Tokyo Xanadu Video Game Review – Another of the Vita’s hidden gems
Tokyo Xanadu is proof that slow and steady can win the race.
TX is an action adventure game developed by Nihon Falcom, a name that most JRPG fans will know well. They’re famous for their Legend of Heroes and Ys franchises (to use the most obvious examples.)
The game is set, unsurprisingly, in Tokyo. In a world where natural disasters are down to the alternate universe (full of shadow creatures) and the real world collide. When someone’s fears or anxieties become too much it opens a gateway to the alternate dimension called Eclipses. Which is a maze like area. When cleared of the main creature controlling the Eclipse it closes for good.
You play as Kou Tokisaka who finds out that his classmate Asuka Hiiragi is a member of a group called Nemesis. Who’s main aim is to close the Eclipse vortexes forever.
Gameplay
Tokyo Xanadu plays alot like a Persona game. It’s not a 100% accurate description but it’s probably the best way of describing it.
Throughout the game Kou has “free time” that he can use to study, take on side challenges (like finding someone’s lost wallet) or just go shopping.
He has stats such as “wisdom,” “courage,” and “virtue.” Which can be raised by doing these kinds of things. As those are raised you can get gifts given to you at the shrine by Kou’s grandfather.
Battle system
The battle system for Tokyo Xanadu is simple but effective. It employs a system of typical fire beats air, water beats fire that we all know and love. Every enemy has an element and you get bonuses based on whether you employ the right tactics to battle them or not. Using a fire based attacker to kill a wind element enemy for example.
You can use basic attacks or a limited number of ranged attacks. Some enemies are more sensitive to ranged attack than close combat so that’s another thing to be taken into consideration when fighting.
Review
I must admit that I wasn’t convinced by this game for the first 15-20 minutes of gameplay. The game doesn’t actually start with you getting into combat for yourself until about an hour into it.
This may put some players off but I’m asking politely, please don’t let it. Once you get past the 1 hour slump and really start getting into the meat of Xanadu it’s one of the most addictive games I’ve ever played.
Even though you can hack and slash through the combat the game rewards you for not doing that. So it’s a wise choice to be smart about it. It’s not like some games where you have no choice but to diversify your play style. You have a choice, you’ll just be hurting yourself in the long run if you choose poorly. Giving the players the reins on how the want to fight like that gives Xanadu a freedom to their own fate that I’ve not seen in many other games and it’s executed perfectly too.
The “days off” part of the game are actually full of fun and activity. Doing the side quests is addictive, as is deciding which ones to take and which to ignore. And paying close attention to Kou’s stats brings another element into it that decision-making side of things.
I will admit that I played the original Tokyo Xanadu on Playstation Vita not the Tokyo Xanadu eX+ version. I’m not sure of the differences in content so I can’t comment.
