60%NES

Faxanadu occupies a bit of an odd place in the NES's storied library. It's nowhere near being one of the console's top sellers or most iconic games, and many who are familiar with the console likely haven't heard of it. Yet it also constantly appears on lists detailing the "most underrated NES games" and is frequently referred to as a hidden gem when it is discussed. It's a game on the outside of the mainstream looking in, and as a result, a game that's likely to only be played by those who are looking to dive deeper into the 8-bit system. Developed by Hudson Soft and licensed from Nihon Falcom, Faxandu was a spin-off of Xanadu, the 2nd mainline entry in the massive Dragon Slayer series. Indeed, the game's name is a portmanteau of Xanadu and Famicom, the NES's name in Japan. (Dragon Slayer would also go on to spawn the colossal The Legend of Heroes series, mostly better known as Trails.) But it's its reputation as a "hidden gem of the NES" that's most important for new players, and luckily, it pretty much delivers on that promise.

Faxanadu is a side-scrolling game, like many other NES games, but its function as an action RPG is a bit unique. You, of course, gain experience and gold through defeating enemies and can level up by visiting one of the several sages in the game. However, the levels don't affect your stats; instead, each level represents a sort of save point, where dying afterwards will return you to where you leveled up last—with all items and a healthy amount of gold in tow. This is also how the game's password system works. This is where Faxanadu shines, as it impressively circumvents the typical "Nintendo Hard" trope that so many NES games fell victim to, in favor of lenient penalties for dying. This makes the game a lot more enjoyable to explore, as there's no fear of limited lives or game overs. And for an NES title, this is a pretty decently sized game with a fair share of secrets to find, so it's great that the game always feels like it's actively encouraging you to go out and look for them.

It's also relatively straightforward, and many players likely won't need a guide or map to get through it. It's combat is relatively generic, but it mostly works decently enough. Players can experience issues with knockback, though, as all enemy damage will move your character slightly backwards. This can be especially frustrating on the edge of screens, where you may find yourself getting pushed to previous screens where monsters have respawned. Some areas just have unavoidable damage, too, like if you're trying to climb a ladder that an enemy has decided to stand on. Damage isn't too oppressive in Faxanadu, and you'll usually have the resources to heal yourself up if you're dangerously low, but it never feels good when you have to put yourself in harm's way to progress.

Its story is generally just a fantasy-type vehicle to move the gameplay along—you're an elf climbing the World Tree to defeat an evil being—but Faxanadu deserves some credit for the world that it builds around it. Towns are nothing special, but the areas between them are varied and engaging. It's pretty decent looking for NES standards, and areas like The Branches really showcase some impressive world design and add to the immersion of climbing a massive tree. And even when branching out to explore optional areas, the game is generally well-paced enough to remain engaging throughout its runtime.

One thing you're likely to notice while exploring Faxanadu, though, is its poor item implementation system. Items can't be discarded, and your inventory is limited to 8, so if you have something you want to get rid of, the only way to do so is to find the specific vendor that sells it. For some items, this can mean either being stuck with less inventory or backtracking to the beginning parts of the game. Keys are the worst offender here; many doors require them to be opened, but instead of remaining open, will become locked again once used. It's frustrating not knowing how many keys you'll need to progress, but even more so when you realize you'll have to regather them each time you die or take a wrong turn.

It's fair to say that, in spite of its decent worldbuilding and surprisingly lenient structure, Faxanadu falls prey to a fair amount of jank. But that doesn't make the game unique. Many titles of its era were famous for poorly implemented enemies or confusing structures. What makes Faxanadu unique, and indeed, a good game, is its exploration potential and the way the game supports it. For those who don't know any better, it might just look like a mechanically simple action RPG, but Faxanadu has a little bit more going on just beneath the surface. And just as this game exists below the surface of many mainstream NES titles, both the NES library and this game prove that they're worth diving into.

70%NES

Very well made NES action RPG, similar to Zelda 2 in some respects. You venture out, fight monsters, learn new magic spells and uncover secrets to progress through dangerous dungeons. You may occasionally need to grind for money but as you rank up from talking to the gurus this becomes less of an issue. Some enemies are a little cumbersome to fight, but your magic spells are versatile enough that you can make short work of even the most intimidating bosses and you can get HP potions relatively cheap.

60%NES

Definitely a hidden gem that's a bit rough around the edges. One of those games that when you say the name (incorrectly, I might add. It's fa-zan-adu instead of fax-an-adu), you get awkward stares as if you had spoke some alien language. Although it's definitely one worth remembering.

80%NES

Sure, it's flawed: chunky play control, obtuse objectives, bugs, etc. However, it' still one of my favorites. It's hard to believe that this game can be completed in 4 hours or less. The quest and game world seem so much more massive than that.

80%NES

For people who like games like the The Legend of Zelda II on the NES. Sidescroller ARPG with easy to learn mechanics, great atmosphere and music. The difficulty curve is especially good. In my whole playthrough I never encountered boredom on one hand or anxiety on the other. Of course, if you're playing on the original hardware, prepare to write down a lot of passwords.

70%NES

I have a review of this game on my YouTube channel! Check it out! - https://www.youtube.com/user/SqaureEyedJak?feature=mhee

80%NES

Good game with smart AI, high difficulty, many types of environments and enemies. I was shocked at the mist effects. The item system is terrible, and there are multiple points where you are forced to backtrack. Getting to a door only to be missing a key or accidentally leaving and being locked out of a dungeon really ruin the pacing. There are some fun fights though. Overall a good action RPG for such an early release.

30%NES

It's a fun game, but not a very good RPG. Equipment selection is too limited, and items become useless without a way to throw them away.

Reviewed on my blog here:

https://allconsolerpgs.blogspot.com/2012/04/game-7-faxanadu-nes-final-rating.html

85%No Platform Specified

If you're able to forgive Faxanadu for its handful of flaws, you're in for an excellent and underappreciated 8-bit adventure here. Faxanadu's been on my personal Most Wanted list for the Virtual Console for a long time, since I knew a bit about it as a kid but never actually got around to playing it. Now that it's here at last and I've finally had the chance to experience it, I'm happy to say it was worth the wait. This quest gets a definite thumbs-up from me, so go ahead and spend five bucks to download it – then start your own journey climbing up, up and even further up into the epically enormous World Tree.