Retro|Spective 215: Ys

[Neon Ignition]

We return to the focus on a single franchise, this time a long running action RPG series...


Retro|Spective 214: Ys


Starting way back with the PC-8800...


Game 01 - Ys: Ancient Ys Vanished
The game was qucikly ported to other smaller systems of the time in Japan and focused on a hero who sets out to collect six books to save a civilization known as Ys. The game bucked the common trend of turn based combat and took a top down action approach instead, it attempted to be an approachable game and contained some functions to make life easier that would later be adopted by other games such as regenerating health. Well reviewed, it ploughed it's way on and was most recently ported to Switch alongside its sequel.




Ever experienced the starting point of the franchise?

[Neon Ignition]

Game 02 - Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter
Released the following year and taking place in the immediate aftermath of the events of the first game, the sequel has been remade four times in the subsequent years let alone its rereleases. It was very much a continuation meaning fans found much to enjoy but newcomers wouldn't be won over unless they were by the first game too.



A worthy pay off to the first game?

[Dogg Thang]

I haven't played a single one of these. At the risk of derailing the thread by going out of continuity, can anyone fill me in on the series and the highlights? It has always looked like a fairly typical JRPG. Is that right?

[wakka]

It's the blind leading the blind here cos I've never played one, but I do know they're actually action RPGs, not turn-based.

[Neon Ignition]

Given the long experiences of the userbase in here I expected someone to come in with a secret long history with the franchise given how long running it is... apparently not

It's said to be loosely Zelda like but never broke through fully because it's always played things fairly safe so never caught attention in the same way as some other titles have.



Game 03 - Ys III: Wanderers from Ys
Arriving in just as fast a fashion, the third entry takes place three years after the events of the first two games and continues the adventures of the lead character Adol as he travels the land. The gameplay switched up to being side on instead of overhead for this third entry even though gameplay remained the same. The result was a solid but less well recieved sequel.




Much like when Zelda II attempted it, is switching to side on a Ys decision?

[fuse]

It's got a pretty complicated timeline with lots of remakes and things... Books 1 & 2 usually get lumped together, whereas I think 3 is the one that got remade into (top-down) Oath in Felghana?

I've only played one game all the way through (Memories of Celceta) but I had a great time with it and I've built up a good backlog of them that I've always meant to go back and play more of. Aside from fast-paced, solid action RPG gameplay, the other big sell is that the Falcom house band that soundtracks these games is excellent.



Imagine a big field with Sega-blue skies and this playing in the background, your character zooming twice as fast as Link could even dream of, slashing about at monsters with some pals in tow. Great stuff.

[Baseley09]

Used to oggle the Turbografx versions in Gamepro / EGM, only ever briefly put the odd one on, feel like I'm missing out

[Neon Ignition]

At some point I think I need to try out the most recent entry, I have little time these days for turn based RPG's so this franchise should have popped up on my radar much earlier.

[Neon Ignition]

Game 04 - Ys IV: Mask of the Sun & Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys
In between III and IV, the studio wasted no time in releasing an enhanced remake of the first two games in the series. Following this they released the fourth game but once again took a different direction to the competition by releasing two versions of it in the same year. The first, Mask of the Sun, was the official canonical entry taking place between the events of the second game and the third. The game followed a Link's Awakening style story of the lead character Adol travelling to a distant island and returned the series to the top down gameplay of the first two entries. The Dawn of Ys opens with Adol's return to his home town and takes longer to get to the island quest, the game coming about due to this version being licensed to Hudson Soft to develop who deviated from the original design. Despite this, both scored middling reviews with the latter slightly emerging with the better scores.




Are you someone who prefers turn based RPG's?

[Neon Ignition]

Game 05 - Ys Strategy
Following a remake of III, the NDS received a spin-off real time strategy entry into the series. A very atypical example of the game type, it suffered only average scores and reactions as a result.



As a different type of entry, did you try this one?

[Neon Ignition]

Game 06 - Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand
Apparently I completely jumped ahead of myself with Strategy by years and so we roll back to this, the actual next entry and fifth mainline game. Developed for the SNES, the game continues the adventures of Adol but added the ability to defend with a Shield for maximum Zelda-ing whilst also adding a jump button. The next year a harder version was released and a remake for PS2 followed years later as this entry scored solid reviews.




Still outside the realm of played experience for Bordersdown as the SNES era hits?

[Neon Ignition]

Game 07 - Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim
Breaking away from consoles the next entry was released on PC first before being later ported to PS2 and PSP. For new entries it was the first time the series saw a western release since the third game and only a couple of years ago was also revived to use as the basis of an MMO entry. Mixing pre-rendered 3D models with full 3D graphics, the game expands but remains true to the gameplay of the series to date. Once again the series hit mixed reviews but enough sales success to continue.




Did the Arrival to PS2 bring You In?

[briareos_kerensky]

I haven't played a single one of these. At the risk of derailing the thread by going out of continuity, can anyone fill me in on the series and the highlights? It has always looked like a fairly typical JRPG. Is that right?

The old ones are top-down action games similar to Zelda, and they are best know for Adol's way of attacking, as you need to slam into enemies with the sword, so slightly to Adol's right, and block attacks with the shield, slightly to the left.
As the series went on, it shifted to a tilted 3D in Ys VI and VII, then going full 3D with Ys VIII. The series currently sits at the tenth chapter (main games...plenty of spinoffs and crossovers with other Falcom titles), which is due out in Europe this September, IIRC.
All Ys games are connected, though they are not in order: for example Ys IX is the latest, storywise, while Ys X is right after Ys Book I & II. There's an official timeline, which already includes when Adol will embark into his last adventure.

Personally I think Ys VIII is the best title in the series: it perfects all what Falcom did in the previous games and some new twists to the formula to make it more intersting.
The remake of Oath In Felgana (in itself a remake of Ys III...so yes, a remake of a remake) has been announced for western release next year.

Some self-promotion...

[Neon Ignition]

Game 08 - Ys Origin
A remake of Ys III preceeded this game but this was the next original title in the series following the above covered Strategy. A prequel that takes place 700 years before and as a result is the first entry without Adol in the lead. The game is a dungeon crawler with three selectable characters, each having their own story that combined explain the history of Ys. The game was one of the better scoring entries in the series.




Have Dungeon Crawlers Appealed to You?

[Neon Ignition]

Game 09 - Ys Seven
The long running franchise few have played rolls on with its next mainline entry which carried a simpler name and launched in 2009/2010 on the PSP, reaching global PC audiences in 2017. With another tale of Adol travelling for adventure and helping out a King, the pattern continues and it's not hard to see why the storylines haven't held deep impact - retaining a simplicity of set up. The battle system was updated for this new entry including parrying and this revision and higher difficulty led to stronger reviews.




Lucky Number Seven?