Fourth article in the series. We're getting there. Remember to check the previous articles if you feel like it:
PART 13.1: THE MODERN AGES (Chapter 1)
Our boy has grown up so much...
INTERLUDE – THE SYSTEM CHANGES
The weakness system is the backbone of the team-based games.
Sorry for the interruption! I want to take a moment to explain the system changes starting from this point in time, as they’ll help you understand the new design philosophy of the team. It may be a bit long, so feel free to skip this if you get bored or already know the gist.
In previous games, Adol relied solely on his wit, agility and strength to take down foes, but starting with Ys SEVEN, this is no longer the case, because the new enemies are too much for Adol! Probably. As a result, he now has to rely on several friends he meets throughout the adventures to help him out as best as they can. Each party member has a specific attribute that depends on their weapon of choice: slash, blunt and pierce. Slash is usually reserved to bladed weapons such as swords and halberds; blunt for… well, blunt weapons such as bare fists and hammers; and pierce for pointy weapons like rapiers and bows, and the reason for this is because enemies have specific weaknesses to specific attributes. If you deal enough damage to them, they’ll break, become stunned, take extra damage and sometimes drop a material. So, yeah, you can’t focus on just Adol, otherwise you’re not going very far. The break system doesn’t work on bosses, instead increasing their stun gauge while dealing damage. Normal enemies can also be stunned, but it doesn’t usually matter unless it has a huge pool of HP, which is usually reserved for the bigger ones.
Speaking of materials, they are a thing now, and have several uses. You can sell them (cringe!) or use them to craft items, weapons and armor. How important this is varies from game to game, but they are never not important. Most of the materials are found from breakable objects in dungeons and overworld, but some have to be obtained from enemies by deleting them. And, of course, you also get gold, which has the uses you already know of.
Another important part of modern Ys is how big the games are. Not only are the overall worlds bigger than in previous, but so are the stories. Starting with SEVEN, the narrative of the franchise takes a huge turn, becoming more important. This is seen through the appearance of more dialogues and more scenes. This, by itself, isn’t bad, especially if the narrative is good. However, I feel like this hurts the identity of the series, which was always comprised of compact adventures that could be beaten in a couple of days. At least the sense of adventure isn’t lost. If anything, because of the expanded scope, it’s bigger and better than ever! On a personal level, I prefer the games to be more on the compact side and, even if I don’t agree with the changes, I don’t consider them bad.
Bigger, more expanded worlds usually means longer playtimes.
Mechanically, the games are also very different. Or, rather, I should say expanded. Aside from attacking and jumping like in the Napishtim games, you also have the possibility of dodging and blocking. Accompanied by this, we have the SP system. In previous games, all you had were basic attacks and variations of that, but from here onwards you have skills that use special points. These points are finite, but are recovered over time or by doing certain actions. In theory, this makes the combat more dynamic, but all it makes it is that you rarely use basic attacks, instead focusing on special attacks and then wait until you recover SP. Also, a lot of skills are simply “the same but stronger and more expensive”, but at least they get better the more you use them. In some games, they even get additional effects, which is REALLY cool in my opinion.
Last, but not least, a quick mention about the bosses: they are worse! Not in the sense that they are bad. In fact, they are very solid! But they are also extremely unremarkable. To be fair, only 1, 2 and the Napishtim games had memorable bosses, if only because you were forced to learn their patterns to succeed. With the modern games this is no longer the case, because you have a bazillion ways of protecting yourself and, most importantly, healing in the middle of combat, which makes it so that you’re not forced to get good. Also, the higher difficulties only make the bosses do more damage and take less, unlike the Napishtim games which had the bosses get more attacks the higher the difficulty.
PART 14: A STEP TOWARDS THE FUTURE – YS SEVEN
I don't know what to think of the art style for this particular game. Dogi looks weird. Oh, well, at least it looks distinct.
As I previously implied, Ys SEVEN is the first entry in the new and modern team based system for the Ys games. Chronologically, it’s set after Ys VI, and has Adol and Dogi arrive in Altago. There, a set of earthquakes assault the people more often than not, which is obviously dangerous. Both guys are tasked with investigating the cause for this, which is weird because how are they going to stop the literal earth they step on? Are they Yujiro Hanma? At any rate, the adventure quickly gets bigger than they realize, with the introduction of the Five Dragons of Altago, the important deities from the land. What starts as some detective work quickly turns into Adol’s biggest adventure yet.
