Faxanadu Battle
A meteor has landed. The dwarves have been mutated by the strange properties of the meteor. The elves and dwarves who used to be friends now are odds with each other…and now the dwarves are twisted beyond imagination. Welcome to a word of danger and despair, a world where a traveler must speak to the King and save the land. Welcome to the ever stretching and tangled world tree…of Faxanadu. The game for the NES called, Faxanadu is more than just an action adventure game. It is a side scrolling epic that rewards aggressiveness and perseverance in a similar way that Rygar does. This game is interesting because it has “levels” for the character that are reached by gaining EXP. But they are actually Titles of Rank that determine the amount of money that is in your account after you die and are revived at a Guru’s shrine. Levels or Ranks in this game do not affect stats like how they do in Zelda 2 or Rygar.
The most important thing to know about Faxanadu is that about 70% of the conversations that happen between you and townsfolk can lead to important clues to advancing in the game.
Exploration is the key. One must double check every single area in the outer-world, town and castle areas.
When I first played through the game, I thought the graphics were strange and muddy looking when compared to other games. But after a few minutes my eyes adjusted and the graphics were quite immersive and enthralling. You get completely sucked into the game after you purchase the initial dagger which helps you fight the first monster that is guarding the exit.
A complete guide or walkthrough to this game is not necessary because it is more about patience and exploration than actual tricky things. But there are some tips that can help you defeat the Evil One. The last boss named the Evil One is actually extremely easy to beat if you have enough potions. You just need to keep jumping and slapping him in the face with your sword. It’s that simple.
The jump attack that is so often used in Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link is extremely useful in this game. This is because enemies cannot defend against attacks, since they have no shields.
Dragon Slayer sword acquired: Click for expanded view
Actually, the second to last boss that is the Dwarf King, is much harder than the final boss. The Dwarf King looks like a big dragon and he spits a great deal of fireballs at you when he gets close to the ground. The easiest way to beat him is to have a pair of winged boots, activate them, and then fly up at hit him while he is flying. You should try and use all the magic/sword slashes you can in order to keep hitting him over and over again. Eventually, he will swoop down, but try and continue to attack him why he flies again in the air. You may need to drink potions during this process. Eventually, you will be able to beat him. And when you do, the Dragon Slayer sword will be yours.
Once you equip the Dragon Slayer sword, you will be able to also use the Battle Helmet and Battle Armor that you found. This setup makes you a rolling powerhouse. It is probably one of the most satisfying armor moments in NES adventure/RPG history. The look of your hero when you put on the armor setup is beyond thug mansion-style.
A good thing to remember is that you need to talk to your Guru in a town in order to rise in rank. So, I just made sure to visit town every once in a while to make sure I got the appropriate title. Dying and then being revived with a ton of gold makes the game a lot less frustrating in the later stages. This is because you can spend money on different setups in order to try different item strategies.
One thing to consider is that in the early areas you need to use the winged boots a great deal. But the higher Rank you are, the shorter the effective duration of the flying boots. So you will have to buy more than one pair of winged boots in order to find one of the fountains of water.
Another thing to consider is that you don’t die from falling. Sometimes falling into a pit is the only way to continue progressing through stages.
The most important items in the game are the swords, shields and armor. The magic is not as big of a deal. Although if you get the “Death” magic earlier it can make some mini-boss fights much simpler. I didn’t even bother buying “Tilte” magic and I was able to beat the game a few days ago with no problem.
This game is no way near as frustrating as Zelda 2 and requires much less grinding. The only actual tricky part is your limited inventory and how you can only carry so many keys. And if you use a key, it is gone and if you need to revisit a place, you need to replace that key. But honestly, the silly Key system in the game adds to its charm because it trains the player to prepare more and to use a little inventory strategy when preparing for adventures.
“Should I brink a Mattock just in case? Or should I pack an extra Red Potion so I’m ready for a boss fight?”
The hilarious thing is that not all of the key makers sell or purchase the same types of keys. So if you have an extra “Jack” key when you reach the later stages, you will need to walk all the way back to a town that sells Jack keys in order to make space in your inventory for better items.
The Evil One
The cool thing about Faxanadu is that all the monsters have somewhat unique patterns to their movements. This is especially true for the ones that don’t shoot magic. Some enemies run around, others jump in strange patterns. It is quite enjoyable getting used the the different enemies and deciding whether or not to be aggressive toward them or avoid them all together.
My recommendation is that when you come to a town that sells a new type of armor or sword. Save up and make sure to buy it as soon as possible. The swords in the game scale extremely well with the monsters and bosses. So skipping a type of sword in order to save up for a better one is completely unnecessary and wil probably make the game less enjoyable.
HINT: Even though smokers in the game usually talk about boring stuff. They sometimes have extremely valuable information. And if you are a SOLDIER, you may actually get something fashionable from a conversation.
Memorization is the key in Faxanadu. Some of the levels require you to be very careful in where you jump. A false step can lead to wasting 5 minutes of time because of needed to back-track. A simple rule of thump would be to not use the flying winged boots when you can easily use a ladder and are in a danger area.
-Tyler
