Faxanadu, NES/Famicom

Faxanadu is an action/platform game, developed by Hudson Soft and first published for the Nintendo Famicom in 1987. It is a spin-off from the Falcom Dragon Slayer series and its name is a combination of the words “Famicom” and “Xanadu“, so could even be considered a remake of the second Dragon Slayer game.

The game was released in the West, but was censored by Nintendo of America. The version I’m showing here is the fan-translated Japanese version, without the censorship.

The main censored elements were that all religious imagery was removed in the Western versions. The Japanese version has player name entry at the beginning of the game (whereas the Western version doesn’t), and priests in the Japanese version have been renamed as “Gurus”. Also: passwords in the Japanese version are called “prayers”, but in the Western version they’ve been renamed as “mantras”.

Faxanadu is a Metroidvania-style platformer with RPG elements. You play an unnamed wanderer (who you can name in the Japanese version), who returns home only to discover that it’s under attack by dwarves. A visit to the King reveals that their power source – a series of fountains – have stopped, and that all other water sources have been poisoned. The King then gives you some money and sends you off to investigate.

The aim of the game is to explore four large areas and – if possible – restore the fountain in each. You can jump, climb ladders, use a melee weapon, and shoot magical projectiles, and on your way out of the city you’ll encounter various shops that sell weapons, armour, keys, and provide healing services. At the top of the screen is a health bar (shown in red), and a magic bar (shown in green). Next to those is your experience level, your money, a timer (for limited use items), and a single space for an item you can quick-use.

From the outset, you’ll encounter prowling monsters, and you must either avoid or kill them. Defeated monsters will sometimes drop money or bread (for healing), and as you progress the monsters become more unpredictable and powerful.

In-between towns are wild areas with entrances that lead to the interior of towers. Inside these fortresses are useful items, lots of monsters, the occasional boss battle, and also characters who’ll help you with your restoration of the fountains.

When your experience levels reach certain milestones you can then return to the nearest town, and to a priest, who’ll raise your level for you. And if you’ve managed to save enough money you can also upgrade your weapon, armour, shield, and magic spell (although probably not all at the same time – upgrades are not cheap). Grinding for money is fairly easy, though, because if you leave a screen the monsters will instantly re-spawn, but it can still take time to save up for expensive items.

Overall, Faxanadu is a pretty good game. The graphics are appealing, and the gameplay is challenging, but not impossibly difficult. The game does feel a bit old school overall, but I suppose that is in keeping with the Dragon Slayer series, which Faxanadu does manage to feel a part of.

Dragon Slayer series on The King of Grabs:
Dragon Slayer (MSX), Dragon Slayer (Game Boy), Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II (MSX), Faxanadu (NES/Famicom), Romancia: Dragon Slayer Jr. (MSX), Romancia: Dragon Slayer Jr. (NES/Famicom), Dragon Slayer IV: Draslay Family (MSX), Legacy of the Wizard (NES/Famicom), Sorcerian: Dragon Slayer V (PC), Sorcerian: Dragon Slayer V (MSX), Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes (PC Engine), Xanadu Next (PC).