Tokyo Xanadu: The BEST JRPG You've NEVER Played | Review

[@roninjrpg]

This game was one of the reason that i got into Trails, Hopefully i’ll get this when it’s on sale!

[@AnikethBandi]

This is basically the game persona fans come to play when they finish 3-5. I will say this, its a good and fun game just don't expect the same amount of polish of persona. It has similar systems, but is very combat focused with their social events and bonds not being as fleshed out. Still a good game to scratch that itch and the combat is fun as long as you get a hang of the awkward control scheme.

[@lnsflare1]

To be fair, though, I will say that the bonding system in this game makes more sense than Persona's Social Link system, narratively, due to the binding events being accessible for only a limited time because they are tied to the character's lives and not the MC's, so you don't end up with things like Yusuke's art exhibition being on whatever day you feel like going to talk to him next.

[@FrozenAXL]

Polish and presentation is what I think holds back Falcom games from becoming mainstream and on the front. It's a shame because they have a lot of good merits and great aspects, and it always feels some unknown factor is missing for them to jump that extra mile and join companies like Atlus in being one of the top guns.

[@thenonexistinghero]

What polish in the Persona games? The writing is awful, the relationship system is also awful and the gameplay is extremely simplistic. Persona games are all style, no substance. The substance is found in the SMT games instead.

[@AnikethBandi]

@@thenonexistinghero I mean you can have your opinions and it sounds your more of a hardcore fan of the classic jrpg. Your opinion on writing is subjective, your opinion on the relationship system is subjective, and your opinion on the gameplay is subjective. its all to the taste of the player. But considering persona is bigger than SMT ever was and SMT grew bigger due to persona's growth, id say persona is doing fine in all those categories despite your complaints. Even if you don't like persona, my point that its more polished that Tokyo Xanadu still stands.

[@AnikethBandi]

@@FrozenAXL This is honestly true. I remember trying Trails of the Sky for the first time and remember thinking this is a good game for when it came out. Then I see their modern games and while they arent bad by any means, they haven't evolved all that much and it still feels dated. I started with an old game with expectations of it being old so I am more likely to try Falcom's new games because I am used to that look, but most gamers arent gonna give it that same leeway. They just need to let go of the artstyle they've been stuck with for years and at least give their games a more modern and clean artstyle.

[@jmporkbob]

I thought the side story sections were very good. If only Cold Steel had learned from this. Giving the side characters a chance to breathe on their own rather than only through interactions with the main character is much needed.

[@randomtology]

Agreed! I think Tokyo Xanadu did a good job of making sure the main cast felt more fleshed out and like they had lives away from Kou, and the side stories helped with that. The Yuuki and Sora one is a particular favorite of mine. As for White Shroud's, I feel theirs hits better on NG+ since not only are you more used to their controls - but you have enough context for their lines to make more sense and you can even take off their hood to see their facial expressions (like in the chapter 1 side story, their expressions are extremely harsh and callous about everything. In the intermission one, they look a lot more conflicted as they spout callous sounding lines -- indicating they don't actually mean it and they've grown a lot more conflicted due to their experiences in Morimiya).

[@feiitogaming]

Alright, that's it! I will finally get this game soon! Now that I finally got into the Persona series and absolutely love the Ys series, it's a no-brainer that I have to play this. Thanks for this review Taylor.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Thanks for checking it out! I hope you enjoy it.

[@retrobrandon]

I'm so pumped to dive into this one! You've been talking about it for so long, it's exciting getting it on Switch!

[@TheGamingShelf]

Haha yes! The Switch version is probably the best way to play it too.

[@Icetheporcupine100]

I've played Xanadu before the Switch release. I really enjoyed it, though I was playing every Falcom game I could get my hands on. so, I didn't really take the time to dissect it and think about what aspects i liked. what i found noticeable about it's atmosphere was close to what 11eyes could have been. While the similarities to Persona are there. I think what I liked the most about Xanadu is the clear episode formula it had. I love watching the opening no matter how many times I saw it during a playthrough.

