@@godislove102887 I would try playing it so many times and would never get anywhere because none of the mantras would ever work for the password. I finally ended just dedicating some time to play through it and I might have used a game genie to give me an advantage. I never actually finished the game which is something I would like to do.
Faxanadu is one of my favorite games of all time. It's so under rated... It's also one of my earliest memories of actually sitting down with a game and playing the fuck out of it. It's amazing. The music is also incredible. I'd give it a solid 9.5/10
This game is particularly unique... Its slight gothic undertones with earthly palette, its spellbinding music, its original setting... Derek managed to express why that game come to be among my all-time favorite action side scrollers. Xanadu aged not so well, but Faxanadu well defies the course of time.
As a kid, my mom would sometimes order refurbished NES games for me (it may have been a Nintendo service? I'm unsure). One time I asked for Castlevania, but they didn't have it, and the salesperson recommended Faxanadu instead as a similar game. I was not disappointed. Last year I played through the game again and was again impressed for all the reasons you mentioned. I did think the final dungeon was memorable, if only for its looping pathways (I had to create a map). Definitely superior to the "gray hallway" final dungeon of Simon's Quest.
I'm 6 years late, but that sales person needs to have its hand shaken and get a raise! It probably got you into one of those experiences that changes a casual gamer into a hardcore one. 👌🏻
@@hernandovallejo Oh I dunno about that - I pretty much exclusively played games with Game Genie, guides, or other cheats until I started to hit my teens! But that salesperson definitely deserves some kudos!
@@PositronRobo Bah! Don’t be ashamed of that, vidya is often a tough ground that not everyone can be comfortable with. The important thing is that you were able to experience such an adventure that probably felt all kinds of right back then and maybe shaped some of your taste around games by then!
I remember this game being hard as hell at the start, but then once you get the good equipment and spells it's pretty easy. I still have this cartridge in my closet somewhere - I might have to break it out sometime! Thanks for the video. It's cool to take a trip down memory lane like this!
@@vegaslowblower8781 5 months later.. Cinemassacre's Mike actually ended up playing this game from start to finish. Shoving his way through it blind and crazy.
You always produce exquisite videos filled with well spoken, well thought dialogue, interesting points, unorthodox topics, and beautiful clips. It may take a month or two for you to make one, but it's like a masterpiece when it comes out!
When I first played this, I was just a kid, and quickly grew frustrated at it's difficulty. Now, as a 30 something adult, I have grown to appreciate it. Thank you for this great review!
Great video, but just FYI, there has actually been one other game in the Dragon Slayer series released in the west: Sorcerian, which is Dragon Slayer 5 (I think?), saw an official release for MS-DOS from Sierra. And it, too, is an absolutely fantastic game. Technically, it should also be noted that while Dragon Slayer 1 and Xanadu were never released in the west, both games are ENTIRELY IN ENGLISH, and can thus be enjoyed by western gamers who are hardcore enough to enjoy them and willing to learn the ropes (because neither game -- especially Xanadu -- is in any way intuitive, though Xanadu is VERY MUCH worth playing if you want to have your mind blown that it came out in 1985, since it's more ahead of its time than almost any game I've ever seen. Also, Lord Monarch -- which is Dragon Slayer 7, I think? -- saw a free English release for Windows from Falcom themselves, though the translation is incomplete. And finally, we at XSEED released one of the later Legend of Heroes games on PSP and PC, Legend of Heroes VI: Trails in the Sky, which is the start of a whole new subseries that we're continuing to support, with its sequels "Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter" and "Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel" slated for release later this year.
***** Oh, I totally agree. Sorcerian is similarly revolutionary, too, with its character aging mechanic, its four-party platforming RPG elements, its quest system, and the introduction of expansion packs before expansion packs were even a thing. Falcom was a real innovator back in the day, creating masterpiece after masterpiece after masterpiece. And they're still making incredible games today -- in fact, Faxanadu found a spiritual sequel from Falcom in 2005's Xanadu Next for PC, which is technically a sequel to the original Xanadu but feels more like a spiritual sequel to Faxanadu. Falcom is awesome. And Hudson was also awesome, representing one of the few third-party developers who really "got" what made Falcom games so special, and was able to produce games using Falcom licenses that were every bit as good as Falcom's own titles. It's a shame they're more or less defunct now, as they really were one of the best companies of their day IMHO.
Gryffin DarkBreed We'd love to, but we're dependent on Falcom to prepare such a patch for us, like they did for their own Japanese version of the game. And sadly, they seem a little too busy to get it done right now. We keep asking them about it, but to no avail. We have no idea when they'll actually be able to get to it. But we will keep at them!
Mr_Beezlebub It is a fantastic game, yeah, and the NES version is a very solid port (though part of the map is different, and one of the songs was replaced with an entirely different song for some reason). It's an insanely hard and confusing game, though, so if you do play it, prepare to NOT beat it without immense effort. ;)
+Wyrdwad Ugh, researching that segment was such a pain because I was getting mixed info about which games were actually part of the Dragon Slayer lineage or their own spin off. Like the Legend of Heroes games apparently became their own series after that first one? And which were remakes or their own games? I probably should've just left it at "man, there's so fucking many and it's just crazy wow wow wow wow!"
