cdmcgwire
BACKER
Ys II Chronicles+ 2013
Log Status
Completed
Playing
Backlog
Wishlist
Rating
Unrated
Time Played
7h 6m
Days in Journal
2 days
Last played
November 20, 2022
First played
November 19, 2022
Platforms Played
Library Ownership
It's been a year since I played Ys I, so my frame of reference is a bit fuzzy, but I'm quite confident in saying this was a significant step up. That, or the Falcom indoctrination has progressed even further (likely).
For a small game originally designed in the 80s -- and from what I can tell has mostly received aesthetic and presentational updates since -- there's a surprising amount of depth to the adventure elements of the game. Mindlessly wandering around will get you nowhere and there are no obvious guides, but talking to NPCs and paying attention to the details of the environments will give you plenty of clues for the most part, so you can enjoy a pretty natural progression to the game....
... If you can navigate the maps, because the combat zones in Ys II are very complex and there's no in-game map system. You will get turned around frequently. I definitely don't remember the last game being even half as labyrinthian as this one. And it's not just the last dungeon, it's the whole game. But that's actually a big plus for me as it's been a looong time since a game has actually challenged my sense of direction and there are enough unique markers and shapes that it is possible to memorize the important parts after a few passes.
Thankfully, combat is quick and fluid making it really painless to get around. Charge everything at a diagonal and you're good. Takes a bit to get the muscle memory for the sweet spots when you're in narrow corridors, but once you got it, it's pretty darn easy yet oddly satisfying. Definitely not a flawless system, but frankly holds up better than most of its peers even into the next decade. (Also, I think there's a small QoL improvement from 1 in that you can attack diagonally instead of just off-center)
There's also quite a few hidden details in the world that are very entertaining to dig up or chance upon.
The art is wonderfully nostalgic: a nice refresh of that older style of fantasy. The character sprite work isn't very dramatic but is surprsingly expressive at times, though not quite to the same level as Trails in the Sky. The bosses, however, punch well above their weight. And the design of one in particular might go down as one of the most memorable of all the Falcom games I've played, if only for how unexpected it was and yet oddly fitting.
The story was simple but well executed, especially for its era. Falcom's distinct emphasis on characters is present even this far back. It's not award winning, but the NPCs actually have a presence and personality to them and serve as significant driving motivations to the plot. An approach that only a select few studios would really use until the sixth generation of consoles (and it's arguable how many today do it well).
Anyway, this game is definitely worth a playthrough for any action-adventure fans. It's short but sweet and comes at a good value in the Chronicles+ double pack. Aged quite well and has been lovingly tended to.
For a small game originally designed in the 80s -- and from what I can tell has mostly received aesthetic and presentational updates since -- there's a surprising amount of depth to the adventure elements of the game. Mindlessly wandering around will get you nowhere and there are no obvious guides, but talking to NPCs and paying attention to the details of the environments will give you plenty of clues for the most part, so you can enjoy a pretty natural progression to the game....
... If you can navigate the maps, because the combat zones in Ys II are very complex and there's no in-game map system. You will get turned around frequently. I definitely don't remember the last game being even half as labyrinthian as this one. And it's not just the last dungeon, it's the whole game. But that's actually a big plus for me as it's been a looong time since a game has actually challenged my sense of direction and there are enough unique markers and shapes that it is possible to memorize the important parts after a few passes.
Thankfully, combat is quick and fluid making it really painless to get around. Charge everything at a diagonal and you're good. Takes a bit to get the muscle memory for the sweet spots when you're in narrow corridors, but once you got it, it's pretty darn easy yet oddly satisfying. Definitely not a flawless system, but frankly holds up better than most of its peers even into the next decade. (Also, I think there's a small QoL improvement from 1 in that you can attack diagonally instead of just off-center)
There's also quite a few hidden details in the world that are very entertaining to dig up or chance upon.
The art is wonderfully nostalgic: a nice refresh of that older style of fantasy. The character sprite work isn't very dramatic but is surprsingly expressive at times, though not quite to the same level as Trails in the Sky. The bosses, however, punch well above their weight. And the design of one in particular might go down as one of the most memorable of all the Falcom games I've played, if only for how unexpected it was and yet oddly fitting.
The story was simple but well executed, especially for its era. Falcom's distinct emphasis on characters is present even this far back. It's not award winning, but the NPCs actually have a presence and personality to them and serve as significant driving motivations to the plot. An approach that only a select few studios would really use until the sixth generation of consoles (and it's arguable how many today do it well).
Anyway, this game is definitely worth a playthrough for any action-adventure fans. It's short but sweet and comes at a good value in the Chronicles+ double pack. Aged quite well and has been lovingly tended to.