Being my first Ys title (and also the first chronological entry in the series), I now finally understand why fans of this series are so passionate about it.

I was most impressed by its combat, though. It plays more like a battle-oriented top-down Zelda, yet doesn't feel mash-y in the slightest. I absolutely adored the challenge that bosses and certain enemy types brought. Damage being so easy and quick to accumulate is the perfect deterrent to face-tanking strategies that would usually be encouraged in other ARPGs.

Progression is very balls-to-the-wall, too - and I say that as a very heartfelt compliment. There's no time-wasting here, it's a back-to-back volley of rushing through tightly-designed dungeons and whacking demons.

The music is phenomenal too. If you're not chilling out to Water Prison or head-bopping to Silent Desert, then I'm just gonna assume you're soulless.
Overall, I'm very impressed with this hidden gem of a game. Gonna start a second AND third playthrough soon enough, since there are even more characters I can mess around with - just gotta clear my backlog.

(Also, Yunica's a cutie.)