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[Pellegri Testament]

Voice acting frequency feels like 15-20% of all text so far for those who wonder.

Makes it even easier for localization considering they likely wouldn't be able to use the Japanese audio since it's a Falcom game.

 

[Parakeetman]

Man Im so sad that Towa isnt a playable character. D:

 

[Hasemo]

Circle is for standard attacks.

Square is for ranged while on the ground.

Jump + Square = Aerial dash attack

Holding down Square = Charge attack.

X = Jump

Triangle = Switch Partner

The aerial and charge attack you learn from story progression. Pretty early on in the game so its not like you have to wait long to gain access to those skills.

Seeing how "Hard" mode is, Normal must be a total roflstomp. Since Hard feels more like Normal mode lol wtf.

Don't forget about:
Dpad right - switching in the support partner
L+R - super attack
Dpad down - X-whatever which gives you unlimited specials, regenerating health etc.

As for the difficulty, most Falcom games are really easy at the beginning, but can get a bit frustrating near the end and to be honest I don't mind the current difficulty level.
While I haven't been in real danger yet, some camera problems can make fights with multiple enemies a bit frustrating tbh.

 

[Parakeetman]

Don't forget about:
Dpad right - switching in the support partner
L+R - super attack
Dpad down - X-whatever which gives you unlimited specials, regenerating health etc.

As for the difficulty, most Falcom games are really easy at the beginning, but can get a bit frustrating near the end and to be honest I don't mind the current difficulty level.
While I haven't been in real danger yet, some camera problems can make fights with multiple enemies a bit frustrating tbh.

I just put up the general stuff. Didnt want to bother with the rest of the commands. If you want to be a walking tutorial feel free. lol

Yeah do not like the camera work / lock on system in general. Thankfully Monster Hunter has me attuned to dealing with things like that so performing actions when I cant see shit isnt that big of a deal, though yeah its still irritating D:

 

[Hasemo]

I just put up the general stuff. Didnt want to bother with the rest of the commands. If you want to be a walking tutorial feel free. lol

Yeah do not like the camera work / lock on system in general. Thankfully Monster Hunter has me attuned to dealing with things like that so performing actions when I cant see shit isnt that big of a deal, though yeah its still irritating D:

I wouldn't mind the camera/lock on so much if most of the action (so far) didn't take place in very small rooms and tight corridors. It's the wall collisions that make it annoying.

 

[Parakeetman]

I wouldn't mind the camera/lock on so much if most of the action (so far) didn't take place in very small rooms and tight corridors. It's the wall collisions that make it annoying.

Yeah agree with that there. I know I got hit a few times by the 3rd boss thanks to that, esp with the kind of move set it has didnt help...

Thats one thing in general with a lot of third person action games is camera / lockon issues.

 

[Hasemo]

During my lunch break at work I mostly played with various minigames.
So far, the following are available:

Spoiler

- Skateboarding
- Fishing
- BLADE
- Whac-a-mole

There's also an arcade machine for

Spoiler

POM!

, so I'm guessing that one will be unlocked later.

They're not half bad, although I think I preferred snowboarding in Sen. Getting medals (which can be exchanged for items) in anything else than the last game listed in the spoiler doesn't seem to be easy, because how much they depend on luck.

 

[Sitrus]

I've to say, the 3rd boss on hard was great! Now I really need to switch to nightmare. If this is how the bosses will be from now on, I can relax while waiting for Ys 8 to come.

 

[Parakeetman]

I've to say, the 3rd boss on hard was great! Now I really need to switch to nightmare. If this is how the bosses will be from now on, I can relax while waiting for Ys 8 to come.

Yeah the third boss did decent damage if it hits you. So it actually felt like hard mode for once lol

 

[thetrin]

Done the first two dungeons, And I'm really enjoying it, but I do feel the game leans too much towards the Tokyo life stuff. Wish the dungeons were 90% and the Tokyo life stuff was 10%. I guess thats what people want now!

