Tokyo Xanadu Reviews
Trading spell books for cell phones, Nihon Falcom proves once again that they are masters of the action JRPG subgenre.
A lot feels right with Tokyo Xanadu, with gorgeous handheld graphics and a concept with a lot of potential, but the complete product chooses overall accessibility for depth of concept. Combat, narrative, and development do their job just enough to keep things working, but the hiccups and shortcomings keep holding the game back from the niche sleeper hit it could be.
If someone is going to borrow, there is no shame in borrowing from the best.
The combat here is good, really good, and for some, that may be all they need. For you, that may be enough to convince you to plop down your $40 for this game. For me, the fun in Tokyo Xanadu is buried beneath so much unskippable, unpauseable, and unmemorable story I can't in good conscience give it my full support.
Tokyo Xanadu is basically Falcom trying to create a Persona like game with their own signature flavour and a pretty damn good experience overall.
I love Tokyo Xanadu for what is: a solid action RPG with a dramatic premise and an awesome cast of characters. The game impressed me with the responsive battle controls and beautiful special attacks. Even though the story didn't amount to the standards Falcom has set in the past, Tokyo Xanadu truly shows what the PlayStation Vita is capable in terms of graphics and playability and I would happily play through the game again.
Tokyo Xanadu is a game I really wanted to enjoy. Not to say that I don’t like it, because I do, but I was expecting a bit more. For what it eventually excels at in dungeon design, it lacks in combat. For what it excels at in world building, it fails in originality and almost feels by the book. I’m not sure what Falcom was trying to accomplish by trying to make Tokyo Xanadu a derivative of their Trails franchise. I’m not happy or even upset that they do, but what they do leave me as, is very confused.
This original release is still a bit of a disappointment and leaves a mixed impression. If you are looking for a solid JRPG for Vita, this is a fully complete game, but for those wanting the absolute entire package, I would recommend waiting for the definitive version.