YES! THIS is why you make a game gritty; not just for the hell of it! I love Faxanadu; it's one of my favorite NES titles! Legacy of the Wizard is actually my second-favorite on the system. I loved the numerous references to other similar games in this video; it's packed full of gamer cred. I don't know how into the hacking scene you are, but I'm wondering if you've played Faxanadu Facelift and what you think of it.
I dunno HOW I missed this review. Faxanadu is probably my favorite game ever. I dunno why. It just reminds me of being little. I play through it every now and again. Man. I would kill to see it re-done. Pretty much leave the game the same and add HD textures/models. That's all. The soundtrack is the BEST
Shoutouts to the Bomberman Hero music playing in the background towards the end of the video. That might be another awesome Hudson game to consider for one of your videos
One of the best things about Faxanadu was the way it shirked the common Japanese Anime art style. You wouldn't even know it was a japanese game, to look at it. I also love how much Faxanadu made you excited to get a new piece of equipment. Everything feels immediately useful and immediately powerful.
When referencing From Software's adventure game development heritage, you bring up the Souls games. However, From Software was making adventure titles long before that with games like Kingsfield I-IV. I would say that game series deserves a little love too.
Oh man, look at you pulling out Redial from one of my favorite video game soundtracks ever to foreshadow the reveal of the composer! Your videos never fail to make my day.
I absolutely loved this game growing up (and the music...wow!). The review is spot on! I was the only one among my friends that had Faxanadu, and nobody else liked it (well, maybe one friend did like it...). But who cares, right? When you meet a great smile everythings becomes brighter. Keep on smiling, Derek! Continue the great reviews, and if i had money I would become a patreon. Good luck!
thank you soooo much for reviewing Faxanadu, i spent a big chunk of my childhood playing this game, though i was born in 1983. it brings me back memories of why i love comic books, mythology and superheros and villains.
Derek I gotta say, you are a king at this youtube shit. Way too quick are we to criticize, and for some reason we forget to mention all the good shit that happens. And what you are doing is good shit. You have been producing quality top notch videos for quite some time. I love how you dropped the HVGN gimmick, and just have an honest and objective (mostly) view on a video game. These videos are quality because they're YOUR thoughts and YOUR creations that you obviously put a lot of effort in. In essence, these videos aren't about a character like HVGN, but they're videos about YOU, and I love to see it. I'm done dick riding, but honestly keep up the amazing work.
I'm glad you're still around Derek, it wouldn't be the same without you. Great review, keep it up! I never played Faxanadu yet but will change that in the future.
I have always loved this game, the music is still always echoing in my head. Loved the visuals and the darker tone. Also the sense of adventure was high with this one, you didn't know what to expect next. Exploration was key with this game and the monster design was great. I beat this game multiple times and now pass the experiences down to my children.
If it wasn't meant to be a horror game, it sure as hell felt like one. Those repeating music loops were very unsettling, yet oddly beautiful (especially in Mist) The enemies were very Giger-esque. Lovely world building considering the hardware limitations. And it was NOT an easy game. This gave it even more of a fear element. Good review mate
I've got to say that watching your videos really are a treat! I subscribe to many channels on UA-cam and mindlessly sit through many videos that aren't that well put together. Each of your videos are carefully crafted and it really shows that you care about every little detail from start to finish. :)
Coming back to this review in 2022. This game (although I didn’t realise it at the time) was the birth of my RPG fandom. The NES was my first console and there was never I game I loved more than this one. Now, I will tout the great Nobuo Uematsu as my favourite video game composer of all time forever but Faxanadu has, in my opinion, the greatest 8-bit soundtrack ever. There are other standout single pieces, but this game’s music remains consistently awesome the entire way through and gets more out of the limited technology than anything else.
I was so confused when I heard Bomberman Hero music start playing, and then you tied it all together. Thanks for the great video on another (partially) forgotten classic!
Damn, Derek. I loved the HVGN, but I feel like, ever since the rebranding, your reviews have been on a whole nother level! Keep up the great work, man!
Man, finally some love for this game. This is one of those games that helped me learn to read back in the 80s. Thanks reviewing this and bringing back great memories.
too many people don't mention this small fact, but this was one of the first games that actually had on screen display for new armor and weapons, like the hero actually change appearance after putting on a new suit or carry a new weapon and that blew my tiny mind back then....and the real kicker ? i still play the Xanadu games until this day with the last one being Tokyo Xanadu.
Dude you are awesome, i used to watch your old videos years ago and always thought you pick the best games on your reviews, and i can finally take you seriously with your new brand name, keep up the nice work
Nice to see the connection to some Turbografx-16 games but it's a Hudson Soft title so I shouldn't be surprised. I always recommend this game to fans of the NES, it's fun and still cheap.... for now.
There's something weirdly fitting about Castlevania 2 being such a big part of this video given your previous moniker and it's inspiration. Cool Video, I'll be sure to check this one out.
As always, this is a very good review of a very good and overlooked NES game. You make very good use of vocabulary in your reviews. I have a lot of respect for you because you cover all the most important points in your reviews. I subscribed to your channel, only a couple weeks ago. I should have been a fan much sooner. Keep these videos going. You're one of the best UA-camr's! Thanks for you videos!
Sorcerian (the direct sequel to Xanadu) released for PC by Sierra (the King's Quest company) is also in the same series and was released in the US but not for console.