[@Cool750Boy]

Heard of this game years ago for the PS Vita and for the PS4 and played the updated plus version on PS4. Loved this game and glad to see more people are getting a chance to enjoy it now.

[@jakisz]

Two things I want to say. 1) The title is a lie. I've played this game, and I love it. I'm currently working through my third playthrough. Really hard finding all of those Friend Notes. 2) Shio Takahata is one of my personal favorite video game characters. He is what I would picture Kazuma Kiryu to be if he went to high school. I'm actually working on a cosplay of him. Having trouble finding a wig his hair size. But, yea, I love this game.

[@Cool750Boy]

Yeah you and me both. Played this game years ago to completion and loved every minute of it.

[@monkeydluffy5054]

This game is one i barely heard of anywhere but does look interesting to try out

[@Raximus3000]

If you like Ys and Legend of heroes. Plus there is a small cameo, lol.

[@RevHancock]

This game taught me how much I care about front lag in beat-em-ups. Sora was a permanent party member just because of how fast she hit

[@TheGamingShelf]

She's probably my favorite as well :)

[@tocs777]

Agreed and I built her up she was my most powerful character.

[@djanime2016]

This is game that introduced me to the trails games. I love this game alot.

[@RavenousSpectre]

I remember when I scored the CE on ps4 for 60 bucks I think it wasthat came with the statue and everything.

[@jhonaker76]

I played and reviewed this game back on the PSVita, and totally didn’t realize (or recall) it was developed by Falcom. Glad to finally have a physical copy of it.

[@whitewolf3051]

The Vita version didn’t have the side missions for other characters, but lacked ability to decorate the main character’s room. As for English voice acting, there’s section where the character reads in English. It works text wise so you understand what they’re saying since they normally speak Japanese. It would not work if they’re trying to speak English if they had been speaking English the whole time. As for the school aspect, like Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel, this is Persona lite. Persona games seem to have you go to class each day, and do activities before going home, then to study at home. This game has you in class one day a month, not any studying, and this is already budget version of Cold Steel. Cold Steel has you in class one day, do free day activities around town or school another day, and practice at the field one more day, so three days at school, but again not any studying.

[@hxntaiguy3318]

Just got the game on the ps5 and the games been fun so far, really enjoy the social element of talking to my friends, classmates, and people in town to fill up their character sheets, plus I alwsys liked cosmetics in games that show up on the characters, so the outfits are cool bonus for me.

[@Evanz111]

I remember loving the gameplay and feeling like the game was a cross between Ys 8 and Trails of Cold Steel games. However the lack of an English dub and the sheer amount of dialogue put me off playing more. Is it front heavy? Like does the gameplay feel better paced after the first few hours?

[@awakenedcrowl]

The story might be a bit "clishée" at times, but this game, with all that makes it tick, single-handedly got me back into JRPGs after giving up on them for a while. And, I'll be real... what actually made me look into the game was Asuka on the Steam Banner. I just thought she looked cute. In my defense, I wasn't yet an adult when that happened either. Anyway, thanks to Asuka for getting me back into JRPGs! Here's hoping it actually gets a sequel, like the devs have teased multiple times.

[@jclosed2516]

There will be a sequel. As a matter of fact, it's in the making right now. Falcom has said that, just in this first game, a junior developer team is working on it. The reason is that Falcom likes to see what new ideas will come out that fresh batch of developers (of course some more experienced developers are mixed in, but the main cast will be the juniors). And don't be ashamed by liking Asuka. As a gamer "veteran" that has played a lot of JRPG's (including, of course all Falcom games, new and old, and all GUST games, like the Atelier Series and Blue Reflection series), I fully understand the appeal Asuka offers.🙂

[@ENDIR0451]

I'm completely unashamed to say that this is one of my favorite games I've played. I love these characters, and the arcs they go through.

[@John_Alter]

I played and purchased this game 3 times already. I was following this game when it was announced in Japan and when it was finally released in English, got the Limited Edition for my PS Vita. Played it again for the extra content when the ex+ was released for PS4. Got the game again on Steam sale and replayed it on my ROG Ally since it has issues playing on my Steam Deck.

