Games that time Forgot. This month's entry: Faxanadu for the NES

An underappreciated NES classic and a branching off title belonging to the Dragonslayer series.

[@noahpierce792]

I never forgot. This is one of my all time favorites

[@Kalle72]

You are not time.

[@noahpierce792]

@@Kalle72 I never claimed to be

[@Kalle72]

@@noahpierce792 This video is about how TIME forgot Faxanadu. Not you.

[@Kalle72]

@@beemixsy Too short.

[@LIONTAMER3D]

this game is ass, full stop

[@GedH-316]

This, Battle of Olympus, Zelda 2 and Castlevania Simons Quest were my games back in the day. Ah the memories.

[@randallflagg6271]

I remember beating Castlevania 2 Simon's Quest several times as a kid...thanks to Nintendo Power. I doubt anyone would know how to beat it without a guide on a couple of parts. Goonies 2 also would have been difficult without Nintendo Power's map.

[@ClergetMusic]

You just named the four best games.

[@amerk6601]

@@ClergetMusic Four of the best. Can't leave out Crystalis now! 😁

[@GedH-316]

@@amerk6601 Didn't have it and never played it! Is it good?

[@hyperbaroque]

Battle of Olympus feels grindy to me now but it sure was awesome back in the day.

[@stoshbeast1]

I will never forget this game. I put a ridiculous amount of hours into Faxanadu... probably 100+...it will always be one of my top 10 all-time favorites!

[@markracer3281]

I recall walking into my local Wally World to find an NES game worth make time and sweat... This was back in Fall of 1989 and I stumbled upon a game that caught my eye... It was Faxanadu boxed in its beige color like box with a sticker price of $39.99. I took the plunge and enjoyed every moment of game play!!! Faxanadu is truly an NES game worthy of any collector!!! Thanks for the awesome vid dude!!!

[@prestonroberts2941]

Good lord. That's $90 in 2022 dollars.

[@josephsheranda]

How did this game never get a sequel? One of the most underappreciated games ever.

[@ERawk64]

Loved this game as a kid. The most frustrating part was the font used for the mantras. If you screwed up writing it down exactly right, there goes all your saved progress lol

[@wigglysquidsb]

Haha so correct. It was always either the "1"s and "l"s or "0" and "O"s

[@billysonlinesurveychannel8247]

Anytime I was under...id right ontop of the letter other possible choices..it saved me many many times doing this

[@MP80sBaby]

I never forgot. My favourite NES game. Always drool when I see in any store. Still remember the first time getting the winged boots

[@legionarybooks13]

One of my favourite games ever! I remember playing this as a kid. I loved it WAY more than Zelda or Castlevania. Picked it up again thirty years later and it still holds up. Also, correction to the video: The dried meat replenishes both HP and Magic. It's usually more economical to purchase several of these over one hospital stay.

[@mindphaserxy]

The fact that Nintendo themselves published this shows how much faith they had in the game itself. Yeah it took a while to get to North America but 1989 was PEAK NES mania. Zelda 2's influence is everywhere in this game.

[@crono3339]

I love Faxanadu and Zelda 2. I think this game achieved those side scrolling mechanics much less frustratingly than Z2! The soundtrack is amazing too, something weird I noticed was how much Eldin Ring reminded me of Faxanadu haha. It's almost like the expanded universe of this game. Just a personal opinion.

[@procow2274]

I dont think there was that much influence considering they came out the same year

[@downscale]

I don't know. The release dates are pretty close (10 months) do you really think Zelda 2 influenced it's direction in that time? It's not as "Zelda 2 like" as other games like 'Rambo' and 'The Battle of Olympus'. Zelda 2: Famicom Disk System - January 14, 1987 Faxanadu: Famicom - November 16, 1987

[@mindphaserxy]

I think Z2s fingerprints are on a lot of 1987 and later releases. 10 months is a long time in the Japanese market during the NES era.

[@kpag3030]

I don’t care what anyone says… top 5 NES game and in my personal top 5 all time games. I love this game. The music is perfection. The sound effects are still in my brain all these years later. I played many many many hours of this game. Very underrated.

[@gamingquarterly6353]

no argument here.