Just noticed the Bomberman Hero track at the end! Made by dame Bomberman herself, Jun Chikuma. Who coincidentally penned the Faxanadu soundtrack as well ;) Well played guys, well played
I love this game, it remains one of my favorites on the NES. I'd definitely rate it above Simon's Quest, although I really enjoyed that too. Faxanadu just made a greater impression. The atmosphere and story stuck with me, and the soundtrack is amazing. It is the game which taught me to not have negative thoughts, and to remember my mantra. I'm glad UA-cam recommended this video to me. I hadn't heard of your channel before, but I am now a subscriber. :)
Nice, but Simons Quest was an excellent game; along with Zelda II. Remember there were no precedents for these titles except for their originals. Both games ventured to do something new and exciting. They had better visuals, good music, and a fun challenge. I agree the puzzles sucked in SQ, but armed with the knowledge of how to get through those puzzles it brings up the fun. As far as the SQ boss, he's friggin Dracula. His castle is empty because he doesn't need anyone to protect him. Same goes for the town and bridge leading up; they are all dead. I loved this part as a kid. It was complete suspense waiting for something to jump out, that invisible floor trap, whatever. Now killing him withy the Golden Dagger, fire, or laurels was easy, but take the punk on whip only and see how you do. Loved it.
SSFF thank you so much for this review, finally someone makes an awesome great worthy review of this amazing game :) thank you so much, you've explained everything right and why this game is so special for so many people, it's music is amazing and unique, thank you again so much! There should be a Faxanadu 2 in the future, such a great game!
This is such a well written review. Thank you. I'm so happy you dropped the hvgn persona. I really like all the other game references you through in. My favorite nes games are in this style. I've made a list I'd like to send your way.
Actually, the reasoning behind English speakers misinterpreting the pronunciation of Faxanadu is much simpler and likely something that the Japanese developers didn't know/remember/care about; in English, X ONLY makes a Z sound at the very beginning of a word, and a KS sound in all other locations. So it's not too hard to look at the word Xanadu and guess it's pronounced Zanadu, but Faxanadu, in English at least, is more natural as Faksanadu. Also, I've played both of these games (I never completed Faxandu because it froze on me and I hadn't gotten a password in a very long time), but honestly, for me personally, I prefer Castlevania II.
I loved this game back in the day! It was dark and gloomy, and downright spooky at times. The beasties in the game look ghoulish. The music in the game is really, really great. The Land of Mist music is absolutly bonechillingly eerie! And the game is hard as heck as well, I remember it took ages to complete it. Great game!
You couldn't resist could you? Anyway I'm pretty sure that Faxanadu could make it to the Wii U VC, as long as Konami and Nintendo get their heads out of their asses before they implode that way. Love that Bomberman Hero music at the end, another underrated Hudson game that's stuck on the Wii VC but not yet the Wii U.
Great review! I thought at first it was just going to be you regurgitating the Faxanadu Wikipedia mixed with a boring synopsis of your own play-through but I was wrong! Gloriously wrong!! This is a great video, you really went the distance with your research here AND IT REALLY SHOWS! The audio mix was superb (except for the short and very loud intro from the 8 second mark to the 20 second mark), your editing is seamless and the effort you've spent creating is readily apparent!!!!!( which is something that is sadly and often overlooked by the majority) Your reviews are well informed and your enthusiasm for the games is infectious. The parallels you cite are spot on and i believe your facts to be true. As a whole this video is extremely satisfying and entertaining to watch. In a very very very very very vast ocean of masturbatory retro game "reviews" and crass uninformed opinions , your videos are a real find. WELL DONE SIR!
Best Faxanadu Review on the internet. I agree with all your statements. But there it has to be mentioned that in Faxanadu, if you take that godforsaken ring (inside a castle dungeon) instead of increasing your power (as stated in the manual) you will lose strength. To me this adds to the evil-ness of this unpredictable and cruel world of Faxanadu. Short and sweet. One of the best games ever.
Makes you wonder if the developers of Faxanadu chose the color palette and art style by mistake (or out of haste!), and we are now analyzing it as something that was intended!
Man, I completely forgot that this game was featured on Captain N. Ahh, good times. ;) I am one of the few people who actually enjoyed Simon's Quest overall. Not a great game, but I still liked playing it. But Faxanadu is clearly a step up from that. I love the look of the game. I agree with what you had mentioned, where a lot of games that should have been dark just went too bright due to the NES's color palette. I think this game really pulled it off. Great review, Captain D! ;)
Awesome vid. Subscribed. One of my favorite NES titles from my junior high days. Like 8 Eyes, I put Fax in the "thinking man's side-scroller" category.
Thanks for giving this game some love. This is a very nostalgic one, I had it when I was a kid. And yes, you pinpointed the mood of the game : it's "unsettling", and not many nes games attempted that (or even pulled it off). This is a fun world to explore and has just a bit of backtracking.
Happy eight year anniversary, Derek! A great review to boot. So, if you have to time to read/reply to this comment, What would you say are your favorite games that you've reviewed? "The Best of the Best" if you will.
I saw James Rolfe (AVGN) playing Faxanadu and got reaaaally interesed in it, the style, the rewarding level up system, the design of the mosters, i mean, i loved it.. now you recommended it, i MUST play Faxanadu!
Good to see you're reviewing something I actually own; that doesn't happen often. Maybe I'll pick this one up and play through it. Thanks! P.S. the guy who sells you keys looks kinda like Bill Murray.
