Play Faxanadu Online

Faxanadu came out for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987, developed by Hudson Soft. It was part of that wave of side scrolling action games that filled the NES library, but it had its own particular flavor. You would see it on the shelf next to games like Zelda II or Castlevania, sharing some ideas but building its own little world.

You control a lone adventurer returning to a dwarven kingdom blighted by a poisonous fog. Your goal is to climb the massive World Tree, defeat the evil that has corrupted it, and restore life to the land. You explore the world screen by screen, fighting off monsters with your sword and later a bow. You delve into dungeons, gather gold to buy better equipment from shops, and collect magical items like the Elf's ring to open new paths. The game has a steady, deliberate pace; you need to manage your health and money carefully, and the difficulty encourages cautious exploration. Moving through its vertical landscapes and mysterious towns gives you a real sense of a solitary journey through a strange, decaying world.