Xanadu (1985). Play Free Online

Summary

Xanadu, also called Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II, drops you into the Dragon Slayer world as the fledgling hero Areios. I spend most of my time wandering a large top-down map, pushing straight into monsters to deal damage and letting my weapons and armor grind experience just by using them. The game switches to a side‑scrolling platform view for each chapter’s final stage, forcing timing‑based attacks and jumps to beat the boss. Throughout towns a day‑night cycle changes who’s inside and even influences certain NPC schedules, while companions occasionally pop up to aid you with simple AI control.

What really set Xanadu apart back then were the systems that felt far ahead of their time. Each piece of equipment earned its own experience, and a Karma meter tracked whether you were slaying the “right” enemies – too many good foes raised Karma and locked temple level‑ups. Food slowly vanishes as you roam, turning hunger into a genuine threat, and magic can be cast from a distance. Its blend of RPG statistics, platforming, and non‑linear exploration helped define the action‑RPG genre and inspired later titles from Falcom’s Ys series to the broader Metroidvania movement.

Storyline

Xanadu (often just called Xanadu on the MSX) drops the player straight into the shoes of its hero with almost no tutorial. After a brief meeting with the king, you receive a handful of cash and the basics needed to train, then allocate points to raise your attributes. The next task is to escape the city and locate the entrance to a massive underground complex, a puzzle that sets the tone for the many cryptic challenges ahead. Though the game leans heavily on role‑playing mechanics, it weaves in adventure and puzzle elements that felt ahead of its time.

In 1988 an OVA and a manga titled Xanadu: The Legend of Dragon Slayer expanded the story. The protagonist is named Fieg, a 21st‑century soldier thrust into the world of Xanadu after a bloody ambush, adding a sci‑fi twist to the fantasy setting.

Edited by Maya Carter