Xanadu (PC-88 Paradise) Falcom's original classic, and Japan's must-have 8-bit action RPG of 1985! 

I love how games back then can be so hard and unforgiving and still get sequels and remakes. 🤣

This channel was sent by God for us long time Falcom and NEC fans.

Out of nowhere, this game just got released on the Switch in the West. It's under by the Project EGG Console series from D4 Enterprise. I hope they publish more Falcom titles in the future.

an important trivia about the Ultima graphics rip-off: at that time Origin was in the talks with Falcom to let them distribute Origin games like Ultima and others in japan. The deal fell through when they saw that Xanadu was ripping off their material, Richard Garriott himself recounted this several times. If they didn't the entire history of Falcom could have been very, very different!

"The enemies would stop spawning after being defeated a few times" There was at least ONE Xanadu fan in the Dark Souls 2 dev team.

Just watched Xanadu OVA, wanted to learn more about game I heard of but never had a chance to play. This is excellent video, thank you!

The Switch release has some background info about the game included - apparently over 400,000 copies were sold (sourced from Falcom by developer D4?) making it the best selling of its era on Japanese PC

Games like these belong in a museum. Preserved for future generations to experience.

The cool thing now is that D4 is re-releasing PC-88 games on Nintendo Switch under the umbrella "EGGCONSOLE", both in Japan and abroad. Among them there are titles such as Xanadu and Relics, so a wider audience can try them if they wish to. Maybe you could do a video about Relics down the road...

As a big fan of Faxanadu I immediately recognized so many similar elements. Like the first town, the king, the shops and temple, the dungeons, the final equipment. So cool to now know it came from a classic game. I think Faxanadu still holds up today.

Enemies that stop respawning after a few kills? HP that halfs as a mechanic? A karma system? Not levelling up? This sounds like Dark Souls, especially Dark Souls 2.

After beating Xanadu Next (awesome game!) it was very cool to see how this series began. Tokyo Xanadu looks cool and something I will definitely check out.

That image song by Anthem proves to me that every classic RPG needs a rocking hair metal track of its own.

Congratulations of finishing Xanadu!🧙‍♂

Fantastic video! I've dabbled with Xanadu in the past and I knew it was considered very difficult but I feel like this really drove home just how challenging this game is.

33:00 pretty positive all of the MSX music was done by Mieko Ishikawa. It was the first ost done completely by her and feels very much in her style. The intro in particular has that building verse into soaring chorus over arpeggios she does often. I know that Yuzo is listed in the credits as a composer, but I confirmed this by asking yuzo on twitter (although i cant find the tweet reply cause twitter/x bad). Also the BIGGEST difference for MSX Xanadu is the fact you can return to the town and the first item shop having much more flexibility with your tools as well as custom levels.

Nice timing! Looking forward to playing this on Switch via Project EGG Console

With the new EGGCONSOLE release out today, I think this video is probably the most expansive English-language resource for playing the game. Thanks for all your hard work!

this just came to switch! thanks for the video

Seeing the "BPS" & "Henk" name cheats really does show how influential Henk Rogers & BPS' The Black Onyx was on Japanese gaming even just a year prior to Xanadu's release, as both of those cheats are either helpful (instant gold) or offer a neat challenge for this game. Maybe one day we'll see The Black Onyx here on PC-88 Paradise.

Newbies: «As difficult as Dark souls!" Sages: «Xanadu»

I enjoy the long videos, and they're still infinitely more palatable than actually playing Xanadu for myself :D

Thank you for suffering through this for us. Always great to see your weekly videos.