Since I explained the system changes in the previous entry, I’ll keep this simple: Ys SEVEN is a really solid entry. I couldn’t exactly tell you why, but despite the huge changes to the gameplay, I really enjoyed this entry. Maybe it's because it feels classic? I don't know. I'd say the biggest “culprit” would be the story, which I found myself rooting for too much for an Ys game. It’s not necessarily the best in the series, but it’s the one that touched me the most. Strangely enough, I don’t remember THAT much out of it (granted, it’s been a few years since I played it so it could be because of that), which means I can replay it again whenever I want. The combat has the basics I explained, but it has some quirks. The most notable is the lack of jumping, which means there's no platforming. SP doesn't recover over time, but rather by hitting enemies and by Flash Guarding. This, in turn, makes the combat feel sluggish, but in my personal opinion it makes combat more deliberate and somewhat forces you to pay attention to the attacks of the enemies (the fact that you have a limited amount of healing items makes this more apparent). However, the coolest part about SEVEN, which is strangely absent from later games, is the passive skills of each character. To sum this up, each character provides a unique bonus for the team while they are on the screen. For example, Adol increases Accuracy, while Dogi increases the Stun rate. This makes each character feel more unique aside from their weapon type. Last, and certainly least because it's barely a mechanic, enemies leave their corpse behind when their die, and you can hit them to get extra materials and gold. It's funny, but not very important.
Perhaps it's because it came out on the PSP, but the graphics are... too simple? For lack of a better word.
Overall, the game is very enjoyable: the dungeons are good, the overworld is fun to explore, there are some unique, optional bosses that can be found very early and will kick your ass and the music, as usual, is good. However there’s one thing I don’t like about it: timed quests. This is something that plagues a lot of games outside fo Ys, mind you. What I mean by this is quests that disappear if you don’t do them during a period of time. This, by itself, isn’t THAT bad, provided that you’re given enough time. In Ys SEVEN, however, that period of time is very arbitrary. It could be until the end of game, it could be after a certain important point in the story or it could be as soon as you leave the town right after getting the quest. It’s really annoying and it has no reason being this way. The worst part is that, despite the fact that most of the quests are contained in a board, some of them are given by NPCs. This, again, is not that bad, but the problem is that there’s no indication whatsoever that this is a thing, and said NPCs could be anywhere in the whole land of Altago. Even worse, some of these quests are very available for a limited amount of time. So, yeah, 100% this game without a guide is a pain in the ass.
Nevertheless, Ys SEVEN is, for me at least, the best of the team based games, because the good heavily outweighs the bad and, at the end of the day, the quest issue is not that important. I guess the game looks a bit iffy as well, but it has some charm. And how could I forget, Dogi is playable! I didn’t use him in the endgame.
If you want to play this game, your only options are PSP or PC. Both are pretty much the same, so go with which one you like the most.
PART 15: YS IS MY NAME, MID IS MY GAME – MEMORIES OF CELCETA
Unlike SEVEN, Celceta's artstyle is too clean and bland. Almost generic. Like the game itself.
Remember a couple of articles ago how Ys IV was actually three games? Well, here’s the fabled third one! This is a remake that takes elements from both Mask and Dawn while using Mask as a basis but putting its own spin on the take. For the record, this is the most canon of the fourth entry, as it’s the only one that follows the vision of Falcom completely. In this take on the Celceta travelogue, Adol finds himself… with amnesia?! That’s right, for reasons undisclosed (they are actually explained throughout the game), Adol has forgotten everything about himself and his past but is sent on an expedition by the governor of Celceta to explore its forest and create a map of it. How exciting! Oh, yeah, the dark ones are here, I guess.
