Wat? If it had gotten post release support it could have been fine. But to be dumped and left in that state it was most certainly not fine. The game was literally unplayable on AMD Polaris cards and had less frequent lock up issues on Maxwell that both venders were forced to fix via driver updates.
I like what I see of the re-localization, but I'm really hesitant to pick it up soon over port quality and the fact I haven't budgeted for it.
Since it has been out for a while for importers, Vita players, and home console players, a Switch Ys VIII purchase is most likely a vanity purchase for a HQ replay. Not much to talk about. For all the new Ys players I'd just let the upcoming OT do the heavy lifting unless someone asked a specific question in here.
I'm still waiting for the PS4 version of Ys VIII to come down in price. I still kind of want to play Ys VI and Ys Seven first, so I guess I don't mind the wait.
How does Ys VI run on lesser hardware? I have the PS2 version, but I heard it's kind of janky and the Steam version is better. Will it run okay on an i7-7700HQ laptop with a GTX 1050? The last game I played on that laptop was the Steam version of Final Fantasy VI, and I had some performance issues with that. (Although since the port was so awful to begin with, I'm guessing that's probably due to the game more than my laptop.) Likewise for Ys Seven versus the PSP version.
I'm still waiting for the PS4 version of Ys VIII to come down in price. I still kind of want to play Ys VI and Ys Seven first, so I guess I don't mind the wait.
How does Ys VI run on lesser hardware? I have the PS2 version, but I heard it's kind of janky and the Steam version is better. Will it run okay on an i7-7700HQ laptop with a GTX 1050? The last game I played on that laptop was the Steam version of Final Fantasy VI, and I had some performance issues with that. (Although since the port was so awful to begin with, I'm guessing that's probably due to the game more than my laptop.) Likewise for Ys Seven versus the PSP version.
Thanks to those who directed me to this community thread! I am planning on finally diving in to this series after always seeing it on Steam as being recommended, but never fully pulling the trigger.
I think I am going to start the series in release order for now, with 1 & 2 Chronicles+ and go from there. I am not too fearful of older games or systems, I feel I can still appreciate them for what they are today and what they were years ago. I didn't realize how short the first 2 were, so I think that should also help me get through them if I do struggle with enjoying it, but I plan on getting through them one way or another to get "current", as I have heard nothing but great praise almost all of the entries.
Playing in release order is definitely the smartest move. And you are right about the game length being a help in case you struggle adapting to the older games. One thing I don't particularly like about the modern Ys games is how long they became (and mostly because the reason they became long wasn't for a good reason).
Thanks to those who directed me to this community thread! I am planning on finally diving in to this series after always seeing it on Steam as being recommended, but never fully pulling the trigger.
I think I am going to start the series in release order for now, with 1 & 2 Chronicles+ and go from there. I am not too fearful of older games or systems, I feel I can still appreciate them for what they are today and what they were years ago. I didn't realize how short the first 2 were, so I think that should also help me get through them if I do struggle with enjoying it, but I plan on getting through them one way or another to get "current", as I have heard nothing but great praise almost all of the entries.
Well, so far I am having a lot of fun with Ys 1 about 2 hours in. The towns are really comfy and the townspeople are generally pretty interesting getting to know and see their relationships between the other villages. Pretty straightforward, although the cap seems to be level 10 (for now?) which I hit without any relative effort and I am deep in the north mine now after Sara's murder, which was out of left field. Now I am at this vampire boss that morphs in and out of a bat phase and I am having a rough go of it for now. Getting late, so I will get back in there tomorrow and see if something doesn't click for me with him on how to bring him down faster.
All in all, really having a ton of fun with this game so far!
My first foray into Ys was "Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim" on the ps2. I liked what I played of it but didn't finish it. Years later I picked up Ys 1&2 on the psp and absolutely loved it. Played them back to back and then craved more. Then beat the other psp Ys games. My favorite are still the ones you play as just Adol. I don't really like switching between characters.
Alright, so I just beat Ys 1, my first Ys game. Here are some of my thoughts...
Combat was relatively simple, but fun. Bump system is an interesting mechanic, but as far as the numbers went, it felt like it was either a struggle or a complete pushover. I hit cap fast and then there wasn't really a point to fighting anymore, so I avoided mobs from about the mine on. The bosses were where it was at. Some of them were fun, some of them were annoying.
