ys chronicles encore kind of goated but also really damn flawed I'm conflicted

hi im once again marathoning an entire series for the purpose to play a single game in that same series but I do love going in chronological order when there's some kind of story or lore involved and all of this just to play lacrimosa of dana but whatever im enjoying this run

so ys 2 what can I say its basically ys 1 part 2 with all the same praises and gripes that I had with the very first one I think as a remake this is absolutely gorgeous I've seen videos of the original installment and lemme tell you I wouldve NOT played ys 1 + 2 if the only available one wouldve been the fucking turbografx whatever version so im actually glad they polished the OG king to this extent to make a really old and dated vidya kinda modern it has that charm of a low budget rpgmaker game I don't know I really like this

so umh as I was saying this shit is the same the combat is the same bump into enemies and see them explode before your eyes get some items and equipments yada yada BUT !!! they spiced things up with new spells (even though the actual combat spell is only the fireball one but its so fucking fun to use for no actual reason) and in general there's a lot of different useful and or interesting spells to use like the light spell or the morph one theres something for everybody (furries) let's just say that

and yknow the main issue I had with the first one kind of vanished because for some reason in ys 1 the leveling stopped right at level 10 so that I wouldnt be able to grind my way to the bosses which actually made the bosses HARDER because why the fuck would you not make me grind for levels to make the bosses easier thats like the main rpg philosophy fuck you falcom

anyhow this game is not the case you can level up stupidly fast by targeting strong enemies in the solomon shrine and the game kiiiiiiind of becomes easier but its still ys so the bosses are still tough as shit if you don't know what you're doing or you're getting all the danmaku balls in your face and stuff

mind you it gets more unbearable as you go but it's still pretty accessible if you want to grind a little bit more in the longrun that being said the gameplay department got better but at the same time the map and dungeon designs got so much fucking worse now why would you put as the very first dungeon of the game a cave with so many different exits like I'm not gonna rage quit this fucking game ASAP literally lost so much time in there I was getting crazy now not gonna talk badly about the volcano or the sewers they're fine BUT THE SOLOMON SHRINE ???????? you must be joking screens and screens of labyrinth where you have to go from one point to the opposite one and then back again for the story to progress I don't wanna see that shit anymore in my entire life love to see it

so yeah this is what mainly confused me about this stuff there's a lot of innovations in this new installment for better or for worse the combat is tighter and you get more than one fucking item at a time theres a lot of “customization” (practically it's like X item needs to be equipped in Y situation) with a ton and I say A TON of different items but then youre left with these weird game design decision and youre like mmmmm okay

gotta say the story completely blew me away the story of the first installment was simple and it was good it had a nice little mystery element in it and this is the game that actually answers all the questions you couldve had in the first game kind of like higurashi/umineko question/answer arcs you feel me some different plot twists here and there that made me tear my hair out and a more interesting conflict and villain than the one we had in ys 1 and feena and reah in this one are stellar I love them I almost cried in the ending ALMOST don't get me started

unfortunately most of the characters still feel one note and uneventful I only remember the main trio and thats basically it Keith was actually a nice pal and lilia was l my little sweet angel I loved her so much she meant the world to me in the first 10 minutes of the game and then I completely ignored her bye

soooooo I don't know guys its still the same praises I gave ys 1 nice presentation for a remake of a game so fucking old the ost is bombing absolutely timeless and pumping in my ears like its ** pumping in my *** the combat is still pretty fun and with the new additions it's even more enjoyable I have no idea what the fuck they smoked in the falcom headquarters because those map designs should be illegal and punishable yada yada whatever I don't care anymore I just want to move on to ys origin thank you these 2 games were good but now I can move on to installments that hopefully won't take the soul out of me thanks see you soon

I want WANT feena you don't get me

This is a tough one for me. On the one hand, Ys II clearly improves on some of the core aspects of the first game. I would argue, that the overall flow of battle is heavily enhanced due to the overhauled bump system. In the first game, even if you attacked enemies from behind or came at them at an angle, you could still take damage when bumping into them. This is not really the case anymore in Ys II. Sure, if an enemy started an attack and you bump into them when they perform it, you will still get hit. But if you time your attack appropriately and never attack head-on, you are basically invincible. That felt so much better than in Ys I, where I could still get damaged even if I did everything correctly. Another cool addition to the combat is the magic system. It’s not overwhelmingly complex since you only get one magic attack in the form of a fireball and some neat tricks like stopping time for a while, but it did change the combat significantly. Attacking enemies from a distance, especially when low on health, did feel good and it sometimes got me out of a situation, which would have resulted in my death if not for the fire spell. Another clear improvement over the first game is the fact that you can level up your character above and beyond level 10. At the end of the game, I was like level 50 whereas in Ys I, I had reached max level loooong before the final battle.

