Ys Book I & II chronicles the first adventures of Adol Christin, a young, red-haired swordsman on a quest to unlock the secrets of an ancient kingdom. As Adol, you search the island of Esteria, gathering clues to unravel the mystery of Ys. Fight monsters that lurk in caves and towers with physical or magical attacks, and use your brain to make your way through dangerous areas filled with traps.
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Playing through Lagoon recently, it made me curious on just how it compares to the game its so clearly copying, Ys Books I & II. I’ve played through the DS remake of Ys I & II many years ago, but I’ve never actually so much as looked at the original version of the games. I then realized that I actually have a perfect way to play the contemporary versions of those games via my PC Engine Mini, and set right to work playing through them once I finished with Lagoon. It took me about 18 or 20 hours to play through the Japanese version of the game on my PCE Mini without abusing save states.
Ys Books I & II, as its name implies, is the first two Ys games back-to-back, as they are each one half of one larger story: Book I is our hero Adol unraveling the mystery of the tomes of Ys and climbing the Tower of Darm, and then Book II is him actually in the titular Ys and saving it from the great evil that besieges it. Being action/adventure games from the late-80’s, the writing isn’t exactly anything terribly impressive (it’s a bit too exposition heavy and the cast is a bit too packed with one-dimensional characters, for starters), but the voice acting this PCE CD version adds to the PC-88 originals definitely helps it stand out that much more. It’s highly improved by the remakes the story has gotten over the years, but it’s quite impressive for a game this old nonetheless.
The gameplay of Ys I & II is actually a little different between games, but the building blocks are the same, and they share the most important one anyhow: bump combat. Back when making games, especially on home computers, faced a lot more difficult technical hurdles, some games opted to forego an ability to swing your sword at things and instead just have combat decided by how you happened to run at your enemy and make contact with them. This collision-based combat has been since deemed “bump combat”, and while Ys is far from the first instance of it, it’s definitely one of the most famous.
That said, just because it’s historically interesting doesn’t really mean that it’s good, and I think that we’ve since moved away from bump combat for very good reasons. Your power in Ys is determined not just by what sword, shield, and armor you’re using, but also your level, as this game has light RPG-elements in how you get experience points from killing enemies. While there are actual mechanics to the bump combat here (it isn’t all random or stat-based), you and your enemies move so fast that you functionally don’t really have much reason to think of them most of the time. As long as you’re not standing still (in which case you will definitely take a very nasty hit), you’re bump combat-ing more or less correctly.
Ys II adds offensive magic that makes fighting bosses in particular feel far more like your choices actually matter, but Ys I has no such system to benefit from. Bump combat is neat in how fast and simple it is, sure, but it’s so simple that I ultimately felt myself questioning why it was even there in the first place. Especially given just how much grinding is necessary in these games, bump combat often just makes the “combat” feel like nothing but padding between boss fights, and those boss fights are pretty lousy too. Either you’re getting mulched because your stats/equipment aren’t high enough (or that boss has some really annoying gimmick that makes them awful to hit like the one in the mines), or you’re instantly mulching them because your stats are high enough. The final boss of Ys I and especially the final boss of Ys II are some stand outs as for how they really make you use some strategy and reflexes to dodge projectiles and such, but the combat and boss fights in both games are frankly really underwhelming compared to a lot of other action/adventure games we had by the late-80’s.
This wouldn’t be such an issue if the story were good or interesting, which it isn’t terribly, or the level/dungeon design were good, but that’s also sadly not the case. Both games (but especially Ys I) suffer from some really rough level design, and the signposting can make it absolutely maddening on where you’re actually meant to go next. Ys I is packed with necessary plot items hidden in all corners of its dungeons, and it’s very easy to make a wrong turn or just not realize one is there at all, so then you’re stuck wondering just what the heck you missed, wandering around for ages just trying to find some semblance of where to go. Ys II is thankfully far better in this regard, but both games have some pretty rough design in just how sprawling and maze-like their dungeons are, and with basically all enemies fighting the same way (it’s all just bump-to-win) too, it’s not like dungeons really feel all that different from one another anyhow outside of aesthetics. A lot of Ys I & II’s issues are far from unique to them for their era, and a lot of their issues come down to their large ambitions more than anything, but that’s cold comfort in current-year when those failed ambitions just make things frustrating more than they do fun or interesting a lot of the time.