I think faxanadu was the last game I purchased for the NES and I loved it. I also picked up sorcerian in a bargain bin for $5 and thought it was strikingly similar... this, of course, was in the time before the internet. years ago when I looked it up on wikipedia I felt that a few pieces of my youth were finally put together. good vid. keep it up.
Man, I eventually got super stuck w this game. After the fountain I think. There was no internet to help and after trying days of trying, gave up. Looking forward to seeing how it all ends. Loved the music
#StopSkeletonsFromFighting thank you so much for this review, finally someone that makes worthy review of this game. The best ever I've seen on the internet, thank you so much. You explained everything correctly, thank you sir!
I own this for NES, its pretty difficult, I havent been able to complete it. Your review is very nice, thanks for addressing the pronunciation and dragon slayer connection
Faks-anadu is the correct pronunciation. X only sounds like a Z at the beginning of a word. When you add the prefix Fa-, the /z/ sound changes to a /ks/.
About five years to late, but I've dusted off my NES console recently and started looking for „new“ games. Faxanadu sounds very interesting so I am going to check it out. Thanks for the review.
One of my all time favorite games. I never played any of the other games of the series and I think being a Hudson game it stands for it's own for me. Thanks for pointing out all the things that stand out in the game. I never even noticed the thing about the mist are being the first time you ever proceed to the left in the game. And I've actually played it in 1991 on my NES and finished it several times since then. I disagree on the last parts being that much weaker than the mist area, though. They are weaker in atmosphere but when I remember back playing it for the first time it just there really occured to me for the first time that you are actually exploring the world you saw in the intro screen. That the hero is actually at the top of the tree now. And while it certainly was weaker it never felt like it dragged the game down as much as you make it sound in the video. I love this game. And I know you do as well. Thanks for the video giving your perspective. You really are great at analyzing games. :)
Great review mate!! I rented Faxanadu several times as a kid but could never finish it (even with Game Genie help) but I always appreciated how different and creepy it was.
This is in my opinion, still to this day, one of the best games ever made for any console. Crushes castlevania in my opinion. The soundtrack is dope too. “I will meditate with you. Remember your mantra” This might be the game I played more than any other game. The difficulty scaling is spot on. I got soooo many hours out of this game. Beat it several times, but it took a long time to beat it the first time. It felt so satisfying when I finally did it. The fantastically satisfying sound when you kill those things that drop the loaves of bread.... love it
Good meeting you at PAX! You're right, not a bad review at all. ;-) Actually, it was pretty good. I'm not terribly familiar with the game, but it's funny that it's connected to Legacy of the Wizard, as I often get the two mixed up. I do like the darker mood/atmosphere from the graphics and color choices. The fog layer in some of the areas is impressive for NES graphics. I'll have to hunt down a copy. Welcome to Seattle!
You missed Trails in the Sky for the PSP/PC. That's a part of the series. Also, we got a Xanadu game for the (I still can't believe this) Nokia N-Gage. There's another Legend of Heroes game coming over for the Vita this year. Also, we may get Tokyo Xanadu if XSEED will publish it. Also, Legend of Heroes on PSP is actually Legend of Heroes IV.
![Castlevania Symphony of the Night | Re:Certified Classic [SSFF]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qRKOTP0QEJM/mqdefault.jpg)
![Castlevania Symphony of the Night | Re:Certified Classic [SSFF]](/img/tr.png)
![[SSFF] Shatterhand (NES) Review by Derek Alexander](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/AgfnLeaYgBE/mqdefault.jpg)
Finally Faxanadu gets some love! One of the MOST underrated games on the NES!
Faxanadu is fantastic. 😉
....probably my favorite NES game.
Hear hear! One of my childhood favorites, actually.
@@godislove102887 I would try playing it so many times and would never get anywhere because none of the mantras would ever work for the password. I finally ended just dedicating some time to play through it and I might have used a game genie to give me an advantage. I never actually finished the game which is something I would like to do.
Yeah, it's nice but the backtracking can be intense when you run out of keys.
Good lord.
Faxanadu is one of my favorite games of all time. It's so under rated... It's also one of my earliest memories of actually sitting down with a game and playing the fuck out of it. It's amazing. The music is also incredible. I'd give it a solid 9.5/10
Wonga!
more like under KNOWN. I kept wanting to play it again to ssee how fast I can get to "lord"
One of my absolute favorites. As a kid I never finished. *found it to confusing, but as an adult the joy I feel.
Music is also incredible
This game is particularly unique... Its slight gothic undertones with earthly palette, its spellbinding music, its original setting... Derek managed to express why that game come to be among my all-time favorite action side scrollers. Xanadu aged not so well, but Faxanadu well defies the course of time.
As a kid, my mom would sometimes order refurbished NES games for me (it may have been a Nintendo service? I'm unsure). One time I asked for Castlevania, but they didn't have it, and the salesperson recommended Faxanadu instead as a similar game. I was not disappointed.
Last year I played through the game again and was again impressed for all the reasons you mentioned. I did think the final dungeon was memorable, if only for its looping pathways (I had to create a map). Definitely superior to the "gray hallway" final dungeon of Simon's Quest.
I'm 6 years late, but that sales person needs to have its hand shaken and get a raise! It probably got you into one of those experiences that changes a casual gamer into a hardcore one. 👌🏻
@@hernandovallejo Oh I dunno about that - I pretty much exclusively played games with Game Genie, guides, or other cheats until I started to hit my teens! But that salesperson definitely deserves some kudos!
