I'm back once again after a long hiatus of not posting on here at all. I can say that my lack of posting wasn't laziness at least. I've actually just haven't been home to keep up with everything that's coming out in Japan, Korea, and China. so as a result, I'm going to make a post about a game that came out on a console that I don't even think people really pay attention to anymore: The Playstation Vita. There's still games being made for Vita but Sony pretty much killed the gaming console. A newer version will most likely appear next year to combat Nintendo Switch. I still have mine and do play it every now and then. Even with the slow approaching fact that there's less and less "good" games being made for Vita.
Tokyo Xanadu is a 2015 action RPG game that came out about three years later in the West. Tokyo Xanadu was a huge success for the Playstation Vita console as it topped the gaming charts that week in Japan. It's success then spawned an updated version released for the Playstation 4 in 2016. The game takes certain aspects from Nihon Falcom's other games such as Ys and Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel while adding a modern day twist on both titles.
Following the tragic events of an earthquake that killed many in Tokyo four years ago, A high school student lives his life day by day working a bunch of jobs and going to school. He stubbles upon a blond hair girl one night while leaving work who is about to be assaulted by a group of guys. She releases a strange power after one of them starts acting inhuman and both her and the student are transported to a place called Eclipse that forms from the negative emotions of people's hearts. There he learns that the girl was chosen to fight the monsters from the Eclipse called Greeds and that there is more to this underground world that he will soon be thrust into.
I know what most of the people are thinking….. No People have literally dragged this game up and down the internet when it first came out in Japan. Some people couldn't wait to get their hands on an import copy just so they could bash the game. Yeah, I'm looking at you Nintendo fans and haters of Sony. I'll always be upfront when writing my thoughts so I'll admit that most won't be able to help but think of Persona when seeing Tokyo Xanabu. Don't let the haters sway your opinion to not check out this game though. Especially if you're a gamer that likes a good RPG with a good story of substance. I honestly saw this game more as a Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel spoof than anything. Character design looks very similar between the two games which isn't a bad quality if you like the updated look of the new tales games. The story also unfolds in the same way as Cold Steel for those who actually played the games….. If not then you basically get the same experience of the calendar system that goes through the days. A little similar to Persona, only there's no penalty for not doing stuff on time. Xanadu's charm shines in the storyline of the characters and their development throughout the game. This includes the main character. Each of them grows to a point of likability right when you though that you found a party member that you despise. Development of the story by itself felt a little too fast at times to me. Almost to a degree that I could guess what would happen. The plot does throw in a few shocks or two that you won't see coming. My head just started hurting overtime because I forgot that I wasn't playing Legend of Heroes. Those two main characters look like they walked out of Cold Steel into Tokyo for this game honestly. [INSERT ME LAUGHING.] Depending on how diligent you are when playing, you get either one ending or two ending with one being the real true ending. I would recommend you play the game diligently to save you having to do a second run through. AINT NOBODY GOT NO TIME FOR THAT! Unless you want to that is...
As I was saying above, Players have to play this game smartly for a few reasons. One reason is to make sure that the main character is liked by the locals in Morimiya(The outskirts of Tokyo.). Kinda like the mechanics in the last Ys game, you have to do quests that raise the main character's meters in stars that go toward traits like wisdom. The more stars you have, the more likely you are to get the true ending instead of the fake ending.(Which is kinda of bittersweet. FYI.) Quests are kinda of tedious but you get use to having to do them so much that they start to going by fast. Character bonding is also optional in the game. You don't have to bond with characters but it does affect the bonus skills you get in battle while transversing Eclipse. Battle game play follows the realtime formula where you run around slashing monsters and other objects. Eclipse can look really pretty, freaky, then sometimes repetitive in appearance. Same with some of the boss fights. You do the same actions over again until your fingers hurt. I have little gripe with the repetitive nature of some aspects of the game however, the battle system is fun. Having more special moves to perform would have been nice though. Players do a lot to level up their characters 's status with the different elemental grids too. Since the Eclipse has different elements that match different character grid elements. This is one of the keys to having an advantage in battle. You'll probably have a love hate relationship with the gameplay. Many little options are offered in Tokyo Xanadu for use. I only scratched the surface of options offered in the game here.
Morimiya looks slick in Tokyo Xanadu as you travel the city. This was another game perfect for people who want to go to Japan. The graphics still look vary similar to the latest Legend of Heroes games but I enjoyed the way those games looked for the most part.
Pick up a copy of Tokyo Xanadu for the story. The gameplay is passable for a quick enjoyment when you're bored. What makes Tokyo Xanadu a solid RPG is defiantly the story and characters though. Tokyo Xanadu was released for the Playstation 4. That will be probably the only version of the game that you will find right now. I had to order the PS Vita version online because none had it in store. Who's ready for the next installment of Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel?! ME!!!
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