This is a tough one for me. On the one hand, Ys II clearly improves on some of the core aspects of the first game. I would argue, that the overall flow of battle is heavily enhanced due to the overhauled bump system. In the first game, even if you attacked enemies from behind or came at them at an angle, you could still take damage when bumping into them. This is not really the case anymore in Ys II. Sure, if an enemy started an attack and you bump into them when they perform it, you will still get hit. But if you time your attack appropriately and never attack head-on, you are basically invincible. That felt so much better than in Ys I, where I could still get damaged even if I did everything correctly. Another cool addition to the combat is the magic system. It’s not overwhelmingly complex since you only get one magic attack in the form of a fireball and some neat tricks like stopping time for a while, but it did change the combat significantly. Attacking enemies from a distance, especially when low on health, did feel good and it sometimes got me out of a situation, which would have resulted in my death if not for the fire spell. Another clear improvement over the first game is the fact that you can level up your character above and beyond level 10. At the end of the game, I was like level 50 whereas in Ys I, I had reached max level loooong before the final battle.
So, with pretty much all of the good stuff out of the way, let’s talk about some changes, that somewhat soured the experience for me. First off, yes, the magic system itself is pretty neat. However, what I found really disappointing was that the majority of boss fights revolve around using magic. Most boss battles have to be approached by dodging a bunch of projectiles or other attacks, waiting for an attack window and then releasing a barrage of fireballs into the enemy’s mouth, eye or whatever weak spot they have. Having some fights like this would be fine as it makes the player use the new magic system more but I felt like they overused this mechanic way too much. Another thing that really bugged me during boss fights was the fact that I could just leave the boss room at any time, resetting the entire fight. I don’t know if this was a thing in the first game (pretty sure it wasn’t), but here, there were so many times when I unintentionally left the room and had to start all over. On the other hand though, the boss fights in general felt more thought-out than in the first game where RNG played a major role. In this game, I had to be more tactical and boss fights didn’t quite feel like battles of attrition as they did in Ys I most of the time. So, all in all it’s a double-edged sword for me. Boss battles are generally more fun but I just wish they hadn’t relied on the magic system so much.
While I was uncertain about how to rate the boss battles, my mind is totally set on how to assess another aspect of the game which is navigation. Navigation in Ys II is way worse than in the first game. In Ys I, I would get lost every now and again but areas were usually small enough for me to internalize the map layout and find my way through. In Ys II, this is no longer the case. Dungeons are generally so friggin huge, I was constantly confused and lost my way all the time. Add to that the necessity to backtrack so much in this game (especially in the last section) and you have the recipe for frustration. On top of that, Ys II sometimes feels like the devs wanted to stretch out the relatively short game as much as possible by adding some pretty obtuse puzzles and an escort mission that’s straight outta hell (Tarf, please go and throw yourself in a lava pit or something, I hate your guts so much). Also, while it’s cool that I can level up beyond level 10, I felt the necessity to grind way more than in Ys I. Before attempting certain boss fights, I had to grind 2-3 levels most of the time to stand a chance. Again, grinding was also a part of Ys I but since you could only get to level 10, it wasn’t really necessary after you hit max level which happens in the middle of the game.
So, how do I feel about Ys II overall? In general, I feel like I am one of the few people who actually slightly prefer the first game. Ys I was more concise and just felt like the better package overall. Ys II introduced some changes that make the game flow better than the first by revising the bump system and implementing a rudimentary magic system. However, it also stretched the game with confusing dungeon design, obtuse puzzles and even worse backtracking than in Ys I. In terms of story and music, both games are on the same level of quality. I would say that if you enjoyed Ys I, you should definitely give the sequel a shot too. Just be prepared to get lost quite often and don’t feel ashamed to use a walkthrough if needed.
So, with pretty much all of the good stuff out of the way, let’s talk about some changes, that somewhat soured the experience for me. First off, yes, the magic system itself is pretty neat. However, what I found really disappointing was that the majority of boss fights revolve around using magic. Most boss battles have to be approached by dodging a bunch of projectiles or other attacks, waiting for an attack window and then releasing a barrage of fireballs into the enemy’s mouth, eye or whatever weak spot they have. Having some fights like this would be fine as it makes the player use the new magic system more but I felt like they overused this mechanic way too much. Another thing that really bugged me during boss fights was the fact that I could just leave the boss room at any time, resetting the entire fight. I don’t know if this was a thing in the first game (pretty sure it wasn’t), but here, there were so many times when I unintentionally left the room and had to start all over. On the other hand though, the boss fights in general felt more thought-out than in the first game where RNG played a major role. In this game, I had to be more tactical and boss fights didn’t quite feel like battles of attrition as they did in Ys I most of the time. So, all in all it’s a double-edged sword for me. Boss battles are generally more fun but I just wish they hadn’t relied on the magic system so much.
While I was uncertain about how to rate the boss battles, my mind is totally set on how to assess another aspect of the game which is navigation. Navigation in Ys II is way worse than in the first game. In Ys I, I would get lost every now and again but areas were usually small enough for me to internalize the map layout and find my way through. In Ys II, this is no longer the case. Dungeons are generally so friggin huge, I was constantly confused and lost my way all the time. Add to that the necessity to backtrack so much in this game (especially in the last section) and you have the recipe for frustration. On top of that, Ys II sometimes feels like the devs wanted to stretch out the relatively short game as much as possible by adding some pretty obtuse puzzles and an escort mission that’s straight outta hell (Tarf, please go and throw yourself in a lava pit or something, I hate your guts so much). Also, while it’s cool that I can level up beyond level 10, I felt the necessity to grind way more than in Ys I. Before attempting certain boss fights, I had to grind 2-3 levels most of the time to stand a chance. Again, grinding was also a part of Ys I but since you could only get to level 10, it wasn’t really necessary after you hit max level which happens in the middle of the game.
So, how do I feel about Ys II overall? In general, I feel like I am one of the few people who actually slightly prefer the first game. Ys I was more concise and just felt like the better package overall. Ys II introduced some changes that make the game flow better than the first by revising the bump system and implementing a rudimentary magic system. However, it also stretched the game with confusing dungeon design, obtuse puzzles and even worse backtracking than in Ys I. In terms of story and music, both games are on the same level of quality. I would say that if you enjoyed Ys I, you should definitely give the sequel a shot too. Just be prepared to get lost quite often and don’t feel ashamed to use a walkthrough if needed.