[@Sergito800]

I got Tokyo: Xanadu ages ago on a Steam sale, maybe now is the time to play it! But first i need to finish my Ironman run of Mechanicus!

[@thereitisdude]

Might be a hot take but in terms of looks Tokyo Xanadu, a game released back in 2015 for PS Vita, is on par with modern Pokemon games if not better

[@hoihoi13]

I’m playing it today on ps4, i didn’t feel the graphics are very dated.. on par with the recent trails and Ys games

[@uppernimbus]

You've sold me on the electro-pop! And that skateboard mini-game looks like so much fun, so I'll definitely be grabbing this one for Switch!

[@TheGamingShelf]

I hope you have a blast with it! Just to be clear: the skateboarding mini game ain't no Tony Hawk but it's fun for a little while lol.

[@uppernimbus]

@@TheGamingShelf My body is ready 😎

[@slam-zany]

I actually haven’t played this yet so I came you’re way to get your thoughts. I paused at 28 seconds in just to say you’ve already sold me on it. Thank you haha.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Haha excellent! I hope you enjoy the game 😄

[@RPGStory]

I remember giving this a go back when it was on what was once known as PlayStation Now then it got removed and completely forgot about it. Since I'm getting into Trails and Ys I'll need to return to this too.

[@femtrooper]

I think you’ve sold me, Taylor! Awesome review! I think it’s worth trying for sure!

[@TheGamingShelf]

Yay! And don't worry, the school stuff is not that big of a deal :) I know you hate that stuff haha.

[@DommoDommo]

Going throught Eternights right now, this could be a good time after that one I reckon.

[@TheGamingShelf]

They're very similar games! Eternights is great though. Enjoy it.

[@shelterfromcold8620]

Tentacles...

[@d_shuffles]

As a big Trails fan I recognized that HUD design before anything haha. I have to check this one out!

[@NeoSonicStrike]

I played this gem a few months ago back on the PS4, one of the best soundtracks I've heard in an action RPG game since Ys9.

[@scoutisabelle]

This is an awesome game. The characters are great and the combat feels powerful. Loved it.

[@CaptVitaGamer]

The first Falcom game I've ever played. This game didn't only got me into Trails but also Persona 4 Golden. Bought this on Limited Edition on the time it was released back in June 2017 on the PS Vita, like a graduation present for myself. 😅

[@DevilRaptorB]

gata loves all the trails easter eggs, Falcom really is an underrated company, I wish Arc System would make a fighting game with it's characters

[@redstratus97]

With the release of this on Switch, the PS4 version has come down in price and is more available in the local used game stores. I got the PS4 version used for $20 US. The physical game is in my backlog now. Thanks for this review. As a JRPG fan I hope that I like it.

[@shoked99]

Will definitely be re-buying this on Switch. PS4 one is in my backlog and since that won't be patched with the new stuff, this is the one to get. Thanks for the review.

[@ruinerdown1614]

This game worth the play on the music alone

[@ahmadmanga]

"Boxes to break..." Good!!! I'm not the only one!

[@KingofBattle8174]

I have the Platinum for this one for the Vita version. 3 playthroughs, and 150s were well worth it.

[@sixsixjd]

This was completely off my radar. Might need to play it now

[@TheGamingShelf]

Happy to help!

[@JuliaSin]

Its a shame falcom didnt dub this, this could be their third pillar. Its different enough from both trails and ys but had the charm the other two games have. The english dub would have helped..but still such a great game

[@johnwillhite1723]

I DID NOT skip this game since I got mine on PS4. I was glad that I decided to give it try.

[@ogjalena]

Oh! someone’s actually talking about this game! I’ve had it since the physical ps4 re-release a few years ago. It’s fun, but at least it focuses on the part that had the best polish on, the combat. Fun game, but probably never seeing another one sadly. Would like to see one with an even more fleshed out story, with some voice acted cutscenes (Ys has some at least… in English).

