This is my third or fourth time through this game, second time through on this specific edition. I needed a short palate cleanser after the two FF 7 versions and before Tunic comes out on a platform I could play it on.

I grew up in the obtuse era of video games, so I'm maybe a little more okay with how little Ys 1 tells you. There's a point about halfway through where a boss is made intentionally near-impossible (although if you are stubborn, you could probably brute force it), and it's done this way to make sure you are ready for the next chunk of game. But in order to be ready for that chunk, you need to have performed a lot of other tasks, tasks which are discovered only by talking to everyone and exploring every corner.

This was how video games used to push their technology to the limits: fill out the data with world and people and monsters, then have the player explore every single corner of it. That's what prevents Ys 1 from only being 3 hours long.

I've played through some of the translated NES version via emulation, and this edition is very clearly a labor of love. It's virtually identical, but with new graphics, music, and translation, and it's a really beautiful, engaging package. I am kind of sad that the bump fighting disappeared after these two, because I'm a big fan. I miss that time when Zelda clones all tried to do something different and new, when we were still figuring out all the different ways video games could be played and still be fun.

The story that isn't there is more interesting to me than the story that is, and I love how it continues into Ys 2.