Ah well, I'm still enjoying it.

 

[Parakeetman]

Done the first two dungeons, And I'm really enjoying it, but I do feel the game leans too much towards the Tokyo life stuff. Wish the dungeons were 90% and the Tokyo life stuff was 10%. I guess thats what people want now!

Ah well, I'm still enjoying it.

Yeah seems like it. I suppose thats what Nayuta no Kiseki was. Granted game is a bit different.

Though does feel that they were going for the "School Life" side of things harder, do agree that would have appreciated it a bit more if there was a better balance between the two. I suppose my saving grace is that once am in free roam mode I can go back to the previous dungeons any time I want when I need to punch shit lol. As Sora is perfect for what I wanted out of a H2H character in a game like this.

 

[Hasemo]

I just finished chapter 4. To be honest as much as I like the idea that you can go back to previous dungeons, the experience gains are much better in the new ones and I've yet to not have materials which I can only get in early dungeons.
So far quests are the only reason to go back and even then you just blaze through everything because the monsters are much lower level than you.

As for the dungeons themselves, the Famitsu reviewer was right - they aren't getting more complicated, only longer. I have some good news for people worried about the construction of the team because of the weaknesses (game system spoiler, not story related) -

Spoiler

Kou is special and can change the element of his weapon

.

On the bright side, end dungeon bosses are getting a bit harder and gimmicky, which is a cool thing, because they start to feel like Ys bosses.

I second thetrin though, I wish that dungeons were a bigger part of the game, and I don't mean "being able to grind in them if I want", just the ratio of action vs. talking and running around.

All that said, I'm really enjoying my time with the game.

 

[threelights]

Hmm. Idk, by the marketing I always thought it would be more Persona-like in terms of the split (maybe a 50-50 split at most between town-dungeons).

If they did the town part right (which I'm guessing they did, because Falcom is not the best at stories, but they are very good at world building), then I'm okay with it. It's what I expected...

Sad to see the dungeons are not too good though >.>, at least the bosses get better...

 

[Finalow]

I like the OT, really nice.

why did I buy this from play-asia again. fucking customs, I'll get the game in weeks if I'm lucky, I'm afraid.

anyhow, is anyone playing on nightmare and if so, how is it? I was planning on starting with that difficulty if it isn't really really hard.
also how ''hard'' is the japanese in this game, for example - compared to kiseki? I think I'll struggle a bit with my poor knowledge of Kanji™.

 

[Parakeetman]

I like the OT, really nice.

why did I buy this from play-asia again. fucking customs, I'll get the game in weeks if I'm lucky, I'm afraid.

anyhow, is anyone playing on nightmare and if so, how is it? I was planning on starting with that difficulty if it isn't really really hard.
also how ''hard'' is the japanese in this game, for example - compared to kiseki? I think I'll struggle a bit with my poor knowledge of Kanji™.

Thanks!

Its generally on the same level as Kiseki games Id say. Though lots of the dialog and whatnots is what you would expect from a game set in the modern day.

Seeing as Hard mode feels like Normal mode. If you want a challenge might as well go start from Nightmare and see what happens lol.

 

[Fhoenix]

Complicated dungeons would be annoying if you wanted to maintain a high chain/have a low completion time. But yeah a bigger/more complex dungeon part would be nice. I am spending something like 5 hours in the city and twenty minutes in a dudgeon. And I really like the city part, but without a solid adventuring part the game feels a little hollow. Still, I like the city, I like the characters.

Dark Prince Rin and Magical Girl Alice made me smile. Also, high level fishing is big stinking medal sink -_-

 

[Finalow]

complaining on gaf worked, game arrived today. flabbergasted

I did however pay something like $40 for the customs alone. = |
I don't remember where, maybe play-asia, but I'm sure there was a ''gift option'' that was able to prevent the pack from being blocked by customs. maybe I should look that up for the next import.

anyway, starting the game tonight on nightmare.

