Xanadu Next
A dishonored knight bound to Harlech Island seeks the Dragon Slayer.
Xanadu Next is an action role-playing game from 2005, developed by Nihon Falcom for Microsoft Windows. It is a spin-off of the 1985 title *Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu*. An English worldwide release came from Xseed Games in 2016. A version for the N-Gage, developed by ScriptArts and published by Nokia, came out a few months before the original Japanese Windows release.
The story follows a dishonored knight hired by a scholar named Charlotte L. Wells to explore the ruins of Harlech Island. Shortly after arriving, he is fatally wounded by a warrior named Dvorak. To survive, he undergoes a procedure that binds him to the island; leaving would now kill him. The only way to break this bond and reclaim his life is to find the legendary Dragon Slayer sword. In the N-Gage version, the protagonist is a hunter hired by the town of Marion Berck to find a missing girl named Momo, who vanished after an attack by King-Dragon. Since that attack, the villagers have suffered mysterious deaths, failing crops, and monster attacks, and the hunter must journey to find Momo.
The N-Gage version received mixed reviews, while the Windows version earned generally favorable ones.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Nihon Falcom / ScriptArts (N-Gage)
- Publisher
- JP · Nihon Falcom · WW · Xseed GamesNokia (N-Gage)
- Director
- Takayuki Kusano
- Producer
- Masayuki Kato
- Writer
- Toshihiro Kondo
- Composer
- Hayato Sonoda · Wataru Ishibashi · Takahide Murayama · Takahiro Unisuga
- Platforms
- N-Gage, Windows
- Released
- N-GageNA · 20 June 2005WindowsJP · 27 October 2005 · WW · 3 November 2016
- Genre
- Action role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The player character is a dishonored knight hired by a scholar named Charlotte L. Wells to investigate the ruins of Harlech Island on her behalf. Shortly after beginning his mission, he is mortally wounded by a mysterious warrior named Dvorak and must undergo a life-saving process that binds him to Harlech. He will die if he ever leaves the island unless he can find the fabled Dragon Slayer sword, the only item capable of severing his ties to Harlech and restoring his life.
An N-Gage version was developed by ScriptArts and published by Nokia a few months prior to the original Japanese release. In this version, the player character is instead a hunter hired by a small town named Marion Berck to find a missing girl named Momo, who disappeared after King-Dragon attacked. Since the attack, the villagers have suffered mysterious deaths, dying crops, and monster attacks, and the player must guide the hunter in the journey to find Momo.
Reader's Guide
Xanadu Next is notable as a spin-off of the classic 1985 game Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu, connecting the 2000s action role-playing game to a foundational title in the genre. Its Windows version received generally favourable reviews, while the N-Gage version received mixed reviews. The game's English release by Xseed Games in 2016 brought it to a wider audience years after its original Japanese launch. The dual plotlines—the knight's quest for the Dragon Slayer sword on Harlech Island and the N-Gage version's hunt for a missing girl after a dragon attack—demonstrate how the same game framework was adapted for different platforms and narratives. The binding mechanic, where the protagonist is tied to the island and will die if he leaves, is a central story element that drives the player's exploration and goal.
Did You Know?
- Xanadu Next is a spin-off of the 1985 game Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu.
- The Windows version was released worldwide in English by Xseed Games in 2016.
- In the N-Gage version, the player character is a hunter searching for a missing girl named Momo.
More in Role-Playing Games of the 2000s, Part 2 1-23
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