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| The irregular at xanadu highschool. |
Developer/publisher: Falcom.
Platform: PS5,Switch,PC.
Official Site: https://www.falcom.co.jp/kyoxana/
Platform: PS5,Switch,PC.
Official Site: https://www.falcom.co.jp/kyoxana/
Release date: 16-07-2026
Kyoto Xanadu is set in the same world as Tokyo Xanadu
but I found it rather entry level and its able to stand on its own.
The story is very self-contained, nothing this game covers requires prior knowledge.
Disclaimer: This is purely my own opinion and it could be different from yours
this is not meant to be some kind of all-truth, just an opinion that came from playing this.
If you don't like what you're reading then close the tab, move on and just idk play it yourself.
Pro's
- Proactive and Witty protagonist.
- Great cast of characters.
- Interesting mix of 2D/3D gameplay.
Grey Area
- Day to Day stuff can get a bit stale.
- Halfdubbed.
- The game ending feels like a teaser and it kinda just ends.
Con's
- Requests were bland&boring.
- Bond events have no final episode.
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Storywise it sure has some interesting hooks like, its decent for what it tried.
I was more interested in what Rei was even doing in the beginning which wasn't
cleared up till much later. Rei can be a bit of a smartass but more often than not
ends up being treated like some clown by his new schoolmates.
Not that he lets that get to him but he was very much a teenager.
I wish the localization a very good luck and I can't help but I worry Rei will be nerved
in english. The crap Rei says sometimes makes me go my dude, you for real.
Linon isn't really much of a focus early on but there's a time and place for her.
Not sure if I should be happy or sad I called some stuff but even if you
don't the story will click midway chapter 4 all the pieces fit.
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Story progress felt rather slow and a lot of it felt like build up while getting
to know new faces and gaining... better notoriety or worsen it. You know how Rei is...
The first chapter was slow and mostly a tutorial, the xanadu sections were
bite-sized so it took a while to get going, this is fair but tbh it never really got crazy.
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There are many side characters and it will vary who catches your eye, most didn't really
stand out to me except Leah. The VP guy who seemed supportive and nice... compared to the
president himself who was very get on my level ''hmph!'' I'd rather hang with Ren at the arcade.😔
I was kinda interested in Shu too... but I don't think we should worry about him
yea he's that guy you shouldn't worry about.
There's also this Crow look-a-like Kyouya but... he just comes and goes.
Much like Crow in CS1 I suppose.💀 He's chill but he can go hard.
There's also this Crow look-a-like Kyouya but... he just comes and goes.
Much like Crow in CS1 I suppose.💀 He's chill but he can go hard.
None of the story really wowed me till chapter 3 where things move into a more
interesting direction but other than that I just had no idea where any of it would go.
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the sidescrolling dungeon parts of the game. It was a smooth experience.😌
Bosses were in 3d but they were about as good as in the Ys games.
I didn't really understand why there was a need to switch? but okay I guess.
I'll admit that it was hard to lock onto the smaller enemies which was annoying.
The school stuff was okay, its just that the day to day stuff got stale quickly.
Like just going through the motions.
It was kinda annoying how the phantom flask could break since this would
more often than not force you out of the dungeon for that day but okay
rome wasn't build in a day! what was worse than that was trying to remember
which teleporter goes to which. This got especially bad in the 3rd layer.💀
Everything else was relatively smooth, i'll admit the gates and statues got repetitive.
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I liked the VN-style story-telling! and it wasn't bad at all.
its smart because the characters don't move a lot anyway
while conveying the story and emotions of the characters.
I can understand this game's presentation can feel kinda cheap due to this.
It can seem like a downgrade to Tokyo Xanadu which was like Coldsteel 3/4.
Its pretty clear to me that they were on a budget but none of this was done poorly.
Its also clear to me all the budget went into the sky remakes and this game is just what it is.
Graphics were fine and the music was pretty great, I have no complaints in those areas.
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like trails or persona there weren't really any deadlines nor are there
any sidequests instead there's 3 specific people that can give requests.
You get a trophy for doing it 10 times each... which is an achievment alright.💀
These requests are really simple; find this missing person, kill enemies or find those items.
I got tired of them by the 3rd time I had got those requests. They had no flavor and were bland.
There's not much to do when not exploring Xanadu so any progression comes natural.
