by Kyle - December 14, 2005

As a sequel to Xanadu for the computer, the story continues. King Dragon Galsis has risen and cast a dark shadow over the land of Xanadu. Horrific monsters now inhabit the land bringing terror to the once beautiful land. Along with this, the daughter of the head of Xanadu has been captured. Your objective is to take the role of a young mercenary to rescue the girl and bring hope to this dark village. Only you are capable of completing this quest.

Like a Farther Advanced Zelda

With only one mode of gameplay, Xanadu Next has quite a bit to offer. I�m sure many of you remember the title of Zelda from years ago. Xanadu Next is a RPG with a story along the lines of Zelda but with more than that to it. Xanadu Next is packed with over 30 hours of gameplay with a wide variety of bosses and monsters to engage in combat, as well as plenty of equipment to choose from and many puzzles to solve with it.

As you begin, you are given the mission to find the daughter of the head of Xanadu. Talking to people throughout the town will help you learn about the game and your objectives. Once you are given your quest you�re given a small amount of gold to purchase a set of equipment to help you start your journey.

The controls in Xanadu Next are very basic as they are for most games for the N-Gage. The directional pad controls your character and the two main buttons are for combat. All remaining numerical buttons are used for the in-game menu for selecting weapons and skills. If you wish to talk to someone or shop from a store, you just simply walk up to that person and all is complete.

Granulated Imagery

The graphics in Xanadu Next aren�t something to brag about. The background scenery is very detailed and changes to where you are. Rock and cement block walls look the best throughout Xanadu Next�s graphics. The grass and wood areas aren�t as well pictured in this game. Some of these areas should have been done better.

One main graphic setback in Xanadu Next is the way the characters are presented. Each character in the game is poorly shown with blurred colors. The blurriness of the characters can become harder to look at depending how exhausted you are. Most of what I mean is directed towards your individual player, which you look at for the rest of the game. Other characters, including monsters and bosses, show this negative quality but it�s not as visible.

Catchy Tune at First

The main music in Xanadu Next can be something to hum to and enjoy at first, but after a while it begins to become irritating as it repeats the same music over and over although it varies depending where you�re at in the game. The tone of music changes when you�re around aggressive monsters and changes back once the area is cleared and free from minions. While you�re fighting any monster, you can hear them attacking as you swing your wielded weapon. It�s not the most realistic sound, but it�s there nonetheless.

Expressed to its Fullest

Xanadu Next is the type of RPG that anyone can play for hours at a time. The biggest disappointment in the game is having to restart it once you die. Saving Xanadu Next is very limited throughout the game. I became a little frustrated after going through an hours worth of progress and then getting killed, leaving all progress left to waste and to restart over from the beginning. Other than that, Xanadu Next is an easy, fun flowing game.

Even with one mode of gameplay, Xanadu Next can still keep the basic gamer busy. For being stored on the size of a SD card, plenty was included to add to the game�s popularity, from all that�s included to its easily interpreted storyline.

To Wrap Things Up

Xanadu Next is a great game as all the key elements are there. The main key elements include the ability to entertain over long periods of time, not run out of things to do or accomplish in that period, and to deliver the previous goals with an easy to follow storyline. Xanadu Next would have scored higher if its graphics weren�t as blotchy and eye straining in places. Other than that, this is a great RPG game to purchase for the N-Gage.