Ys IX is such an interesting game and by that I mean absolutely, utterly, wholly and without failure a phenomenal experience. I would even go so far as to state this is my favorite 3D Ys experience. And to understand why I say this we have to start from the absolute beginning:
Ys IX features Adol at his oldest age yet, 24, when he travels to Gllia and the prison city of Balduq. Just this premise alone is incredibly enticing. Ys IX allows us to take a glimpse at Adol’s adventures when he has aged considerably from when he first set out. At this point he has accumulated a lifetime’s worth of experience, knowledge, wisdom, strength and confidence. Here we are introduced to a seasoned Adventurer that is steadfast, mature and resolute. This trait is absolutely reflected in Adol’s design, demeanor and model. For me such an interpretation of his character is so wonderful because it’s reflective of the experiences we’ve had “reading” his travelogues and journeying alongside him. It allows for interesting character and world interactions as Adol is significantly renowned, allowing for him to demonstrate his experience in various situations. This is handled particularly well, for example, when he breaks out of prison or with characters such as Jules . Moments such as these are what I thrive off of in narratives. Falcom does a particularly excellent job at illustrating character growth between their games because of how they interpret “growth”. Rather than make characters increasingly spiteful, belligerent or otherwise “unfaithful” as they age, Falcom retains what the character is about at their core. This is true in Kiseki and it is just as true in Ys. Adol is still that lovable Adventurer.. he’s just at a point where his insight allows him to demonstrate a refined poise to the events around him. It’s refreshing. And this is in conjunction with how Ys IX references past events, particularly with the azure petals and at the end of its story.
In addition to this, Adol travels to Balduq, the prison city. And I must say, I absolutely adore settings such as this. To me, the setting and world of a narrative is incredibly important. Locations that are inspired, purposeful and passionate are what absolutely drive some of my enjoyment of a given media. Here we get to witness a somewhat somber, restrained but contrastively lively city. Balduq is interesting in that the central “landmark” is a large fortress turned prison which you become intimately involved with during Adol’s time here. And it’s such a unique choice for a setting as one wouldn’t typically expect an entire city to revolve around a landmark with such negative connotations. As a result, Balduq’s general tone and atmosphere is considerably more gray compared to how vibrant and colorful Ys VIII presented itself. Some may consider this change in tone a negative but this dichotomy is exactly what Ys excels at. Through Ys’ varied approach to different settings in each game we get to see different locations which all have a life of their own. Ys VIII emphasized exploring Seiren and seeing what the entirety of this island had to offer, whereas, Ys IX gives you one focal location to explore. Superficially, this seems limiting however the detail and intricacy with which Balduq was created gives this location a life of its own. Each district melds into one another with many minute locations for you to explore with the various gifts you obtain throughout the game. Being able to hook claw, wall run and glide allow this world to be serpentine in its architecture. This verticality of Balduq is satisfying as there are many points in the city where you can travel to. I’d go so far as to state the movement in Ys IX and within Balduq is my favorite in any game. Combine this with the overall darker color tone of this location, the evolving town music throughout each chapter and the stories you learn of its inhabitants and Balduq becomes a city which evolves. Each new location, traversal method, story development allows you as Adol to begin feeling a kinship with this city. And in this way we begin to see Adol’s resourcefulness as an Adventurer. From his prison escape to his navigating the military filled streets of Balduq to adorning a disguise with which to blend in amongst the people, it’s a very thrilling narrative that doesn’t ever stop being enticing. However, it doesn’t just end at Adol. Post-Ys IX release Kondo explains “Monstrums” was a key word during development and this is absolutely apparent in the world, story and characters.
Unlike prior games, Ys IX’s core isn’t just limited to Adol and a given heroine but the entire supporting cast which are all absolutely wonderful. It’s difficult to speak at length about these characters without spoiling a significant amount of what makes them so appealing but I will say the following. Ys IX’s supporting cast are all superbly charming and full of life- such that I was genuinely saddened to say goodbye at the end of this story. Falcom took such mature leaps for their characters in this entry such as Krisha being a criminal (criminally cute that is) and Yufa having a love interest. Decisions such as these really solidified the impact of each character's motivations. It made this cast feel alive and tangible. This was only further reinforced by Falcom’s decision to include Dandelion as your home for this adventure and as the base for all the amazing cast members you meet on this journey. Even non-playable characters had riveting character arcs that fit in with the story of Gllia and its past. Seemingly benign characters left an impression on me with just how much emotion was behind their respective side quests and gifts. It truly feels that Falcom wanted to tell a story with this location and absolutely succeeded at it. I genuinely feel as if I got a full course of Gllian history with how much we learned of it. To me, this is what being an “Adventurer” is. In my Ys VIII review I had mentioned how Lacrimosa of Dana emphasized subtle world-building with an overarching story and Falcom absolutely delivers that same experience here.
