Ys game

Later, players will get a ring that also recovers health indoors, and health outside at a faster pace. Adol also gains experience for defeating enemies, which in turn means stronger weapons as the game progresses.

By the end of the game, regular enemies explode the second Adol touches them, a feeling that is always satisfying. Three years have passed since Adol freed the floating continent from the clutches of evil when his Oath in Felghana adventure begins.

The original game ends on a fairly sour note, but promises further adventures for Dogi and Adol. Gone is the bump combat of the first two games; now players must choose to attack with a button press in a side-scrolling style of gameplay reminiscent of Zelda II. Most everything else in the game, including the UI remains the same as the first two titles. The original bit game suffers from clunky controls and brutal difficulty spikes. Players may find themselves grinding for experience by killing bugs in the mines just to make it through the opening areas.

This is especially true for some of the boss fights. The Oath in Felghana remake solves all of these problems. Even if a player selects the normal difficulty, the enemy encounters and boss fights are well balanced. Healing items also drop from downed enemies, unlike in Ys III where players were limited to one healing herb in their inventory. Newcomers should avoid the original bit release unless the experience sought after is a broken controller and cramped hands.

Predictably, Adol arrives in a new town, completely wiped of his memory. Casnan is a town on the edge of an uncharted forest called Celceta. A man named Duren finds Adol, claims to know him, and drags him before the ruler of Casnan. It is there that Governor-General Griselda hires Adol and Duren to explore the great forest of Celceta and unlock its secrets — which turns out to be a massive undertaking.

Along the way, players will find a plethora of towns, dungeons, and side quests to tackle. The game also includes a robust crafting system, giving players an opportunity to create new gear and customize weapons.

Adol gets to bring along two other people on his adventures; though the party system is first introduced in Ys Seven , Celceta polishes this feature to a shine. Continuing the trend of modern Ys games, players can relish fast-paced action, with enemies being weak to one of the three weapon types; each character specializes in pierce, slash, or bash, so it is crucial to know which character to use at any given time and swapping them in as needed. Throughout the course of the game, characters come and go, and at the end, a total of six characters round out the party.

These special attacks level up the more each is used and unlock additional abilities as the game progresses. All of this keeps the action fresh, letting the player skillfully combo their favorite moves together to take down tough foes.

Each character also gets a screen-clearing special attack, perfect for taking chunks of life out of bosses when the time is right. Like many modern Ys games, Celceta lets players select the difficulty at the start of the game, which makes it perfect for newcomers to the series.

Each version of the game is identical, so players can simply choose whatever platform is preferred. While Napishtim includes many familiar faces and characters from the core Ys series, it is still considered a stand-alone title, so players can still follow the story without getting lost.

Instead of magic, Adol gets a choice of different elemental swords to play with in Napishtim. A speedy wind sword lets players slice and dice their enemies in a whirlwind. The hefty fire sword can be charged up to unleash a devastating fireball, knocking down everything in its path.

Finally, the sleek lightning sword builds up static, unleashing a lightning ball that bounces around several times, knocking enemies everywhere. In addition to the combat advantages, each sword plays a key role in solving the puzzles of the Canaan Islands.

Not only does it offer more polish, but it also gives players a significant advantage over the console versions with the Enhanced Wing of Alma, allowing teleportation to any previously-visited save monolith. While not a terrible game, newcomers to the series would be better served trying out Origin or Oath first before stepping back to Napishtim.

Grab the PC version in a sale if any driving curiosity for Napishtim must be sated. Otherwise, stick to Origin or Oath. While party combat seemed like blasphemy in a Ys game at the end of the s, it clearly had an impact, as Falcom has continued the trend for each Ys release and remaster since.

This tale opens with Adol and Dogi reaching the city of Altago, though the pair quickly lands in jail after a scuffle with the local Dragon Knights. Being as this story takes place towards the end of the official Ys timeline, it stands alone from the rest, making it easily accessible for newcomers. The party system offers the fast-paced action that modern Ys fans have come to expect.

As this was the first game to implement it, it lacks the polish of later titles such as Memories of Celceta or Lacrimosa of Dana. Even though Ys Seven is a viable entry point for newcomers, the platform choice for this game are extremely limited. Originally exclusive to the PSP, a PC version arrived in with upgraded graphics, optimizations including significantly reduced load times, and new Steam achievements.

As with many late-era PSP releases, a UMD copy is creeping up in price and can be challenging to find, though it is also available for sale digitally.

The PC version remains the most accessible and price-conscious choice for players interested in diving into Ys Seven. Once again, Adol has some bad luck at sea and finds himself stranded on a mysterious island. Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim marked a huge shift in the direction of the series.

It was the first 3D Ys game, and it featured a brand new combat system. No more bumping, 2D action, or Zelda-style gameplay. Instead, the combat was made more frantic with the addition of jumping and magic spells.

But it's historic significance is mostly due to forging a new identity for the series and modernizing Ys. Ys Seven was released in for the PSP. It takes place about six months after The Ark of Napishtim. Adol and Dogi are tasked with investigating recent earthquakes. This leads to a grand adventure where they need to try to reawaken the five dragons to prevent a horrible calamity. Ys Seven is generally praised, but it was a massive departure from the older games, dividing some older fans.

Ys Seven has multiple playable characters that can be switched in and out. The AI controlled the other characters, and the combat system revolved around using weapon and element types to match enemy weaknesses. It takes place in a prison city under Romun control. Beings known as "Monstrums" supernatural beings are appearing and causing trouble with locals.

Adol is falsely accused of a heavy crime and becomes a Monstrum himself. He needs to escape the prison city with the help of both new and old allies. Falcom built off of Ys VII and continued with the usage of multiple party members and different types of attacks. Monstrum abilities like wall climbing and gliding also add a new layer to the exploration and combat. I am a writer, musician, gamer, and podcaster currently working abroad in Taiwan.

I love to play video games, especially RPGs and platformers, and I am also a song writer and guitarists. When I'm not gaming or playing music, you can catch me on the trails.

Share Share Tweet Email. Discovering the Black Pearl and the Twin Goddesses missing from the floating island of Ys, a search party warps down to the surface in order to find them within Darm Tower. Conquering the Stormwall circling Esteria, Adol becomes the first to set foot on the secluded island, finding himself in the middle of a divine conspiracy. Here, all the legends Adol learned on Esteria turn out to be true, and he confronts the Clan of Darkness head on.

Following his adventure on Ys, Adol comes back down to Esteria and decompresses with his soon-to-be eternal travel partner, Dogi. Unfortunately, Adol loses his memories wishing the Great Forest and finds himself battling amnesia while charting the unmapped forest for the Romun Empire a force who will soon come to oppose Adol.

Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand remains the only classic Ys title to lack a remake.