Fun bosses: Nygtilger, Pictimos, Yogleks & Omulgun (personal favorite)
Meh: Jenocres, Khonsclard. Personal note on Khonsclard, I didn't even bother timing for an opening since I couldn't get a good beat on it the first 2 tries, so the 3rd try I literally did a circle in his hitbox and out DPS'd his damage to me, lol.
Annoying: Jenocres, Vaguillion
Fuck You: Dark Fact
The story was actually quite a bit more interesting than what I expected going in. Yeah, it was your standard beat the Evil Wizard sitting atop a tower to save the world, but I had fun talking to the villagers, reading their notes and seeing their stories interconnect with other towns. I didn't really get too lost and have to look anything up, just used the tried and true old school RPG tactic of literally talk to everyone multiple times and you should eventually learn of where to go or a hint of what to do next. Also, the amount of backtracking was pretty heavy, especially Darm Tower. Yes, I got to the final door before Dark Fact and didn't have the Blue Amulet, so that one took a while to go back and find what the hell I was missing.
Overall, fun first step in to the franchise. I obviously wasn't expecting the game to knock my socks off, that is like playing FF1 and asking what all the hype about Final Fantasy is. Looking forward to 2 and the rest of the games when the combat mechanics start to evolve.
The thing about him is, it isn't like he is "hard" per se, but the projectiles come so fast and Adol doesn't run that quickly, so you are essentially guaranteed to be killed after a set amount of time, so it becomes a DPS race. I basically just tried to project his path and trail him to get multiple hits in every time he crosses the floor, but then it becomes waiting for the run that doesn't completely screw you over with tiles that are missing or you happened to get hit with tons of pink balls randomly. It was just doing attempt after attempt waiting for the dice rolls to go in your favor.
There probably is some real way to do this boss where you barely get hit and win easily, but I wasn't seeing it.
There is this TAS beating him without the silver sword, and in that Adol loses nearly half his health. It's probably still more impressive given all the dodging to make the fight last as long as it does.
There is this TAS beating him without the silver sword, and in that Adol loses nearly half his health. It's probably still more impressive given all the dodging to make the fight last as long as it does.
So like you mentioned Chaosblade , it is pretty much Ys 1, but better in just about every respect.
Combat I think in this game is actually quite a bit easier due to the addition of diagonal hitting (not that Ys 1 was overly difficult or anything). Everything is diagonal pinning the enemy to the wall, there isn't too much risk except in the early game. The starting mine really fucked me up with the narrow corridors, but once things open up a little bit, it gets easier in the wider areas. The progression in this game is much more existent as well, as the game actually has a point to killing monsters for the entire game instead of capping you out 2/3rds of the way through the game, so it was still fun to chain kill groups of enemies one after another. Even though it was easy, it was still pretty fun and held my attention. The addition of magic was also great, namely Warp Magic to reduce a lot of backtracking Ys 1 had. The way you had to use some spells throughout the entire game, and some times too, was also great. I really appreciate the aspect of not having all of the items be throwaway after one area. The snow shoes weren't useful again, but things like the whisper earrings and bell were used more than just a off situation.
From an outside perspective, I always felt like the big thing about Ys was 1) the combat and 2) the boss fights. The boss fights in this took a really big jump in enjoyment. None of them were annoying or had oppressive mechanics, but most of them provided a decent challenge that took a couple attempts.
I got a lot more in to the story on this one than in the first, mostly because 1 had such a compact experience. I am interested in seeing where this goes since the ending of 2 really gift wraps the entire thing and doesn't leave them with a whole lot of room to work with. Yeah, I am sure some evil is reawakened after a thousand years later or something, but I really enjoyed the journey. Also the fact that the original villagers all get new dialogue after events happen is great, is this something that they added over time in the remade versions? Impressive if that is how it was in the originals, really adds a sense that this is a real living world. What also added to that sense was stepping out on to the balcony in the Goddesses Palace and looking over the land you had trekked through to get there. I was like goddamn, I made it.
And with that, I beat Oath and Ys 1 in the past few days.