 

[Parakeetman]

complaining on gaf worked, game arrived today. flabbergasted

I did however pay something like $40 for the customs alone. = |
I don't remember where, maybe play-asia, but I'm sure there was a ''gift option'' that was able to prevent the pack from being blocked by customs. maybe I should look that up for the next import.

anyway, starting the game tonight on nightmare.

Oh man ouch on that customs price. D:

Hope you enjoy the game! Yeah if you wanted higher difficulty most def Nightmare would be where its at with how easy Hard seems to be lol.

 

[Shengar]

Maybe you just really unlucky that your package getting picked up by a customs officer.
This is why customs office sucks.

 

[Hasemo]

Uh, the last dungeon in chapter 5 was my first A, but the thing was so long and had such annoying gimmicks, that I don't think I'm going to bother Sing it if I don't need it for a quest...

 

[Choomp]

Game looks awesome. Hopefully it gets localized, seems to be something that can fill my Vita void for a while.

 

[Hasemo]

Chapter 6 was long, but quite enjoyable. At least dungeons weren't as annoying as those in ch5.

By the way, you get more freedom after chapter 5 (game system, non-story spoiler) -

Spoiler

every character except for Kou (who can change his element freely) gets a secondary element which they can change to

. Helps a lot, since I really dislike using certain characters.

 

[Fhoenix]

I am still in chapter 4. Doing my old talk-to-everybody-in-a-falcom-game routine. Also fishing. Lots of fishing.

Don't have any characters I dislike. Although I guess Asuka's move set is kind of bland. The most annoying thing is switching equip between members.

Have a question to whoever finishes the game first. How is the ending? Does it resolve everything? Because at the pace it is going it feels like it's going to be another duology. There are things it the background such as

Spoiler

the great war fifty years ago ravaging Tokyo, giant mechs guarding the border, orbal network and the Zodiak group

hinting that the setting may be radically different from current day Tokyo. Yet roughly at the middle point of the game nothing at all is explained and I only have half the party.

 

[Sitrus]

Every time Sora speaks, I always hear Ion from Ciel Nosurge xD

Just finished chapter 5. Dungeons are really simple so far, but it works if you just want to breeze through it to farm materials. I don't really have a character I particularly dislike.

 

[Finalow]

I see that there are trophies like ''finish all quests, get all the treasure chests'' etc., any idea if some of them are missable?

 

[Parakeetman]

I see that there are trophies like ''finish all quests, get all the treasure chests'' etc., any idea if some of them are missable?

Id imagine missing some of the quests are possible, since once you leave the free time mode, any unfinished quests go with it. (game also warns you about this with the tutorial text) This is for the requests that you can look up on your phone. The game at least confirms with you that you will be leaving free time if you advance the main story / quest.

 

[Kysen]

I see that there are trophies like ''finish all quests, get all the treasure chests'' etc., any idea if some of them are missable?

Yes, this is a staple from their other games. Missing a single chest throughout the whole game (sometimes 50hrs+) requires another playthrough to get. This happened to me in Celceta, LoH Zero and Sen no Kiseki. Likewise for the hidden quests, I even managed to screw that up with a guide. I did the hidden quest but didn't turn it in on time. Luckily I had an earlier save to reload.

 

[mellan_Konsten]

Have the combat evolved since the beginning(new techniques, more combos etc.) or is it more about higher numbers when you attack. How varied are the enemies in the game?

Edit: how are the levels, is it mainly coridors or are there more open areas and added verticality in the dungeons?

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Every time I see this game, it just looks so right. Can't wait for the inevitable US release.

 

[Hasemo]

I see that there are trophies like ''finish all quests, get all the treasure chests'' etc., any idea if some of them are missable?

I think it's impossible to get all final Kizuna Events in one playthrough because of how many characters there are you only have a limited amount of points to spend on those in each chapter.

