Games Beaten 2017

[prfsnl_gmr]

Man...an argument about Xanadu Next's place in Nihon Falcom's Dragon Slayer series is some really serious nerd sh*t.

[TSTR]

[Exhuminator]

some really serious nerd sh*t

[BoneSnapDeez]

There's the "core" Dragon Slayer series by Yoshio Kiya...

And then there are additional games that exist in the larger Dragon Slayer "universe", which also includes Dragon Slayer Gaiden, Faxanadu, Mona² (Monarch Monarch), Xanadu Next, and others. Simple as that.

Nice review, Ex. Falcom is king.

[Xeogred]

Sounds a lot cooler than Y's to me. Just not sure about that clicking combat. lol

[Exhuminator]

Sounds a lot cooler than Y's to me. Just not sure about that clicking combat. lol

There's an option in the CFG menu to enable one click auto-attack. As in, once you click on an enemy to attack them, the character continues to attack until you let go of the button. I turned this on in a hurry, because clicking over and over to swing my sword was not great.

The combat system complexity is definitely deeper than any Ys game. Which can be seen as a plus or a minus, given the player.

[marurun]

Xanadu was an actual Dragon Slayer series title. Next is an honorary entry, which means it wasn't so much intended or designed as part of the series but was included in name alone later. And you yourself call it a spiritual sequel, but spiritual sequels are not actual sequels.

Not sure that there's anything to argue, here. The blurb Pierrot translated seems pretty straightforward.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Related games have a way of "becoming" sequels over time, regardless of what was "intended" initially. Was Frenzy ever actually marketed as a sequel to Berzerk? Was Illusion of Gaia supposed to be the sequel to Soul Blazer? And so on. Game titles are notorious for being confusing and unclear, especially when localization is involved, and we tend to link games that share similar aesthetics and mechanics, regardless of whether or not they "should" be connected. Personally, I like to be as inclusive as possible. So, for example, if you want to experience everything that the world of Dragon Slayer has to offer then, yes, definitely check out Xanadu Next.

[marurun]

For post hoc purposes you are right, but I like the idea that the only true entries were those with Kiya-san's involvement and that the Dragon Slayer series is, at its core, a tribute to him.

[Exhuminator]

if you want to experience everything that the world of Dragon Slayer has to offer then, yes, definitely check out Xanadu Next.

Exactly. When Falcom's own official website says Xanadu Next is part of the Dragon Slayer series, there's really nothing left to argue.