Tokyo Xanadu eX+ Switch Review – Eclipsed Reflections and Stellar Combat

Revisiting a Modern Classic

Amidst Falcom’s growing prominence with Trails and Ys, one jarring standout is Tokyo Xanadu, a wholly disconnected school-life action adventure. Following its initial PS Vita launch, an enhanced re-release, eX+, greeted the PlayStation 4 and eventually PC. Now, the West is finally seeing this underrated entry greet the Switch in a new native port.

However, besides the apparent boon of becoming available to waves of potential new fans, this latest release also boasts a brand-new English localization, which is rather unprecedented, especially given the large-scale word counts of Falcom’s narrative-heavy endeavors. So, that development alone warranted sufficient reason for a replay, alongside simply wanting to reassess my thoughts on this overlooked gem.

A Conceptually Hooking Setting and Premise

Tokyo Xanadu eX+ occurs in the fictional Tokyo locale of Morimiya, where a decade ago, a catastrophic earthquake unlike any other struck. Yet life has been progressing reasonably typically in the current day, including for one Kou Tokisaka, a seemingly aloof high schooler who can also be described as a part-time workaholic.

But Kou’s life faces another significant trajectory shift when a chance meeting with classmate Asuka Hiiragi causes him to learn about the other plane of existence known as the Otherworld, the Eclipses contained within, and the monsters known as Greed occupying them. Much to Asuka’s chagrin, who has no desire to involve civilians in this veiled world, Kou and plenty of others awaken to their Soul Devices as they all confront their inner strife.

Regarding the narrative alone, Tokyo Xanadu is an ambitious beast that lays the groundwork for a compelling premise. The mysteries of the decade-old earthquake that shook the status quo and the secret societies combatting the Eclipses and Greed away from the common citizenry establish a sense of genuine history permeating throughout this world. Still, the cast takes center stage first and foremost.

Despite the initial distinction of the setting, the story structure and handling of the Tokyo Xanadu cast are pretty similar to select entries of the Trails series. Several chapters are used as introductions or deep dives into newly arriving party members, with optional bonding events used for added endearment. In fact, besides the combat, the process of experiencing this story and cast makes Tokyo Xanadu feel like a lost Trails game. The cooking system from the Cold Steel saga has been retained, the quest system is identical, and other aspects, like the UI, are basically the same.

Tokyo Xanadu is an ambitious beast that lays the groundwork for a compelling premise

Consequentially, Tokyo Xanadu lacks much of its own identity. The standout facets of the setting, notably the Eclipses, Greed, and the organizations regarding the Otherworld are either sidelined significantly or lore-dumped in excess. There isn’t much of a well-woven middle ground. This collective drawback is made worse by Falcom staples like the frequently updated NPC dialogue and in-game books not reaching the level of immersion seen in the Trails series.

The secretive nature of the central plot’s locations and what the cast faces makes most of the NPCs not particularly captivating since they live in a far less interesting world. Besides the growth of technology, the world of the everyday public doesn’t have much going for it on a daily basis.

The core party is at least much more passable thanks to entertaining dynamics and bonding episodes, even if some individuals lack presence. Still, it’s worth emphasizing that none of these writing executions are outright awful; it’s more that they lack that extra layer of intrigue to hook you in. Kou is at least somewhat of an exception to this rule. He’s one of the more uniquely approached Falcom protagonists, though his distinctiveness is often subtle and even subdued in favor of other people’s conflicts or the core story itself.

Tokyo Xanadu lacks much of its own identity.

Several additions were made to the eX+ release, including a crucial epilogue and playable side episodes between each chapter that focus on the other party members. These inclusions help illustrate the dynamics among the cast substantially more, so they’re a net positive, even if some plot elements feel teased a tad too soon.

A Captivating Combat System

On the other hand, Tokyo Xanadu unabashedly thrives in the gameplay department. Players will frequently find themselves traversing Eclipses, mini-dungeons comprised of Greed en masse, and various platforming challenges. In a manner loosely equivalent to the likes of Nayuta Boundless Trails, combat and exploration are at the heart of progression here, even if the latter is usually quite self-explanatory. Fights comprise three selected party members, yet only one stays out at any given time. Everyone has their own weapon, a Soul Device, with transparently recommended builds and traits that elevate them to specific roles.

The action systems here aren’t much to write home about on their own, but the sheer degree of embedded polish, thanks to stellar sound design and individualistic character weight, is terrific. Everyone feels entirely different to control, working together with the arcade-like nature of the stage design. Upon completion of an area, you can replay it as often as you like, and some hidden Eclipses can even be found around Moriyama, with a few exclusive to New Game Plus, offering excellent reason for repeated playthroughs.

Besides your typical ground-based and aerial combos, ranged attacks and special maneuvers can be utilized and bolstered when one understands the strengths of a character’s toolkit. Sora, for example, is a devastatingly powerful close-range attacker, while Yuuki excels at distant strikes. While you will, of course, have preferences, everyone feels great to handle in their unconsciously advised contexts. The character customization makes matters more engaging, too.

The sheer degree of embedded polish, thanks to stellar sound design and individualistic character weight, is terrific.

Taking more inspiration from Trails, every character’s Soul Device is essentially an Orbment. Master Cores and the Quartz substitute, Elements, can be slotted in, providing stat boosts and such. These slots are all unlocked by spending various materials. However, Tokyo Xanadu differs because there isn’t quite as much customizable gameplay agency as in the Trails games. To elaborate, only some of the Soul Device slots can be equipped with an Element of your choosing, including those restricted by affinities. The other categorization of Soul Device slots consists of fixed, passive abilities granting several boons unique to the character that can be upgraded further.

In essence, while the slice-of-life factors of Tokyo Xanadu, chiefly regarding the quests, NPCs, and settting, fall short in several respects, the combat system shines abundantly. When coupled with the higher difficulty levels, replaying these Eclipses, understanding their layouts to a t, and implementing the best party setups make progression a constantly fulfilling affair.

An Outstanding Switch Port

And impressively, this port doesn’t diminish these strengths even remotely. Tokyo Xanadu on the Switch is, without exaggeration, one of the best ports I’ve ever experienced. The framerate is smooth as butter, both docked and handheld, with dungeons and town exploration never feeling compromised by the hardware. Granted, this was originally a Vita game, so there’s no reason for its performance to have stumbled on the Switch. Still, this platform has always been a gamble with its ports, so it’s always worth celebrating when it’s pulled off well. This port also features a plethora of free DLC, namely a bunch of outfits and items.

As for the new localization, it does a more robust job of communicating the subtleties present in particular narrative circumstances, character traits, and general exchanges; it’s a clear improvement over the original. However, assuming you’ve played a previous version of this Tokyo Xanadu, it’s not like this updated localization will wholly redefine your conceptions and thoughts about this narrative, setting, and characters. At most, you’ll have an enhanced supplemental appreciation for select events and relationships, but likely not much beyond that.

Closing Thoughts

Replaying Tokyo Xanadu eX+ was a treat, especially with its improved localization and surprisingly spectacular Switch port, which thrives both portable and stationary. Admittedly, besides the epilogue, the cast and narrative didn’t compel me all that strongly. Yet, the gameplay systems and overall progression are addictively fulfilling in that characteristic Falcom flair. If you’ve never experienced Tokyo Xanadu, this port is the best way to do it; an overlooked action gem is here for the Switch’s twilight years.