Memories of Celceta takes the gameplay of Seven and expands it further. The combat is pretty much the same albeit more fluid and lacking the support skills of SEVEN. You still can't jump, and SP is still recovered by hitting and Flash Guarding (which is easier to perform in comparison to SEVEN, in my opinion). A new mechanic is you the Flash Move, which consists of dodging at the right time to become invincible, slow down the enemies and gain a lot of SP. Quests are also fixed, in the sense that their limit is not as arbitrary. They’re still temporary, but at least are manageable. And that’s all the good I can say in comparison to SEVEN! So I’ll come out and say it: Memories of Celceta is mediocre as hell. The story is the biggest offender, because it’s a whole lot of nothing, which coming from Mask and, hell, even from Dawn, is a shame. To prove this, you have to look no further than the absence of Esteria and Ys. I didn’t mention it in the previous article, but in both Mask and Dawn, at some point in the story, you visit Esteria and Ys, the locations from Ys 1 and 2. This was very cool, as it helped the games connect with the first two entries in the series. Not the case in Memories! All of the action is contained within the forest of Celceta and its towns and villages. Nothing of interest happens, not even towards the end, most of the characters (if not all) aren’t very memorable, or interesting, or anything, the writing is noticeably more boring and the ending, unfortunately, is rushed, and it shows. Memories of Celceta is derivative, unremarkable and unnecessary. Hell, Dogi doesn’t appear save for one cutscene, and I’m pretty sure it’s missable!
Despite its flaws, Memories of Celceta is the game that touches on Adol's past the most.
This game is not the worst, but it's not very far, because at least it’s not that long and the combat and exploration are mildly fun, but it feels like a waste of time when you could be playing either Mask, Dawn or even other action RPG from outside the series. On the other hand, it has my favorite Adol design in the franchise and has some remixed tracks from Mask and Dawn (which had good music on their own), so it’s not unsalvageable. Notwithstanding, this is the most skippable game from the modern entries. Not like you should, because it’s still the fourth chronologically and it’s important towards Ark of Napishtim. As for the platform, any version that isn't the Vita version is fine because it has less things. Which ones, I wouldn't be able to tell you. So, that would mean PC, PS4 or Switch. Recently, I've discovered that there's a Memoire remaster available only in Japanese for the Nintendo Switch, which is also coming out on PC some day. I have no idea of what this version will bring, or if it will ever be translated to English, but it might as well be considered the definitive edition.
PART 16: THE FAVORITE CHILD - YS VIII
For the first time in the series, Ys has fully animated cutscenes.
If there’s a game you know from this list, it’s definitely this one. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is the most popular title in the series, even to this day, being the game that launched the franchise into popularity. The series is still pretty niche, as most of my friends don’t really know about the games, but it’s certainly more popular than, for example, the Lunar series. This game is set immediately after Ys V, and has Adol shipwrecking in the Isle of Seiren, which is said to be so cursed that no boat or ship dares to come close. To make things worse, it’s permanently warded by an evil kraken, so escaping is even more impossible. EVEN WORSE, THE ISLAND IS POPULATED BY DINOSAURS! IT’S THE ADVENTURE ADOL ALWAYS DREAMED OF! WOOOOOOOOO!
Ys VIII expands on the team-based system of the two previous games, but with the addition of jumping, allowing for aerial attacks, that weren’t doable before, and more accurate juggling. SP can now be recovered over time, albeit slowly, as well as through Flash Guard (which now has it's own dedicated button) and Flash Move (which is easier to perform in comparison to Celceta). Just like always, you have several party members that you unlock as the game progresses, and you can switch between them at will. You have the SP system, the skills that evolve with use, the ability to find materials to craft weapons with, complete quests (which are all in a quest board and, as usual, timed but not strictly) and items but… no gold? Yeah, it makes sense. You’re stranded in an uninhabited island, unlike in Ys VI which had a populated one, so there’s no economy. Instead, you simply use materials. In my opinion, I don’t like this change, but it makes complete sense, so I don’t complain too much.
Although the combat is better, what is mostly improved is the exploration. Now, I’m not saying that the exploration was bad in the two previous games, but in SEVEN it felt a bit linear within the realms of freedom, and in Celceta it was… good, but unremarkable. The Isle of Seiren is, by far, one of the best explorations sites in the series, with a lot of places to discover, treasure chests to open and enemies to fight. By far, the best part of the exploration is the landmarks. Not only do they provide a teleport point for you, but are also natural marvels that both Adol and the player can be fascinated with. The graphics are also highly improved. Ys SEVEN was a bit ugly, and while Celceta looked better, it wasn’t quite there. What else… the music is good? This is cheating because Ys always has good music except in V, but of note is that one my favorite themes from the series is in here. And... I think that’s all the good things I can think of, because the truth is that I don’t like Ys VIII that much. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that I despise it.
