Faxanadu

Faxanadu is an adventure game for the Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom) and the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The name was licensed by computer game developer Nihon Falcom ("Falcom") and was developed and released in Japan by Hudson Soft in 1986. In 1989, Nintendo released the game as a first-party title in the US under license from Falcom and Hudson Soft. Nintendo also released the game to the European market in 1990.

Faxanadu can be considered a side-story of Xanadu, which is the second installment of Falcom's long-running RPG series, Dragon Slayer. The title Faxanadu is a combination of the names Famicom and Xanadu.

Story
The back cover of the game's packaging provided players with this introduction to the in-game plot:

"'You are the elves’ last hope. Outside the town walls lurk monsters with the power to destroy anything in their path. Inside the walls, water and time are running out. Soon the ancient elf town of Eolis will vanish into eternity. Only you can save Eolis. No one else dares to venture beyond the walls, onto the World Tree, where towns and fortresses precariously await the whims of fate at the hands of the Evil."

"You are searching for the water source and for an antidote to the poison that makes the water undrinkable. To find them you’ll need gold and food and magic, speed with a sword …and luck."

"Every town holds a new mystery, every fortress a new danger. Merchants will sell you magic and valuable tools, but it’s up to you to figure out what you need. Long, secret mantras help you slip through the mists, but will you survive the next challenge?"

"This is Faxanadu, the legend, the adventure – the incredible journey on the World Tree.'"

The player-controlled protagonist of Faxanadu is an unidentified wanderer. 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. He meets with the Elven king, who urges him to set forth and restore the realm's prosperity by defeating a being known as The Evil One.

As the story unfolds, it is revealed that Elves and Dwarves lived in harmony among the World Tree until The Evil One emerged from a fallen meteorite. The Evil One then transformed the Dwarves into monsters 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.

The game takes place across three ascending worlds made to resemble the World Tree's sections: one covered in a fungus-like substance (the roots), one enveloped by poison mist (the interior of the trunk), and one that resembles the tree's branches.

Gameplay
Players guide the hero through a screen-by-screen series of fields, towns, and dungeons. The hero can walk, jump, and climb ladders&mdash;all typical characteristics of a platform game. Along the way, he may also purchase usable items with Golds, 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.

The limits of physical damage the hero can sustain from enemies is tracked by a life bar, and the magical power he can exert is tracked by a magic bar. These are listed on the top of the screen along with total experience, total Golds, Time (for items with a timed duration), and the currently held item.

When the hero defeats an enemy, it usually leaves behind Golds or life-giving food, and the hero gains a set amount of experience. Experience points help increase the hero's experience Rank (see below). Occasionally, an enemy will also drop an item, some of which activate specific effects when touched and some of which can be stored for later use.

Unlike the saved game system used in the Famicom version, the NES version utilizes a password system, allowing players to stop and restart their journeys by entering a sequence of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. Passwords, or "mantras" as they are known in the game, can be obtained from church-dwelling Gurus. Gurus also bestow Ranks to the hero when he meets certain experience totals; these determine the amounts of experience and Golds a player will possess upon resuming a game via password.

Because of its use of statistics, reliance on story, thematic basis upon Medieval fantasy, and provision of interactive NPCs, many observers have classified Faxanadu as an adventure role-playing game.

Presentation
Faxanadu employs a color palette that relies upon browns, greens, reds, and blues, creating an earthy atmosphere to compliment the underlying, real-world legends of elves, dwarves, and the World Tree itself. This was somewhat atypical compared to other games from its era, as many showcased bright, cartoonish graphics and outlined sprites rather than the more flushed, slightly Gothic style of Faxanadu. Similarly, the game's music (the work of June Chiki Chikuma) is designed to convey a rich, sometimes haunting tone during play. From the pedestrian beat of Eolis and the majestic melody in the Elven King's throne room to the driving theme of The Evil One's fortress, the compositions are intended to set the mood for each area, assisted by an array of organic sound effects.