[@jclosed2516]

Wrong! There is another Tokyo Xanadu in the making right now. Just like this game it will be developed by a team of fresh developers at Falcom. More details are not given, but that a Tokyo Xanadu 2 is underway is certain.

[@ogjalena]

@@jclosed2516 cool, hopefully it actually comes out…. Unlike a certain other game that missed the release date last year (as of now).

[@Fender178]

I love this game as well. I and I still hoping for a sequel. I played and beat this game several times already.

[@WimzorTheGreat]

Sequel is in the works.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Sequel was announced :D

[@Fender178]

@@TheGamingShelf That's awesome to hear. and I hope it is just as awesome as the 1st game.

[@Arizona-ex5yt]

I beat it recently. It’s about a 6/10. A shade above average. The combat and level design isn’t as good as Ys but it’s serviceable. And the writing and characters/social links are not nearly as memorable as Persona. The characters are a real weakness- so bland. If you’ve gone through the Ys and Persona series then it’s fine to check out. The music is very good.

[@frostb1041]

I was lucky AF, the physical copy of the English version of this game is extremely rare where I am and I got one of the few last copies of it

[@tocs777]

Oh no I didn’t miss this (atleast till I discovered it on ps4 5 years ago.) I loved it so much I played through it 3 times in a row to platinum. Strongly recommend too!

[@ToABrighterFuture]

2:03 You didn't get to the reveal, did you?

[@Priomful]

Falcom's younger devs are cooking up something within the franchise I hear. You might be getting even more soon.

[@rmgb-tv]

I finally played through it about 3 months ago. Fun combat, great soundtrack, and a good set of characters. Not Persona league, but still very good.

[@hoihoi13]

Funny enough I just picked it earlier last month and found your video about it, I thought no one else is playing this in 2024! For me this is a Ys+trails+persona game which is surprisingly enjoyable, although a bit on a long side? I just beat chapter 5 and it called for an intermission and I was like what? Only half?😂 I started this game together with Ys9 and for the same duration I have already beaten Ys9..

[@rodelcorton8815]

I already have, played, finished and platinumed it on both ps vita and ps4 i will probably buy this on sale or a 2nd hand just to fill my switch collection

[@WolfPhoenix0]

I played the OG Tokyo Xanadu back on the PS Vita many years ago and really enjoyed it. Definitely excited to check out what extra content got put into the Ex+ version.

[@whitewolf3051]

By OG Tokyo Xanadu, do you mean the localized version, or did you import the original Japanese version before getting the localized version? I kind of did the latter myself, and will be getting the Switch version soon.

[@WolfPhoenix0]

@@whitewolf3051 The localized version.

[@Mr_Red.25]

There's a time i was wondering if this game going to be released on switch and very happy that it happens, bought the game on steam but can't play the game on my pc without having backpain because sitting for to long, now i can play the game while lying on my bed

[@tubadude07]

started a save file a couple of years ago. May have to get back on it.

[@TheGamingShelf]

You should finish it! It only gets better as it goes on.

[@SoresuMaster]

I just wish it was dubbed man. I'm holding out for the PS5 version closer to Xanadu 2

[@Orchestruction]

You started this video by calling it Ys meets Persona so I added it to my list right then.

[@whitewolf3051]

More like Ys meets Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel, which is Persona lite. Persona games seem to have you go to school each school day and study, as well as do club activities if any. This and Cold Steel, less days in school, not much studying or club activities. This game, one day a month in school, Cold Steel, maybe two or three days.

[@Orchestruction]

@whitewolf3051 this only makes it better

[@TheGamingShelf]

Hell yeah :)

[@snowenn]

This game has been in my backlog for several years now. I've been kinda afraid to start it. I bought it via GoG and I usually play 2D games on my laptop, so controls have never really been an issue. Untill I tried a 3D game and the camera controls were somewhere on the keyboard instead of on the mouse, while you had to press the mouse button to initiate combat with a pre-emtive strike. Well, that sucked, that lasted for about 20 minutes before I gave up. So now I'm kinda scared to start any 3D games on my laptop, and connecting a controller tot GoG seems complicated. So someone please tell me I'm an idiot because Falcom PC ports seem to generally work well. I've played the Trails in the Sky trilogy and several of the older Ys games without any problems.