I was unsure where else to put this but I wanted to emphasize that Ys IX had some of my favorite dungeons and bosses in the entire series. It’s amazing just how much bigger the locations in Ys IX are comparatively to Ys VIII. Genuinely, the verticality and depth of each dungeon in this game is downright amazing. It was such a clever idea to allow flexible navigation with Monstrum “gifts” as it added a new dimension to Ys that I am wholeheartedly going to miss. Being able to hook shot, wall run, glide, break walls and use your third eye really made each dungeon feel memorable and extensive. Emain Macha is by far one of my favorite dungeons in this franchise. It felt so inspired and fun to traverse as it was a genuine labyrinthe for you to navigate under the premise of, “an old dilapidated catacomb underneath Balduq”. It’s great how each dungeon in this game felt intentional as they all served a function to Gllia’s world-building and lore, painting a larger picture of the Hundred Year War as well as Gllia’s own past. It is moments such as this which make Ys enthralling. Exploring vestiges of past civilizations, ruins of the world’s history, uncovering the truth and seeing just how wondrous the world was 10, 100, 1000 years ago. Ironically, one of my favorite aspects of Fate is being able to see our own world’s history come to life whether that be the Knights of the Round with Artoria, Nordic myth, Japanese myth and others. And I love that Ys does something similar by taking our own world events such as the Hundred Year War, Jeanne d’Arc, the Paladins and interpreting that into its own narrative world. That is, taking inspiration from real locations with real history and allowing us as Adol to fully explore this reality. In this way, I genuinely feel that child-like wonder by witnessing these events come to life and exploring areas such as Emain Macha. Ys is driven by a few core objectives and this passionate world is absolutely one of them.
It’s also difficult to speak of any Falcom game without talking about the OST. In general, I can’t help but feel Ys VIII’s OST was more consistent, however I am unable to really explain why I feel this way. I know, I’m failing at sharing my thoughts in a piece where I share my thoughts. At the time of writing this review I believe this is largely due to how I generally like all of Lacrimosa of Dana’s OST. Here, I feel Monstrum Nox has tracks I dislike significantly more than others but I don’t believe it’s anything worth complaining about. That is, in regards to Ys IX I personally felt this soundtrack was largely perfect. Unisuga absolutely stole the show here with “In Profile, On Belfry” which is one of the greatest town tracks ever composed. Of course, this is hardly surprising given my favorite town track with no competition is “Heimdallr, the Vermillion Capital” for Sen no Kiseki I.. also by Unisuga. Unisuga was also responsible for “Aprilis” and “Desert After Tears” both of which are phenomenal tracks. Jindo was responsible for “Cloaca Maxima” and “Glessing Way!” which I am absolutely fond of. Singa was given a decent portion of Ys IX’s soundtrack in comparison with “Norse Wind”, “Marionette, Marionette”, “Crossing A/A”, “Gria Recollection” and “Knock on NOX” being exceptional. I’m absolutely in love with Aprilis’ leitmotif which is in tune with both her and this game thematically. It embraces this somber, dark, gothic tone that I adore. Ys IX’s OST as a result reinforces the ever present darker theme of this game and city which in turn makes for an excellent soundtrack for Adol’s adventures in Balduq.
It’s kind of difficult to explain just how much of an experience Ys IX is. I always feel as if I can never truly put my emotions to paper because it is hard to describe, measure, quantify emotions. All of us can say we love something, we enjoy something, we like something but no other person can truly understand that throbbing in your heart, that resonance in your soul or that mental infatuation which comes with such an emotion. And this goes for anyone else explaining to me what they truly love in their media. However, I still feel an effort has to be made because seeing people be happy and speak from their heart about what brings them joy is one of the most beautiful experiences we can have with each other. This review is in contrast with my Kiseki reviews where I poured out as much of my love as I could. Here, I attempted to be more objective but it’s difficult because I cannot rank games I enjoy on a numerical scale. If I enjoy something it typically can be described as, “I enjoyed it”, “I liked it”, “I loved it” and “incomprehensible word deluge”. In my Kiseki review I felt I landed short of conveying just how Kiseki is “one” with me. Here, I feel I fell short with how much this game resonated with me. It’s frustrating. But at the same time, I’m grateful I was able to leave a record of my attempt in conveying it. Ys IX is a wonderful game and if nothing else, whether you agree with me or don’t, I hope a fragment of my appreciation was conveyed.