@@PositronRobo Bah! Don’t be ashamed of that, vidya is often a tough ground that not everyone can be comfortable with. The important thing is that you were able to experience such an adventure that probably felt all kinds of right back then and maybe shaped some of your taste around games by then!
@@hernandovallejo Absolutely.
Just finished this game a few weeks ago, and I have to say: you're spot on with your analysis. Really enjoyable NES game and highly recommended.
I remember this game being hard as hell at the start, but then once you get the good equipment and spells it's pretty easy. I still have this cartridge in my closet somewhere - I might have to break it out sometime! Thanks for the video. It's cool to take a trip down memory lane like this!
Luke James aww man. Such a good game. You should definitely break it out agsin
once you get the spiked shield the game is easy. I use to grind in the beginning just to get it
@@vegaslowblower8781 5 months later..
Cinemassacre's Mike actually ended up playing this game from start to finish. Shoving his way through it blind and crazy.
The faxanadu soundtrack is forever drilled into my brain. One of the best games I've played on the NES.
Remember your mantra.
You always produce exquisite videos filled with well spoken, well thought dialogue, interesting points, unorthodox topics, and beautiful clips. It may take a month or two for you to make one, but it's like a masterpiece when it comes out!
When I first played this, I was just a kid, and quickly grew frustrated at it's difficulty. Now, as a 30 something adult, I have grown to appreciate it. Thank you for this great review!
SAME! I'm about to play it for my first time in over 20 years. AMAZING.
Great video, but just FYI, there has actually been one other game in the Dragon Slayer series released in the west: Sorcerian, which is Dragon Slayer 5 (I think?), saw an official release for MS-DOS from Sierra. And it, too, is an absolutely fantastic game.
Technically, it should also be noted that while Dragon Slayer 1 and Xanadu were never released in the west, both games are ENTIRELY IN ENGLISH, and can thus be enjoyed by western gamers who are hardcore enough to enjoy them and willing to learn the ropes (because neither game -- especially Xanadu -- is in any way intuitive, though Xanadu is VERY MUCH worth playing if you want to have your mind blown that it came out in 1985, since it's more ahead of its time than almost any game I've ever seen.
Also, Lord Monarch -- which is Dragon Slayer 7, I think? -- saw a free English release for Windows from Falcom themselves, though the translation is incomplete.
And finally, we at XSEED released one of the later Legend of Heroes games on PSP and PC, Legend of Heroes VI: Trails in the Sky, which is the start of a whole new subseries that we're continuing to support, with its sequels "Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter" and "Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel" slated for release later this year.
*****
Oh, I totally agree. Sorcerian is similarly revolutionary, too, with its character aging mechanic, its four-party platforming RPG elements, its quest system, and the introduction of expansion packs before expansion packs were even a thing.
Falcom was a real innovator back in the day, creating masterpiece after masterpiece after masterpiece. And they're still making incredible games today -- in fact, Faxanadu found a spiritual sequel from Falcom in 2005's Xanadu Next for PC, which is technically a sequel to the original Xanadu but feels more like a spiritual sequel to Faxanadu.
Falcom is awesome. And Hudson was also awesome, representing one of the few third-party developers who really "got" what made Falcom games so special, and was able to produce games using Falcom licenses that were every bit as good as Falcom's own titles. It's a shame they're more or less defunct now, as they really were one of the best companies of their day IMHO.
Gryffin DarkBreed
We'd love to, but we're dependent on Falcom to prepare such a patch for us, like they did for their own Japanese version of the game. And sadly, they seem a little too busy to get it done right now. We keep asking them about it, but to no avail. We have no idea when they'll actually be able to get to it.
But we will keep at them!
+Velesk Outside of Japan, Drasle Family is called Legacy of the Wizard. I've never played it, but I hear it's a decent game.
Mr_Beezlebub
It is a fantastic game, yeah, and the NES version is a very solid port (though part of the map is different, and one of the songs was replaced with an entirely different song for some reason). It's an insanely hard and confusing game, though, so if you do play it, prepare to NOT beat it without immense effort. ;)
+Wyrdwad Ugh, researching that segment was such a pain because I was getting mixed info about which games were actually part of the Dragon Slayer lineage or their own spin off. Like the Legend of Heroes games apparently became their own series after that first one? And which were remakes or their own games? I probably should've just left it at "man, there's so fucking many and it's just crazy wow wow wow wow!"
YES! THIS is why you make a game gritty; not just for the hell of it! I love Faxanadu; it's one of my favorite NES titles! Legacy of the Wizard is actually my second-favorite on the system. I loved the numerous references to other similar games in this video; it's packed full of gamer cred. I don't know how into the hacking scene you are, but I'm wondering if you've played Faxanadu Facelift and what you think of it.
I dunno HOW I missed this review. Faxanadu is probably my favorite game ever. I dunno why. It just reminds me of being little. I play through it every now and again. Man. I would kill to see it re-done. Pretty much leave the game the same and add HD textures/models. That's all. The soundtrack is the BEST
Until now, I forgot about this game... and I used to own it.
Thanks Derek
I will never forget that song at 4:15 Land of Mist!
Shoutouts to the Bomberman Hero music playing in the background towards the end of the video. That might be another awesome Hudson game to consider for one of your videos
One of my Favorite games of all time. It will always be special
One of the best things about Faxanadu was the way it shirked the common Japanese Anime art style. You wouldn't even know it was a japanese game, to look at it.
