431:
composed the music for the game and was assisted by Hudson Soft's sound programmer, Toshiaki
Takimoto. Chikuma, working with just the tone generator of the NES which had only three channels, used her background in jazz technique to create melodic movements and express chord progression. The team gave
299:
is an unnamed wanderer who returns home. He has no name, though the
Japanese version allows the player to choose one. The game begins when he approaches Eolis, his hometown, after an absence to find it in disrepair and virtually abandoned. Worse still, the town is under attack by Dwarves. The Elven
365:. Along the way, he may also purchase usable items with gold, equip and use bladed weapons against enemies, equip armor, and cast magic projectiles. In addition, he can access information regarding the game's events by speaking with townsfolk or by consulting other sources.
554:
gave the game an 8 out of 10, saying that it is a surprisingly fun game and an absolutely essential purchase for those who like RPGs, but he criticized the password system for western audiences, and was grateful the
Virtual Console release eliminates that feature.
323:
against their will and set them against the Elves. The Dwarf King, Grieve, swallowed his magical sword before he was transformed, hiding it in his own body to prevent The Evil One from acquiring it. It is only with this sword that The Evil One can be destroyed.
300:
king explains that the Elves' fountain water, their life source, has been stopped and all other remaining water has been poisoned and provides the protagonist with 1500 gold, the game's currency, to prepare for his journey to uncover the cause.
398:. Gurus also bestow ranks to the hero when he meets certain experience totals; these determine the amounts of experience and gold a player will possess upon resuming a game via password.
443:
was released in Japan on the
Famicom on November 16, 1987. It was released in North America in August 1989 and was published by Nintendo. The November/December 1989 edition of
383:
help increase the hero's rank. Occasionally, an enemy will also drop an item; some activate specific effects when touched, while other items may be stored for later use.
361:. Players guide the hero through a screen-by-screen series of fields, towns, and dungeons. The hero can walk, jump, and climb ladders β all typical characteristics of a
1239:
1024:
653:
1224:
376:. These are listed on the top of the screen along with total experience, total gold, time (for items with a timed duration), and the currently held item.
1254:
466:
for his first appearance; the voice was changed in the latter episode. The Dwarf King is not featured in the series and is replaced by Queen
Dwarfine.
734:
432:
her full freedom "from general directions to sound-making details", and Jun said that in these good circumstances she was able to work quite freely.
1204:
834:
1249:
941:
671:
283:
The game uses side-scrolling and platforming game-play, while employing role-playing elements with an expansive story and medieval setting.
869:
340:
1085:
32:
1244:
1017:
755:
1234:
629:
379:
When the hero defeats an enemy, it usually leaves behind gold or life-giving bread. The hero also gains a set amount of experience.
543:
1209:
537:
1259:
912:
968:
456:
The game world is featured in two episodes of Season 2 (1990β1991) of the
Nintendo-based, Saturday morning cartoon series,
1010:
220:
132:
331:
areas: the tree's buttress, the inside of the trunk, the tree's branches and finally the
Dwarves' mountain stronghold.
1219:
809:
565:
listed the game as the 36th best NES game, calling it one of the best and least-known
Nintendo-published adventures.
1214:
1050:
657:
458:
1199:
697:
351:
354:
210:
196:
182:
855:
1229:
462:. They are "The Feud of Faxanadu" and "Germ Wars". The Elven King is named Melvis and looks and sounds like
417:
726:
622:
The NES book: everything you need to know about
Nintendo's iconic console; The master system: the Sega book
561:
listed the game as the 16th best game for the NES, saying it is a "forgotten gem" of the system's library.
1034:
387:
264:
119:
830:
933:
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453:
debuted on the magazine's "Top 30" list at #6. It gradually fell from the list in subsequent issues.
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31:
831:"Nintendo - Official Site - Video Game Consoles, Games - Nintendo - Official Site"
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The limits of physical damage the hero can sustain from enemies is tracked by a
292:
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108:
47:
962:
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release, giving it a better score of 8.5 out of 10 and called it a hidden gem.