Ys IX features Adol at his oldest age yet, 24, when he travels to Gllia and the prison city of Balduq. Just this premise alone is incredibly enticing. Ys IX allows us to take a glimpse at Adol’s adventures when he has aged considerably from when he first set out. At this point he has accumulated a lifetime’s worth of experience, knowledge, wisdom, strength and confidence. Here we are introduced to a seasoned Adventurer that is steadfast, mature and resolute. This trait is absolutely reflected in Adol’s design, demeanor and model. For me such an interpretation of his character is so wonderful because it’s reflective of the experiences we’ve had “reading” his travelogues and journeying alongside him. It allows for interesting character and world interactions as Adol is significantly renowned, allowing for him to demonstrate his experience in various situations. This is handled particularly well, for example, when he breaks out of prison or with characters such as Jules . Moments such as these are what I thrive off of in narratives. Falcom does a particularly excellent job at illustrating character growth between their games because of how they interpret “growth”. Rather than make characters increasingly spiteful, belligerent or otherwise “unfaithful” as they age, Falcom retains what the character is about at their core. This is true in Kiseki and it is just as true in Ys. Adol is still that lovable Adventurer.. he’s just at a point where his insight allows him to demonstrate a refined poise to the events around him. It’s refreshing. And this is in conjunction with how Ys IX references past events, particularly with the azure petals and at the end of its story.
In addition to this, Adol travels to Balduq, the prison city. And I must say, I absolutely adore settings such as this. To me, the setting and world of a narrative is incredibly important. Locations that are inspired, purposeful and passionate are what absolutely drive some of my enjoyment of a given media. Here we get to witness a somewhat somber, restrained but contrastively lively city. Balduq is interesting in that the central “landmark” is a large fortress turned prison which you become intimately involved with during Adol’s time here. And it’s such a unique choice for a setting as one wouldn’t typically expect an entire city to revolve around a landmark with such negative connotations. As a result, Balduq’s general tone and atmosphere is considerably more gray compared to how vibrant and colorful Ys VIII presented itself. Some may consider this change in tone a negative but this dichotomy is exactly what Ys excels at. Through Ys’ varied approach to different settings in each game we get to see different locations which all have a life of their own. Ys VIII emphasized exploring Seiren and seeing what the entirety of this island had to offer, whereas, Ys IX gives you one focal location to explore. Superficially, this seems limiting however the detail and intricacy with which Balduq was created gives this location a life of its own. Each district melds into one another with many minute locations for you to explore with the various gifts you obtain throughout the game. Being able to hook claw, wall run and glide allow this world to be serpentine in its architecture. This verticality of Balduq is satisfying as there are many points in the city where you can travel to. I’d go so far as to state the movement in Ys IX and within Balduq is my favorite in any game. Combine this with the overall darker color tone of this location, the evolving town music throughout each chapter and the stories you learn of its inhabitants and Balduq becomes a city which evolves. Each new location, traversal method, story development allows you as Adol to begin feeling a kinship with this city. And in this way we begin to see Adol’s resourcefulness as an Adventurer. From his prison escape to his navigating the military filled streets of Balduq to adorning a disguise with which to blend in amongst the people, it’s a very thrilling narrative that doesn’t ever stop being enticing. However, it doesn’t just end at Adol. Post-Ys IX release Kondo explains “Monstrums” was a key word during development and this is absolutely apparent in the world, story and characters.
Unlike prior games, Ys IX’s core isn’t just limited to Adol and a given heroine but the entire supporting cast which are all absolutely wonderful. It’s difficult to speak at length about these characters without spoiling a significant amount of what makes them so appealing but I will say the following. Ys IX’s supporting cast are all superbly charming and full of life- such that I was genuinely saddened to say goodbye at the end of this story. Falcom took such mature leaps for their characters in this entry such as Krisha being a criminal (criminally cute that is) and Yufa having a love interest. Decisions such as these really solidified the impact of each character's motivations. It made this cast feel alive and tangible. This was only further reinforced by Falcom’s decision to include Dandelion as your home for this adventure and as the base for all the amazing cast members you meet on this journey. Even non-playable characters had riveting character arcs that fit in with the story of Gllia and its past. Seemingly benign characters left an impression on me with just how much emotion was behind their respective side quests and gifts. It truly feels that Falcom wanted to tell a story with this location and absolutely succeeded at it. I genuinely feel as if I got a full course of Gllian history with how much we learned of it. To me, this is what being an “Adventurer” is. In my Ys VIII review I had mentioned how Lacrimosa of Dana emphasized subtle world-building with an overarching story and Falcom absolutely delivers that same experience here.
