Released today on Steam. Have been looking forward to it for a while. It's a port, the original came out in 2005. It's made by Falcom, so it's definitely probably my jam (love Ys series, Legacy of the Wizard, Faxanadu.) It's an isometric ARPG in the Dragon Slayer series, which has been around since the early 80s. Haven't played much of it. Finished starter dungeon, got a spell, a couple of weapons. One interesting touch is you get damage bonus for attacking from flank or rear. Supposedly the structure of the game is like that of an action-adventure game, with areas interconnected to others in various ways, doubling back on themselves. I assume you have to find keys to unlock new areas and shortcuts.
I haven't bought a game on "release" in a while. But like I said, Falcom games are my jam, and from trailers, this one looked like I'd definitely enjoy. Aesthetically it's reminds me of Vagrant Story. Music is good, as it always is in Falcomn games. Can't wait to play more.
added to my steam wishlist. Thanks for the heads up man, looks cool.
If you liked Ys Seven or Diablo-ish games, you'll probably like it.
Oh man the YS games are awesome. I'll definitely be picking this up. Is it Xanadu Next or just Xanadu? I can only see Xanadu Next.
Also, when I clicked this, I thought you were going to talk about the indie System Shock-alike "Spirits of Xanadu".
Yeah, it's Xanadu Next. I misspoke above. Xanadu is the series, not Dragon Slayer which is a different series, but related in some way. I don't know, I can't keep track. Legacy of the Wizard is also part of the Dragon Slayer series, but it's own thing as well. That's Falcom for you.
If you look at the Dragon Slayer series as a whole, it's turned into many, many series nested together like those Russian dolls, that started as Dragon Slayer-branded games.
Xanadu (DS II) had a lot of spinoffs in the 1980s, including Faxanadu, then Xanadu Next, and upcoming is Tokyo Xanadu on Vita, which is being localized by Aksys. There's also an enhanced PS4 version of Tokyo Xanadu with expanded content, but so far Aksys has only gotten the US rights to the Vita game. Tokyo Xanadu looks awesome and I'm defiinitely getting that one.
Legacy of the Wizard (DSIV: Drasle Family in Japan) is one of the few that never got spinoffs.
Sorcerian (Dragon Slayer V) had a lot of expansion packs in its day, I don't know how many made it to the US. Sierra localized that one.
Dragon Slayer VI: The Legend of Heroes has not only spawned its own series, but even the individual LoH entries are getting multiple sequels (I love Trails of Cold Steel I and II, and hope III also makes it over). They made a Dragon Slayer VII (Lord Monarch), but Legend of Heroes has largely taken over the Dragon Slayer series.
Another LotW type game is one of my dreams. The NES is unique in that it had a lot of what I call "labyrinth games." And you get virtually none today, not to the level of games like this and Blaster Master. They were pretty complicated and you could get lost rather easily if you didn't focus. I admit to nostalgia informing my view, but there were reasons I enjoyed those games then and still enjoy them now. These games felt like quests in the truest sense. Unpredictable, dangerous, arduous, mysterious. You get these feelings, kind of, in the Souls games and some of the recent CRPG revivals, although since the latter bank so much on their influences, and since I've played all their influences, those feelings are dampened. It is perhaps the roguelike genre that best captures these feelings in the modern era of games, although I think the fact that the NES games were in real time added another dimension.
Sadly, I never got to play LotW. I did know of it through Nintendo Power's RPG section where I would read about games I did play, like Dragon Warrior, Ultima: Exodus, and FaXanadu; even on the NES I was big into RPGs. I always wanted to play it, liking the multi-character approach. The NES wasn't mine, though, it belonged to my friend, and while we would rent games like the above for his NES on the precious little money available to 10- and 11-year-olds, we never rented LotW.
I am sure I probably read about Sorcerian in computer catalogs of the time, and if I'd gotten to see that one I would have probably found some way to buy it..
Yeah I'm a big fan of Falcom, too. Have you ever played Gurumin? It's actually made by Falcom as well, believe it or not. A version of it just got ported to the Nintendo 3DS eShop and I reviewed it.
Never even heard of it. I'm a big fan of Falcom but I can't say I am the most knowledgable. There is a game called Zwei!! that they made that I really want to play.
I saw trailers. It looks awesome. I'm definitely gonna play this soon. Have you tried Owlboy by any chance? It's pretty good if you like SNES retro games.
Took a look at Owlboy. Looks great. Too many games!!!
Given that this game started out as a game for a badly designed and poorly marketed cell phone (the N-Gage), I was kind of skeptical of this one even though I generally dig Nihon Falcom. I was wondering if this game was worth the money.
Oh, and I also want Ys VIII and hope to see an English localization announced soon.
It's not on the level of Ys Oath or Origin imo, but it's a fun little throwback. Not very challenging. Tonally reminds me of Vagrant Story and other PS1 RPGs. I bought it at full price because I want to support PC ports of Japanese games, especially niche titles. I'm hoping for Zwei!! and the latest Ys games, along with more Cave shmups.
On that note, there is one other Falcom game upcoming that I definitely plan to support: Tokyo Xanadu. Aksys (best known as the US licensee for Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, but they also occupy the same under-the-radar Japanese niche as Xseed, Atlus, and Natsume) picked up the US rights to that game on the Vita. There is an enhanced version of Tokyo Xanadu in the works for the PS4, but so far that version has not been announced for a US release. If Aksys picks up the PS4 version, I'll go with that,but if not, I'll get the Vita version anyway, as it looks quite good. Falcom more than any other company has justified the PS TV my wife paid $60 for with titles like Ys: Memories of Celceta and Trails of Cold Steel I and II.
What, no rollerblading?!