There was more than enough time to explore xanadu or chat with friends.
You simply go to school do some card game for points to unlock stuff on the skill tree
and hang out with friends maybe but those events felt barebones.
I sometimes found myself locked from progressing Xanadu like for example in chapter 3
you get to explore the 3rd layer and while you can enter the 4th its impossible
to get anywhere due to missing something that made further progress impossible.
There's some parts in earlier layers that can't be accessed till later too like a part of
layer 1that can only be accessed via a yellow teleporter.
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I played on easy, which was second out of four difficulties sorry I don't remember the
difficulty names. Maybe I should've played on normal but for some reason I picked the 2nd.
If you want more balance or challenge I recommend the 3rd or 4th difficulties.
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Overall.
It took me 35 hours to finish Kyoto Xanadu.
I liked the sidescrolling dungeon parts more than the school stuff.
and the characters were far more interesting than the overall plot.💀
The day to day stuff felt very standard and I found it sad that its half dubbed but its
falcom so its pretty much a standard for them; to hear a full voiced line and then crickets.
(Or for the MC to be silent and the other guy to speak instead. Oh well you get used to it!)
That aside there were plenty of CG's, including a groupshot I found the selection
of CG images to be more varied than Utaware P&P rediscovered.
with darker skintones to being not as skinny or having a handicap.
Not all chara's were as story relevant but they made the town feel alive
like if you were free after school you could hang with them.😌
It didn't feel like I absolutely had to hang out with them so my focus was on
the party members as well as that shy glasses guy, Kyoya and Ren. There were times
where I had to pick some rando to use FP on since no one else was available.
By the time of ch4 I started to question the whole bond system since most
already naturally form during the story. So it felt like its just busywork.😓
There also aren't any final events, imagine you maxing out the final rank and it just ends
yea that was a little disappointing there wasn't even anything else.
I found it to be overall a slowpaced game. It picks itself up starting from chapter 3
but even then it was still the irregular at xanadu highschool till midway ch4
and it returns to being like that once more in chapter 5.
I did want to get to know the characters better so I kept playing.
Nothing was too deep it felt like I was scratching the surface of something.
This game was basically a trails game in disguise. 😅💀
I also kept wondering if there was going to be a Rion or Goro but no one else joined
outside of the initial crew. I'd love to have Leah,Kyoya or Shu join. As well as Ren...
however unless there is some sort of Ex+ version, that isn't happening in this game.
The sad part about Kyoto Xanadu is that it left me with an is that really it feeling?
Sure its able to tell the story of Rei and Otoha which was good but hmm...
I think this is what happens when you bake a cake but the other half isn't ready
so they cut it off. You get a cake alright, its just not the whole thing.
8/10
If I was harsh i'd probably rate it a little lower but the characters were great
which leads to me giving it an 8/10 instead of a 6.5 or 7/10.
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TL;DR I recommend it mostly for the sidescrolling style gameplay and the characters
but the narrative is a bit of a slowburn. I didn't find the story to be outstanding or
atleast not right away. It peaked for me in chapter 4 and thought some of it was well done
but the fact remains that Kyoto Xanadu ends when it feels like it only just began.
More rambles after the jump, I've decided to keep charactter rambles there
because my rambles include spoilers, not all but there's some.
So if you don't want any then just stop reading here.
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I had many questions about the setting but there was
a lot of kids shall be kids, we're not watching at all times.
Which is exactly why some stuff ended up happening.
The ranking system was obviously there to have competition and its easy
to see its supposed to be a group effort because Xanadu is actually very vast
and ain't no way it can ever be conquered by a single person, r.i.p the dream.
The teacher did the best to show Rei the ropes though but I immediately
had doubts about the whole system, like are they really sending these kids
into a place where they could potentially die?! there's obviously more to this.
Turns out there was actually some politician guy who tried to push agendas
which leads to a very messy final chapter. Needless to say the council members
are more than capable each having earned their position but to certain
characters there was more than meets the eye. Protagonist included.
There's a reason for everything and the game slowly revealed those....
unfortunately this game is much like trails and a lot of it was buildup.
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Characters
He's witty and doesn't seem to let things get to him, he just rolls with it.
Rei is also a big Linon fan. I always felt like there was more to her.