 

[Parakeetman]

I think it's impossible to get all final Kizuna Events in one playthrough because of how many characters there are you only have a limited amount of points to spend on those in each chapter.

yeah tgats the other thing too. im curious as to how the game will handle a second playthrough. as would hate it if it starting all over from scratch.

 

[Sitrus]

Have the combat evolved since the beginning(new techniques, more combos etc.) or is it more about higher numbers when you attack. How varied are the enemies in the game?

Edit: how are the levels, is it mainly coridors or are there more open areas and added verticality in the dungeons?

The dungeons are mainly corridors with mostly switches to open paths, but there are also traps, status hazards like running water, lava, spikes, thorns. Vertical movement is mostly used for jumping over attacks etc.

Bosses are varied and there are some very challenging bosses here. Even though most are just pattern reading, some are almost impossible to predict. Especially the

Spoiler

last boss of chapter 5. What a great fight

.

 

[Parakeetman]

For those that can read Japanese here is a review from trustworthy JP source. Since they write about things from the stance of clearing the title, there may or may not be spoilers on in. Though they usually warn folks ahead of time. Didnt have time to look through it yet. This person is quite exceptional with playing games, which is why their play time may not be an accurate representation of the average player.

http://game.girldoll.org/tokyo-xanadu-review/

 

[Hasemo]

Spoiler-free impressions after clearing the game. Ended up being a bit review-like:

Graphic is on a similar level to Sen no Kiseki, with characters looking sharper and motions being more natural than in Falcom's previous RPG.
As for performance, which was a problem in previous games using the same engine as Tokyo Xanadu, it's much better here.
Yes, there are a few hiccups here and there, mainly during later boss attacks with effects filling the whole screen and some story scenes using fog/too many particle effects for the Vita to handle, but luckily it doesn't affect the gameplay.

I think the music in Ys games was more memorable than the tunes in TX, but I guess that's a matter of taste.

I have bad news for people expecting an action RPG focused mainly on exploring dungeons with short stops in between to socialize in Tokyo - unless you grind for materials/levels/money, exploring dungeons will take about 20-30% of your playtime.
That doesn't matter that there's only a few dungeons or that they're extremely short, the main reason are the extremely long conversations during the Tokyo part of the game. Quests sometimes also take quite a while to do and there are instances where they send you to previously explored dungeons. Since this is Falcom, almost every chapter has 1 or more hidden quests, so be sure to talk with all npcs/check the wiki to trigger them if you're aiming for a 100% completion.

Dungeons themselves aren't that long or complicated, but in the later part have some very annoying gimmicks. You are also graded on every run and if you don't mess up on every step, break all objects and kill most enemies you can with the element they're weak to, you should get an S, at least on normal. I got 2 As in the two most annoying dungeons, so I didn't bother to do them again and S in all the other ones on my first try. Some bosses were a bit hard, but none of my party members died in the whole game and I didn't have to use items until the very end, when I boosted my special bar to finish boss battles quicker.

The battle system itself isn't very complicated with a regular 3 hit combo, aerial attack, strong attack and an ability to shoot. That said, because enemies are weak to one of the elements you sometimes have to switch your party members (3 active characters at a time) multiple times during a dungeon, which adds some complexity.

The most complex part of the game is using the materia-like core system (think Orbments from Kiseki games), which allows you put spheres affecting stats and sometimes having additional effects like "50% less damage when dodging" or "automatic HP recovery". These slots must be unlocked and upgraded by using materials found in dungeons and spheres themselves can be found, bought, exchanged, and made from resources found in dungeons. Aside from slots, you'll be using your materials to level up character's passive skills, usually increasing damage of certain types of attacks.

Each character plays differently and through the game you'll be forced to used everyone, so don't leave anyone without upgrades. At least the experience is shared with members outside of the party, so there's no need to "catch up" just because you haven't used someone for a while. As for their personality and arcs, I enjoyed all of them, despite not all being exactly fun to play.