Given that the aesthetics are from 1989, they’re really impressive and show off a ton of just what the PC Engine could do with its fancy CD tech! While they’ll hardly put later games in the 16-bit generation to shame, they’re both very impressive for the time and still pretty now. On that same note, the music is absolutely excellent. Lots of awesome, rocking tracks that underlie the action at hand really well. If anything, they’re so awesome that the action should kick things up a couple of notches just to keep up! XD
Verdict: Hesitantly Recommended. As much as I ragged on this game for a lot of reasons, I did still quite enjoy it at the end of the day. While the first Ys games really do show their age quite a bit in this, one of their earliest remasters, they’re still fun games and it’s no surprise that the series got so popular off of games like this. I think it’s going to be a hard sell for all but the biggest of retro fans to go back to this particular version of Ys I & II these days when there are so many excellent remakes that Falcom has made since, but there’s still some fun to be found here for those who are willing to look for it.
Ys Books I & II, as its name implies, is the first two Ys games back-to-back, as they are each one half of one larger story: Book I is our hero Adol unraveling the mystery of the tomes of Ys and climbing the Tower of Darm, and then Book II is him actually in the titular Ys and saving it from the great evil that besieges it. Being action/adventure games from the late-80’s, the writing isn’t exactly anything terribly impressive (it’s a bit too exposition heavy and the cast is a bit too packed with one-dimensional characters, for starters), but the voice acting this PCE CD version adds to the PC-88 originals definitely helps it stand out that much more. It’s highly improved by the remakes the story has gotten over the years, but it’s quite impressive for a game this old nonetheless.
The gameplay of Ys I & II is actually a little different between games, but the building blocks are the same, and they share the most important one anyhow: bump combat. Back when making games, especially on home computers, faced a lot more difficult technical hurdles, some games opted to forego an ability to swing your sword at things and instead just have combat decided by how you happened to run at your enemy and make contact with them. This collision-based combat has been since deemed “bump combat”, and while Ys is far from the first instance of it, it’s definitely one of the most famous.
That said, just because it’s historically interesting doesn’t really mean that it’s good, and I think that we’ve since moved away from bump combat for very good reasons. Your power in Ys is determined not just by what sword, shield, and armor you’re using, but also your level, as this game has light RPG-elements in how you get experience points from killing enemies. While there are actual mechanics to the bump combat here (it isn’t all random or stat-based), you and your enemies move so fast that you functionally don’t really have much reason to think of them most of the time. As long as you’re not standing still (in which case you will definitely take a very nasty hit), you’re bump combat-ing more or less correctly.
Ys II adds offensive magic that makes fighting bosses in particular feel far more like your choices actually matter, but Ys I has no such system to benefit from. Bump combat is neat in how fast and simple it is, sure, but it’s so simple that I ultimately felt myself questioning why it was even there in the first place. Especially given just how much grinding is necessary in these games, bump combat often just makes the “combat” feel like nothing but padding between boss fights, and those boss fights are pretty lousy too. Either you’re getting mulched because your stats/equipment aren’t high enough (or that boss has some really annoying gimmick that makes them awful to hit like the one in the mines), or you’re instantly mulching them because your stats are high enough. The final boss of Ys I and especially the final boss of Ys II are some stand outs as for how they really make you use some strategy and reflexes to dodge projectiles and such, but the combat and boss fights in both games are frankly really underwhelming compared to a lot of other action/adventure games we had by the late-80’s.