I was unsure where else to put this but I wanted to emphasize that Ys IX had some of my favorite dungeons and bosses in the entire series. It’s amazing just how much bigger the locations in Ys IX are comparatively to Ys VIII. Genuinely, the verticality and depth of each dungeon in this game is downright amazing. It was such a clever idea to allow flexible navigation with Monstrum “gifts” as it added a new dimension to Ys that I am wholeheartedly going to miss. Being able to hook shot, wall run, glide, break walls and use your third eye really made each dungeon feel memorable and extensive. Emain Macha is by far one of my favorite dungeons in this franchise. It felt so inspired and fun to traverse as it was a genuine labyrinthe for you to navigate under the premise of, “an old dilapidated catacomb underneath Balduq”. It’s great how each dungeon in this game felt intentional as they all served a function to Gllia’s world-building and lore, painting a larger picture of the Hundred Year War as well as Gllia’s own past. It is moments such as this which make Ys enthralling. Exploring vestiges of past civilizations, ruins of the world’s history, uncovering the truth and seeing just how wondrous the world was 10, 100, 1000 years ago. Ironically, one of my favorite aspects of Fate is being able to see our own world’s history come to life whether that be the Knights of the Round with Artoria, Nordic myth, Japanese myth and others. And I love that Ys does something similar by taking our own world events such as the Hundred Year War, Jeanne d’Arc, the Paladins and interpreting that into its own narrative world. That is, taking inspiration from real locations with real history and allowing us as Adol to fully explore this reality. In this way, I genuinely feel that child-like wonder by witnessing these events come to life and exploring areas such as Emain Macha. Ys is driven by a few core objectives and this passionate world is absolutely one of them.
It’s also difficult to speak of any Falcom game without talking about the OST. In general, I can’t help but feel Ys VIII’s OST was more consistent, however I am unable to really explain why I feel this way. I know, I’m failing at sharing my thoughts in a piece where I share my thoughts. At the time of writing this review I believe this is largely due to how I generally like all of Lacrimosa of Dana’s OST. Here, I feel Monstrum Nox has tracks I dislike significantly more than others but I don’t believe it’s anything worth complaining about. That is, in regards to Ys IX I personally felt this soundtrack was largely perfect. Unisuga absolutely stole the show here with “In Profile, On Belfry” which is one of the greatest town tracks ever composed. Of course, this is hardly surprising given my favorite town track with no competition is “Heimdallr, the Vermillion Capital” for Sen no Kiseki I.. also by Unisuga. Unisuga was also responsible for “Aprilis” and “Desert After Tears” both of which are phenomenal tracks. Jindo was responsible for “Cloaca Maxima” and “Glessing Way!” which I am absolutely fond of. Singa was given a decent portion of Ys IX’s soundtrack in comparison with “Norse Wind”, “Marionette, Marionette”, “Crossing A/A”, “Gria Recollection” and “Knock on NOX” being exceptional. I’m absolutely in love with Aprilis’ leitmotif which is in tune with both her and this game thematically. It embraces this somber, dark, gothic tone that I adore. Ys IX’s OST as a result reinforces the ever present darker theme of this game and city which in turn makes for an excellent soundtrack for Adol’s adventures in Balduq.
It’s kind of difficult to explain just how much of an experience Ys IX is. I always feel as if I can never truly put my emotions to paper because it is hard to describe, measure, quantify emotions. All of us can say we love something, we enjoy something, we like something but no other person can truly understand that throbbing in your heart, that resonance in your soul or that mental infatuation which comes with such an emotion. And this goes for anyone else explaining to me what they truly love in their media. However, I still feel an effort has to be made because seeing people be happy and speak from their heart about what brings them joy is one of the most beautiful experiences we can have with each other. This review is in contrast with my Kiseki reviews where I poured out as much of my love as I could. Here, I attempted to be more objective but it’s difficult because I cannot rank games I enjoy on a numerical scale. If I enjoy something it typically can be described as, “I enjoyed it”, “I liked it”, “I loved it” and “incomprehensible word deluge”. In my Kiseki review I felt I landed short of conveying just how Kiseki is “one” with me. Here, I feel I fell short with how much this game resonated with me. It’s frustrating. But at the same time, I’m grateful I was able to leave a record of my attempt in conveying it. Ys IX is a wonderful game and if nothing else, whether you agree with me or don’t, I hope a fragment of my appreciation was conveyed.