So, with pretty much all of the good stuff out of the way, let’s talk about some changes, that somewhat soured the experience for me. First off, yes, the magic system itself is pretty neat. However, what I found really disappointing was that the majority of boss fights revolve around using magic. Most boss battles have to be approached by dodging a bunch of projectiles or other attacks, waiting for an attack window and then releasing a barrage of fireballs into the enemy’s mouth, eye or whatever weak spot they have. Having some fights like this would be fine as it makes the player use the new magic system more but I felt like they overused this mechanic way too much. Another thing that really bugged me during boss fights was the fact that I could just leave the boss room at any time, resetting the entire fight. I don’t know if this was a thing in the first game (pretty sure it wasn’t), but here, there were so many times when I unintentionally left the room and had to start all over. On the other hand though, the boss fights in general felt more thought-out than in the first game where RNG played a major role. In this game, I had to be more tactical and boss fights didn’t quite feel like battles of attrition as they did in Ys I most of the time. So, all in all it’s a double-edged sword for me. Boss battles are generally more fun but I just wish they hadn’t relied on the magic system so much.

While I was uncertain about how to rate the boss battles, my mind is totally set on how to assess another aspect of the game which is navigation. Navigation in Ys II is way worse than in the first game. In Ys I, I would get lost every now and again but areas were usually small enough for me to internalize the map layout and find my way through. In Ys II, this is no longer the case. Dungeons are generally so friggin huge, I was constantly confused and lost my way all the time. Add to that the necessity to backtrack so much in this game (especially in the last section) and you have the recipe for frustration. On top of that, Ys II sometimes feels like the devs wanted to stretch out the relatively short game as much as possible by adding some pretty obtuse puzzles and an escort mission that’s straight outta hell (Tarf, please go and throw yourself in a lava pit or something, I hate your guts so much). Also, while it’s cool that I can level up beyond level 10, I felt the necessity to grind way more than in Ys I. Before attempting certain boss fights, I had to grind 2-3 levels most of the time to stand a chance. Again, grinding was also a part of Ys I but since you could only get to level 10, it wasn’t really necessary after you hit max level which happens in the middle of the game.

So, how do I feel about Ys II overall? In general, I feel like I am one of the few people who actually slightly prefer the first game. Ys I was more concise and just felt like the better package overall. Ys II introduced some changes that make the game flow better than the first by revising the bump system and implementing a rudimentary magic system. However, it also stretched the game with confusing dungeon design, obtuse puzzles and even worse backtracking than in Ys I. In terms of story and music, both games are on the same level of quality. I would say that if you enjoyed Ys I, you should definitely give the sequel a shot too. Just be prepared to get lost quite often and don’t feel ashamed to use a walkthrough if needed.

A direct sequel to Ys I, Ys II immediately picks up where the first game ended. This time around, Adol has access to various forms of magic which are your main way of fighting most of the bosses.

Overall, the structure of the game is very similar to the first - you explore long, winding dungeons with brief moments spent in towns along your journey. The difference in this game is that the dungeons are MUCH longer and more maze-like, and you spend a lot less time in the towns comparatively. This isn't strictly a bad thing, what actually knocks the game down a bit for me is the pacing/build-up. Ys I is a very solid structure with a gradual build-up to the epic, climactic final dungeon. Ys II feels a bit more plodding, and the final dungeon has a bizarrely (yet still pretty good) chill theme that doesn't really convey the stakes well. It might seem like a minor complaint, but it's pretty important to get that right if you want to build up to a big finale.

Overall, I still really enjoyed the whole experience and the ending even if it didn't quite live up to the first game. I am excited to continue the series from here in the future!

Ys II is essentially the 2nd half of Ys I, and it comes with all that entails. That means that while the art direction and music are still excellent, you still have to contend with the horrid bump combat.

In this entry it almost feels as though the designers realized that bump combat was terrible, and wanted to get rid of it entirely. Instead they compromised by giving the player a projectile, and making that projectile be the only way to damage most of the bosses. Yes, you're still going to be dispatching the majority of enemies by bumping uglies with them, but it's nice that the fireball attack is present and feels like an attack that should be present in an action RPG. Even with this shift of focus in the combat I still find the game to be pretty mechanically dissatisfying, especially considering how much longer it is than its predecessor and how much of that is wondering around massive levels where everything looks the same.