312:
216:
639:
1078:
997:
805:
328:
316:
991:
1064:
672:"Episode 111 resumes our exploratory journey into the metroidvania realm"
401:
Because of its use of statistics, reliance on story, thematic basis upon
369:
239:
81:
405:
391:
320:
262:, which is the second installment of Falcom's long-running RPG series,
394:" as they are known in the game, can be obtained from church-dwelling
624:. Jones, Darran,, Imagine Publishing. Bournemouth. 2015. p. 51.
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164:
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231:
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63:
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as a first-party title under license from Hudson Soft.
372:, and the magical power he can exert is tracked by a
1159:
1102:
1042:
698:"The Unique Artist Behind Bomberman's Catchy Beats"
192:
176:
138:
126:
114:
102:
90:
53:
41:
24:
319:. The Evil One then transformed the Dwarves into
592:
1018:
230:("Falcom") and was developed and released in
8:
535:went on to call it a better action RPG than
1025:
1011:
1003:
934:"Review: Faxanadu (Virtual Console / NES)"
652:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
488:
303:As the story unfolds, it is revealed that
30:
21:
315:until The Evil One emerged from a fallen
515:The game has received critical acclaim.
1240:Side-scrolling role-playing video games
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645:
527:reviewed the game in 2011, after its
7:
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717:
616:
614:
612:
493:
1225:Nintendo Entertainment System games
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276:formed from the names Famicom and
14:
1255:Video games scored by Jun Chikuma
412:, many observers have classified
1205:Action role-playing video games
971:from the original on 2020-12-28
944:from the original on 2016-03-04
915:from the original on 2016-10-27
837:from the original on 2018-10-08
812:from the original on 2014-08-14
737:from the original on 2018-03-12
538:Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
408:, and provision of interactive
256:is a spin-off or side-story of
1250:Video games developed in Japan
327:His journey takes him to four
1:
696:Tieryas, Peter (2021-12-25).
544:Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
469:The game was released on the
221:Nintendo Entertainment System
133:Nintendo Entertainment System
794:. November 1989. p. 81.
765:. 2006-02-12. Archived from
357:, sometimes classified as a
964:Top 100 NES Games - IGN.com
593:
311:lived in harmony among the
223:. The name was licensed by
1276:
459:Captain N: The Game Master
1245:Single-player video games
584:
497:
494:
242:released the game in the
238:for the Famicom in 1987.
29:
1235:Role-playing video games
727:"γγ‘γΆγγγ₯ [γγ‘γγ³γ³]"
521:scored it 29 out of 40.
355:action role playing game
905:"Faxanadu Review - IGN"
418:role-playing video game
390:system. Passwords, or "
343:A typical gameplay shot
225:computer game developer
1210:Dragon Slayer (series)
344:
291:The player-controlled
36:North American box art
1260:Virtual Console games
656:) CS1 maint: others (
342:
1141:The Legend of Heroes
1086:The Legend of Heroes
1072:Legacy of the Wizard
940:. 28 November 2010.
911:. 26 February 2011.
386:The game utilizes a
550:Marcel van Duyn of
529:Wii virtual console
491:
211:action role-playing
183:Action role-playing
1220:Metroidvania games
870:"Faxanadu for NES"
489:
477:in 2010 and 2011.
