Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

100 or More Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Instant classic"

Falcom is one the most renown and influential videogame RPG developers from the early Japanese PC gaming scene. So it was very fortunate for PC-Engine owners that NEC and Hudson Soft loved Falcom, because they got to see many of their best works appearing on their system. Either done by Falcom themselves or by NEC/Hudson Soft.

Kaze no Densetsu: Xanadu is the eight game in Falcom's "Dragon Slayer" line of games. And it was developed exclusively for the PC-Engine Super CD system in 1994.

In KazeXana you take the role of "Areios Alektor" direct descendant of the legendary hero "Aineas" who 1000 years ago saved the land of Ishtaria from the fangs of the evil dragon "Dardantis".

Now Areios must live up to his heritage and save the land of Ishtaria from the returning menace of Dardantis. But first he must find and be worthy of wielding the legendary "Dragon Slayer" sword. The same sword that Aineas used to slay Dardantis.

Areios' quest will not be easy. But fortunately he will have the aid of his inseparable guardian and companion "Daimos" who along a colourful cast of six other characters will help Areios in fulfilling his heroic task.

KazeXana is a very unique kind of RPG. The game plays in the same manner than most classic Japanese PC Action/RPGs played. Meaning that you don't actually press a button to swing your weapon and defeat the enemies. Instead you just "push" yourself towards the enemies to attack and defeat them.

Ys: Book I & II and Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys also by Falcom and also for the PC-Engine CD, played in this manner as well.

You don't actually gain levels in KazeXana. Each weapon and armor has a proficiency level that you can increase by battling enemies. therefore increasing your attack and defense parameters in the process. HP is gained by just getting hit and then healing.

Your party companions are invincible, so you won't have to worry about them. They will attack any nearly enemies whenever you stand still. So when you're in a tight spot you can just let them do the job. You can also order them all to attack a single enemy until it's defeated.

Upon defeating enemies on the field, they will drop gems which work as the game's currency, and that obviously you will need to buy better equipment and items. They will also drop hearts that will replenish your HP. The more HP you have the more HP hearts will replenish.

You can also increase your walking speed substantially. So you can cruise through the field and attack enemies at blazing-speed. Which makes the game faster paced and more fun.

Overall, the system in KazeXana's is different yet very intuitive and works as great as any level-based system. Better even, in this case.

The game is divided into chapters. With each chapter taking you to a different region of Ishtaria. In the usual traditional design, each region of Ishtaria is themed differently to make the game look more varied. So you can expect to visit a snowy region, the mountain side, the desert etc.

To beat a chapter you will generally have to go through a main dungeon area. Upon reaching the end of the dungeon you will go into a side-scrolling action segment where at the end you will finally be facing the main boss enemy.

These side-scrolling stages aren't generally long, but can get quite challenging. Some of them have more platforming elements in them and some others are more focused in slashing action.

In this part you can pick a special item which depending of it's colour will allow you to summon one of your current party companions to your aid. Each support character has a special ability that you can use to your advantage. some being more useful than others. Also, it can be highly unlikely, but you can play the side-scrolling stages alongisde other player if you have a friend and an extra controller at your disposal.

What makes KazeXana such a great and memorable game is all of the great details and love that Falcom has put in the game and that make it unique.

The game has a Day/Night time cycle which makes the world and towns look more lively. You actually have to knock on the door and the NPC to go and open the door for you to be able to enter his/her house.

When you go shopping, you get to see Areios entering the shop with the clerk hurrying to attend him. When you sell your items, the price numbers will shuffle as you'll try to obtain the highest price for your stuff.

There is also no game over in the game. If you get defeated, Areios will become a flying ghost capable of going through walls or any other terrain until you haul yourself back to your starting church to get revived.

The dungeons are also very well designed. Most of them are filled with secret pathways and treasures for you to find. But best of all, they are very fun. Most notably; the final dungeon is a 31 floor tower and one of the most enjoyable challenging final dungeons I've seen. Since it's very complex and filled with traps and puzzles.

If there's something to complain, is that I wish the stuff that was implemented in the final dungeon (such as traps and special items) had been implemented since the beginning. Also, while the final dungeon is excellent. it somewhat kills the pace of the game.

The first time I finished the game, it took me more time to beat the final dungeon than the last two previous chapters together. And since the previous chapter finishes in a manner that makes you feel like you're ready to rock n' roll. Such a long dungeon without any story progression really cools things down a lot. So maybe the dungeon might have been better as an extra dungeon than as the final dungeon. But in any case, it's still an excellent dungeon nonetheless.

Also, while KazeXana is a fast paced RPG, it doesn't necessarily means it's on the short side. The first time it took me around 50 hours to beat it. So it'll probably take you around that to finish it as well. Unless you decide to madly blast through the game that is.

Lastly. there's a curious alarm feature that reminds you to take a 15 minute break every hour you spend playin the game. Of course you can just disable this feature if it annoys you.

KazeXana is also a beautiful game. While the field graphics are not much to look at. They are still very detailed and charming. The presentation is also excellent. the status screen looks great as do all of the special graphics found in the game. The side-scrolling stages are really good looking. Actually, they probably look better than most side-scrolling games on the system.

The character design is also top-notch. And it shows in all of the beautiful cut-scenes that appear within chapters and that serve to carry on the storyline.

The music is also excellent, while many of the tunes are not in Red Book Audio the whole soundtrack is fantastic. The voice acting is also top-quality though it sounds a bit raspy at times since it's also not Red Book Audio.

It's the little details that really help games become sweeter and KazeXana has them aplenty. While the game along with many other Falcom works holds a much deserved cult status in Japan. Overseas it is vaguely known at best only by Falcom or PC-Engine/Turbo Duo enthusiasts. Which given the quality of the game is a big shame.

Kaze no Densetsu is not only one of the most memorable and unforgettable RPGs you can find for the PC-Engine/ Turbo Duo. But also one of the best games Falcom has ever made. By all means highly recommended for fans of the Japanese RPG genre and Turbo Duo owners.