[@Criticalhitkoala]

Funny enough I'm constantly reminded of Faxanadu because of how much Hungrygoriya videos I watch for the nostalgia hit. She uses the password theme for her intro. But yeah, this game is always a pleasant memory when I run across it again.

[@CedaxV]

One of the best. I still play it from time to time.

[@truebruh2825]

A friend of mines let me borrow this game and the way he explained about wing boots and rings with letters and elves and dwarf I was hooked and did t play it yet

[@ants-in-my-eyesjohnson1271]

Hey, It's that game who's music I listen to guitar covers of almost every other day. I totally forgot this game ever existed for a couple of minutes! Just like Father Time!! 😃😃

[@gamingquarterly6353]

Never even knew they had guitar covers for them. Time to go listen to some of them.

[@mcneleon]

Childhood favorite of mine! I replay it at least once a year.

[@Jussi.Ihander]

You shouldn't get the treatments at the hospitals in this game. Always go to the meat seller. It replenishes both your health and your magic as well. Not as much as the hospital treatment though. But even if you would have to buy the meat three times to refill your magic meter only for example, it will still be a lot cheaper than the treatment for sure. If I remember correctly, there was only like one town in the game that didn't have the meat seller's place

[@TheCommentNinja81]

When I got back to video games, NES and started collecting those oldies in 2001-2002, FAXANADU was the second game I bought after Ghost'n' Goblins. I played and completed it and I have good memories of it thought I did not played it since.

[@dustincarl200]

How could I forget something so nostalgic?

[@tni333]

It’s crazy how I completely forgot this game and what you do in it but now that I see and hear it I very distinctly remember both music and art of it.

[@robertcrawford2215]

This is one of my favorite NES titles. I owned it when I was a kid

[@Pito23]

Naaa Faxanadu will never be forgotten... one of the best NES titles and one of my favourites.

[@TheVioletBunny]

Never forgot this is one of my favorite games from my childhood my step father who passed away a few years ago got it for me as a gift when I was sick with a rare Illness and out of school for 2 months and all I did was play this game. Makes me so sad it’s not available on switch online

[@downboys]

One of the best NES games ever.

[@NoName-md6fd]

Played it retrospectively because I was looking for hidden gems on NES, still has some of the usual klunky and cryptic NES moments, but the action rpg in slightly metroidvania style is real. It holds even today. Faxanadu and Legacy of the wizard are classics to me.

[@onefortheroad2291]

I remember my brother and I buying this at Kmart in 1990. I don’t know why we chose it I think maybe my brother saw it in a magazine, but I remember simultaneously loving this game but also having a lot of frustration playing it. We eventually beat the game but it was tough, and the password system sucked because of some of the characters looking the same. I have it loaded to my snes classic but haven’t played it yet. 41 years old now with young kids and free time to play these games is limited lol

[@goldcanyon340.]

I also first discovered this beloved classic from that same Nintendo Power issue that you mentioned from June 1989. I had to have this game and was thrilled to have it under our Christmas tree the next year!

[@Broke_Guy_78]

I had this game when I was young, loved it got very far but never finished it. I now have on my modded NES classic but with 2 jobs I don't have time to play games like used to.... I would love to more time to game again.

[@remka2000]

Seeing that Hudson is now part of Konami I wouldn't hold my breathe for a possible remake or a new version...

[@jmac79ers]

One of the first nes games I searched for when getting into collecting

[@krisparks1]

Always loved this one! Still have my copy. :)

[@an3582]

I love this game and its music. Thanks for lending it to me back in middle school, Alex. I still got your game, chump.

[@sithlord1051]

I still have it, and ran through it again just awhile back. Such an underrated gem, thanks for covering it!

[@dhFLOOPY]

Don't have negative thoughts. Remember your mantra.

[@thedude5295]

Nello.

[@COREcasual]

That music hits me right in the nostalgia

[@procow2274]

This and Astyanax two of the most underrated nes games

[@TamashiiRyu]

This is a fantastic game. I literally have a design for a spiritual successor to this when i was in high school.

[@tornadot2025]

I played this waaay back in grade school. I would let the protagonist get destroyed just so that I could listen to the mantra song. One of the best songs ever put into a video game. There is a video floating around on yt of an actual orchestra performing the song. So epic!