I also love how much Faxanadu made you excited to get a new piece of equipment. Everything feels immediately useful and immediately powerful.
I played that game ages ago! It was a lot of fun. It really did deserve more fame than it got.
When referencing From Software's adventure game development heritage, you bring up the Souls games. However, From Software was making adventure titles long before that with games like Kingsfield I-IV. I would say that game series deserves a little love too.
Oh man, look at you pulling out Redial from one of my favorite video game soundtracks ever to foreshadow the reveal of the composer! Your videos never fail to make my day.
I'm so happy you included that shelving unit in the shot in later videos. Looking back, the background was really blank.
I absolutely loved this game growing up (and the music...wow!). The review is spot on! I was the only one among my friends that had Faxanadu, and nobody else liked it (well, maybe one friend did like it...). But who cares, right?
When you meet a great smile everythings becomes brighter. Keep on smiling, Derek! Continue the great reviews, and if i had money I would become a patreon. Good luck!
thank you soooo much for reviewing Faxanadu, i spent a big chunk of my childhood playing this game, though i was born in 1983. it brings me back memories of why i love comic books, mythology and superheros and villains.
Derek I gotta say, you are a king at this youtube shit.
Way too quick are we to criticize, and for some reason we forget to mention all the good shit that happens. And what you are doing is good shit.
You have been producing quality top notch videos for quite some time. I love how you dropped the HVGN gimmick, and just have an honest and objective (mostly) view on a video game. These videos are quality because they're YOUR thoughts and YOUR creations that you obviously put a lot of effort in. In essence, these videos aren't about a character like HVGN, but they're videos about YOU, and I love to see it.
I'm done dick riding, but honestly keep up the amazing work.
God, it's about time. Been wanting this one since it first showed up in the intro.
Love that you used my favourite track from Bomberman Hero at the end :3
I'm glad you're still around Derek, it wouldn't be the same without you. Great review, keep it up! I never played Faxanadu yet but will change that in the future.
I have always loved this game, the music is still always echoing in my head. Loved the visuals and the darker tone. Also the sense of adventure was high with this one, you didn't know what to expect next. Exploration was key with this game and the monster design was great. I beat this game multiple times and now pass the experiences down to my children.
If it wasn't meant to be a horror game, it sure as hell felt like one. Those repeating music loops were very unsettling, yet oddly beautiful (especially in Mist) The enemies were very Giger-esque. Lovely world building considering the hardware limitations. And it was NOT an easy game. This gave it even more of a fear element. Good review mate
I've got to say that watching your videos really are a treat! I subscribe to many channels on UA-cam and mindlessly sit through many videos that aren't that well put together. Each of your videos are carefully crafted and it really shows that you care about every little detail from start to finish. :)
Coming back to this review in 2022. This game (although I didn’t realise it at the time) was the birth of my RPG fandom. The NES was my first console and there was never I game I loved more than this one.
Now, I will tout the great Nobuo Uematsu as my favourite video game composer of all time forever but Faxanadu has, in my opinion, the greatest 8-bit soundtrack ever. There are other standout single pieces, but this game’s music remains consistently awesome the entire way through and gets more out of the limited technology than anything else.
Your videos just go up in quality every time.
Ultra props for using Bomberman Hero music near the end. People are seriously sleeping on that game and its OST.
I was so confused when I heard Bomberman Hero music start playing, and then you tied it all together. Thanks for the great video on another (partially) forgotten classic!
So happy to see you back man - missed the hvgn videos but this was awesome.
Damn, Derek. I loved the HVGN, but I feel like, ever since the rebranding, your reviews have been on a whole nother level!
Keep up the great work, man!
Man, finally some love for this game. This is one of those games that helped me learn to read back in the 80s. Thanks reviewing this and bringing back great memories.
I loved this game as a child, and now I just have to play it again! Lovely video Derek! STOP SKELETONS FROM FIGHTING
Wow. I've been a fan for some time, but only now discovered the old reviews from the channel. Great stuff! Even opened a beer to watch it :)
One of my favourite games! I would love to have a sequel or even a remastered one!
Can we just talk about how cute the Hudson Bee is?!
too many people don't mention this small fact, but this was one of the first games that actually had on screen display for new armor and weapons, like the hero actually change appearance after putting on a new suit or carry a new weapon and that blew my tiny mind back then....and the real kicker ? i still play the Xanadu games until this day with the last one being Tokyo Xanadu.
Dude you are awesome, i used to watch your old videos years ago and always thought you pick the best games on your reviews, and i can finally take you seriously with your new brand name, keep up the nice work
I can never get enough of this game..... I frickin' love it. It brings back such good memories of me as a child.
Nice to see the connection to some Turbografx-16 games but it's a Hudson Soft title so I shouldn't be surprised. I always recommend this game to fans of the NES, it's fun and still cheap.... for now.
We just played this game with friends on Twitch and had a great time! Faxanadu is such a great game and you covered it so well.
There's something weirdly fitting about Castlevania 2 being such a big part of this video given your previous moniker and it's inspiration. Cool Video, I'll be sure to check this one out.
dat Bomberman music at the end tho
As always, this is a very good review of a very good and overlooked NES game. You make very good use of vocabulary in your reviews. I have a lot of respect for you because you cover all the most important points in your reviews. I subscribed to your channel, only a couple weeks ago. I should have been a fan much sooner. Keep these videos going. You're one of the best UA-camr's! Thanks for you videos!