Why was he so desperate to do things for his sister Otoha?!
Those things weren't answered for a while but they always lingered in my mind
to the point I actually called a major link between two characters.
Anyway Linon isn't real she can't hurt you!
Generally Rei's a kid with big dreams and a good heart but...
is treated like a fool by the entire school except a few outliers.
There's a sense of realism in this but it was kinda painful to watch, its a bold move
to say you're gonna conquer the whole of xanadu while knowing nothing about it.
Wait you could replace xanadu with trails to get the same type of effect.....
i'm gonna play through the entire trails series! and then you burn out. 💀
I liked how Rei wasn't being glazed for doing nothing and he had to actually show his merit.
He's certainly a piece of work but he's not a bad guy! there are moments where I was like
well if you get smacked then ya had it coming.😅Which... did happen at one point.
The way Rei's own past was unwrapped could likely not have happened in a different way.
The fact that it happened when it did, when he had founded a group of friends
to help him through it was beautifully done. To see him at the start to where he is
at the end of the game was kind of satisfying, even if it seems like this was only season 1.
Talking about Otoha is pretty much impossible without spoilers.
Call me crazy&senile but I found their relationship to be similar to that of Robin and Sunday.
Of course its not entirely the same but there's some key points that made me think of them.
Sunday too is Robin's biggest fan and supporter much like Rei is to Otoha.
I kinda want to write their past but yea spoilers.
person to person whether or not she appeals to you. I think she's fine
but I think her brother is a massive jerk, it makes Rei seem like an angel
(which he obviously isn't) in how he acts with his own Sister Otoha.
Fuuka managed to warm up to me by chapter 3. I don't think this RPG was
particularly romance oriented. Everyone is far too busy for that and I think its a bit
too early for something definite. In Fuuka's case they definitely like eachother more
than when they first met...? and Rei sorta infected her with his ways but that's all.
I don't remember the situation with her brother being fully resolved
but eh they each have their own lives, Masayuki is smart but without
going into his side he just seems cold cruel and heartless!
He reminded me of Ash from CS3. Nothing else really stood out to me but he's an
unmissable part of the team and hands down the physically strongest member.
I can't even say much about it since its pretty much a spoiler but I joked
to myself the situation was like Yugi and Yami from Yu-Gi-Oh.
You'd never expect where she works part-time... despite this game being
anything but romance oriented, if I had to ship Rei with anyone Sena would be easy.
Their personalities can keep up with eachother making the interactions fun. Due to some weird
plot stuff Sena and Her brother can never be in the same place hench my Yu-Gi-Oh meme.
They got each others back though but IDK if I like it or not.
Its interesting but I wasn't completely sold on the execution.
Rului; She's a mysterious girl Rei awakened in xanadu one random day and that's about it.
She loves food and basically follows Rei around, no one knows who she is
and even if the student council president knows every face in the school
it doesn't really concern him who this mysterious little girl is.
Meanwhile I have several question marks and I started having bad feelings after the end
of ch3 like is it really okay for that to happen?! oh that better not backfire.
Unfortunately Rului's character is not fully explored and that is
what truly nags me about this game and leaves me unsatisfied.
and takes care of random ''gates'' that crack open. He's generally laidback
but you shouldn't underestimate him since he knows when to be serious and when not.
If need be he can take care of anything! and it surprised me how reliable he was.
Or more like he's the guy you shouldn't worry about since he's already level 99.
There are some aspects that remind me a lot of Crow from CS1
such as his combat style and that Kyoya's a more casual and softer version.
I have no proof if he's actually inspired but he sure gave off some vibes.
If I had to be real I think Kyoya is far more chill. Also don't misunderstand me
despite comparisons, I like Kyoya because he is Kyoya! He's also a cat magnet?
or maybe he is a cat because he does whatever he wants at his own pace.
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| 💕 |
been tuned here, he always sounds nice.😌 Sorry I am too much of a fan.
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| Hi, its me I am one of them swooning over Ren-sama. |
he was always supportive and generally Ren is pretty chill.
I always hung out with him if he was available but he is a busy guy. Okay fair.
He's definitely someone i'd hang out at an arcade with.
I thought he'd be a good candidate to either join Rei or... well he has
the potential to go both ways but i'd rather stay friends. Hahah.
