Xanadu Next Reviews

Good ol Xanadu

A really fun adventure, Falcom don't miss with their games.

im not one to comment on everything, this RPG is worth trying it has everything that i would think about if i reincarnate in a fantasy world.

I'm nearing the end, but as of right now I love the game. Clover Ruins theme is more than likely gonna be sticking with me long after i'm done; overall the ost has done wonders to the experience.

This review is weird to write because the specific question isn't "Is Xanadu Next a good game?". Heck, in my initial moments after completing it I'd say its an excellent game. But the question is "Would you RECOMMEND this game?" and its hard to identify any type of player where I'd actively recommend that they should seek out and play it. There's are a few exceptionally high points to this game and some great ideas underutilized, it ultimately feels fairly generic. This is only worth seeking out after beating the actual classics. The level design is absolutely exceptional. The different dungeons connect in interesting ways similar to the first dark souls as where you unlock shortcuts, find alternative entrances, make progress in multiple areas as you move back and forth between them, and unlock new metroidvania-style power ups. Boss battles were similar, I can't really think of any BAD boss fights off the top of my head and I can name quite a few I actively enjoyed. But for every "This part of the game was great" I feel myself throwing in a "Buuuuuut..." that kicks it back to the "pretty good" rating. For example, nearly every door in the game is locked by generic "keys", approximately 150 doors in total. It's a dreadful feeling to be deep in a dungeon open one locked door, to immediately encounter a second one knowing that you need to run back to town. Each key you buy the price rises until you grind for material to reduce the cost again in their simple "Economic simulation" This aspect never gets bad enough to ruin the game, but also never made things better. At best, it halts progress and just feels tedious. Likewise, the progression systems are also super cool. You unlock and train new "Guardian" souls with passive abilities, allocate bonus points per level, learn new spells, and train unique skills from -every- weapon. By mastering a weapon through usage you unlock this skill permanently allowing you to mix and match your own builds. The problem is that the game is too short to actually make any use of it. Progressing naturally, I barely scratched the surface. You don't earn enough money to unlock weapons/armor without grinding. The equipment has stat requirements that force you into certain allocations. I felt like I needed to stop and grind to enjoy the system, but the game didn't reward or challenge enough to justify a mindless grind. I enjoy the game enough that I'll likely run the bonus dungeon that might get those last 10 experience levels I'm missing and might allow me to play with those progression systems lacking from my base game experience. At the end of the day, the best thing I can say about this game is "It's worth playing if you are curious or need more Zelda with some Action-RPG elements."

Neat action RPG. Feels a bit like Dark Souls but its not a difficult game, most of the time

The classic I never knew until now provides the best grinding experience I had in an JRPG where farming for exp and gold on autopilot is worth it. The metroidvania exploration system is quite decent, & final map is just chef's kiss. Highly recommended,