Even if the bump system is a bit goofy, there's something oddly satisfying about mowing down enemies and feeling unstoppable. Bosses were a bit of a mixed bag, though. It was pretty obvious the dev team were still figuring them out (either constantly taking damage to kill them first, or patiently waiting until you can bump them).
That said, I'm interested to see how Ys 2 improves upon the original (and move on to Origin).
And with that, I beat Oath and Ys 1 in the past few days.
Even if the bump system is a bit goofy, there's something oddly satisfying about mowing down enemies and feeling unstoppable. Bosses were a bit of a mixed bag, though. It was pretty obvious the dev team were still figuring them out (either constantly taking damage to kill them first, or patiently waiting until you can bump them).
That said, I'm interested to see how Ys 2 improves upon the original (and move on to Origin).
Yeah, your thoughts on Ys 1 pretty much mirror mine. Ys 2 evolves the bump system to make killing enemies more...chain-able, if that is even a term. I am sure you will see what I mean you start your playthrough, but it is pretty fun to just cut through packs one after another.
I myself am going in to Ys 6: Ark of Napashtim after beating I and II. Only a couple hours in so far, but already enjoying the leaps in combat.
Although the combat was a lot better, definitely more going on, although the bar of the bump system was a high hurdle to cross, something about it lacked the charm of 2 to me. Maybe it was how small the world felt? I enjoyed the characters for the most part, but the island seemed so tiny there wasn't really a sense of adventure there. Also this game was much more grindy in the sense that I had to do a moderate amount of farming before some of the bosses or I could continue on from the midpoint saves, namely Limestone Cavern which seemed to be the biggest leap in monster level. I only farmed enough emelas to get the armor and upgrade one sword (Fire) to max level and Jesus the rate of magic regen is OP. Overall, a fun game, but not the best of the 3 I have played. I would rate the ones I have played something like:
With Ys 1 and 6 out of the way, I'd say you have the consensual weaker entries out of the way and can only go up from there. Not unlikely those remain your bottom 2 as you finish other games.
Oath in Felghana and Origin, gameplay-wise, are both basically Ark of Napishtim but way better. Oath in Felghana is a pretty similar type of game, and Origin changes up the structure.
With Ys 1 and 6 out of the way, I'd say you have the consensual weaker entries out of the way and can only go up from there. Not unlikely those remain your bottom 2 as you finish other games.
Oath in Felghana and Origin, gameplay-wise, are both basically Ark of Napishtim but way better. Oath in Felghana is a pretty similar type of game, and Origin changes up the structure.
Well, I don't consider the 3rd-party ports and/or "original" titles to be proper Ys games and I'll fight anyone who says modern Ys 1 is the worst so what's left?
Ys V is kinda doo doo, though its story and especially its admittedly cool magic system had a lot of potential. I dunno if I'd say it's the worst and it's not really a bad game, but I think the only other stuff in the running would be older versions of Ys 1 and Mask of the Sun perhaps. At least it had some really great SNES music, and hey the inevitable remake should be nice.
AND THE COMPLETELY MISLEADING VERSION FROM THE PS2 REMAKE OH NO
Even if I have a personal-favorite bias towards it, I'll always vouch for VI being a dope title for the lore and connections (and revitalization) it brought to the series alone. Not to mention that chill and unique soundtrack. I also can't say I ever saw the big issues with its combat either; I always liked how the stiffness and speed gave a sense of deliberation to movement and complimented the sword techniques. The platforming and some enemies could be a chore, sure, but it honestly felt like a pretty natural first-step in moving from what Ys was pre-V into a new style.
Also fighting a goddamn weather machine with two of the GOAT final boss themes is just perfection.
It definitely is. The whole game felt like a chore, and don't even get me started on some of the worst platforming in any game ever. Seriously, ridiculously bad.
I really can't agree. Ys VI, for all its flaws, feels fun, complete, and challenging (on Catastrophe Mode) in ways Ys V can't match...because that game was literally unfinished. I never died in all of Ys V because enemies had relatively little threat, let alone how easy it is to stock up on restoratives. The NPCs aren't anywhere near as interesting, the visual style's all over the place (though I have a real fondness for most of the soundtrack), and it takes too long to get one or two good bosses whereas Ys VI has a few of those mixed in with all the disappointing ones. You're not wrong that Ys VI's dash jumping puzzles are badly designed, but that's more forgivable than having Ys V's alchemy system where the only viable spell is the very first (unwieldy) fireball attack.