345:
1215:Hudson Soft games
1187:
1186:
512:
511:
381:Experience points
202:
201:
169:December 28, 1990
151:November 16, 1987
98:Toshiaki Takimoto
1267:
1200:1987 video games
1027:
1020:
1013:
1004:
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978:
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976:
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953:
952:
950:
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930:
924:
923:
921:
920:
901:
895:
894:
892:
891:
882:. Archived from
866:
860:
859:
852:
846:
845:
843:
842:
827:
821:
820:
818:
817:
802:
796:
795:
787:
781:
780:
778:
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771:
760:
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746:
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743:
742:
723:
712:
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693:
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668:
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661:
651:
643:
618:
597:
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578:
492:
168:
159:
150:
80:
67:
34:
22:
1275:
1274:
1270:
1269:
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1266:
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1190:
1189:
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1183:
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1098:
1038:
1031:
988:
983:
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974:
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945:
932:
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927:
918:
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880:CBS Interactive
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678:. 7 August 2017
670:
669:
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490:Aggregate score
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475:Virtual Console
438:
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337:
289:
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154:
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97:
86:
71:
62:
37:
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19:1987 video game
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16:1987 video game
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5:
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986:External links
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981:
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792:Nintendo Power
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1051:Dragon Slayer
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938:Nintendo Life
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886:on 2019-12-09
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772:on 2006-02-12
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552:Nintendo Life
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363:platform game
360:
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265:Dragon Slayer
261:
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245:
244:United States
241:
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197:Single-player
195:
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1167:Nihon Falcom
1146:
1139:
1132:Tokyo Xanadu
1130:
1123:
1117:
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1109:
1093:Lord Monarch
1091:
1084:
1077:
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1063:
1056:
1049:
1033:
992:
973:, retrieved
963:
957:
946:. Retrieved
937:
928:
917:. Retrieved
908:
899:
888:. Retrieved
884:the original
875:GameRankings
873:
864:
850:
839:. Retrieved
825:
814:. Retrieved
800:
791:
785:
774:. Retrieved
767:the original
762:
750:
739:. Retrieved
730:
705:. Retrieved
701:
691:
680:. Retrieved
675:
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621:
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504:GameRankings
468:
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367:
359:metroidvania
347:
346:
326:
302:
296:
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282:
277:
269:
268:. The title
263:
257:
253:
252:
228:Nihon Falcom
205:
204:
203:
160:August, 1989
118:
55:Publisher(s)
43:Developer(s)
1172:Hudson Soft
1125:Xanadu Next
1043:Main series
806:"Vc γγ‘γΆγγγ₯"
756:"NES Games"
558:Retro Gamer
429:Jun Chikuma
424:Development
293:protagonist
274:portmanteau
236:Hudson Soft
128:Platform(s)
109:Jun Chikuma
104:Composer(s)
92:Designer(s)
68:Hudson Soft
48:Hudson Soft
1194:Categories
975:2018-08-25
948:2015-12-31
919:2015-12-31
890:2021-01-06
856:"Faxanadu"
841:2018-10-08
816:2018-10-08
790:"Top 30".
776:2018-08-25
741:2018-08-25
707:2023-01-16
682:2022-12-31
676:Retronauts
603:References
495:Aggregator
313:World Tree
217:video game
1103:Spin-offs
1079:Sorcerian
998:MobyGames
648:cite book
640:909815695
486:Reception
481:Reception
374:magic bar
329:overworld
317:meteorite
1118:Faxanadu
1065:Romancia
993:Faxanadu
969:archived
942:Archived
913:Archived
835:Archived
810:Archived
763:Nintendo
735:Archived
594:Fazanadu
581:Japanese
451:Faxanadu
441:Faxanadu
414:Faxanadu
403:medieval
388:password
370:life bar
348:Faxanadu
335:Gameplay
321:monsters
297:Faxanadu
270:Faxanadu
254:Faxanadu
240:Nintendo
219:for the
214:platform
206:Faxanadu
187:platform
178:Genre(s)
82:Nintendo
25:Faxanadu
1160:Related
589:Hepburn
436:Release
406:fantasy
392:mantras
309:Dwarves
193:Mode(s)
139:Release
1148:Trails
1111:Xanadu
1058:Xanadu
702:Kotaku
638:
628:
585:γγ‘γΆγγγ₯
278:Xanadu
259:Xanadu
248:Europe
209:is an
115:Series
770:(PDF)
759:(PDF)
569:Notes
498:Score
416:as a
396:Gurus
350:is a
305:Elves
287:Story
272:is a
232:Japan
658:link
654:link
636:OCLC
626:ISBN
541:and
410:NPCs
307:and
246:and
996:at
909:IGN
563:IGN
533:IGN
524:IGN
508:75%
473:'s
471:Wii
295:of
234:by
1196::
1178:Ys
967:,
936:.
907:.
878:.
872:.
833:.
808:.
761:.
733:.
729:.
716:^
700:.
674:.
650:}}
646:{{
634:.
611:^
591::
587:,
583::
547:.
449:,
420:.
280:.
185:,
165:EU
156:NA
147:JP
77:EU
73:NA
64:JP
1026:e
1019:t
1012:v
951:.
922:.
893:.
858:.
844:.
819:.
779:.
744:.
710:.
685:.
660:)
642:.
167::
158::
149::
79::
75:/
66::
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