D4 Enterprise announced classic Nihon Falcom action RPG XANADU is now available for Nintendo Switch as EGGCONSOLE XANADU PC-8801 PC-8801mkIISR. As the re-release’s name suggests, this is one of the retro PC-8801 games under the latest Project Egg initiative.
Released in 1985, XANADU is one of Nihon Falcom’s first RPGs, and the title helped kickstarted the company’s lasting legacy as a RPG powerhouse in Japan. Over 400,000 copies of XANADU were sold in the Japanese PC market, and players may experience this classic game for the first time on Nintendo Switch.
Nihon Falcom RPG XANADU Lands on Switch
Classic Falcom RPG XANADU is available right now for $6.49 in the Nintendo eShop with English and Japanese text options. The main game and gallery are directly from the Japanese version, but the menus, including the How to Play menu, are in English. It’s worth noting that the English text may have some typos.
Here’s an overview of the game via the Nintendo eShop:
A monster title that recorded sales of 400,000 copies in the Japanese PC game market.
When talking about the history of RPGs, you can’t leave this one out – it’s a must-play!
A side-view action RPG released by Nihon Falcom in 1985, the player takes on the role of an adventurer to explore a total of 10 stages and ultimately defeat the King Dragon. Stores are placed on the map and monsters roam the streets, but monsters are finite and cease to appear once they are hunted down.
Combat uses a symbol-encounting system. When you come in contact with an enemy, the battle scene switches to the battlefield, where you fight using weapon attacks (body blows) and magic. Treasure chests appear when enemies are defeated, and items and money can be acquired.
In this game, the player character does not have a profession, but has two types of experience and levels: warrior and wizard, and can grow into either a warrior or wizard type depending on which type of character is used to defeat enemies. Weapons, armor, and magic also have experience values, and using the same items can result in increased effectiveness.
With domestic sales of 400,000 units (Japan), this PC game from the 1980s still holds a record that remains unbroken. It’s difficult to find another title that truly embodies the term ‘epoch-making’ as well as this one!
