Written By: JM Nuqui
Developer: Nihon Falcom
Publisher: Nihon Falcom, Aksys Games
Genre: Action RPG
Release Date: June 30, 2017
Price: $39.99
Tokyo Xanadu is an action RPG for the PS Vita and is one of the games I have been waiting for to be localized in English for quite a long while now. It was developed by Falcom, the one responsible for the Legend of Heroes and YS series which are all I am a fan of. The Vita version released is not the EX+ version that’s yet to be released for PS4 which has some bonus story included. The question though, is it worth the wait?
Just a brief background, I have played Xanadu Next before for the Nokia N-Gage and I enjoyed that game a lot way back 2005. So, after 8 years the game, Falcom made a follow up game for the PS Vita.
The game is about a group of high school teenagers trying to save the world from a nightmare realm called the Eclipse. This Eclipse are caused by distorted emotions from people like the one's In Persona games lol so you know how this goes. There's a lot of drama going on and if you love Persona and Trails of Cold Steel games you'll love the story of Tokyo Xanadu.
Like TOCS and Persona, you live a high schoolers life in this game. You go to school, interact with people, do some side quest, boost relationships with other people BUT there are limits to what you can do in a day. There are stuffs like conversation with your friends and people. NPC talks about different stuff each day. So unlike other RPGs conversation around people is a must as they might give you in game hints and tips that are available only for a particular day.
The whole game feels like you're playing Trails of Cold steel in a modern setting. Yes, this game is made using the engine used for TOCS series. The menu, the skill system, the text bubbles, the sprites, the relationship system. Almost all the system found in TOCS is present in Tokyo Xanadu. Not sure if this will turn you off, but it was developed by the same developers so I have no issues with that. You can even see TOCS Posters in game and it even gave a glimpse of a possibility of TOCS III.
Gameplay is superb. Its smooth animations are great the controls are customizable. The game mechanics are easy to understand. If you have played YS before it's as fast. I wish the camera would be a bit higher though. You are stuck in a 3rd person view which is good for some action games. Not a big issue though. Wish that I could see more of the battle field and the enemies around me.
Praise Falcom for the combat system. It's fast and exciting. Combined with a great soundtrack, the game's combat won’t bore you but instead give you one of the best you've played in a handheld. There are some drops with the frame rate but would not hinder you from enjoying the fast combat. Like YS, Enemies drop shards which are used to fortify and create your weapons. Bad thing though, enemies do not respawn automatically. You need to trigger them again somewhere at the end of the dungeon.
The Graphics for me is amazing. It's like TOCS. Not an AAA quality but the anime graphics is pretty much at home for the Vita. Some of the places where based on real places in Tokyo Japan. Character designs are good and fresh. Towa from TOCS series makes a cameo in this game lol.
One of the best things Falcom is good at, is character development. Even NPC's has their own stories and backgrounds. You will be forced to learn more about the people around you because some of your stats are based on the relationship you have from your peers.
The Soundtrack is as expected from Falcom, is great. Expect the catchy music everywhere you go. :D
It's surprising that for a game that's been out for almost 2 years, The game is still one of the Vita games to Marvel and enjoy. One of the best games for Vita. Period.
Pros:
- Great combat system
- Great Story
- Great Music
- Customizable controls
- A rich RPG experience as there are tons of things to discover
Cons:
- Some might be turned off for recycling so much materials from TOCS
Overall: 4/5
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