I've been wanting to get into this franchise for a while, and due to the autumn Steam sales, I've took my shot! Overall I did enjoy this game. It definitely has it's fault in gameplay, but it's definitely a decent remake of a game of this age.

Visuals - 7/10
This game definitely looks nice. There's quite a few good looking scenery, and it really fits well with the movement of Adol. There's also some pretty cut scenes too. The boss animations are quite commendable. Nothings hard to look at either, which is nice.

I will say though, that I wish that this game had minimaps as areas would be easier to navigate.

Audio - 8/10
Music blows my mind honestly. It's got some great tracks. Very solid. I think that the Complete version of the OST is the best, and I've played mostly using that one. The Chronicles version of the OST is below it's par imo.

Gameplay 6/10
I think the concept is fun. The bump system is pretty simple and straightforward. Fighting normal enemies is always the same pattern. With the cap level being 10, and reaching that early, fighting normal enemies is very much the same through the whole game. There isn't any variety in them other than how fast enemies move. Everything outside of fighting seems to be fine as again it's very simple, because all you do outside of fighting is talk to NPCs. The other main complaint I have is that in certain parts of the game, there can be some backtracking, which can be a pain in the final dungeon. In general there's some pretty mundane things.

Narrative 5/10
It's not a masterpiece in any sense. I'm still not sure why Adol is going through these events in the game other than that he's the chosen one. The story relies pretty heavily on Adol's destiny. A lot of the characters, seem a little more like side-acts. They don't develop much, but this game doesn't seem to focus on them that much. It's Adol that is the main focus, and he's a hero, which I think happens a lot in games like these.

Themes 6/10
I think that the narrative is sacrificed for the focus on themes here. Save the world and discover the truth, and the game definitely is consistent with this concept.

Challenge 4/10
Honestly? This game is too easy. There's been a boss fight where I killed it in like five seconds. There were like two bosses I struggled a little bit with but the rest of them were pretty easy to the point where I was defeating late-game bosses hitless due to being predictable. Of course I could have played on a higher difficulty, but I think that would have made the final boss miserable. The final boss was easily the most difficult but it's made to be crazy. It's a pretty big difficulty slope. There's a few other difficulty spikes that are a little harder to overcome if you don't do quests for exp. Again, the difficulty definitely suffered from simple gameplay and simple common enemy patterns.

Replayability 5/10
Not likely that I will play this again since there aren't bonuses outside of difficulty, or if I just wanted to 100%.

Personal 6/10
I enjoyed this game, but I'm definitely ready to move to the next.

Final Score: 6

Often released as a bundle with its immediate sequel, Ys I really is just one half of a bigger whole. However, since it still works as its own standalone game, I decided to review them separately. As the first Ys game I ever played, there was an initial sense of confusion as I tried to figure out the somewhat archaic combat system and lack of explicit guidance. Thankfully, once it clicked, I enjoyed my short time with it and made me eager to check out the rest of the series.

Story: Adol Christin is a young, wandering adventurer who happens to come across the town of Minea, in the land of Esteria. Here, he meets a fortuneteller named Sara, who informs him of a terrible evil that he must ultimately bring an end to (nothing new, amirite?). In order to do this, he must find the six Books of Ys; text which contains the history of the ancient land of Ys and the knowledge needed to bring an end to the dark forces at bay.

Despite containing a simple plot, it’s still impressive to note how it exceeds expectations for a game released in 1987. In the same year that The Legend of Zelda released for the NES in North America, Falcom was creating an ambitious duology that not only contains plenty of dialogue, but also fairly interesting lore in the way of solid worldbuilding, interesting NPC conversations, and a fairly detailed and expansive backstory for the main hero in the original game’s manual; a backstory containing locale and event descriptions that would continue to be referenced in future games to this day.

Gameplay: This was the biggest roadblock upon starting the game. The infamous “bump” combat is a weird system that, although easy to understand, is incredibly awkward to execute for a first-time player and takes a bit of getting used to. But once I did, I was making mincemeat of enemies left and right. The bump combat simply involves running into enemies at an off angle in order to minimize damage received and increase damage taken. There is no attack button involved for this. The main limitation to this is the lack of variety. Even during bosses, it’s mainly a matter of learning its attack pattern and just bumping into their weak spot when possible. Still, the game is short, which helps a bit with its inevitable redundancy. Not to mention, the boss designs are damn cool and the fights themselves are still fun and challenging.