[@akemal07]

cant wait for new tokyo xanadu

[@sageoftruth]

Regarding the non-combat part of the game, I have a question that always comes up when there's a Persona comparison. Does the game give you a finite amount of time for these non-combat activities (days, periods, etc)? That's pretty much a key part of what made that engaging for me in Perosona. I've played games that tried to incorporate Persona-like elements, like building relationships, but because time for side activities was infinite, it just became a pointless grind of watching cutscenes and playing minigames. Every activity in the late Persona games had weight to it, because you didn't have the in-game time to do everything, so I'm curious to know if this game has that as well.

[@ShawnWilsonPrime]

i got this game on steam of less than $3 on a sale once. HELL YEAH!!!!

[@DanteCrowlley]

We have Persona at home

[@TheGamingShelf]

lol basically

[@darkknight32920]

This is the first and only game I completed 100% on my Vita. Good times.

[@chrisdiokno5600]

I remember playing this on PS4

[@Demi-kid]

Every mini game gets a quart of some kind.

[@RooksGamingCorner]

Bought this game on your recommendation, and it was... fine. I enjoyed my time with it but i feel like you overhype it all the time.

[@TheGamingShelf]

At least you gave it a try! What did you not like about it?

[@ENDIR0451]

Maybe consider that it's not Taylor's job to help you delineate your personal taste? He clearly has a taste for camp in his JRPGs, considering all his other favorites in the genre.

[@RooksGamingCorner]

​@bigumamitaste I'm only commenting because I feel expectation is important when dealing with AA games like this. Going in thinking this is the "best JRPG you've never played" is setting the player up for disappointment, especially if they paid full price for it. Like I said I thought it was decent, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish I had waited for a sale to buy it.

[@RooksGamingCorner]

​@@TheGamingShelfI really liked the story and characters, but honestly I found the combat pretty boring and I found myself breezing through the dungeons without any real challenge. I hope my comment didn't come off as antagonistic, I've really enjoyed your other recommendations like the Ys series.

[@FLIK510]

7:24 Just looks old? Fuck do I hate modern fans whiny ass obsession's with "grafix"

[@Shinky]

No english voice acting always bothers me so much, it feels like a half localization. That being said I'm kind of interested in this game. I might have to break out the PS4 copy

[@KisekiFan]

Honestly this game wasn't bad but combat is not good as Ys and story telling is not as good as Trails but overall it's still not a bad game. I found this game while going through the Trails series after Cold Steel and that was when it was just localized, the Cold Steel 2 Easter egg only hyped me more about CS2 since CS ended on a cliffhanger.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Hard to argue. Not as good as either but a fun game nonetheless.

[@Nightshroud2400]

Of course I played it and I loved it.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Hell yeah :D

[@jbirzer]

If you are a PC player, you can get this game for pretty cheap. Personally, I kinda got stuck at a fight and haven't gotten back to it.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Yeah on PC I'm sure it's dirt cheap and people have modded it to hell and back.

[@UnDeAdTaKsU]

I love this game so much!

[@all-fiction3305]

I played a couple hours of this but found the combat slow compared to Ys and dropped it. Maybe if I get free time again I'll try again 🤔

[@TheGamingShelf]

Ys is definitely better combat-wise, also you'll get more characters that have very different combat styles that you might gel with better.

[@xenosaga8436]

Is that supposed to be the same Towa from the Trails games? She looks and acts the same in both series.

[@yass3425]

I saw you mentioning it severely time so I will try it soon Not really a fan of school life and social aspects tho lol

[@TheGamingShelf]

The school aspects are very limited in this game. Honestly it’s mostly about the dungeon crawling.

