This review contains spoilers
*Beat the game twice on Switch and third time on PS5.
Ys VIII is a pretty fun game from start to finish. Gameplay of the three-party system was beginning at its peak and exploring the Isle of Seiren was the most fun part of the game. The locations (while still very much an upscaled Vita game) were visually pretty to look at it and the music were some of the Falcom Sound Team's best music in general. Characters, while still simple, were enjoyable and the mysteries around the island is what enticed me to continue to play. The true highlight of the game was definitely Dana Iclucia and the entirety of her story. Doesn't help her va, Brianna Knickerbocker, absolutely played her amazingly.
Now for a few negatives. Character models become a bit choppy whenever they stand underneath a shadow. Map navigation in the menu is clunky, which doesn't help when you need to find a specific item or quest destination from an elevated level. Raids and hunts, while not bad modes, are pace killers. Thankfully, you don't need to do all them. I also experience audio imbalance between the voiced lines. Sometimes, it's loud and then sometimes its a bit too quite (Probably something related to porting it to PS5) While I did say, the characters were enjoyable, the story itself isn't the most amazing thing ever. The basis of escaping the island to the entirety of Dana and the Eternians made the story pretty enjoyable, though some parts of it could've been trimmed down or just not been there. Biggest example being the Nameless Ripper subplot. It didn't add anything to the story and the consequences of that subplot was ultimately minimal in the grand scheme. Finally, the true ending itself is a bit conflicting as it unnecessarily retcons the whole journey of the game to justify itself and Maia's reveal kind came out of nowhere. It's not that bad, but it does say that the journey was better than the destination itself.
Despite my gripes, Ys VIII is still a great game that is still sentimental to me as it was the very first Falcom game I ever played. Still recommend it, though I personally feel you should still play other Ys games before this one.
Ys VIII is a pretty fun game from start to finish. Gameplay of the three-party system was beginning at its peak and exploring the Isle of Seiren was the most fun part of the game. The locations (while still very much an upscaled Vita game) were visually pretty to look at it and the music were some of the Falcom Sound Team's best music in general. Characters, while still simple, were enjoyable and the mysteries around the island is what enticed me to continue to play. The true highlight of the game was definitely Dana Iclucia and the entirety of her story. Doesn't help her va, Brianna Knickerbocker, absolutely played her amazingly.
Now for a few negatives. Character models become a bit choppy whenever they stand underneath a shadow. Map navigation in the menu is clunky, which doesn't help when you need to find a specific item or quest destination from an elevated level. Raids and hunts, while not bad modes, are pace killers. Thankfully, you don't need to do all them. I also experience audio imbalance between the voiced lines. Sometimes, it's loud and then sometimes its a bit too quite (Probably something related to porting it to PS5) While I did say, the characters were enjoyable, the story itself isn't the most amazing thing ever. The basis of escaping the island to the entirety of Dana and the Eternians made the story pretty enjoyable, though some parts of it could've been trimmed down or just not been there. Biggest example being the Nameless Ripper subplot. It didn't add anything to the story and the consequences of that subplot was ultimately minimal in the grand scheme. Finally, the true ending itself is a bit conflicting as it unnecessarily retcons the whole journey of the game to justify itself and Maia's reveal kind came out of nowhere. It's not that bad, but it does say that the journey was better than the destination itself.
Despite my gripes, Ys VIII is still a great game that is still sentimental to me as it was the very first Falcom game I ever played. Still recommend it, though I personally feel you should still play other Ys games before this one.