[@gamingquarterly6353]

gonna definitely look that up. Love orchestrated versions of gaming OSTs. Chrono Trigger is my all time favorite.

[@chrisgotthat2435]

I never forgot this gem...

[@maxhunter3574]

One of my favorites! Totally loved this game, I remember it.

[@StripedAssedApe]

I've forgotten my mantra from time to time, but never Faxanadu! Love this game. Awesome soundtrack, and aesthetic. And the monster design? It really is something else.

[@cherokeefit4248]

We called the blue guy with the drum “Pound Maker” haha

[@StripedAssedApe]

@@cherokeefit4248 that's one enemy I was thinking of for sure lol. They are so off-putting, when I examine them anyway. I always thought it was like he was doing a rain dance, but instead of rain you get hit with thunder or something

[@cherokeefit4248]

This game felt like the characters were pulled from the 80’s move Labyrinth. This game is 100% unique in its characters. True gem in the nes library.

[@kpag3030]

I still have a notebook full of my mantras.

[@michaelconway28]

Speaking of the music, the password screen song is fantastic.

[@presidentsnow7315]

Time may have forgotten this game, but I didn't. It's one of my all time favorites!

[@ignorethis214]

I loved this game, though it was a bit difficult for my brother and I, since we were basically still learning to read at the time. We would play a little, stop, play a little, stop, but the farthest we got was when we needed the wing boots. It took forever (it felt like at the time) to grind for, then we used it at the spot we thought we needed it.... and nothing happened. We tried every button combination, everything we could think of, and didn't want to have to grind again for the wing boots just to have nothing happen again. Sadly, we didn't play it much after that, but I've always wanted to figure it out and try again.

[@michaelzborowskyii4668]

I love the whole dreary vibe of this game. I watch game play from time to time just to reconnect

[@Zarathustra-rj4yz]

I couldn't wait to get this as a kid after seeing it in NP. Still have my cart. I did actually beat it :)

[@MarquisDeSang]

I actually watch playthrough of that game every 4 years. I love the music and the art. So many good memories.

[@brianjohnson5272]

Hello faxanadu my old friend. I am glad to hear of you again. I wish i had the extra money to spend. To play and beat you once again.

[@Lordoftheapes79]

In a time when remakes are everywhere, this one needs to be revisited.

[@TheACcam]

TBH, I've always been surprised there was never a sequel.

[@Lordoftheapes79]

@@TheACcam if I'm not mistaken, it's actually part of a series, but they all have different names and gameplay. It was an odd concept, but this was the best of the series. They also may not have all been licensed NES games. It was a different time 😂

[@TheACcam]

@@Lordoftheapes79 yes, Dragon Slayer series. But I meant a direct sequel to this particular game and gameplay style for the NES (or SNES). A literal Faxanadu 2. It's like "Let's make this nifty sub series game! Oh, yeah, that was a thing.... Next!"

[@Lordoftheapes79]

@@TheACcam I would too. I'm curious who holds the rights to it.

[@Hussain_Zaki]

Fun Fact: Hollow Knight was mostly inspired by this game

[@MarquisDeSang]

it does not look and feel like Faxanadu.

[@downscale]

Never forgotten here. Best Intro Song ever. Waiting for the Metal Version!

[@TheeKingHumpy]

Top 10 for me on nes. Never beat it as a kid but finally got around to beating it as an adult

[@TheRyanlehr]

Love this game still have the same copie from when I was a kid

[@oziphantom9465]

It does have sequels, Xanadu Next is on Steam, Xanadu Tokyo is on the Vita. There is also recently a HD version patched. If you look up ChoopiChoosi on Twitch he has been streaming them.

[@thedude5295]

I just looked it up and that doesn't count man. Faxanadu needs a proper 2D platformer upgrade. Faxanadu Remastered for PC was as close as we have right now.

[@euphorik3120]

evidently its a *remembered* game and one i ran into the other day im going to check out. thanks for the info.

[@daverhodus]

Faxanadu is probably in my top 20 NES games.

[@gamingquarterly6353]

same here.

[@thompi8]

This game will alway be in my hearh my grandfather gave it to me on my 15th birthday

[@jboy8735]

Would love to see you do one about festers quest one of my personal favorites

[@PenDreamt]

Loved this game. I remembered my mantra.