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| LMAO this scene was so random, bromance starter pack. |
they both got their own motivations but are willing to do what it takes.
That makes them great friends and rivals. I was reminded a lot of
Rean and Crow which may've attributed to me liking their relationship.
Ren is one of my favorite characters in this game next to Rei and
due to them being similar in ways I can't favor one over the other.
I got teary eyed during the ending cuz well you know.😭😭😭
I also like how his teammates trust and support Ren, he didn't just get that, he earned it.
Much like how Rei managed to form bonds with the members of his own team.
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| NO U. |
breaks the school rules or starts picking fights. Other than that she's a bookworm
and likes to sing...? Rei introduced her to Linon. Felt like they could be closer
or that she could even join as the fifth member. At one point in chapter 4 she's even
at Rei's side but I don't think they had enough time to give her a playable kit.
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| Sadly this was my only Leah screenshot. |
Maybe in the next game we will see even more of her.
There were of course other characters, many other characters
you can form social links with but most didn't have a big role in the plot.
Like nice enough to chat with after school maybe but that's about it.
I can't even name them all but as I said before they made the town feel alive.
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| Here we uncover the daily activities of a friendly neighborhood onmyoji. |
I'd love to write more about Shu but... he was kinda just there, he has his role
and you can hang out with him. He's kinda yabai though...😨
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Chapter ranking of how much I enjoyed the plot:
Chapter 4 > ch5 > ch2 > ch3 > ch1.
Wish I could rank chapter 5 higher and it had some good moments
but it kinda ends like please look forward to the next season!
Ch3 is ranked so low because of coldsteel 1 war flashbacks thanks to a certain flute.
My Fav character:
Rei/Ren>Kyoya>Kazuki/Sena/Fuuka>Otoha>Rului >Leah/Shu>Suzume>Masayuki.
There are many characters and if I'd try to list them all it'll never end
so these are the ones who left the biggest impression on me!
I can't favor Ren or Rei over the other since they're very similar
and in the end they make the bestest of bro's!😌
Kyoya is a very cool and fun character and even if he's not playable I wish he was.
Kazuki/Sena and Fuuka all rank the same and Otoha before Rului since atleast I understand her.
Rului has her place among the team but due to much about her character being left up in
the air I can't rank her highly. Masayuki... oh you shouldn't worry about him! he's simply
cold,cruel and heartless. Even Shu and Leah left a better impression on me than him.💀
Masayuki gets the worst brother award!
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Final Thoughts
the sidescrolling dungeon parts, it did get a bit repetitive and it was
annoying to remember which teleporter went to whichever.💀
Structure wise it generally was similar to trails or persona type games.
There's schoolmates to befriend and a dungeon to explore but what is sad
about this is that even if you max out a bond there is no final event.
The dungeon lacked the stakes a typical persona type had and it was more like
go in there, do a crime and leave your mark in the rankings.
The times we had to go in there for the story were of course good
but it felt like a separate experience all together.
The story took a while to come into its own, it reminded me of one of those highschool
anime where the kids get trained while exploring some special dungeon.
Falcom may've made too many literal jokes such as Linon being a poster girl
whom you'll ''hear'' more than see and there being a literal twin switch.💀
I wondered where the actual ''plot'' was but for half the game it felt
like going through the motions. The MC was for the most part pretty fresh
so KyoXana gets some points from me for that. Its not like the plot is bad btw
but if you generally like the flow of trails its probably good.
Unfortunately for me I didn't enjoy it as much as I would've liked? as I wasn't
really sure what it was trying to do... like where is this all going LOL?!
yet somehow the structure and flow makes sense it is the way it is.
What really sold me on it all were the character dynamics, not the plot itself
which depending on the chapter really varied whether or not I thought it was good.
Does that make sense? Chara's ---> Gameplay ---> Plot.
Also while the game does wrap itself up well enough it does the overall plot
no favors as several things remain up in the air.
8/10
I think that Kyoto Xanadu can be a fun game if you generally like falcom games.
It perfectly serves as a chara-ge but I guess this is how they get us to buy the next game.😩
As for what's next I will likely get Sullyland but other than that that's sorta it.
The korean otome game redive wonderland also interests me so we'll see.
Atelier Karia also looks promising but that's still a ways off.
Edit: 27/8/26, Some typo fixes.
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