Xak III: The Eternal Recurrence
Encyclopedia
Xak III: The Eternal Recurrence is the final game in a fantasy
computer role-playing game series called Xak
developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin and NEC
. Xak III was originally under development to be released for the MSX2
however shortly after Xak: The Tower of Gazzel
was released, the development project was halted. After several years the project was continued and finally released simultaneously for the NEC PC9801 and FM-Towns. A year later, Xak III was released for the more widely known NEC PC-Engine. This version has since been unofficially translated into English.
setting. According to the game world's legends, a great war was fought between the benevolent but weakening ancient gods and a demon
race, which led to the collapse and eventual mortality of the gods. After this 'War of Sealing', the gods divided the world into three parts: Xak, the world of humans, Oceanity, the world of faeries, and Zekisis, the world of demons. The demon world of Zekisis was tightly sealed from the other two worlds as to prevent reentry of the warmongering demon race. Some demons were left behind in Xak, however, and others managed to discover a separate means to enter Xak from Zekisis anyway.
At this point in the series, the main hero, Latok Kart has become a powerful adversary against the demons and their plots to conquer the world of Xak as he has triumphed over many powerful demons, including Zemu Badu, Zamu Gospel, Zegraya and Gazzel. Latok is a direct descendent of an ancient god of war, Duel, and his deeds have since become well known throughout the world of Xak as the legendary "Duel Knight", armed with a powerful relic known as the "Xak Sword". During this time a short lived peace has been disrupted by the sudden attack of the nearby Kingdom of Farland led by a demon named Zomu Dizae. Latok learns of this and sets out for the Kingdom of Farland.
s Latok meets include:
, in that the game proceeds by the player finding his way through labyrinthine maps, defeating opposing monsters on the way. In each map, keys, NPC
s and other objects have to be found to gain entrance to the room where a boss
dwells. After defeating the boss, the player can proceed towards the next map, where the structure repeats. Various sub-quests involving NPCs are present, most of them obligatory.
Combat is in real-time. The player's character walks around on the game maps, as well as the monster characters. Each character has an attack and defense rating, different for each of its four sides. Moreover, Latok's ratings change depending on whether he is attacking or defending. As Latok or a monster takes damage or wards off an attack, the character is pushed backwards. This combat system requires some manual dexterity, especially during boss fights—bosses are generally several times larger than Latok himself.
Latok advances in power through a classic leveling
system. Moreover, there are several shops scattered through the game where Latok can buy stronger swords, armour
s and shield
s. Gold, the game's currency, and experience points are awarded for killing monsters that wander the map.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
computer role-playing game series called Xak
Xak: The Art of Visual Stage
is the first game in the fantasy computer role-playing game series Xak developed and published by Micro Cabin. It was originally released for the NEC PC-8801 computer system, with subsequent versions being developed for the NEC PC-9801, Sharp X68000, MSX2, PC-Engine, Super Famicom, and mobile...
developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin and NEC
NEC
, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
. Xak III was originally under development to be released for the MSX2
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
however shortly after Xak: The Tower of Gazzel
Xak: The Tower of Gazzel
Xak: The Tower of Gazzel is a fantasy computer role-playing game developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin. The full name the title is actually read as Xak Precious Package: The Tower of Gazzel; however, most shorten the name as simply Xak: The Tower of Gazzel...
was released, the development project was halted. After several years the project was continued and finally released simultaneously for the NEC PC9801 and FM-Towns. A year later, Xak III was released for the more widely known NEC PC-Engine. This version has since been unofficially translated into English.
Setting and story
Xak features a typical high fantasyHigh fantasy
High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s...
setting. According to the game world's legends, a great war was fought between the benevolent but weakening ancient gods and a demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
race, which led to the collapse and eventual mortality of the gods. After this 'War of Sealing', the gods divided the world into three parts: Xak, the world of humans, Oceanity, the world of faeries, and Zekisis, the world of demons. The demon world of Zekisis was tightly sealed from the other two worlds as to prevent reentry of the warmongering demon race. Some demons were left behind in Xak, however, and others managed to discover a separate means to enter Xak from Zekisis anyway.
At this point in the series, the main hero, Latok Kart has become a powerful adversary against the demons and their plots to conquer the world of Xak as he has triumphed over many powerful demons, including Zemu Badu, Zamu Gospel, Zegraya and Gazzel. Latok is a direct descendent of an ancient god of war, Duel, and his deeds have since become well known throughout the world of Xak as the legendary "Duel Knight", armed with a powerful relic known as the "Xak Sword". During this time a short lived peace has been disrupted by the sudden attack of the nearby Kingdom of Farland led by a demon named Zomu Dizae. Latok learns of this and sets out for the Kingdom of Farland.