[@Hawk013]

Still have this cart, couldn't tell you how many times I've played through it.

[@motion_deep]

Great video! This was my first video game ever and what a great game it is!

[@SuperROFLWAFL]

I've been planning for years to remake this title as well as expand the world. I've never had any luck finding artists that seemed to be interested in the project, so I've been working on my art skills and hope to get some assets put together in the next few months to get the project rolling.

[@Grail_Quest]

You've found one! I am a writer/artist who has been planning to build a 16bit sequel to Faxanadu and have already expanded its lore. I've been studying Unity and want Faxanadu 2 to be my first project. We should work together!

[@SuperROFLWAFL]

@@Grail_Quest That would be great! How should I get in touch with you?

[@SuperROFLWAFL]

@@Grail_Quest check my about on YT profile for a discord link

[@Robanjo]

@@Grail_Quest how did this go? Do you have any plans?

[@Grail_Quest]

@@Robanjo Yes! We have made contact and are at the very earliest stages of conception. I am working on concept art that can be converted into pixels for what will hopefully be a 16-bit revamp of the original as a primer before moving on to a full blown sequel. At least, that's the plan... as ambitious as it sounds.

[@FelloniusWizard]

First game I ever finished. Wonderful!

[@GarlicMonoxide]

Just found your channel here friend. You got my sub! Good work. One of my favorite games too. Mega Man 2 was in my nes nonstop until a friend turned me on to faxanadu. Back in probably 89 or 90

[@HeathenDance]

I had this game as a kid, (I'm 39), but never finished it... Until, finally, the year 2015. Back then I didn't have patience, and was more into classic platformers, fighting games and shooters. (Faxanadu has all these elements, though!) I was so happy when I finished Faxanadu, decades later, that I actually recorded rough video footage of it lol. Just for me. Awesome game. Soundtrack is amazing. The intro music is mindblowing.

[@gamingquarterly6353]

Congrats on that accomplishment! I love the music on this game. Very underrated and not mentioned as often as it should.

[@stevenray8737]

A great game that always deserves more exposure. Its worth seeing through to the end as its a wonderful contrast to the dull and depressing beginning.

[@gamingquarterly6353]

totally agree.

[@panelvixen]

I'd swear this game was referenced quite a bit on Captain N.

[@OnionChang]

No. I've never forgotten my favorite nes game.

[@Transfixed]

"Dragon Slayer" sounds so much like "Dragon's Lair" but wow i never knew it was part of a series of other games. I rented this as a kid but didn't understand it.

[@procow2274]

In a lot of cases especially later on the meat place is a better value than the hospital

[@cherokeefit4248]

I don’t think anybody forgot this game. It’s always being reviewed. It’s a game that I played way back in the day when it came out. It’s pretty good.

[@jarlwhiterun7478]

You're telling me you think you can walk up to a stranger and they would know about this game? I've been gaming since the NES and I've never heard of it. Get out of your bubble.

[@cherokeefit4248]

Usually rpg’s like this has a big fan base that spreads the word. Go and take your chill pill there, Karen.

[@russellmania5349]

@@jarlwhiterun7478 I suggest you play this game its a really good game.

[@The_Badseed]

Great memories here

[@moozartney]

I just recently beat this game. Definitely a great game.

[@Goombario37]

Finally someone makes a video on this banger

[@drbladerunner]

Love FAXANADU! The game played-out like an epic journey. It never felt repetitive. Each area differed from the previous one. Even the dungeons varied in size & scope. Yes, the bosses were certainly recycled. However, the gameplay evolved as the character acquired better weapons, armor, and spells. Excellent video! You've just earned another subscriber 👍

[@EpicLebaneseNerd]

No one ever forgot thr best game on nes.

[@RutabagaSwe]

Have to say, when it comes to the graphics, color isn't always the ultimate metric. I think faxanadu looks amazing. Sure, it has a bit more of a muted palette, but that woks in the games favor in my opinion. It creates an atmosphere that you don't really see that often in NES games. The world is supposed to be in a dire state, so everything not being bright pastelle colors makes perfect sense to me, and the detail in the background tiles is fantastic in Faxanadu. Special mention to the mist in Mascon as well, that is not an effect you see in many other titles on the NES, and it really goes to show how they tried to make the game atmospheric. One of the all time greats for the NES, in my opinion. A must play for anyone who likes action/RPG/adventure type games :)

[@gamingquarterly6353]

Very good points. Can't argue with that. This is a game I come back to play every two years or so and I always enjoy it. A mark of a classic.