As with any RPG, you level up after gaining enough experience points. And trust me, if you feel like you are doing next to no damage to a boss, then you have to grind. Because here’s the thing: The level cap is 10. That’s right, you can only reach level 10 in this game, which means that each level gives you quite the significant boost to strength and defense. With each new area, enemies give a lot more EXP, so grinding isn’t much of a problem in this game, as it’s fairly quick.

Apart from this, there’s also a shop where you can buy better equipment, as is typical for the genre.
Through this short journey, NPC’s will give you hints on certain items you must find and use in order to make progress. None of these are usually too cryptic but, backtracking and traversing some of the maze-like dungeons can be a bit of a chore unless you look up a map. The final dungeon is especially huge and can be a bit of pain. And um… if I can just vent for a second…: WHAT WERE THEY THINKING WITH THAT FINAL BOSS? All I can say is, prepare your butthole.

Music: Um… yeah… There is no reason for the music to be this good. Honestly, all the Ys games I’ve played have had great soundtracks, but it’s especially impressive to hear these tracks from a game released 35 years ago. Granted, with this being a remaster, the soundtrack has been re-recorded and remixed, but even after listening to the original soundtrack, it’s amazing to hear the foundation of a wonderfully melodic and haunting track list that perfectly captures the sense of adventure. Not much else to say here. The music is fantastic.

Ys is a series that usually flies under the radar of many RPG fans, and even with the recent success of VIII and IX, many would still be hard pressed to return to the series’ roots. I believe it’s well worth it, though. Ys I (and II) may not be a perfect experience, and it is admittedly not for everyone, but with its short playtime and classic Falcom charm, it just begs to be given a chance and experienced.

Final Score: Light 7/10

Let's start with the obvious; this is a remake of the original Ys I, and a faithful remake down to the bump combat and the general lack of tutorials and instructions. That said, I don't think the bump combat (while a meme) is as bad as many others have made it out to be; just think of it as an invincibility star (well, one where you're not always invincible so admittingly not that close but it'll suffice as a comparison for now) and you need to ram your opponents whenever they're vulnerable to chip away at their health. The actual angle calculation that is required to avoid taking damage altogether from bump combat can make this a bit more messy than how simply the combat was supposed to be designed, but in general as long as you're approaching an opponent diagonally with the joystick, you should be fine. With a little bit of grinding (and you will have to grind, because levels make a huge stat difference in a game capped at level 10) and the proper equipment, this usually isn't too egregious and is at worst, a novelty of its time.

The other complaint I often hear is that there aren't many instructions to guide you through the game; you wash up on a beach in a mysterious land greeted by strangers after the doctor takes you in, and you can actually leave for the plains right away without ever arming yourself. That's because the original Ys is a game heavily dependent on context clues and this game will not hold your hand; the doctor actually suggests talking to all of the villagers to fill yourself in on the situation, and talking to all the villagers and then talking to stockroom guy will net you a free sword. This is just one example of the clues that the people and environment around you will hint towards; you really need to make sure that you understand everything that's going around you (sort of atypical of the other Ys games I've played actually, but a welcome diversion), and if you follow and pay attention to their language, you'll make it out fine. Don't be afraid to use a guide, because it is an ancient game (in more ways than one) and there's no map or detailed adventure log, but it is definitely possible to figure out what to do and how to clear this pretty short adventure (took me less than 8 hours) without too much difficulty.

So I suppose what I'm trying to say is, it's aged a lot better than I expected. It's a pretty condensed JRPG and while the combat doesn't match up to future installments of furious hack and slash, the bump combat is serviceable enough for the generally interesting and varied boss fights: since there's a pretty early level cap, you'll really need to pay attention to patterns to figure out how to strategically pick each one apart instead of relying on stats to outbuff boss fights. (Though the strategy of running around in circles might work a little too well, even on that bat fight that's considered a nightmare by some.) The graphics are a nice upgrade from the original and hold up well in terms of lighting and color, and the soundtrack is Falcom JDK Sound Team, so obviously it's just banger after banger because these guys can do no wrong with their music.

I won't try and excuse that final boss fight though, which is just this mish mash of fireballs flying around the screen while you have to chase this speedy diagonal dude and dodging holes that form right under your feet as soon as you touch the boss and instakill you if you're caught by a hole. What the actual fuck.

But besides that, it's an interesting relic of Falcom's history that's worth an exploration if you've got five bucks and a lazy Sunday to blow. I'll obviously prefer both Ark and Modern Ys to this, but it wasn't half bad and Falcom fans will definitely be able to find some appreciation and enjoyment from this pioneer action RPG title.