Characters
Latok is the only playable character in the game. Notable non-player characterNon-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s Latok meets include:
- Lou Miri Pixie, the green-haired messenger faerie sent by the King of Wavis that guides Latok along his way.
- Freya "Fray" Jerbain, a blue-haired sorceress who is the main heroine of a Xak series spin-off, Fray In Magical AdventureFray in Magical AdventureFray in Magical Adventure is a spinoff sidestory or "gaiden" game in a fantasy computer role-playing game series called Xak developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin. Even though it is directly connected to the more serious Xak series storyline, Fray has a less serious...
Please see also Fray CDFray CDFray CD is a graphically enhanced remake of Fray in Magical Adventure, which was a spinoff sidestory or "gaiden" in a fantasy computer role-playing game series called Xak. Both Xak and Fray were developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin... - Rune Greed, a green-haired warrior who is a descendant of Duel as well and is on a quest to slay the demons all on his own.
- Duel, the god of war, living on in spirit form.
- Rabbie, a magician's familiar rabbit given to Latok.
- Elise, a childhood friend of Latok and the granddaughter of Fearless' Mayor. She could be considered as a possible romantic interest of Latok.
- Saria, Latok's Mother, who is blind. Latok has taken care of her ever since his father disappeared.
- Dork, Latoks's Father and a famous swordsmand who has been missing for many years. Dork Kart is also a descendant of Duel.
- Bobby, the pacifist son of the blacksmith Dac of the town of Fearless.
- Fell Bow, a nun and the sister of Wavis general Nill Bow whose family's duty is to protect the White Xak Dipole and guide the descendents of Duel in their quest.
- King Arband Wavis, the current king of the Holy Kingdom of Wavis and the one who originally sent Pixie to the Kart family in the first Xak.
- Beluga, the general of the Holy Kingdom of Wavis army.
- Zamhan, an officer of the Farland Imperial Guard.
- Gafuh, a hermit living atop a tower on Mt.Ginganul who has the power to control golems.
- Pumpkinhead, a golem under the service of Gafuh who assists Latok and his party in battle.
- Leo, the admiral of the sky ship S.S. Excavation who assists Latok and his party in battle.
- Horn Ashtar, a bard that is traveling with Fell Bow that has helped Latok and Rune in previous adventures.
- Nezo Gineas, a flying demon under the command of Zomu Dizae.
- Zau Melz, a high ranking officer within the demon army with lizard-like features under the command of Zomu Dizae.
- The Necromancer, a powerful black-robed demon with power over the dead who is a recurring villain in the series. Latok had killed him during the events of Xak IIXak II: The Rising of the Red MoonXak II: The Rising of the Red Moon is a fantasy computer role-playing game developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin. It is a direct sequel to Xak: The Art of Visual Stage . The game was released in Japan only, but due to an MSX scene that arose in Europe some of the...
, however he has risen again. - Oon Ranouz, a demon with aquatic attributes under the command of Zomu Dizae.
- Zaki Ranouz, the brother of Oon Ranouz also with aquatic attributes under the command of Zomu Dizae.
- Sunaga, a creature with white leopard-like features that is a part of Demon Knight's Storm Mercenaries group.
- Yunker, a creature with lizard-like features that is a part of Demon Knight's Storm Mercenaries group.
- Aldis, a female mage under the service of Demon Knight's Storm Mercenaries group.
- Demon Knight, also called Lucifer Knight, a mysterious leader of a group known as the Storm Mercenaries.
- Zomu Dizae, the last of three powerful commanders of the demon army (Zemu Badu, Zamu Gospel were the other two) who took leadership after the fall of the original Demonlord Zekishis.
Gameplay
Xak III: The Eternal Recurrence is a classic dungeon crawlDungeon crawl
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment, battling various monsters, and looting any treasure they may find...
, in that the game proceeds by the player finding his way through labyrinthine maps, defeating opposing monsters on the way. In each map, keys, NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s and other objects have to be found to gain entrance to the room where a boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
dwells. After defeating the boss, the player can proceed towards the next map, where the structure repeats. Various sub-quests involving NPCs are present, most of them obligatory.
Combat is in real-time. The player's character walks around on the game maps, as well as the monster characters. Each character has an attack and defense rating, different for each of its four sides. Moreover, Latok's ratings change depending on whether he is attacking or defending. As Latok or a monster takes damage or wards off an attack, the character is pushed backwards. This combat system requires some manual dexterity, especially during boss fights—bosses are generally several times larger than Latok himself.
Latok advances in power through a classic leveling
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
system. Moreover, there are several shops scattered through the game where Latok can buy stronger swords, armour
Armour
Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an object, individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat, or from damage caused by a potentially dangerous environment or action...
s and shield
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
s. Gold, the game's currency, and experience points are awarded for killing monsters that wander the map.