[@anthonyware4033]

I remember playing this game on NES

[@erichebert5824]

Oh I wouldn't say this game was "forgot." I had this from 1990 to 2016 until my NES died but still have it on emulator and still play to this day. Also, it has recently been revived in the gaming community with the rise in popularity of speedrunning.

[@gamingquarterly6353]

When I say forgotten, I mostly refer to the fact that there hasn't been a sequel or remaster of it for some time. But I am happy to see many views on this video, meaning that people in general still love this classic hit. Wasn't aware of this game having speedruns. Gonna have to check that out.

[@OriginalRyan]

Just played & beat it a week ago. Did not forget.

[@sandorrulestheworld9655]

This game was great. Its the first game that if you got a new weapon or piece of armor it would actually show you wearing it.

[@vksasdgaming9472]

Metroid and Legend of Zelda did the same. It was palette swap, but it was there.

[@sumdude4281]

This game was awesome!

[@Nadinetherescuehound]

The game that made me fall in love with rpgs

[@MalefiicusSTR]

I don't typically like and comment. I've liked this, and this is what commenting is like, eh? I just figured I'd like to support this sort of thing, there's definitely potential here. I'm not sure how far you can take this, or how cool this could get, but I'm optimistic you'll find a dope path and hope you find enough audience to keep you motivated until then. Glgl.

[@Cerberusthechef]

This is an all time favorite of mine.

[@Iohannis42]

The music in the king's room was the saddest I've ever heard.

[@DjChaosDrive]

I love this game!

[@vksasdgaming9472]

I remember it having a cool name and game itself is great. Could benefit a lot from revision.

[@gamingquarterly6353]

I'm still waiting for a part 2, with new pixel like graphics.

[@vksasdgaming9472]

@@gamingquarterly6353 There is pirate Remastered.

[@Rikimaru17]

Love this game!!!

[@moenbase1]

I remember the horrendous password system for this game. We had this game too. Never got to finish it though. :)

[@JKRetroGaming]

I will have to watch out for this one. Thanks for the vid

[@low_e_music]

Great video on a fantastic game! Bonus points for the Neutopia music too.

[@thedude5295]

Thank you. It was driving me nuts trying to remember where I'd heard that song.

[@JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701]

I *CONSUMED* this Game as a Kid back then... The outlandish Art stile, the Soundtrack and Enemy design Blew my mind! 👀 But as an adult, I have to critisize the Gameplay esp. that the Protagonist can't strike Low like Link in Zelda 2 ... Makes the use of the Dagger painful 😑

[@gamingquarterly6353]

very true!

[@lawrencemcstephens308]

Nice review for one of my all-time favorite games! Subscribed! A small correction: Faxanadu was actually developed by Nihon Falcom, and published by Hudson Soft. In USA, it was published by Nintendo themselves :D

[@gamingquarterly6353]

you are correct. Good catch.

[@darthboxOriginal]

Great video. This is one of my favourite games from that era. As for the colour palette, I think they did that on purpose to show a world where life was draining away. With retrospect, I think this game may have been inspired by The Colour out of Space by HP Lovecraft

[@gamingquarterly6353]

good insight. Makes sense.

[@g1andonly1]

One of my favorite “Good day mate, wanna by some white fish”

[@arnaudbouret5562]

Regarding people smoking, well, it *is* a game from the 1980s. It was still very commonplace to see characters smoking in all sorts of media.

[@gamingquarterly6353]

correct.

[@fortinage]

"You need peace of mind. I will meditate with you: wWkIAAkkAAChA!" - The priest

[@bigbadspikey]

I love this game.

[@cliffjumper1984]

I also say this for this game Best fog on the NES

[@gamingquarterly6353]

definitely a big props to the programmers for somehow making it work on such an early title with no special chips.

[@viperdemonz-jenkins]

still have my old cart from way back at launch.