Ys is a series I have barely dabbled in. I rarely finish JRPGs either due to their insane difficulty spikes, incessant grinding, or boring story and characters. Ys I is a game that's older than I am. It's also incredibly short because of this and due to the cryptic nature of games from the late 80s, I decided to play this game using a walkthrough guide. This is sadly one of those JRPGs that has a specific way to play or it becomes an incredibly hard game. There are so many things you can miss, but also encourages multiple play-throughs. For a game this old, I don't see any reason to play it other than to complete the Ys series from the beginning. It is as basic as JRPGs come due to its age as well.

The story is pretty decent despite the short playtime. I actually enjoyed the characters as well. There isn't a lot of talking that drags on forever. The game does get to the point with some short and sweet dialog. You play as series' main protagonist Adol Christin who must collect the books of Ys to save the world from evil. It's pretty typical, but I enjoyed the small little world they built around the books of Ys. They were interesting to read and I felt this was a world you could get sucked into if it were to progress (which surprise, it did). The art is amazing with beautiful backdrops. The music is also fantastic thanks to legendary composer Yuzo Koshiro. Lots of rock and beautiful orchestral music. The Chronicles+ version contains both the chiptune versions and the arranged versions.

Ys' main combat system is called the "bump" system in which you just walk into enemies and are dealt knockback damage if hit straight on. The idea is to hit them on the edge of their sprite kind of like speed jousting. It's a weird system but keeps the pace of the game moving and I like that. Again, the game is really hard unless you quickly level and are constantly acquiring the best equipment. You can get some for free if you do things in a certain order or find a certain key for a certain chest. These are JRPG tropes that I absolutely hate because most of the time no one will know this without a guide or accidentally coming across it. Easter eggs and extra dialog are fine, but essential things to play are something that really irks me.

Due to the short length, you can easily hit the level cap in a few hours. The cap is 10 and you quickly acquire money and XP as you advance to more powerful enemies. For such a short game there is a large variety of them as well and their design is really cool. I always looked forward to seeing what was next. The dungeons are also varied such as a mine (which is dark), an ice floor with mirrors, a 20-floor tower that you must climb towards the end, forests, and other places. It's crazy just how much unique content was crammed into a 4-5 hour game. One thing I was relieved by is if you keep up with the equipment and level up to maybe 4-5 before the first boss you can easily fight each boss with just a few hits. I know that sounds crazy, but there's only so much balancing in a game this short. The final boss is notorious for being impossible to beat, and even with the best armor/weapons, level cap, and on Easy I still had to try nearly a dozen times to beat him. You also can only fight him with a specific weapon.

Overall, Ys I is a memorable JRPG if you play it the way it was supposed to be played. Many will get frustrated due to needing to constantly level up fast and always have the best weapons, and the weird boss difficulty spikes will turn many away. I only recommend this game if you're a fan of the series or really want to start from the beginning like I am. It has fantastic art and music and is a well-contained and fun JRPG...if you play it right.

Randomized Backlog #1 - Ys I Chronicles+

Trying a new thing and rolling random digits to decide how to cut through my backlog. Of all 1600+ games to play, of course I start with one that I gave a half-hearted spin not even a month prior.

Ys is a time capsule of a world that was still forming the conventions of the RPG. Falcom was churning out all sorts of projects that explored different methods of combat, storytelling, and worldbuilding in 2-dimensional space, taking cues from Dragon Quest and Hydlide. Ys was a particularly punchy formula, one that didn't abstract the act of combat to a series of menus interactions, nor grapple with real-time swings when the foundations weren't yet established. Instead we get a real-time abstraction, where running into enemies directly triggers what is essentially a cartoon fight cloud, resolving with a victor within seconds. Health is recovered automatically, provided the player is still and safe. No inventory management, no party tactics, just smash and bash and watch those numbers go up.

It's got a primal sort of appeal - every battle is like the 'instant' battles in Earthbound, you walk through guys or they walk through you, and little time is wasted. Unfortunately this loses its luster quickly, as each enemy type is essentially identical in behavior and strategy. The only real variety is in the bosses, which range from questionable to clueless. The core issue with these fights is that the boss hurtbox is always active, and therefore have no defenses to circumnavigate. Instead, they typically run or teleport around a minefield of damage sources, and you aim to kill them before you're taken out yourself. These fights are not pleasant nor satisfying to win. The bump system likely developed its poor reputation because of these enemy design shortcomings, and less because of its merit. They missed an opportunity to prove it viable, which is a real shame.

