<s>
is	O
a	O
1988	O
vertically	O
scrolling	O
shooter	O
video	O
game	O
published	O
by	O
Namco	O
for	O
the	O
MSX2	B-Operating_System
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
updated	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
version	O
was	O
released	O
two	O
years	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
fifth	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
Xevious	B-Application
franchise	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
a	O
spaceship	O
in	O
its	O
mission	O
to	O
vanquish	O
the	O
Xevious	B-Application
forces	O
before	O
its	O
supercomputer	O
leader	O
GAMP	O
wipes	O
out	O
the	O
entirety	O
of	O
mankind	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fardraut	O
Saga	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
Namco	O
's	O
attempt	O
to	O
bring	O
the	O
Xevious	B-Application
series	O
back	O
into	O
popularity	O
,	O
after	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Gradius	B-Application
began	O
winning	O
over	O
players	O
in	O
arcades	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
previous	O
attempt	O
,	O
Super	B-Application
Xevious	I-Application
:	I-Application
GAMP	I-Application
no	I-Application
Nazo	I-Application
,	O
was	O
widely-disliked	O
by	O
fans	O
and	O
a	O
commercial	O
flop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
of	O
being	O
produced	O
in-house	O
,	O
Namco	O
enlisted	O
the	O
help	O
of	O
Japanese	O
studio	O
Compile	O
,	O
known	O
for	O
creating	O
the	O
Puyo	B-Application
Puyo	I-Application
,	O
Zanac	B-Device
,	O
and	O
Aleste	B-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
to	O
develop	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MSX2	B-Operating_System
was	O
chosen	O
as	O
the	O
platform	O
to	O
produce	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
due	O
to	O
Compile	O
having	O
previously	O
developed	O
many	O
games	O
for	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
inclusion	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Xevious	B-Application
and	O
its	O
new	O
gameplay	O
mechanics	O
had	O
received	O
praise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
MSX2	B-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
players	O
can	O
select	O
between	O
two	O
modes	O
at	O
the	O
title	O
screen	O
:	O
"	O
Recon	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
port	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Xevious	B-Application
;	O
and	O
"	O
Scramble	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
new	O
16-area	O
game	O
with	O
new	O
enemies	O
,	O
new	O
boss	O
battles	B-Application
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
Andor	O
Genesis	O
,	O
and	O
four	O
ships	O
(	O
Solvalou	O
,	O
Solgrado	O
,	O
Zeodalley	O
,	O
and	O
Gampmission	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
two	O
modes	O
are	O
renamed	O
to	O
"	O
Arcade	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Fardraut	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
arcade	O
game	O
Xevious	B-Application
,	O
developed	O
by	O
Namco	O
and	O
released	O
in	O
1983	O
,	O
received	O
widespread	O
acclaim	O
from	O
players	O
and	O
critics	O
for	O
its	O
genre-defining	O
gameplay	O
mechanics	O
and	O
mysterious	O
,	O
cohesive	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
mid-1980s	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
popularity	O
had	O
significantly	O
died	O
down	O
,	O
as	O
titles	O
like	O
Gradius	B-Application
began	O
to	O
win	O
over	O
players	O
with	O
their	O
larger	O
scope	O
and	O
longetivity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
opposition	O
of	O
Masanobu	O
Endo	O
,	O
the	O
creator	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
,	O
Namco	O
decided	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
Xevious	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Famicom	O
as	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
bring	O
the	O
game	O
back	O
into	O
popularity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rather	O
than	O
producing	O
the	O
game	O
entirely	O
in-house	O
,	O
Namco	O
enlisted	O
the	O
help	O
of	O
Compile	O
,	O
a	O
Japanese	O
studio	O
known	O
for	O
series	O
such	O
as	O
Puyo	B-Application
Puyo	I-Application
,	O
Aleste	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Zanac	B-Device
,	O
but	O
they	O
are	O
not	O
specifically	O
credited	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compile	O
previously	O
worked	O
with	O
Namco	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
(	O
NES	O
)	O
version	O
of	O
Nihon	O
Falcom	O
's	O
Legacy	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Wizard	I-Application
,	O
which	O
Namco	O
published	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
Compile	O
assisted	O
in	O
production	O
of	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Production	O
was	O
led	O
by	O
Masamitsu	O
"	O
Moo	O
"	O
Niitani	O
,	O
the	O
founder	O
of	O
Compile	O
and	O
a	O
designer	O
for	O
Zanac	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fardraut	O
Saga	O
was	O
designed	O
for	O
the	O
MSX2	B-Operating_System
computer	O
,	O
as	O
Compile	O
had	O
previously	O
developed	O
many	O
games	O
for	O
it	O
and	O
as	O
such	O
had	O
a	O
clear	O
grasp	O
on	O
its	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
29	O
,	O
1990	O
,	O
a	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
version	O
of	O
Fardraut	O
Saga	O
was	O
published	O
,	O
sometimes	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
Xevious	B-Application
:	I-Application
Fardraut	I-Application
Densetsu	I-Application
to	O
distinguish	O
itself	O
from	O
the	O
MSX2	B-Operating_System
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compile	O
previously	O
teased	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
ending	O
for	O
the	O
MSX	B-Operating_System
release	O
,	O
originally	O
subtitled	O
Episode	O
2	O
:	O
Final	O
Weapon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rather	O
than	O
simply	O
being	O
a	O
remake	O
of	O
the	O
MSX2	B-Operating_System
game	O
,	O
the	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
version	O
boasts	O
several	O
new	O
additions	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
new	O
four-level	O
campaign	O
and	O
different	O
power-up	O
items	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
believed	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
heavily-based	O
on	O
Fardraut	O
,	O
a	O
novel	O
written	O
by	O
Masanobu	O
Endo	O
himself	O
that	O
documents	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
Xevious	B-Application
and	O
the	O
story	O
behind	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC-Engine	B-General_Concept
Fan	O
disagreed	O
,	O
finding	O
them	O
to	O
be	O
rich	O
and	O
colorful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC-Engine	B-General_Concept
Fan	O
had	O
a	O
similar	O
response	O
,	O
liking	O
it	O
for	O
being	O
pumping	O
and	O
catchy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC-Engine	B-General_Concept
Fan	O
was	O
much	O
more	O
positive	O
towards	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
power-ups	O
and	O
new	O
ship	O
types	O
,	O
alongside	O
its	O
new	O
gameplay	O
mode	O
and	O
boss	O
fights	O
,	O
made	O
it	O
a	O
successful	O
update	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
Xevious	B-Application
.	O
</s>
