Tokyo Xanadu eX+ (Switch)

Whats in a name? With both anime and games you will have some names, occasionally absurdly long, that tell you everything you need to know whilst others give you no clue. Tokyo Xanadu eX+ falls in the latter camp although it did ring some bells in the dusty crevices of my mind. It wasn't a game based on any anime I knew of. However, a few taps on the keyboard and all became clear. While this title is new to the switch it was originally released on the PS Vita in 2015 and what sat before me was an enhanced port. 

Tokyo Xanadu was created by Nihon Falcom and published by Aksys games. The director was Takayuki Kusano who has also worked with the same writers on some of the Ys titles. On the first release this sold pretty well, but does it stand up 9 years later in a sea of competitors? (Though the Vita was certainly no slouch in terms of available RPG's).

This is an an action roleplay game that has similarities to the Ys series or Persona. It has a very bold opening sequence; our lead, Kou, tries to intervene when he notices unsavory characters take classmate Asuka into a dark back alley while he's walking home. These were fairly mature themes and I assumed this would be the level throughout. This, though, was really as dark as it gets. When in the alley a portal to a netherworld known as Eclipse opens up sucking in our main protagonist. 

A lot of time is spent at the start on exposition. I controlled Kou for around 10 of the first 90 minutes. This is more balanced once you get to the first dungeon, but it's a lot of time spent establishing the background. This includes the backstory of an earthquake that devastated Tokyo in 2005. 10 years later you now have these mysterious portals opening up across the city and transporting you to these nightmarish dungeons . The story unfolds with you learning the secrets of these portals and more importantly how to close them, while mixing in more lighthearted school drama. 

All the action in the game is in the dungeons.  Outside these arenas you have free time where you get to learn more about the city and its inhabitants while bonding with your school friends, some of which will end up joining you in your quests. There are lots of shops and alleys to explore though cash and resources are not readily available. Books can be found and purchased which build up your stats. Other bonuses can be obtained by tackling side quests. These do add to the story but they tend to revolve around running between different points of the map occasionally carrying something with you. You have no real impact or control in respect of the actual character interactions and story developments. This is all amusing enough and if the story particularly grabs you it might keep you interested for longer, though for me I found it soon became a mundane trudge that bookended the dungeons, arduously included to move the plot along. 

Combat is definitely one of Tokyo Xanadu's strong points

So this brings us to the dungeons. They are all fairly bland and samey. The monsters therein are fine but it doesn't get more interesting until the latter end of the game and you may have stopped playing before reaching that point due to each early dungeon becoming monotonous. Irrespective of this, the combat was fun and the bosses were inventive, challenging and pretty great overall, so even though I found myself muttering disdain at the unchanging surroundings and nature of gameplay I still found myself compelled to play. Combat is handled with two main attacks; basic and charged-up. You also have meters that fill for stronger attacks specific to the character you're playing. You can also pay attention to the nature of the monster you are fighting. Your character with a fire attack will not do as well against a water monster, though if you can evade and strike well enough ultimately it makes little difference. With materials and funds you can upgrade your weapons and this again widens your range of attacks.

In terms of presentation, the character designs are nice though nothing particularly stood out. The graphics are good enough, though you can tell they heil from nearly a decade ago, while the music is solid with the score working well within the game to amp up emotions when needed. 

An attractive if unremarkable roster of characters

The premise is interesting enough, though not completely original and I've certainly seen these ideas played out in more recent manga and anime like Solo Levelling. The combat is a standout and it's this even more than the story that may hold your attention long enough to get you through the game. However, the world has moved on and there are superior games in the market now that make Tokyo Xanadu's main selling point nostalgia, assuming you enjoyed it the first time around and want an enhanced revisit. 

When this game was originally was released it deserved the praise it received, but the modern upgrades to graphical fidelity are certainly noticeable, this release hasn't added any variety or removed the repetitive nature that mars the overall package. If you like action roleplay games then Zelda or Kingdom Hearts are available on Switch, and if the school setting appeals then perhaps Persona or Danganaronpa would be better places to start. However, if you've beaten those already and have a fondness for Tokyo Xanadu, this is a solid update that retains all the elements (good and bad) of the original release, updated and tweaked for modern hardware.