Firstly, I'm hella biased. I love this series, I love beach settings, and I love blue-haired heroines. Secondly, I will write a lot (lmao nerd).
Jumping is back, babyyyy! Finally Adol's feet can be unbound from the grips of the earth again. This means we get some platforming back in the mix, and overall I think this function is used decently well, just maybe not as much as in older games that had it. Neither in level traversal, nor in combat. Small minus but no big deal, because in the end I think the scenarios have a good amount of verticality in them, which brings good variety compared to the flatter landscapes of the last two games.
Another game changer is free camera. Being able to look around makes me take in much more of the game's world, as you can sometimes just stop take a moment to let the space around you sink in, and it's gives more freedom on getting an understanding of the game's world as you spot landmarks from afar.
Probably the next big change is also the game's length. While the previous one took me 40 hours to beat, this one took 60! Ys has come a long way from a series that used to have 10-hour long playthroughs. Although this was expected since the change to more traditional JRPG-style since Ys Seven. However...
...While a game being long is not a bad thing, I think it's not that favorable usually. It's weird. I definitely enjoyed every minute of it, and I appreciate the fact that the game being longer allowed me to spend more time with it. And while there is some repetition, I feel it never goes into the bad side of it. There's always new areas to explore, new progression for the plot... Well, maybe not as much as I'd consider ideal on the gameplay side? But again, never bad enough to be an actual problem. Just maybe a thing that could be better.
For example, I love the optional dungeons you can do as Dana. They feel tightly-packed, and you unlock new significant abilities to do combat and level interaction at a nice pace. While the main game doesn't do that as well. This might just be the Ys Origin fanboy in me, but perhaps I would indeed enjoy the game better if it was either shorter (which would be a problem, considering the scope of the story they wanted to tell), or had more impactful gameplay changes unlocked throughout it.
In the end, this might still be the best Ys game I've played so far (still didn't play IX). I love the exploration, it's the best that's ever been in the series. They finally nailed it after what I'd say a slightly awkward attempt at a "big open world" with the previous game. The story is epic and well-crafted, it takes you on a ride for sure. Growing the village and improving it slowly with time is one of the best sensations too. The village feels like a comfy and warm community where you belong. This also means the side-characters here are the best in the series, since you get to know and interact with each of them over time.
And of course the music is awesome, it is Ys we're talking about. Many songs here will stick with me forever, special shoutouts to "Next Step Towards the Unknown", "Riddles of the Labyrinth", "Eroded Valley", and... Better stop it here or I ain't stopping... Okay fine, at least I'll put "Sunshine Coastline" in there too, it's definitely one of my favorite Ys songs of all time.
In the topic of me not stopping, I feel like this review could go on forever as well... But in the end, this is a series I hold really close to my heart, I can't help it! I like a lot what this entry adds to the world itself, both lore and characters, and I'm sure as hell looking forward to seeing some familiar names and faces in future entries. The power level is getting way too dank at this point too, but I don't mind if it means I always get to fight some crazy god transcendent entity alongside the sound of soul-lifting power metal.
I'd say little keeps me from rating this a perfect game, but it's a very special one nonetheless. I think Falcom finally reached a very sweet spot with the formula they started on Ys SEVEN, and while maybe it will still not completely dethrone Ys Origin in the deepest parts of my platformer-lover heart, it surely can find space to be there alongside it.
Jumping is back, babyyyy! Finally Adol's feet can be unbound from the grips of the earth again. This means we get some platforming back in the mix, and overall I think this function is used decently well, just maybe not as much as in older games that had it. Neither in level traversal, nor in combat. Small minus but no big deal, because in the end I think the scenarios have a good amount of verticality in them, which brings good variety compared to the flatter landscapes of the last two games.
Another game changer is free camera. Being able to look around makes me take in much more of the game's world, as you can sometimes just stop take a moment to let the space around you sink in, and it's gives more freedom on getting an understanding of the game's world as you spot landmarks from afar.
Probably the next big change is also the game's length. While the previous one took me 40 hours to beat, this one took 60! Ys has come a long way from a series that used to have 10-hour long playthroughs. Although this was expected since the change to more traditional JRPG-style since Ys Seven. However...
...While a game being long is not a bad thing, I think it's not that favorable usually. It's weird. I definitely enjoyed every minute of it, and I appreciate the fact that the game being longer allowed me to spend more time with it. And while there is some repetition, I feel it never goes into the bad side of it. There's always new areas to explore, new progression for the plot... Well, maybe not as much as I'd consider ideal on the gameplay side? But again, never bad enough to be an actual problem. Just maybe a thing that could be better.
For example, I love the optional dungeons you can do as Dana. They feel tightly-packed, and you unlock new significant abilities to do combat and level interaction at a nice pace. While the main game doesn't do that as well. This might just be the Ys Origin fanboy in me, but perhaps I would indeed enjoy the game better if it was either shorter (which would be a problem, considering the scope of the story they wanted to tell), or had more impactful gameplay changes unlocked throughout it.
In the end, this might still be the best Ys game I've played so far (still didn't play IX). I love the exploration, it's the best that's ever been in the series. They finally nailed it after what I'd say a slightly awkward attempt at a "big open world" with the previous game. The story is epic and well-crafted, it takes you on a ride for sure. Growing the village and improving it slowly with time is one of the best sensations too. The village feels like a comfy and warm community where you belong. This also means the side-characters here are the best in the series, since you get to know and interact with each of them over time.
And of course the music is awesome, it is Ys we're talking about. Many songs here will stick with me forever, special shoutouts to "Next Step Towards the Unknown", "Riddles of the Labyrinth", "Eroded Valley", and... Better stop it here or I ain't stopping... Okay fine, at least I'll put "Sunshine Coastline" in there too, it's definitely one of my favorite Ys songs of all time.
In the topic of me not stopping, I feel like this review could go on forever as well... But in the end, this is a series I hold really close to my heart, I can't help it! I like a lot what this entry adds to the world itself, both lore and characters, and I'm sure as hell looking forward to seeing some familiar names and faces in future entries. The power level is getting way too dank at this point too, but I don't mind if it means I always get to fight some crazy god transcendent entity alongside the sound of soul-lifting power metal.
I'd say little keeps me from rating this a perfect game, but it's a very special one nonetheless. I think Falcom finally reached a very sweet spot with the formula they started on Ys SEVEN, and while maybe it will still not completely dethrone Ys Origin in the deepest parts of my platformer-lover heart, it surely can find space to be there alongside it.
RedBackLoggd
10 months ago