Since this is a Falcom game, most people are probably curious about the level of the story and characters. For the most part it's a typical light novel/late night anime fare (characters even joke that it feels like that) with a bits of love comedy, but while full of tropes, it's full of this special Falcom's polish, mostly showing in conversations with random NPCs and a few interesting twists.
In the later parts of the game the story picks up and reaches a satisfying conclusion. It's also self-contained, so I wouldn't expect Tokyo Xanadu 2 anytime soon.

The game is not without it's share of problems - sometimes the Tokyo parts felt like a slog, which too much talking and not enough action. While I enjoyed the story as a whole, the pacing felt a little off - this is my gripe with almost all Falcom games though, so take it as you will.
The camera should use a bit more work, although when I got used to it, it stopped being a problem except for a few boss fights when the huge enemy was too close to me and a wall.

If you're wondering about the length, getting the true ending took me 31 hours with doing most of the quests (missed a few hidden ones), all the dungeons and getting almost all my stats to maximum - I was 1 millimeter away from knowledge, must have made 1-2 mistakes too many in dialogues.

tl;dr: Tokyo Xanadu is a decent action rpg with a lot of talking, solid cast of characters and an engaging story, with pacing problems here and there. If I was to give it a grade, I'd say it's a good 4/5.

 

[Hasemo]

yeah tgats the other thing too. im curious as to how the game will handle a second playthrough. as would hate it if it starting all over from scratch.

Non-story spoiler:

Spoiler

You get 10 points for clearing the game and can use them, on stuff like transferring you money (2 pts), level (2 pts) etc.

 

[threelights]

Dang, 31 hours in such a few days? >.>

I want more time to play games again...


=P, but thanks for the review Hasemo. I stopped looking at any more footage after I saw the first hour of the game, so now I'm only reading stuff like this.

If the characters and world is as polished as Falcom is known for, then I have no problems with it being such a major part of the game. Good to know the overall story itself is also good.

Seeing that there aren't many dungeons also cements the fact that I'll be BSing my way with Sora throughout the entire game.

 

[Gu4n]

My copy arrived on Friday night after being holed up at customs for a couple of days. No charges, fortunately.

I'm currently halfway through Chapter 4 and I'm having a great time so far, though my complaints are very similar to Sen no Kiseki/Trails of Cold Steel: it's pretty formulaic, with events at school, spare time in which you complete quests and hang out with friends, more school, lots of talking, and then finally some action.

I also find it hard to get engaged with the world or other characters, even though the game keeps trying with a lot of dialogue; the school lacks the personality the school and (NPC) students in Sen had. There are some small improvements that make keeping track of all collectables/missables slightly easier, like the Shop Information tab in Niar.

Fortunately, the actual action delivers. It's relatively easy in comparison to other Falcom titels, but highly enjoyable nonetheless. Though the dungeons are fairly plain, the combat system is fantastic and the dungeon music never fails to amaze.

 

[Parakeetman]

Will be interesting to see how this does when the media create numbers comes out. Granted it was just a small selection of stores saw that it was sold out at multiple places.

For Yoru no Nai Kuni had noticed more copies of the Vita version were sold out? Unless they got PS4 restocks since launch, which is what usually happens over the weekend.

Non-story spoiler:

Spoiler

You get 10 points for clearing the game and can use them, on stuff like transferring you money (2 pts), level (2 pts) etc.

Thanks for that info, which is good to know. Since should make a second playthrough faster.

 

[Finalow]

I also remember the chests thing in Celceta, one of the reasons why I didn't get the platinum.
so there already is a wiki/guide which I could follow in order to get all the hidden quests etc.? I could still try to talk to everyone and do everything on my own but I'm not sure if that will be enough.

to be honest I was expecting this to be more Ys-esque, without having a lot of talking/dialogues like kiseki.

btw, what's the point of the skills in the profile? "wisdom", "courage" and "humanity", or something. I got more "wisdom" after I bought something, I think.