As I said before, Ys VIII is the favorite Ys for a lot of people. It also happens to be first game for those people, myself included. Yes, despite the fact that I prefer the Napishtim games, I did start with this one. Back then, I didn’t know much about the Ys series, aside from the fact that it existed, so I went in completely blind. I had absolutely no expectation aside from the basic ones you have from an action RPG. It took a long time, because it’s a long game, but ultimately left satisfied. However, as time passed, I began thinking about the game, and found myself liking it less, and less, and less. Let’s dissect this.
The biggest offender is the story. For this one, I didn’t really have to think much about it. I heard a lot of people praising the story of the game, and after beating it, I didn’t really understand why. The truth is that not much happens in Ys VIII. After a strong start, with Adol shipwrecking in an uninhabited island, you’re left with just exploring and getting resources. In Chapter 2, something major happens, but I wouldn’t say it’s important. It’s also irrelevant. Sure, something occurs as a result of that event (I’m not saying it because of spoilers), but it doesn’t really spark the events of the game. You could remove this from the game and the story wouldn’t change whatsoever. In Chapter 3, literally nothing of note happens and I’m pretty sure Chapter 4 is more of the same. It’s not until halfway Chapter 5 that story starts to kick off. Granted, when it does, it’s actually quite worth it, and the events are actually important for the creation of the world of Ys. But the fact that you have to go through a lot of nothing to get to this part is not worth it, in my opinion. And, besides, it’s not like I was head over heels over the best part of this game. It’s Fine™ but it didn’t keep me up at night. “Oh, but Aziamuth, what about the Dana parts? Those are good!” Incorrect. I understand that you have an attachment for Dana, but she’s a boring character that’s set in a boring setting with boring activities. All you do is talk with people I don’t particularly care about and traverse dungeons that aren’t very interesting.
Despite my gripes with the game, it has the most beautiful title screen in the series.
And, frankly, I could just not care about the story, but the thing is that I dislike the gameplay as well. Previously, I mentioned that the combat is improved over Celceta, but the problem is that I don’t like playing as any of the six characters save for Adol and MAYBE Hummel. The rest feel weak, sluggish and VERY unfun. But, of course, the gameplay isn’t just combat. There are also quests! And they suck. They’re boring and drawn out. There’re a lot of them and, worst of all, you HAVE to do them. Well, it’s not like they are mandatory to progress through the story, but this game, for some reason, has what’s called an “approval rating”. This rating pretty much determines how the castaways feel about Adol. To increase this rating, you have to give gifts and do quests. If your approval rating isn’t enough by the time you face the final boss, you won’t get the true ending, which is what makes the game make sense in the grand scheme of Ys. So, yeah, they’re optional but mandatory. The bosses are also very, very unremarkable. Not only are their attacks extremely simple to dodge, but because of how powerful you are (between Flash Guard, Flash Move and a myriad of healing items), there's not a single encounter that can be classified as "challenging".
Last, but not least, the main cast is probably my least favorite in the entire series. Obviously I’m not referring to Adol, as he’s our boy, but rather the other 5 playable characters. Hummel is your stereotypical lone wolf but without what makes lone wolves badass, Ricotta is a little girl but without the charm of Yotsuba or Marona from Phantom Brave and Laxia might be one of my least favorite characters. Sahad is probably my favorite because he’s just a family guy, and even then he’s just tolerable for me. As for the sixth character… I’m sure you already know my opinion about them ;). Some of the non-playable castaways are somewhat interesting, but it’s not enough.
I’m aware that I’m in the minority by saying all of this, but despite my negativity, I don’t even think it’s the worst in the series. On a personal scale, I rank it the second worst, but in a general sense, it’s better than, at the very least, Dawn, Celceta, V and II. I’m also aware that this game is beloved by many. And that’s completely fine. I don’t expect everybody to like Dragon Quest VIII or Yakuza 5, either. I do have to give it credit: it’s one of the few games that acknowledge the existence of Ys V. It also has two player co-op (which isn't very good, but it's fully playable from beginning to end). If you want to play it, any version is fine: it's available on Vita, PC, Switch, PS4 and PS5. If you wish the co-op experience, that feature it's only on PC.
This concludes the presentation for today. We’re almost there, as this is the second to last of the batch. What a journey, huh? It was fun. Bye bye!
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