The rest of Ys is cryptic and boilerplate, in a charming way. You're heavily rewarded for talking to people and listening to their stories, both to learn about the inner mechanisms of the lore and to piece together side quests and the purpose of the items you'll find. The characters have their own motivations and purposes, and I found most of the tropes forgivable with one huge exception - more on that later. The pace of the game, stemmed from the bump system, helps resolve these events and keep them recent enough in your memory to inform your exploration. There is, of course, JRPG bullshit, but not enough to overly annoy if you're attentive and thorough.

This altogether makes Ys a tolerable, occasionally interesting game that is short enough to encourage a playthrough for people getting into the series. But here's the hang-up I alluded to before: there is a damsel whom the player rescues that has an achievement incentive for you to corner and, implicatively, grope in a dead-end alley in the same dungeon she was imprisoned in. This is so exhausting in its blatant misanthropy that I hardly know what to say, but I can't believe it exists here. I don't have the ability to confirm this is present in the original, so I can only assume it's the work of the remake team, which casts a sickly air over an otherwise passable project.

good game, the combat simple, while confusing at first is pretty fun and satisfying, albeit a bit simple and almost archaic. something so satisfying about stunlocking enemies by just walking into them, leveling up and then one-shotting everything

fuck the bosses tho, and fuck whoever thought a multi-level tower maze with limited visibility where you constantly have to go back and forth the top and bottom of the tower finding items and people, i dont blame you if you stop in darm tower
also its not a good port in general, you gotta limit your refresh rate just for some fights to be playable, im not sure if i can recommend this version. if you want to get into the series, maybe look somewhere else. its been ported and remade a million times, so do some research and decide for yourself which is the best version, personally, while i havent played it, the ds version seems really cool

I liked it! Bump combat is weird but fun. You very rarely have to actually care about doing damage without taking it since you get weapon and armor upgrades very quickly, but that makes them feel like a good reward every time.

My biggest complaint about this game is how confusing and backtrack-heavy the last dungeon is, but other than that it's pretty straightforward and it's a nice little game to spend your time with. Definitely doesn't overstay its welcome, the pacing is pretty good and I never felt like it was dragging. Not too much replay value even though I didn't do all the sidequests, I just don't care too much to. Maybe someday.

This was my first Ys game, and well, it was an interesting experience. I thought I was gonna hate the bump system, but it ended up being kinda fun in the end. The music was pretty awesome, but I also feel like the remixes featured in this version really didn't fit the visual style. But that's mostly a nitpick. The game wasn't super long (if you use a guide), so it was a fun little introduction to the world.

The biggest problem with this game is the cryptic 80s game design. I played through with a guide, so it wasn't a big deal, but you pretty much have to do it like that.

All of my other complaints, like the sorta lackluster story and the boring characters... are hard to fault the game for because it's a really old game. And the gameplay ended up being fun, so it's still a good time.

This is my first approach to the Ys franchise and I have to admit, this first game is a real gem. I loved the attention to details in dialogues during the completion of the different quests, loved all the different ways you can progress the game and loved all the little secrets you can find if you do specific things. There is a lot of quality content for a game that originally came out in 1987. I don't know how much this version is updated in terms of level, quest and game design, but it's really cool. I'm kinda neutral on the bump mechanic, I like it more than I'd like a turn based rpg, but I think it results in a lot of confusion during certain fights. Maybe I'm the one to blame, but this is actually one of the most difficult games I ever played.

This is my third or fourth time through this game, second time through on this specific edition. I needed a short palate cleanser after the two FF 7 versions and before Tunic comes out on a platform I could play it on.

I grew up in the obtuse era of video games, so I'm maybe a little more okay with how little Ys 1 tells you. There's a point about halfway through where a boss is made intentionally near-impossible (although if you are stubborn, you could probably brute force it), and it's done this way to make sure you are ready for the next chunk of game. But in order to be ready for that chunk, you need to have performed a lot of other tasks, tasks which are discovered only by talking to everyone and exploring every corner.

This was how video games used to push their technology to the limits: fill out the data with world and people and monsters, then have the player explore every single corner of it. That's what prevents Ys 1 from only being 3 hours long.

I've played through some of the translated NES version via emulation, and this edition is very clearly a labor of love. It's virtually identical, but with new graphics, music, and translation, and it's a really beautiful, engaging package. I am kind of sad that the bump fighting disappeared after these two, because I'm a big fan. I miss that time when Zelda clones all tried to do something different and new, when we were still figuring out all the different ways video games could be played and still be fun.

The story that isn't there is more interesting to me than the story that is, and I love how it continues into Ys 2.