Sorcerian (the direct sequel to Xanadu) released for PC by Sierra (the King's Quest company) is also in the same series and was released in the US but not for console.
had no idea that nobody but me knew about this game. The sprites in this game are not topped by any other nes game
Just noticed the Bomberman Hero track at the end! Made by dame Bomberman herself, Jun Chikuma. Who coincidentally penned the Faxanadu soundtrack as well ;) Well played guys, well played
I love this game, it remains one of my favorites on the NES. I'd definitely rate it above Simon's Quest, although I really enjoyed that too. Faxanadu just made a greater impression. The atmosphere and story stuck with me, and the soundtrack is amazing. It is the game which taught me to not have negative thoughts, and to remember my mantra.
I'm glad UA-cam recommended this video to me. I hadn't heard of your channel before, but I am now a subscriber. :)
Great observation on the SImon's Quest connection! And great video, too.
Nice, but Simons Quest was an excellent game; along with Zelda II. Remember there were no precedents for these titles except for their originals. Both games ventured to do something new and exciting. They had better visuals, good music, and a fun challenge. I agree the puzzles sucked in SQ, but armed with the knowledge of how to get through those puzzles it brings up the fun.
As far as the SQ boss, he's friggin Dracula. His castle is empty because he doesn't need anyone to protect him. Same goes for the town and bridge leading up; they are all dead. I loved this part as a kid. It was complete suspense waiting for something to jump out, that invisible floor trap, whatever. Now killing him withy the Golden Dagger, fire, or laurels was easy, but take the punk on whip only and see how you do. Loved it.
SSFF thank you so much for this review, finally someone makes an awesome great worthy review of this amazing game :) thank you so much, you've explained everything right and why this game is so special for so many people, it's music is amazing and unique, thank you again so much! There should be a Faxanadu 2 in the future, such a great game!
This is such a well written review. Thank you. I'm so happy you dropped the hvgn persona. I really like all the other game references you through in. My favorite nes games are in this style. I've made a list I'd like to send your way.
Don’t have negative thoughts.
Remember your mantra!
You should do Shadow of the Ninja and Vice: Project Doom.
Actually, the reasoning behind English speakers misinterpreting the pronunciation of Faxanadu is much simpler and likely something that the Japanese developers didn't know/remember/care about; in English, X ONLY makes a Z sound at the very beginning of a word, and a KS sound in all other locations. So it's not too hard to look at the word Xanadu and guess it's pronounced Zanadu, but Faxanadu, in English at least, is more natural as Faksanadu.
Also, I've played both of these games (I never completed Faxandu because it froze on me and I hadn't gotten a password in a very long time), but honestly, for me personally, I prefer Castlevania II.
I always pronounced it as 'fax-uh-nah-doo'. :P
When I played this game, I had my first lessons in English, and so I came to the believe, back then, that the English word for demon must be dwarf.
I'm really digging the new show!
HVGN was great, but your new SSFF just has an awesome look and feel to it.
Keep em coming!
I loved this game back in the day! It was dark and gloomy, and downright spooky at times. The beasties in the game look ghoulish. The music in the game is really, really great. The Land of Mist music is absolutly bonechillingly eerie! And the game is hard as heck as well, I remember it took ages to complete it. Great game!
Rather happy you finally covered this game :)
One of my favorites, along with Guardian Legend and Crystalis.
Hey Captain D. Great episode! Really liked how you put this one together.
You couldn't resist could you? Anyway I'm pretty sure that Faxanadu could make it to the Wii U VC, as long as Konami and Nintendo get their heads out of their asses before they implode that way. Love that Bomberman Hero music at the end, another underrated Hudson game that's stuck on the Wii VC but not yet the Wii U.
it's on Wii VC already so...
Faxanadu is one of my favorite games ever made. I got it for Christmas in 1990. Loved the gameplay, loved the music, just loved it in general.
Great review! I thought at first it was just going to be you regurgitating the Faxanadu Wikipedia mixed with a boring synopsis of your own play-through but I was wrong! Gloriously wrong!! This is a great video, you really went the distance with your research here AND IT REALLY SHOWS! The audio mix was superb (except for the short and very loud intro from the 8 second mark to the 20 second mark), your editing is seamless and the effort you've spent creating is readily apparent!!!!!( which is something that is sadly and often overlooked by the majority) Your reviews are well informed and your enthusiasm for the games is infectious. The parallels you cite are spot on and i believe your facts to be true. As a whole this video is extremely satisfying and entertaining to watch.
In a very very very very very vast ocean of masturbatory retro game "reviews" and crass uninformed opinions , your videos are a real find. WELL DONE SIR!
Best Faxanadu Review on the internet. I agree with all your statements. But there it has to be mentioned that in Faxanadu, if you take that godforsaken ring (inside a castle dungeon) instead of increasing your power (as stated in the manual) you will lose strength.
To me this adds to the evil-ness of this unpredictable and cruel world of Faxanadu. Short and sweet. One of the best games ever.
To this day, this is the best SSFF review ever. Easily rewatchable.
Makes you wonder if the developers of Faxanadu chose the color palette and art style by mistake (or out of haste!), and we are now analyzing it as something that was intended!
