Review: Xanadu Next
Nostalgia is easy but can be hard to justify. There were a lot of terrible games mixed in with the good ones, but by sheer volume spread out over fifteen years there was a lot to look back on fondly from the PS1/PS2 era. Xanadu Next is an action/RPG that can hang with the bet of those games, primarily because it came out right in the heart of the PS2 era. It was originally for Windows PC, although Japan-only, but somehow made an appearance on N-Gage in the US and Europe. The PC version has been given a tiny little upgrade to run on modern systems and, while it’s obviously a graphics refugee from a decade ago and desperately needs better controller support, Xanadu Next is a brand-new nostalgia trip that would have justified the fond memories.
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While Xanadu Next is buggy and its menus just plain busted for controller use, the rest of the game is a wonderful trip through a classic JRPG world. The story starts small and the area to explore is a single island, but clever use of interconnecting dungeons makes it feel much larger. The entire quest is easily twenty or more hours long and that doesn’t even include chasing after the bonus dungeon. The combat is lively, enemies plentiful and puzzles show up frequently enough to keep you on your toes. Special consideration has to go to the soundtrack as well, which is easily one of the year’s best. Xanadu Next never had a chance to find an audience outside of Japanese PC gamers and the N-Gage user base way back in 2005, but it deserved far better. It’s a little jagged around the edges and could use a pile of patches, but every issue has a simple workaround, leaving the heart of the game to shine as an action-RPG classic that’s no longer lost in an obscure corner of gaming history.
Score: 4/5
