Xanadu

ザナドゥ (Zanadu)PC-98, Other, MSX, MSX2 +31985

  1. JP1985
  2. NA—
  3. EU—
  4. RU—

Xanadu is known in Japan as ザナドゥ (Zanadu) and in English also as Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II; it is not the same game as Hudson's Faxanadu for the Famicom. The newest release is EGG Console Xanadu PC-8801mkIISR, an emulated original for Nintendo Switch released in Japan in December 2023.

Xanadu is an action RPG released by Nihon Falcom in 1985 as the second game in the Dragon Slayer series, designed by Yoshio Kiya. It debuted on the PC-8801 and quickly appeared on the Sharp X1, PC-9801 and FM-7, followed by MSX2 and MSX versions in 1987. The game sold about 400,000 copies in Japan, a record for a Japanese PC game.

It mixes side-scrolling exploration with overhead battles and tracks the hero's karma. Richard Garriott and Origin Systems sued Falcom over Ultima III artwork shown in the game; the case was settled out of court and the art was changed. The Scenario II expansion of 1986 features music by Yuzo Koshiro, which came from a demo tape he sent to Falcom at the age of 18.

Xanadu's name lived on beyond the computer versions: Hudson's Famicom game Faxanadu (1987) was licensed from Falcom but has entirely different content, and Toei Animation produced a 1988 OVA, Xanadu: The Legend of Dragon Slayer.12

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
JP ザナドゥSharp X1 (the game was developed on the X1turbo) Other Nov 3, 1985 Nihon Falcom 1
JP ザナドゥ PC-98 Nov 21, 1985 Nihon Falcom 2
JP ザナドゥPC-8801 / PC-8801mkII SR. Japanese Wikipedia infobox gives 21 Nov 1985, while a cited source and English Wikipedia give 27 Oct 1985. Other 1985 Nihon Falcom 2
JP ザナドゥFM-7/77 Other Jan 7, 1986 Nihon Falcom 2
JP ザナドゥ シナリオII The Resurrection of DragonXanadu Scenario II expansion; needs the original disk Other Oct 1, 1986 Nihon Falcom 2
JP ザナドゥROM cartridge MSX Nov 6, 1987 Nihon Falcom 2
JP ザナドゥJapanese Wikipedia: 21 Feb 1987; English Wikipedia: April 1987 MSX2 1987 Nihon Falcom 2
JP リバイバル ザナドゥRemake with new graphics and FM music PC-98 1995 Nihon Falcom 2
JP ファルコムクラシックスCompilation with Dragon Slayer and Ys; Xanadu close to Revival Xanadu Saturn Nov 6, 1997 — 2
JP ザナドゥWindows port by Unbalance; not compatible with Windows XP Windows Dec 4, 1998 アンバランス 2
JP 完全復刻版ザナドゥEmulated PC-8801mkIISR version (Project EGG emulator) Windows Aug 30, 2002 Nihon Falcom 2
JP DragonSlayer CHRONICLE Windows Jun 15, 2012 D4 Enterprise 2
JP EGGコンソール ザナドゥ PC-8801mkIISREmulated PC-8801mkIISR version Switch Dec 14, 2023 — 2

Also known as: Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II1Zanadu JP1完全復刻版ザナドゥ JP2リバイバル ザナドゥ JP2

Box art by region

  • ザナドゥ box art, Japan release
    JP ザナドゥ

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: Wikipedia.

Version differences

  • AudioPC-8801PC-8801mkII SR

    The first PC-8801 release plays only beeper sound and ignores FM boards; the SR version plays its music through FM sound.2

  • GraphicsMSX2

    The MSX2 version halves the horizontal resolution, simplifies the interface and shortens item names.2

  • AudioMSX (ROM)

    The 1987 MSX cartridge has more music tracks, better controls in battles and boss fights, and saves to SRAM or tape.2

All differences (5)

Reception

Xanadu sold over 400,000 copies in Japan in 1985, a record for a computer game, and in 2005 Falcom said no Japanese PC RPG had beaten it.1

In lists

Sources

  1. 1en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2ja.wikipedia.org
  3. 3ja.wikipedia.org

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

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