is a 1989

role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...

developed and published by

Microcabin , sometimes written as Micro Cabin, is a Japan-based video game developer and publisher incorporated in 1982, which grew from the Ōyachi Electrics Microcomputer Club. Known for their ''Xak'' series and its spinoff ''Fray in Magical Adventure'', ...

. The first game in the ''Xak'' series, it was originally released for the

PC-88 The , commonly shortened to PC-88, are a brand of Zilog Z80-based 8-bit home computers released by Nippon Electric Company (NEC) in 1981 and primarily sold in Japan. The PC-8800 series sold extremely well and became one of the four major Japane ...

computer system, with subsequent versions being developed for the

PC-98 The , commonly shortened to PC-98 or simply , is a lineup of Japanese 16-bit and 32-bit Personal computer, personal computers manufactured by NEC from 1982 to 2003. While based on Intel processors, it uses an in-house architecture making it inc ...

X68000 The is a home computer created by Sharp Corporation. It was first released in 1987 and sold only in Japan. The initial model has a 10 Megahertz, MHz Motorola 68000 Central processing unit, CPU, 1 Megabytes, MB of Random Access Memory, ...

MSX2 MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Cor ...

PC Engine The TurboGrafx-16, known in Japan as the , is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation, it launched ...

Super Famicom The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in No ...

, and mobile phones. The first four versions were re-released for

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

on the online store Project EGG. An English translation of ''Xak: The Art of Visual Stage'' was also released in 2007 on the now-defunct retro gaming service WOOMB.net, and became available on Project EGG.

Plot

Setting and story

''Xak: The Art of Visual Stage'' features a typical

high fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot. Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Pres ...

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 A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...

, and ''Xexis'', the world of demons. The demon world of Xexis 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 Xexis anyway. This ancient history is displayed in the introduction of '' Xak II''. One of them, Badu, was a very powerful demon, able to use coercive

magic Magic or magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces ** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic * Magic (illusion), also known as sta ...

to make humans do his bidding. Duel, the god of war, managed to defeat Badu and seal him away in a mountain of ice for 250 years. The god later settled in a village known as Fearless to live out the rest of his mortal life. At the beginning of the game, Badu's prison is broken. Demons overrun parts of Xak once again. In order to stop the ravaging of his lands, the King of Wavis sends a messenger faerie to Dork Kart, a famous warrior living in the village of Fearless. Dork, however, has gone missing. The player takes on the role of Latok Kart, Dork's 16-year-old son, as he meets the messenger faerie, Pixie. Latok embarks on the King's quest to slay Badu, hoping to find his father along the way. In his travels, Latok is guided by Duel's spirit. Over the course of the game, it turns out that Dork and thus Latok is a descendant of Duel.

Releases

The initial versions of ''Xak: The Art of Visual Stage'' were released for

NEC is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered at the NEC Supertower in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It provides IT and network solutions, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), Inte ...

and

systems in June 1989. These were then followed by graphically distinct releases for the

(November 1989) and

(April 1990). In 1992, the game was released for the

along with its sequel, '' Xak II: Rising of the Redmoon'', in the one-disc compilation '' Xak I & II''. Ported by Riot, the game features animated cut scenes and requires the Super System Card update if played on the PC Engine's original CD-ROM add-on. Another console port was published by

Sunsoft , is a Japanese electronics manufacturer, video game developer and publisher. They are known for their video games under the brand name Sunsoft. History In April 1971, Sun Electronics Corporation (alternatively called Sun Denshi) was founded i ...

for the

in February 1993. The latest visually enhanced remake was developed for Japanese mobile phones and became available on

Vodafone live! Vodafone live! was the brand name for the multimedia portal service of mobile phone operator Vodafone, offering news content, picture messaging, instant messaging, email, and downloadable ringtones and games. The service officially launched on 24 O ...

on June 1, 2004. The game was the first release in

Bandai is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered ...

's "RPG Empire" line of role-playing games. During 2001–2008, the PC-8801, MSX2, X68000, and PC-9801 versions of ''The Art of Visual Stage'' were made downloadable for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

through D4 Enterprise's Project EGG online service. The first official English translation of the game was also released on Dutch MSX games distributor WOOMB.net in early 2007. Although the website was shut down in 2008, its content is being transferred to the English counterpart of Project EGG.

Music

The musical score of ''Xak: The Art of Visual Stage'' was composed by Ryuji Sasai and Tadahiro Nitta, marking the first collaboration between the two musicians. The game's soundtrack comprises 42 tracks and was released on May 5, 1989 under the title ''All Sounds of Xak: The Art of Visual Stage''. From 2007 through 2008, music from the game's PC-8801, MSX2, and X68000 versions was added to the catalog of D4 Enterprise's video game music service EGG Music. The site offers both a PSG and an FM variation for most of the MSX2 tracks. The use of an FM sound source is most extensive in the music of the X68000 game.

Reception

Praised for its storyline and music, ''Xak: The Art of Visual Stage'' has been referred to as Micro Cabin's breakthrough title. The website of ''Famitsū'' magazine described the game's story as "magnificent". Jayson Napolitano of Original Sound Version stated that its music was a great stuff for fans of that distinct sound from the late 80s. The audio of ''The Art of Visual Stage'' has been regarded as being of higher quality than that of most games of the time. It has also been noted for its use of a visual representation system which gave an impression of depth and three-dimensionality.

References

External links

*
''Xak'' at Project EGG

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xak: The Art Of Visual Stage 1989 video games Action role-playing video games Fantasy video games Japan-exclusive video games Microcabin games MSX2 games NEC PC-8801 games NEC PC-9801 games Single-player video games Super Nintendo Entertainment System games TurboGrafx-CD games Video games about demons Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Ryuji Sasai Windows games X68000 games Mobile games