If we're ranking just the very original versions of each installment Falcom developed (so no Dawn of Ys or janky ports of Ys I), then Ys V's at the bottom of my list. That's why I'm so excited for the inevitable remake. Falcom scrapped a lot of their original premise for the game due to production woes, a result of making other consoles games at the time; bringing the Xandria/Kefin premise back in full glory will do us a big favor.
I really can't agree. Ys VI, for all its flaws, feels fun, complete, and challenging (on Catastrophe Mode) in ways Ys V can't match...because that game was literally unfinished. I never died in all of Ys V because enemies had relatively little threat, let alone how easy it is to stock up on restoratives. The NPCs aren't anywhere near as interesting, the visual style's all over the place (though I have a real fondness for most of the soundtrack), and it takes too long to get one or two good bosses whereas Ys VI has a few of those mixed in with all the disappointing ones. You're not wrong that Ys VI's dash jumping puzzles are badly designed, but that's more forgivable than having Ys V's alchemy system where the only viable spell is the very first (unwieldy) fireball attack.
If we're ranking just the very original versions of each installment Falcom developed (so no Dawn of Ys or janky ports of Ys I), then Ys V's at the bottom of my list. That's why I'm so excited for the inevitable remake. Falcom scrapped a lot of their original premise for the game due to production woes, a result of making other consoles games at the time; bringing the Xandria/Kefin premise back in full glory will do us a big favor.
I'll take Ys V's Alchemy system over the horrible platforming in Ys VI any, ANY, day of the week. Ys VI was a painful chore from beginning to end. So much of VI was just pure frustration to me, and just treading over the same ground over and over and over again. Specially on the PS2 version where the wings don't transport you. I mean shit one of the Dash Jump sections required you to make a jump to a like 3 pixel sized ledge that leads to you and the ledge being hidden behind some fucking stairs, oh and if you miss it, 5 - 8 minute walking loop back to try again. I'm sorry I just did not have any fun with VI, and basically forced myself through it just to not have finished a main line Ys game. I would play through the entire rest of the series 20 times over again before ever touching VI again.
You could get by without using the dash jump at some points where it seemed necessary IIRC, and I think most jumps were for optional things. Alma's Trials in the ps2 version definitely needed it pretty often though.
I wish they'd make it so that it's impossible to make a certain double jump in Origin's Water Prison without the ability to dash. On my Hugo Nightmare playthrough I completely missed the item that lets you dash - I got to the second-to-last boss before realizing my mistake.
Funny you say that, because I remember some platforming way, way, way worse in Ys V. You know, the waterfall part. Dash-jumping was a breeze in comparison.
Just beat Oath in Felghana earlier today and it is safe to say it is the best of the ones I have played so far easily.
I vastly prefer the bracelet system of magic to the different blades. The magic from all 3 bracelets were extremely useful in different situations and used their abilities a ton more than I did in Ys VI. Also the addition of double jump and dash were nice. I am one of those people that jumps everywhere in games that have it, so double jumps just add to the enjoyment of movement. Although you couldn't double jump in towns, what the hell was with that!
The bosses also took a huge step forward in terms of mechanics and phases. I enjoyed almost every single one and there were a lot more of them than in previous entries I played. A lot of is pattern recognition and reacting accordingly, obviously, but I am someone who enjoyed the hell out of Furi, which is essentially a boss rush/twitch reflex game, so this was right up my alley.
Story was also good. Enjoyed the curve balls along the way and was a hell of a lot more interesting than VI. The world also felt bigger than VI, more varied locations, the revisits on old dungeons didn't feel lazy at all, and liked the Metroid-esque returning to use X power to unlock another area vibe. I ended up missing 1 emerald gem, but got every other item. Oh well, didn't feel I missed out on too much, spin to win got the job done in the last dungeon as it was.
Planning on starting Origin next. Liking the evolution of the series a lot.