It's nice to see the Faxanadu love! Great review/special/overview/whateverthehellyoucallthesethingsnow.
Man, I completely forgot that this game was featured on Captain N. Ahh, good times. ;) I am one of the few people who actually enjoyed Simon's Quest overall. Not a great game, but I still liked playing it. But Faxanadu is clearly a step up from that. I love the look of the game. I agree with what you had mentioned, where a lot of games that should have been dark just went too bright due to the NES's color palette. I think this game really pulled it off. Great review, Captain D! ;)
Awesome vid. Subscribed. One of my favorite NES titles from my junior high days. Like 8 Eyes, I put Fax in the "thinking man's side-scroller" category.
Thanks for giving this game some love. This is a very nostalgic one, I had it when I was a kid. And yes, you pinpointed the mood of the game : it's "unsettling", and not many nes games attempted that (or even pulled it off). This is a fun world to explore and has just a bit of backtracking.
Happy eight year anniversary, Derek! A great review to boot. So, if you have to time to read/reply to this comment, What would you say are your favorite games that you've reviewed? "The Best of the Best" if you will.
I loved this as a kid! Such an underrated gem.
I saw James Rolfe (AVGN) playing Faxanadu and got reaaaally interesed in it, the style, the rewarding level up system, the design of the mosters, i mean, i loved it..
now you recommended it, i MUST play Faxanadu!
Good to see you're reviewing something I actually own; that doesn't happen often. Maybe I'll pick this one up and play through it. Thanks!
P.S. the guy who sells you keys looks kinda like Bill Murray.
The whole plot about the meteor falling and poisoning the land reminds me of Metroid Prime :)
Not sure this has been mentioned but we also got Sorcerian (AKA Dragon Slayer V) on the PC.
I think faxanadu was the last game I purchased for the NES and I loved it. I also picked up sorcerian in a bargain bin for $5 and thought it was strikingly similar... this, of course, was in the time before the internet. years ago when I looked it up on wikipedia I felt that a few pieces of my youth were finally put together. good vid. keep it up.
Criminally and stupidly underrated game, then and now. A legit GEM on the system that never got the recognition it deserves.
Man, I eventually got super stuck w this game. After the fountain I think. There was no internet to help and after trying days of trying, gave up. Looking forward to seeing how it all ends.
Loved the music
Love the Mist area and glad you mentioned it in detail
Love how this ends with that theme from Bomberman Hero!
#StopSkeletonsFromFighting thank you so much for this review, finally someone that makes worthy review of this game. The best ever I've seen on the internet, thank you so much. You explained everything correctly, thank you sir!
I own this for NES, its pretty difficult, I havent been able to complete it. Your review is very nice, thanks for addressing the pronunciation and dragon slayer connection
Faks-anadu is the correct pronunciation. X only sounds like a Z at the beginning of a word. When you add the prefix Fa-, the /z/ sound changes to a /ks/.
About five years to late, but I've dusted off my NES console recently and started looking for „new“ games. Faxanadu sounds very interesting so I am going to check it out. Thanks for the review.
One of my all time favorite games. I never played any of the other games of the series and I think being a Hudson game it stands for it's own for me.
Thanks for pointing out all the things that stand out in the game. I never even noticed the thing about the mist are being the first time you ever proceed to the left in the game. And I've actually played it in 1991 on my NES and finished it several times since then.
I disagree on the last parts being that much weaker than the mist area, though. They are weaker in atmosphere but when I remember back playing it for the first time it just there really occured to me for the first time that you are actually exploring the world you saw in the intro screen. That the hero is actually at the top of the tree now. And while it certainly was weaker it never felt like it dragged the game down as much as you make it sound in the video.
I love this game. And I know you do as well. Thanks for the video giving your perspective.
You really are great at analyzing games. :)
Great review mate!! I rented Faxanadu several times as a kid but could never finish it (even with Game Genie help) but I always appreciated how different and creepy it was.
One of my favorites on the NES!!! Great review as always, Derek!!!
This is in my opinion, still to this day, one of the best games ever made for any console. Crushes castlevania in my opinion. The soundtrack is dope too. “I will meditate with you. Remember your mantra”
This might be the game I played more than any other game. The difficulty scaling is spot on. I got soooo many hours out of this game. Beat it several times, but it took a long time to beat it the first time. It felt so satisfying when I finally did it.
The fantastically satisfying sound when you kill those things that drop the loaves of bread.... love it
Good meeting you at PAX! You're right, not a bad review at all. ;-)
Actually, it was pretty good. I'm not terribly familiar with the game, but it's funny that it's connected to Legacy of the Wizard, as I often get the two mixed up. I do like the darker mood/atmosphere from the graphics and color choices. The fog layer in some of the areas is impressive for NES graphics. I'll have to hunt down a copy.
Welcome to Seattle!
You missed Trails in the Sky for the PSP/PC. That's a part of the series. Also, we got a Xanadu game for the (I still can't believe this) Nokia N-Gage. There's another Legend of Heroes game coming over for the Vita this year. Also, we may get Tokyo Xanadu if XSEED will publish it.
Also, Legend of Heroes on PSP is actually Legend of Heroes IV.
That mist is a work of art.
Wow!!! thanks for this video, Faxanadu is one of my favorite NES titles and almost no one ever covers this game. so props to you.
Thanks for telling me about this game Derek