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.

The second half of the story, and it actually feels like a proper conclusion unlike Ys I had. Generally speaking, I would say I had more fun with this one than the first one. Heals were more avaliable since you could find Herbs and use Apples to heal, magic was a nice addition since you now had a ranged option among lesser used things like Light Magic to find hidden paths and Shield Magic, which was very fair and balanced and locked to basically the end of the game for that reason.

The game generally felt less harsh on the difficulty on Normal than Ys I, but the sheer reliance on using Fire Magic on all but the last two bosses in the game was a bit eh, in my opinion. At the very least, the bosses weren't as absurd as the first game's was, so that's a plus. No vampire bat boss who's only able to be hit for about a fraction of a second here.

The main things I would say are issues I had though are the backtracking and the sheer length of the final dungeon, which alone felt three times longer than all the other areas you visited. There's also a healthy amount of backtracking, but that gets a bit easier when you get the Return Magic, which was mandatory anyway.

To end this, Feena is a nice girl and if anything bad happens to her, Adol will come and bonk them to oblivion...since magic is gone now, so he can't use Fire Magic to burn things now.

Slightly better than Ys I. Here the bump combat system seems more polished (or is it just me?). Much more content, same level of attention to details. Fun characters and story (it's very connected to the first game plotwise). I really enjoyed this one, but if in the first game I had trouble orienting in some areas, in this game it's even worse. I feel like this remakes would have benefitted from some sort of minimap or even just dungeons maps. Overall a very good game that is still fun to play nowadays although being originally released in 1988.

Definitely a better and more fun experience than the previous entry.
While here still applies the "it shows its age", I found this game to be overall more enticing and polished. Even the dungeons I found to be more efficient and well structured, in a way that I needed very little help from guides. There's certainly a cool feeling about playing this type of older rpgs, not my cup of tea, but it's nice to see where many things come from.

That being said, Solomon Shrine really was a step down for me. I enjoyed the beginning of this final dungeon, but then it just gets going on and on, and at a certain point I was really tired of it. But hey, I liked and enjoyed the game overall!

Pretty big improvement on 1. You could tell they put more time in with all the extra dialogue from burning NPCs and talking to enemies. The bosses mainly being magic only was rough though, it just felt awkward sometimes, Zava especially.
I was actually fine with Solomon Shrine, I felt they notated the sections well enough and the layout was different enough to make me remember where I was (plus the Chronicles version of the song goes so hard). I actually had issues with the sewers more, and partially the volcano too. Everywhere there looked the same.

[Archived Forum Discussion: Adol vs Kratos]

" Kratos is a literal god vs some guy that is a traveler lol nah Adol gets bodied ez "

" Shield Staff negates any damage at the cost of mana, so if Adol keep eating pears to regen all MP he would never take damage "

" I feel kratos with spartan rage would still body him tho? "

" Shield staff negates any damage "

" so your saying a guy that can negate damage wins against the guy that literally two series worth of GODS and is immortal "

" Shield staff negates any damage "

Finally got around to finishing the followup to Ys I, and while it took longer than expected, it was honestly a pretty pleasant experience. I won't go into too much detail about the core mechanics, but I will list some of the big differences:

+ Bump combat feels a lot more consistent. You just have to run diagonally at enemies regardless of their orientation, and they will take damage. Moreover, knockback depends on your damage output, and the less damage you do, the more knockback you will take (while dealing more damage allows you to knock enemies back without getting bumped yourself). As a result, you can just keep running into most enemies diagonally and wipe them out with no frills attached, so combat and grinding is much easier and feels more fair.

+ I didn't mention this before, but there were pros and cons to having a level 10 level cap in Ys I that you could reach before the final dungeon. On one hand, there's no real reason to fight most of the standard mobs in Ys I in the final dungeon because by that time, you've already hit the level cap and can't spend the gold anywhere. That is fortunately not the case in Ys II; the level cap is much higher, and as a result there are still incentives to wipe out overworld mobs throughout the game. However...

- Ys I's early level cap meant that you can't just grind your way to absurd stats to suffocate bosses in a few hits. That is, however, something you can do in Ys II. It wouldn't be as problematic if there wasn't a high level, high EXP giving mob (that's still very easy to defeat since you can just run at them in a corner) that can be farmed to have an absurd level gap in the mid-late period of the final dungeon. As a result, a few of the last bosses felt like absolute jokes.