4:40 There's a video on F_T_B's channel called "From Ports to Novels: A Look at Ultima in Japan" that goes over this, and it's quite the story to behold! Interesting to see the beginnings of the series that's still kinda going (Tokyo Xanadu eX+ was released a few years back)

Scenario II is harder in some ways, but also easier in others, I though. For one thing, there are now ways to farm infinite gold by buying items cheaply in one shop and selling them for a profit in another. That plus the fact that keys don't go up in value when you level up, and that Red Potions are easily available for very cheap in stores, makes it a lot less likely that you'll get permanently stuck. On the other hand, Mantles were severely nerfed and no longer work in towers, also the timer for items now counts down even in battle, so you can't clear out an entire tower with just one measly Hourglass. For what it's worth, I was able to get through the game entirely unaided, without referring to a walkthough, but I did draw my own maps on graph paper as I went through the game, as you're pretty much expected to do for old school CRPGs. And there's probably no way I would have ever found the Dragon Slayer had I not done so.

Exhausting day, was glad to see a new episode when I got on YT. Thanks for doing these videos.

This might be the greatest channel of all time

Glad to see a mention of The Legend of Xanadu, the first import game I ever bought way back in 1995. Definitely have fond memories of playing that one, even though Ys games are better, the side scrolling stages at the end of each level were a nice touch. LoX II is also one of my favorite RPGs, and mercifully short for us adults.

I've been in a funk and my YT algorithm is fk'd from sleeping to Lutein Warhammer 40k videos. You made the list, friend. I love longform videos so bring it on!

Xanadu, truly the Dark Souls of the PC-88 All jokes aside, this was an absolutely wonderful video! Glad that this game got covered

This was awesome, thank you as always for being so thorough. Ever since I saw bowloflentils’ video on the history of Falcom awhile back, I’ve been so fascinated by the early history of Falcom. I wish they would rerelease ports of some of these early titles in a collection (Dragon Slayer, Xanadu, Romancia, Azteca, etc) if for no other reason than preservation. Enjoy Y’s X!

excellent vid. i love the aesthetic achieved from using primarily blue/yellow for the environments. such a vibe.

Honestly, this was really great to see what Xanadu was all about. I've heard so much about it, so thank you for going through this game!

Great video as always. I'm really happy people like you and Landail are around. I cannot describe the feeling I get when his audience sees a game and goes "Wait this was a game?" and your channel also gets that same kind of remark every once in a while. Makes me happy to know the games I grew up playing because we were too poor to always have the newest stuff won't be forgotten so easily. My mom saw a bit of this episode when you were walking in front of a building and she said "Hey didn't we have that game?" we did not but we did have Legacy of the Wizard, AKA Dragonslayer 4: The Drasle Family and it even had the four crowns. It wasn't until I played some other Falcom games by mistake that I really started looking into their legacy around 2014 or so. I didn't realize they were still alive and making games until I accidently saw a remake of a Y's game. I unfortunately had to emulate their earlier titles for the most part.

I love Faxanadu and Dragon Slayer IV. Keep up the good work!

I bought Xanadu Next during the last Steam Sale and have been playing through it. Very fun game! Found this video randomly, it was interesting!

Old PCs and super difficult rpgs seem to go together like salt & pepper. I’ve heard this game was hard but had no idea, wow! Kudos on beating it. Wizardry is another old rpg I hear is very difficult as well. Haven’t played it or Xanadu but both seem to live up to the reputation lol

Great video. I love how these always make me feel nostaglic for a game I've never played, on a system I've never even touched. Thanks for making them.

Great video, can't wait to learn more from you about these classic experiences

3:15 IIRC, the ZX Spectrum port of Street Fighter II, also on cassette, took around the same amount of time to load! :O

I loved the approach that you followed with this video. I think it accurately conveins the experience of beating Xanadu and the context surrounding it. It's the kind of retrospective that can actually be useful to historians.

Happy to see Xanadu finally covered. As someone with a chronic addiction to this game and its sequel's/'DLC's music (plus the PC98 Revival remakes), this is right up my alley!

I remember resetting my levels late game in Xanadu Next to take advantage of a late-game ability to increase the stats you get per level.

