Faxanadu (NES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
1,938A playthrough of Nintendo's 1989 action-RPG for the NES, Faxanadu.
For my full write-up on the game, check out my review at http://www.nintendocomplete.com/faxanadu
Please note that there is one spot (19:18 at the screen transition) where I cut out some grinding I did for gold. The first boss (the big flying blue guy) drops a good chunk of change when he dies, and he respawns every time you reenter the screen, so I spent about an hour killing him over and over which set me up pretty nicely for what was to come.
Faxanadu is an action-platforming RPG created by Hudson as a spin-off of Xanadu, the second game in Falcom's Dragon Slayer series. That's quite a respectable heritage, wouldn't you say?Though Faxanadu is not part of the main Dragon Slayer series, it is related to Sorcerian (Sierra, PC), Legacy of the Wizard (Broderbund, NES), and Dragon Slayer: Legend of Heroes (Hudson, TG16 CD).
It's a highly regarded classic, and rightfully so. It's an impressive game, no doubt, and it is a blast to play. I wouldn't say I'm totally in love with it like some seem to be, but I do like it quite a bit. It is very impressive looking for a title that was produced in 1987. The backgrounds are some of the most detailed you'll see on the NES, and many of the stages use multiple layers to obscure the playfield for effect: just check out the fake-transparency effects used for the smoke haze at 44:04! I've always found the overall style and color choices super ugly and dreary, but I can't deny how well done they are.
Even though the game is an ARPG, the RPG-elements generally take a back seat to the action. You can upgrade your equipment, buy spells and healing items, and you'll spend your time hunting for items needed to continue further - if you've played Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and Battle of Olympus, you'll immediately notice the similarities. It generally plays well, but the stiff controls and the irritating precision needed for many of the jumps tend to get in the way... especially on occasions where missing a jump that requires pixel-perfect placement and exact timing will force you to spend ten minutes retracing your footstep just so you can try it again.
The game has a lot of personality and spirit, though, which helps to offset its shortcomings. While I don't think it can't quite match the likes of Castlevania 2 or Battle of Olympus, Faxanadu is a very likable, very hard ARPG that will really appeal to anyone that loves 80s quest games.
_
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (http://www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!
Visit for the latest updates!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/NintendoComplete/540091756006560
https://twitter.com/nes_complete