Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu

Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu was released in Japan in 1985 for four different systems: NEC PC-8801, Sharp X1, Fujitsu FM-7, and MSX. The game is in English language, although all ports and remakes were released in Japan only. The next year (1986) an expansion pack was released, titled Xanadu Scenario II: Resurrection of the Dragon.

Despite being officially labeled as a role-playing game, it lacks completely any form of dialogue with non-playable characters or any text (except for shops). Therefore, it is better classified as an Action-adventure game.

This game had a clear influence on the first Legend of Zelda, released two years later. The familiar player can easily recognize several gameplay elements, e.g. several items and the basic structure of the dungeons.

Historical background
In 1797, the British poet Samuel Coleridge wrote (at age 26) the poem "Kubla Khan". The link with the historical emperor Kublai Khan and his city Xanadu is just in the name.

The following is an excerpt from Coleridge's poem; if you replace Alph, the sacred river, with the hero of Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu, the correspondence is apparent:


 *  In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure-dome decree: where Alph, the sacred river, ran through caverns measureless to man down to a sunless sea. [...] But oh! That deep romantic chasm that slanted down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover! A savage place! As holy and enchanted as ever beneath a waning moon was haunted by woman wailing for her demon lover! [...] Five miles meandering with a mazy motion through wood and dale the sacred river ran, then reached the caverns measureless to man, and sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean [...]

Expansion packs, remakes, and sequels
In 1986, one year after the release of Xanadu, an expansion pack was released. It was titled Scenario II: Resurrection of the Dragon. It featured a whole new quest, with 12 floors and new dungeons, but also new gameplay elements. Two faithful remakes were published in 1995 and 1997, but they included "Scenario 1" only.

Although one would expect the opposite, the MSX port is graphically superior to the MSX2 one.

Sequels:
 * Faxanadu (proper role-playing game for the NES)
 * Revival Xanadu 2 Remix (new version of Scenario II, with completely different world and dungeons)
 * Xanadu Next (three-dimensional graphics)