[@KnightCrown]

It didn't hook me😢

[@R3GARnator]

I wish I had got to play it with the re-done localization. The writing seemed really terrible when I played it, even if the combat and dungeons were excellent. Bad writing is an enjoyment killer for RPGs. But basically, expect a Power Rangers plot.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Fair enough!

[@jclosed2516]

I think they must bring that re-done localization to the older games (like the PC version). Especially now a Tokyo Xanadu 2 is in the works, I think it would be very smart to "pimp up" the existing versions and maybe attract some new players.

[@brandonsclips7741]

Oh you just mention that lol Kinda wish they could have included an English Voice cast option as I'd be cool to include for those who want it, and a neat new option for someone like me who's retuning for a 3rd time, as I think 50$ is a little steep for basically nothing new, but it is what it is.

[@whitewolf3051]

How would English voice acting work in the section where one of the characters reads, there for speaks, in English? Having it in Japanese with English text so we can understand them is the only option here.

[@brandonsclips7741]

@whitewolf3051 Dubs get around that all the time, it wouldn't be that big of an issue. Didn't get it either way, just a little disappointed nothing new was added for a 3rd re-release

[@AzureFenris]

Fucking loved this game, it was insane!!!!

[@karmenion]

it took me over 100 hours to beat the game first time but I did everything the way I used to play jrpg, talked to all npc and made sure I exausted all their dialogues(this game made me quit doing that because of how exausting and time wating it is)

[@hoihoi13]

I am playing it and after chapter 5 now they are calling this intermission! I’m like, how long is this game?!

[@A.Hanson]

I had this on PS4 and... I really wanted to love it. The problem with this game is that it seems lazy. The developers could have just used the trails combat system and it would have been amazing but they didn't bother to do that and the lack of proper turn based combat that really lets you use your party members drags the game down.

[@dave7886]

seeing that it's on vita explains everything

[@Syndur]

The subject is wrong -- I *have* played it :-) Also, if you talk to the characters around town, you'll find they have their own lives, and might also react to things happening, especially later when things become a bit more "public". Even the fact that some of them show up at the eve of a major battle is kind of foreshadowed by this... And I do disagree about the side stories -- I did like them :-) In case you didn't know, they were added later -- they are not in the original PS-Vita release, and added as the "Ex+" along with the post game story. Which is also why they run into stuff that's not connected to the main story, and doesn't show up in the real game until the postgame...

[@TheGamingShelf]

Awesome! Happy to hear you've played it :D

[@ShenBinhao]

1st time hearing the game’s name.. 😂 I’ll wait for sale then

[@jasonhubbard6775]

The best JRPG I've never played? I aim to correct that soon ... on PS4.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Fair enough :)

[@pumpkinnight6557]

Should I get this or Y's 8? 🎃

[@Arizona-ex5yt]

Ys 8 absolutely! It’s a masterpiece, and the best game in the series. Tokyo Xanadu is fine but not on the same level.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Honestly...Ys 8. While I love Tokyo Xanadu, Ys 8 is definitely the better game overall.

[@parksjl3]

😊👍

[@marvelouspino98]

This game needs a pc release

[@TheGamingShelf]

It has one :)

[@raulrojas9253]

I rather recommend Ys 8 instead. The game is way too dated and the music while good, it has this feeling of "I ve heard this before" and yeah, since is Falcom. Ys X is almost around the corner so maybe wait and see? if you have the income to waste then go ahead. But if Persona fans wants to play more games then the clear choice is to jump Into Shin Megami tensei instead.

[@TheGamingShelf]

I hear you, but I feel like SMT is not really the same thing. Persona has all the social sim elements which SMT has none of.

[@MJ-oi6ul]

This is literally trails of cold steel lol

[@matthewbraith0411]

No I didn't, you missed it not me :)

[@irkanorphyn]

Still on the fence

[@TheGamingShelf]

What's keeping you there? Any questions I can answer?

[@FieryAnubis]

Skipping it lmao

[@NYXCafe.Indonesia]

Its obviously underwhelming

[@fildzadzikriseifalegendary5806]

more like a masterpiece of shit to me.