This wouldn’t be such an issue if the story were good or interesting, which it isn’t terribly, or the level/dungeon design were good, but that’s also sadly not the case. Both games (but especially Ys I) suffer from some really rough level design, and the signposting can make it absolutely maddening on where you’re actually meant to go next. Ys I is packed with necessary plot items hidden in all corners of its dungeons, and it’s very easy to make a wrong turn or just not realize one is there at all, so then you’re stuck wondering just what the heck you missed, wandering around for ages just trying to find some semblance of where to go. Ys II is thankfully far better in this regard, but both games have some pretty rough design in just how sprawling and maze-like their dungeons are, and with basically all enemies fighting the same way (it’s all just bump-to-win) too, it’s not like dungeons really feel all that different from one another anyhow outside of aesthetics. A lot of Ys I & II’s issues are far from unique to them for their era, and a lot of their issues come down to their large ambitions more than anything, but that’s cold comfort in current-year when those failed ambitions just make things frustrating more than they do fun or interesting a lot of the time.
Given that the aesthetics are from 1989, they’re really impressive and show off a ton of just what the PC Engine could do with its fancy CD tech! While they’ll hardly put later games in the 16-bit generation to shame, they’re both very impressive for the time and still pretty now. On that same note, the music is absolutely excellent. Lots of awesome, rocking tracks that underlie the action at hand really well. If anything, they’re so awesome that the action should kick things up a couple of notches just to keep up! XD
Verdict: Hesitantly Recommended. As much as I ragged on this game for a lot of reasons, I did still quite enjoy it at the end of the day. While the first Ys games really do show their age quite a bit in this, one of their earliest remasters, they’re still fun games and it’s no surprise that the series got so popular off of games like this. I think it’s going to be a hard sell for all but the biggest of retro fans to go back to this particular version of Ys I & II these days when there are so many excellent remakes that Falcom has made since, but there’s still some fun to be found here for those who are willing to look for it.
Bump combat at its finest.
I can't remember exactly when but the first time I tried playing this game when I was 13 or 14 years old, I couldn't even get past the first overworld area. It wasn't until about 18 years later that I was finally able to figure it out but when I did, it was the best decision I had made to replay an older game. The gameplay is obtuse (non-derogatory) but when you get into the flow state with it, it becomes the most satisfying overhead 2D combat system in existence. I honestly have not bothered playing the remakes of I & II but I do not feel like they are necessary when compared to the original intent of design on the predecessors. Has some of the best music in any game hands-down.
I can't remember exactly when but the first time I tried playing this game when I was 13 or 14 years old, I couldn't even get past the first overworld area. It wasn't until about 18 years later that I was finally able to figure it out but when I did, it was the best decision I had made to replay an older game. The gameplay is obtuse (non-derogatory) but when you get into the flow state with it, it becomes the most satisfying overhead 2D combat system in existence. I honestly have not bothered playing the remakes of I & II but I do not feel like they are necessary when compared to the original intent of design on the predecessors. Has some of the best music in any game hands-down.
Rating this is a bit tough cause I really like book 1 and am a bit more cooled on book 2, but I think overall the experience would average out to pretty good! I really like Book 1, it's a short but fun romp and I really like it, with the big downside being the bosses are kinda bad outside of a couple that I like (The Mantis and Oni heads). On the other hand, Book 2 is a game with great scale and some really cool looking environments, but I like the bosses even less than 1 and had to even grind a bit just to beat the final boss which is even more of an RNG hell than the book 1 final boss. I just didn't vibe with it as much as I liked, but overall the experiences are worth it. Collection+ is probably the most ideal to onboard a new player as I once was, but it's fun to go back and check out how they used to be!
OST goes so hard, definitely play this version if you can. Presentation is impressive for the time. Dungeons in Ys II were a bit too labyrinthine and magic made the game too easy. The bell sequence is epic though.
Book I: fantastic little adventure game for the PC Engine CD, the progression can sometimes become grindy but generally is paced well, and the dungeons are all huge and spooky.
