After ten years of saying no to consoles, Falcom finally said yes — and handed the job to someone on his way out.
Nihon Falcom built its reputation entirely on PC. From 1982 to 1992, the company released over thirty games for personal computers and refused every request to develop for home consoles directly. Other companies could license Falcom's work and port it, but Falcom itself would not leave the platform it knew. Then, in March 1992, after a decade of holding the line, something shifted. Falcom announced it would develop for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM². The company chose Yoshio Kiya to lead the project — the programmer and director behind many of their most respected titles. And Kiya chose to make it his last. He left the company after The Legend of Xanadu shipped in February 1994. When you step outside what you know, it helps to send someone who already knows the way out. The game became the final entry in Falcom's Dragon Slayer series and the end of Kiya's tenure. Sometimes the person leaving is the one who can take the biggest risk — because they're already gone.
— inspired by Yoshio Kiya
About this game
The Legend of Xanadu is an action RPG released for PC Engine Super CD-ROM² in February 1994. Developed and published by Nihon Falcom, it marked the company's first self-developed console game after ten years of PC-exclusive development. Directed by Yoshio Kiya as his final project at Falcom, the game took full advantage of the CD format with voiced dialogue, expansive worlds, and a day/night cycle system.
Key Features
The Legend of Xanadu featured a day/night cycle affecting gameplay, the ability to level up armor and weapons alongside the player character, voiced dialogue utilizing the CD format, and gameplay influenced by Falcom's Ys series but with expanded mechanical depth.
The Story Behind
The Legend of Xanadu represented a watershed moment for Nihon Falcom. After establishing itself as a PC-exclusive developer from 1982 and releasing over thirty PC games, Falcom made the decision in March 1992 to develop for consoles directly rather than licensing ports to other companies. The game was directed by Yoshio Kiya, the star programmer and director behind many of Falcom's most important titles, and it became his final project at the company before he left to found his own studio. Released in February 1994, it was the eighth entry in Falcom's Dragon Slayer family and the last to bear that name.
Tricks & Tales
Composer Yuzo Koshiro, known for Streets of Rage and ActRaiser, contributed music to The Legend of Xanadu Scenario II. The game shipped in a double-wide CD-ROM case containing not only the disc but also a poster with dungeon maps and a full-color 48-page manual. Despite being a Japan-exclusive release, PC Engine CD-ROM² games have no region protection, allowing the title to play on both Japanese PC Engine and North American TurboGrafx-CD systems.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The Legend of Xanadu was released exclusively in Japan, but PC Engine CD-ROM² games have no region lock. The game runs on both Japanese PC Engine CD systems and North American TurboGrafx-CD systems without modification. All in-game text, menus, and voiced dialogue are in Japanese.
Maintenance Tips
HuCard contacts are the most common maintenance point on the PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16. The card's edge connector oxidizes over decades of storage, causing failure-to-read and graphical glitches. Cleaning with 90%+ isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab—gently wiping the gold contacts on the card itself—resolves most contact issues; stubborn oxidation responds to dedicated contact cleaners such as DeoxIT. Never blow into the card slot with your mouth, as moisture accelerates the very corrosion you are trying to remove. On systems equipped with the CD-ROM² or Super CD-ROM² add-on, the optical drive is subject to the same age-related laser and sled degradation seen in any CD system of that era; the laser assembly uses a KSS-220a-type unit on the Super CD-ROM² and replacement parts remain available.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese The Legend of Xanadu copies regularly.
Will a Japanese PC Engine CD game work on a North American TurboGrafx-CD system?
Yes. The PC Engine CD and TurboGrafx-CD are the same hardware sold under different names, and the CD-ROM² format has no region lock. A Japanese copy of The Legend of Xanadu will play on any TurboGrafx-CD or PC Engine CD system without modification. The only difference is the language: the game is entirely in Japanese, including all voiced dialogue and text.
Does The Legend of Xanadu save progress, or does it use passwords?
The Legend of Xanadu saves progress directly to the PC Engine's backup RAM (built into the CD-ROM² System Card). This internal battery-backed memory allows you to save and reload your game. If the System Card's backup battery has died — they were designed to last years, but many are now over thirty years old — the game will appear to save but forget everything when the system is turned off. Replacing the System Card's internal battery restores save functionality, though any saves made with a dead battery cannot be recovered.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy The Legend of Xanadu
A short checklist for buying used PC Engine software wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
-
Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
-
Make sure it fits your console
Japanese PC Engine HuCards and CDs are not compatible with the North American TurboGrafx-16 — the formats differ. Use a Japanese PC Engine system.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
-
HuCard or CD-ROM² — know which you're buying
PC Engine games come on HuCard chips or on CD-ROM². CD titles also require the right CD system and a working System Card.
Confirm the format in the listing, and for CDs check the disc surface and that saves are supported.
-
Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
-
Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
See what we have in stock →Unexpected Discoveries
Games you weren't looking for — but might be glad you found.
Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where The Legend of Xanadu sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
Share your memory ↑