I can see some of the elements in a later game I know as Legacy of the Wizard, originally released in Japan as Dragon Slayer IV: Drasle Family. Always wondered about Xanadu because of that other game so this was a real cool episode! I do have to mention one of my favourite games. Being as you showed it momentarily there. One could guess the title based on my handle, but I can’t wait to see an episode on Zeliard! Probably one of the best game I played in my early days on a PC. Only recently found out it came out on the PC-88 so I can’t wait to see you review it 😊

I finally see the ending of Xanadu...thanks man ! I can't wait for Ys X to be release here in the west ! I will def buy all the physical version of it like I did with Ys 8 and 9, have fun with it ! :)

Always happy to see you bring a yet another classic RPG video to your screens

I'm okay with games being difficult, but this is cruel and unusual!

Congrats on slaying King Dragon! Great video as always. Absolutely loved the less frustrating by equally puzzling SegaSaturn remake (in Falcom Classics Vol.1) which is how I originally discovered this little piece of History back then, as well as the MSX version. As of October 2023, it seems the PC-8801 version is planned for a future re-release on Nintendo Switch by D4Enterprise.

Enjoyed the hard work put into this video including research, collecting and of course completing the game at hand. Respect.

Great seeing where Xanadu originated from. As a big fan of Falcom games Ys & Trails I‘ e played Tokyo Xanadu yet always wondered where it’s roots came from. Thanks for the great vid.

Props for anthem ❤

I was just born a few years too late to really enjoy the height of these masterpieces.

Well this game just came out for Switch and now I am struggling with it because there are no English info available. All I have is this video. 😂

This video inspired me to do a Xanadu run myself! Now I'm on level 5 with a full plate and a million keys.

I spent around a week playing Xanadu non-stop a couple of years ago until I finished it, and because I did it in such a short space of time, I've forgotten almost everything about it except that I felt like I had to rely on warp stone items to go back and forth between levels right at the end, and I couldn't figure out if that was intentional or not. I just remember thinking "wait a second, am I softlocked?" and then eventually having to use one of the single-use warp items. Thank goodness I had one on me!

the MSX boxart is still one of my favorite 80s JP art (the one seen in the MSX cart in the video)

Always love these videos and this one was no exception. Xanadu has long been a curiosity for me as a Falcom fan although my knowledge generally is more post Ys and especially focused on their more current work. Super interesting seeing their earlier stuff and how they made a name for themselves, of the legacy they've carried on. Really do love the odd vibe this game seems to have, doubly so with how you emphasized the game is more to be experienced rather than completed. That's definitely something that felt far more common in my youth compared to the very narrative driven stuff these days where it's presumed the player will be able to get all the game has to offer without jumping through many hoops.

Oh man, I love the Xanadu metal theme performed by Anthem.

You've been dreading this video, but I've been waiting for it. Great stuff 👏

Way too hardcore for me to even consider, especially with the basic graphics and limited music, but I must say Xanadu has it's own charm and was obviously influential. Falcom got better over time, it's fun watching their history.

Another excellent video! And watching the full explanation, you definitely feel why Faxanadu is "Famicom Xanadu". The same general "story", most of the same mechanics, but everything smoothed out for console players who would definitely not stand for some the more ancient PC shenanigans. Also, random Captain N shout-out? Absolutely. Keep up the great work!

I've been hoping to see a Xanadu video from you soon, can't wait to watch this.

5:43 King Dragon sends his regards. As does ProZD.

I've been curious about Xanadu for awhile now - thank you for making this video! It really seems brutally difficult, but I'd like to at least give it a try someday, as someone who's interested in Falcom's overall history.

I was wondering when you would get around to Xanadu. Granted I'm only familiar with it via reputation, so I was looking forward to your experiences with the game. It's also kind of funny to me that the only part of this branch of the Dragon Slayer franchise that most western gamers would be familiar with is Faxanadu, the NES spin-off that wasn't even developed by Falcom. It goes to show just how small a picture of the Japanese gaming scene we saw in the west for so long.

Thank you so much for covering this game. Looking forward to Romanica in the future!