 

[Hasemo]

I also remember the chests thing in Celceta, one of the reasons why I didn't get the platinum.
so there already is a wiki/guide which I could follow in order to get all the hidden quests etc.? I could still try to talk to everyone and do everything on my own but I'm not sure if that will be enough.

to be honest I was expecting this to be more Ys-esque, without having a lot of talking/dialogues like kiseki.

btw, what's the point of the skills in the profile? "wisdom", "courage" and "humanity", or something. I got more "wisdom" after I bought something, I think.

The wiki linked earlier in the thread has all hidden quests etc., but you have to check them per chapter - http://spwiki.net/tokyoxanadu/

As for the 3 stats, each time you get a full star go talk with your grandfather in the dojo to get a reward. Stats are really important, because (endgame, non-story spoiler):

Spoiler

having 8 stars total unlocks the way to the true ending

.

 

[Fhoenix]

I don't think you can miss chests in this one. Dungeons can be revisited and each dungeon has a clear rating that includes "all chests collected". Chests refill every dungeon run btw.

Spoiler

There is only one hidden quest per chapter, but one of them is hidden very well in a location that opens for a span of one game scene in the middle of a day. You have to notice that one door in school is suddenly open.

And you have to speak to everybody all the time even more than in the previous games, because it fills your friend book.

 

[jdkluv]

Just passing by to drop this here.

Spoiler

I'm so going to get this soundtrack.

 

[Hasemo]

There is only one hidden quest per chapter

This isn't true

 

[Baron_Calamity]

Just passing by to drop this here.

Spoiler

I'm so going to get this soundtrack.

Disappointed that it does not sound like Electric Light Orchestra nor Olivia Newton John.

 

[Parakeetman]

tag that shit.

tag the second paragraph.

 

[Finalow]

The wiki linked earlier in the thread has all hidden quests etc., but you have to check them per chapter - http://spwiki.net/tokyoxanadu/

As for the 3 stats, each time you get a full star go talk with your grandfather in the dojo to get a reward. Stats are really important, because (endgame, non-story spoiler):

Spoiler

having 8 stars total unlocks the way to the true ending

.

thanks, I'll check it out. however, as long as I talk to everyone in all the chapters I shouldn't miss any quest, right? Or they are really hidden.
also what do I need to do in order to get those ''star points''?

 

[Fhoenix]

thanks, I'll check it out. however, as long as I talk to everyone in all the chapters I shouldn't miss any quest, right? Or they are really hidden.
also what do I need to do in order to get those ''star points''?

If you talk to everybody you will be fine. The problem is FINDING everybody. Some NPCs change location at non-obvious times and move to non-obvious places.

 

[Gu4n]

If you talk to everybody you will be fine. The problem is FINDING everybody. Some NPCs change location at non-obvious times and move to non-obvious places.

I remember this way the case in Chapter 3, where the swimming pool (with a hidden quest) opened after you completed two other sidequests. Also, sometimes you collect Friends' notes not through talking with those friends, but through talking with others (or through completing hidden quests).

Chapter 4 had a relatively challenging final boss fight, one that reminded me of Nayuta. The first boss was an unfortunate case of holding left and mashing square.

 

[Parakeetman]

thanks, I'll check it out. however, as long as I talk to everyone in all the chapters I shouldn't miss any quest, right? Or they are really hidden.
also what do I need to do in order to get those ''star points''?

Getting those points also should be listed in the wiki. But if you are familiar with like Persona, its a system similar to that as various events will raise the different stats. Though looking over the Wiki seems like they didnt tag everything that raises the stats? Since for example here (this is literally at the start of the game so its not something that would spoil any sort of content if you look at the information below / spoiler section is written in Japanese though)

http://spwiki.net/tokyoxanadu/wikis/21.html#wcd9212e

4月17日(&#26172

Spoiler

図書館で書籍「杜宮の風土と歴史」を入手

after obtaining it it should raise your

Spoiler

智

slightly.

 

[artsi]

I bought the game this morning and it's really scratching that Persona itch. You can see well where it got inspiration from, but I'm really positive about it.