+ Magic is introduced in this game, and most of the bosses must be defeated with magic instead. It's a welcome change from the original Ys, and now a lot of the boss fights feel like fast paced bullet hells as well.

- There's one very shitty boss fight in the middle of the game where you have to wait for the boss to open its mouth while dodging a worm that will block all your shots (and often blocks shots while the mouth is open). It's a similar problem to what I had with most of the boss fights in Oath in Felghana, but thankfully it's just one very annoying boss fight in the middle instead of a pattern, as the rest of the boss fights felt much more engaging.

- The final dungeon is this labyrinthean nightmare, and it's super easy to forget where you need to go next, especially with no map. It's a bit of a shame too, because Ys II is otherwise a fairly straightforward game in comparison to its predecessor, and lays out its narrative and framework very organically.

Thus, I've decided to give it more or less the same rating as the first game, as it has quite a few downfalls not present in the original though having significant improvements elsewhere. I will say that there's at least no absurdly rough final boss fight this time, and I had a good time in general wrapping up the tale of the original Ys games.

All around its better than the first game. There are a lot more towns, the variety in areas feels greater, and it tries a bit harder to be a cohesive narrative. However, at the same time Ys II fumbles with some of these new additions. The magic system has some cool features but making almost every boss designed to only be damaged through it is really tedious,. The final dungeon having so much back tracking and leaving and coming back despite its cool aesthetic took me out of the moment a lot. The music was great just like Ys I and there is definitely a charm that it has.

I almost certainly failed to pick the version of this game that would line up with my review of the first but whatever I don't care.

It might be a bit much to call Ys II the greatest sequel improvement of all time but it's a big one in a way I've never actually appreciated before, probably because it's so easy to think of the two games as just one big game. The pacing is better, the bosses are decent now for the most part (last couple are a little clunky but nothing serious) and most importantly, you can turn into a little guy and talk to the enemies, the greatest feature in video games. If you want me to like your game, let me turn into a little guy.

Y2 is split into basically four acts, with the last one being really long again, and it honestly rules. There's something about Solomon Shrine that I can now say reminds me of Metal Gear. It's a big, semi-open enemy base, you are nominally sneaking in/around it (obviously this is extremely limited in Ys and you are mostly acting as a whirlwind of bladed death rather than sneaking) and things are happening inside it. The bad guys have plans, your allies are also independently doing their own thing. Heck you even have a conch shell that lets you talk to a helper back at base. I could see one getting stuck a few times where progression isn't 100% obvious, such as when the bad guy finds the artifact of power that was dropped and just kinda puts it on a coffee table in a room you saw earlier. That is, to be fair, funny so I forgive it.

Anyway, I dislike that Ys is not a series about massive billion hour games with big parties of characters instead of one madman who can run fast, but the handful of games in this style will continue to be here for me to replay once every 8 years or whatever, so this is okay. I still love Adol and Dogi... my pals

*I finished Ys II on PSP due to my PC causing the textboxes to disappear.
Ys II is straight-up an upgrade to what Ys I was. Having the same bump system, Ys II polishes some of the annoyances that Ys I suffered with a satisfying conclusion to the adventures in Esteria. The combat felt smoother as I felt I was hitting the enemies more than the enemies hitting me on accident. Magic is introduced and while basic - was fun to use. Exploring the flying island of Ys was still fun with a banger ost and the direction for the most part was easy to figure out. While the bosses aren't still that great, none of them were as frustrating as the bosses from Ys I. The only negative I had was that some clues of your next quest were obtused and the final dungeon was a bit too long in comparison to Darm Tower from Ys I. I also would say the final bosses was too easy, but considering Ys I's final boss's terrible game design, I can excuse it as a final victory lap. Overall, Ys II improves Ys I's combat and is simply a solid fun game. Easy recommend for those that just finished Ys I. 4/5.

I think this game is an overall improvement to the first one. Things it lacked was that I need to check a guide often or I'd get completely stuck on some parts. Magic was a plus but the only offensive magic being fire kinda sucked. The bosses were made around being killed with only magic until the last 2 which is cool but since you only had fire magic that did get to homing upgrades it was a bit of a let down and the homing sometimes was not reliable so I would just manual aim instead. Overall this game felt like more of a complete package then I did and had a better story that connects with the first at the end and great characters as well. If I didn't mention it for Ys I I'll say it here but the music in this game is way better then it should be, the composers did a great job on it to make so many song that just sound so good.