A conversion of an MSX2 remake of the classic arcade game, Xevious, published on the PC Engine by Namcot in 1990. And – like a lot of PC Engine shooters – it is a good experience.

Xevious: Fardraut Saga has two different play modes: “Arcade” and “Fardraut” (replacing the “Recon” and “Scramble” modes of the MSX2 original). Arcade mode is a straight copy of the arcade game, and Fradraut mode is different to the original “Scramble” mode of the MSX version. It is a brand new 4-stage version of the game with new enemies, a different ship on each level, and a boss battle at the end of each stage.

Like the original Xevious, Fardraut Saga is a tough challenge. Avoiding all the bullets is hell in itself… and that’s without even taking into consideration the enemies on both the ground and in the air (Xevious is famous for having two planes of enemies).

But Xevious: Fardraut Saga is a challenge worth taking. It’s another top quality shooter on the PC Engine and is also arguably the best version of Xevious ever made. That I’m aware of anyway.

Note: was only ever officially released in Japan.

More: Xevious: Fardraut Saga on Wikipedia