I played through the MSX version of this game when I was in high school, on a Chromebook provided to me by the school. I played on a webpage, so save states were completely necessary. I played through the PC-88 version a few years later, to get more a feel of the original experience. But my gosh, I honestly love the MSX version. I honestly love the color scheme in it a lot more, the bigger soundtrack is much appreciated, and I love that overall exploring theme a ton. The inventory screen is also so much more intuitive to read. It would actually tell what each item was instead of only representing the amount you had. I had a lot of fun with that version. Is Xanadu Scenario II tricky to get started up, by any chance? I might be getting around to trying that one not too far in the future. I only found an FM-7 version (probably should note, I use emulators, I can't afford to actually get the physical computers, both in money and physical space), but would like to find a PC-88 version, as I'm more familiar with emulating that.

this is an excellent video, and a great channel! i’ve really enjoyed all your videos, you do great work!

The friggin BGM in this game is giving me an anxiety attack.

Now on Switch, apparently: EGGCONSOLE XANADU PC-8801

Seeing the difficulty of processing that inventory screen immediately brought me back to my childhood when my mother would occasionally suggest making transparent overlays for the TV when I complained about how hard it was to keep track of something. That one would have been simple!

I wasn't expecting an event horizon clip, but I guess it is spooky month! Great video! Xanadu has been on my radar for a while now, but I'm glad I didn't go into it without learning about its difficulty!

Xanadorks unite!

Very interesting to see where so many of the ideas in Faxanadu and Legacy of the Wizard were gestated.

Instead of the original Dark Souls, they should be saying the Original Xanadu. All that cryptic progress with movement that seems to come from a Fighting game is ridiculous.

Thanks for this fantastic, very informative video..keep up!

Yay i found this channel 😊

I just found out your channel and I'm so in love with your content 😍😍

I had an N-Gage recently. Bought it to resell. Had no idea it had a version of Xanadu.

Those gold foil stickers on the floppy disks just scream 'you've made a good financial decision'

Finally!! The king of PC-88 games!!

I've always wanted to play this game, so thanks for covering it.

I look forward to these videos. Keep it up.🎉

nice literally just finished playing Tokyo Xanadu EX+ and saw this uploaded lol

oooOOOo very interesting, definitely interested in at least trying the MSX or Saturn versions

Uinals urinals. Classic!

I love Xanadu, it's a treasure of falcom's history that I don't think I'll ever beat. I hate the karma system as it ruined the run I got the farthest in. Also, the part where you whispered not to buy the original xanadu made me crack up

dig the gold foil labels on those 5.25'' floppies! love some of those secret names, haha. had to share this episode with my wife, a huge fan of a lot of their more recent stuff (tokyo xanadu, the more recent Ys games) and some of the stuff her blew her mind like the gold to save thing! I'm hoping someday to get a hold of the saturn falcom collection so I could at least check out that version of it.

Легендарная игра, которая сделала большой вклад в индустрию игр

King Dragon sends his regards.

I know you're focusing on the old Xanadu's but Tokyo Xanadu was really interesting for a unrelated game and it's pretty fun if you like the modern Falcom games. It has Persona's confidant system (not the monsters though) but it was so interesting how the developers put in one computer hacker companion a year before Persona 5 did it in 2016 (Japan release dates). Though they both released in the West in 2017 and Persona 5 probably ate up most of Tokyo Xanadu's sales and they ended up making a definitive Tokyo Xanadu eX+ version.

Great Stuff, as always!

Not sure if your interested but dead of the brain 2 holds a lot of curiosity for me! That era and graphical style is so satisfying! I humbly request something of that Ilk too!!

Can we all appreciate Falcom's god-tier boxart. I can also see the DNA for Faxanadu in this game.

Here we were playing Kings Quest in the west when we could have also had Xanadu

Xanadu Scenario 2: Electric Bugaloo

I love this content so much.

Oh God I've been waiting for a Xanadu review! Sorcerian and Popful Mail when?

Anthem is amazing bro, glad you included that classic hit single for the game

Incredible video.