeleton keys mean little to nothing, the price for them is so low and finding bones to sell is incredibly easy to find as you can just cut grass to get them. It feels like there’s 0 purpose for them to be here as it just became something to drop some coins into that makes little impact in gameplay except extending the game’s time by 30 minutes if that.

With all that I listened above, it felt like a slug to get through and the game was over layered to look bigger than it really wanted to be. The game felt bloated and so I am wasting my time continuing. I made it to the final dungeon and it’s been 2 months since I touched the game, I have no plans to go back either.

I feel disappointed than frustration, there’s a lot to the game I enjoyed and mechanics I feel can be excellent, but they fall flat to implement it and make the experience feel fresh throughout. When for once I thought falcom was gonna get a W, it choked ;(

I enjoyed the atmosphere a lot, the music was nice if forgettable. Having a little hub town that you keep coming back to throughout the game was really nice - discovering a new shortcut that leads back to it is always a joy. I think this game’s world is structured fairly well, and that the routes you unlock broadly make sense and enhanced the sense of place. I would have loved if there was more going on in the town - the NPCs are mostly quite dull and I stopped talking to them after a while. Small personal dramas unfolding in the hub town as you progress the story, with some more charismatic characters and maybe a bit more of you seeing your actions help people out would have been some things I would have enjoyed.