Minor drawbacks were the sometimes obtuse puzzling (I am not sure if there was any clue to use the hammer on that specific pillar) and the slightly obnoxious backtracking (having to trek back down to the 11th floor of Darm Tower when I was on the 21st was quite the blow to my patience).
However, these were only small hitches in an otherwise extremely fun adventure with simple intuitive combat and a mysterious story unfolding in a beautiful fantasy world. Great RPG adventure.
Book II: I have an MP bar now! This was extremely fun, the puzzles were good and I barely had to look up a guide at all. The one thing I did look at guides for was some of the bosses. The last boss on the PC Engine CD version of the game is a total nightmare.
But the story, the cutscenes, the exploration, the art, the music, were all awesome. Everything was lovingly crafted and it's an extremely impressive game for the time it was released.
I found myself taking notes and writing them in character for this game, too. Roleplaying like this was really fun and helped me keep track of clues to puzzles and things like that which I highly recommend.
The way the story concluded arcs that began in Book I is also impressive. A great game.
Minor drawbacks were the sometimes obtuse puzzling (I am not sure if there was any clue to use the hammer on that specific pillar) and the slightly obnoxious backtracking (having to trek back down to the 11th floor of Darm Tower when I was on the 21st was quite the blow to my patience).
However, these were only small hitches in an otherwise extremely fun adventure with simple intuitive combat and a mysterious story unfolding in a beautiful fantasy world. Great RPG adventure.
Book II: I have an MP bar now! This was extremely fun, the puzzles were good and I barely had to look up a guide at all. The one thing I did look at guides for was some of the bosses. The last boss on the PC Engine CD version of the game is a total nightmare.
But the story, the cutscenes, the exploration, the art, the music, were all awesome. Everything was lovingly crafted and it's an extremely impressive game for the time it was released.
I found myself taking notes and writing them in character for this game, too. Roleplaying like this was really fun and helped me keep track of clues to puzzles and things like that which I highly recommend.
The way the story concluded arcs that began in Book I is also impressive. A great game.
kind of interesting to play from a historical perspective but definitely has some issues. this game has an exceptionally bland story. could have been ripped right from a 15 yo dungeon master's notes. the music is nice but considering in both book 1 and 2 you spend about half the game in a single area you're probably going to get tired of a lot of the tracks.
bump system is the defining mechanic w these games aaaand it's kinda whatever. i think it's less engaging than standard turn based combat and feels more stat-checky. in every situation where i got stuck it wasn't because i wasn't dodging or bumping well enough, it was because i didn't have a key item or was underleveled. grinding in this game is much less fun than in a standard jrpg e.g. dragon quest because you have to have your full attention but you're still not doing anything that's really fun, so it's neither relaxing or engaging. book 1 has kind of comically easy bosses, book 2 is more stacked against the player but doesn't feel like there's much strategic depth added, you just fireball instead of bumping most of the bosses
oh yeah everyone in this game calls all enemies "goons". it's very funny. some of the lock and key stuff is also pretty silly in a way i found charming ("yeah sorry i lost this magic orb guess i have a hole in my pocket or something")
bump system is the defining mechanic w these games aaaand it's kinda whatever. i think it's less engaging than standard turn based combat and feels more stat-checky. in every situation where i got stuck it wasn't because i wasn't dodging or bumping well enough, it was because i didn't have a key item or was underleveled. grinding in this game is much less fun than in a standard jrpg e.g. dragon quest because you have to have your full attention but you're still not doing anything that's really fun, so it's neither relaxing or engaging. book 1 has kind of comically easy bosses, book 2 is more stacked against the player but doesn't feel like there's much strategic depth added, you just fireball instead of bumping most of the bosses
oh yeah everyone in this game calls all enemies "goons". it's very funny. some of the lock and key stuff is also pretty silly in a way i found charming ("yeah sorry i lost this magic orb guess i have a hole in my pocket or something")