If you can accept that these games are originally from the late 80s, then Ys I&II are a delightful time. Everything that makes Ys special, from the thematic preoccupations to the incredible momentum generated by the synergy of fast-paced combat and banger music, is present here from the start. Chronicles also gets a big boost from the quality of its soundtrack - Falcom clearly spared no expense on the audio front, with new arrangements for every song that leverage live instrumentation and sometimes a full orchestra.
As for the individual games, I've always preferred Ys I, and that's still true on replay. It's wildly unbalanced, but understands the joy of an insane power curve - every level up or new piece of equipment makes a dramatic difference in damage output and survivability. The no-frills take on bump combat is more limited than in Ys II due to the lack of a magic system, but it's so fast-paced thanks to a much higher damage output. Adol never stops running and tearing through enemies while the soundtrack swings from strength to strength (First Steps Towards War! Palace of Destruction! Tower of the Shadow of Death!), and the short length ensures it never wears out its welcome, except perhaps in the notoriously unfair Dark Fact fight.
Ys II feels larger and more substantial, with fewer difficulty spikes and some more inventive boss fights thanks to the addition of fire magic. There's a wider world for Adol to wander through, but a much lower damage output and a less dramatic power curve mean the game has a slower pace overall. And while To Make the End of Battle is a series-best track, the soundtrack can't match I. It's a lot of fun, but for me it doesn't hit quite as well.
Saying that though, bump combat is having a moment and these are great games to revisit in 2024. They're definitely essential for Ys sickos
As for the individual games, I've always preferred Ys I, and that's still true on replay. It's wildly unbalanced, but understands the joy of an insane power curve - every level up or new piece of equipment makes a dramatic difference in damage output and survivability. The no-frills take on bump combat is more limited than in Ys II due to the lack of a magic system, but it's so fast-paced thanks to a much higher damage output. Adol never stops running and tearing through enemies while the soundtrack swings from strength to strength (First Steps Towards War! Palace of Destruction! Tower of the Shadow of Death!), and the short length ensures it never wears out its welcome, except perhaps in the notoriously unfair Dark Fact fight.
Ys II feels larger and more substantial, with fewer difficulty spikes and some more inventive boss fights thanks to the addition of fire magic. There's a wider world for Adol to wander through, but a much lower damage output and a less dramatic power curve mean the game has a slower pace overall. And while To Make the End of Battle is a series-best track, the soundtrack can't match I. It's a lot of fun, but for me it doesn't hit quite as well.
Saying that though, bump combat is having a moment and these are great games to revisit in 2024. They're definitely essential for Ys sickos
J'ai tardé à écrire au sujet des Ys I & II car je ne sais jamais trop quoi en dire...si ce n'est que les années passent et le que charme qu'exerce ces deux jeux ne cessent d'opérer. Le plaisir est intact. Ils figurent toujours parmi mes jeux préférés. J'en apprécie jusqu'aux moindres menus défauts. La série a connu de nombreux épisodes par la suite, dont certains qui ont fait date. Cette collection est parfaite pour remonter à la source. Et quelle source ! Je pourrais écrire sur ces deux jeux une belle tartine qui serait vite rédhibitoire : gameplay addictif, musiques exceptionnelles, très bonne histoire, superbe design, excellente rejouabilité, du challenge, etc. Mais quand on a soif, parler d'eau ne désaltère pas. Alors inutile de disserter en regardant l'eau s'écouler quand il suffit de se pencher...
First game's final boss is 80% luck and 20% skill what the heck.
Un inicio maravilloso a una franquicia maravillosa. Recomiendo encarecidamente que, a pesar de ser juegos muy arcaicos, le deis una oportunidad. Tiene un sistema de combate muy propio y extraño, pero en el momento que os acostumbráis se hace muy divertido.
Ys I last boss was such a pain in the ass.
Ys II was better in every single way, but both are still kind of ok.
Ys II was better in every single way, but both are still kind of ok.
So true Mr. Adol. I think adventures are better than goddess pussy too.
Bump n grind.
I hate Vagullion, I hate Dark Fact, but I absolutely love Ys 1 & 2; the interesting niche battle style, the legitimate challenge, the loops it makes you jump through and all the bull it throws at you. *&%^ Dark Fact on Nightmare.
Stories pretty good too.
Stories pretty good too.
The second last boss of Ys made me have a low tier god type rage and I never played it again
ok
Weird to think that running into enemies to do damage was considered "action" in 1987. Even weirder is it's still bizarrely enjoyable gameplay.
Kind of a weird case because when you separate Ys 1 and Ys 2, they're both mid tier games, but when you combine them it becomes one of the best games in the series. Funny how that works
A classic which aged surprisingly well for a 1987 RPG. Sure, its age can be seen in some parts (bosses in Ys 1, dungeons in Ys 2), but if you can look past that, then you get an absolute gem. Be warned though, the combat system is quite divisive (you either love it or hate it, no in-between), so I can't recommend it to just about anyone, but I still really like it
A classic which aged surprisingly well for a 1987 RPG. Sure, its age can be seen in some parts (bosses in Ys 1, dungeons in Ys 2), but if you can look past that, then you get an absolute gem. Be warned though, the combat system is quite divisive (you either love it or hate it, no in-between), so I can't recommend it to just about anyone, but I still really like it
The OST goes so fucking hard man. The combat in 1 is weirdly addicting 2 on the other hand is a bit slower with the fireball system not say its bad. Exploration and puzzle solving is pretty fun if a bit primitive and archaic now. Both of these games have some of the greatest boss designs of their era.
I prefer the TurboGrafx CD Version of Ys I but this was still great. Save for Dark Fact on Nightmare. Unlike the remake of Ys 1, I think Nightmare difficulty actually improves Ys II from a gameplay standpoint. I enjoyed bosses in the TurboGrafx-CD version of Ys 1, meanwhile I steamrolled in Ys II. The higher difficulty options in this version make a lot of fights in the first game far more frustrating than they need to be whereas in the second they actually provide a fun challenge. Would recommend anyone who wasn't too hot on an older version/lower difficulty of Ys II to give Nightmare a shot.
bump combat is ok
Fuck the bump system
My first Ys. I need to play the PC engine versions of these games as I assume they will overthrow this version.
best game of my life
This review is all feelings-based with no actually good argumentation for my score. But YS 1 and 2 (The 2013 remasters to be specific) are some of my favorite games ever. I could list many, many reasons why they should not have a score higher than about 3/5. But i still rate YS 1 4.5 and YS 2 a perfect 5.
I was not young when I played these games the first time. There is 0 nostalgia here. I was not playing video games during the era of the originals either. But the first time I played Ys 1 and 2 I basically played for 3 days non stop. You know that feeling that you chase when looking for new video games? The one games gave you when you were a kid. There was a magic to your favorite games that feels like it doesn't exist as an adult.
Ys Chronicles gave me that feeling.
I was not young when I played these games the first time. There is 0 nostalgia here. I was not playing video games during the era of the originals either. But the first time I played Ys 1 and 2 I basically played for 3 days non stop. You know that feeling that you chase when looking for new video games? The one games gave you when you were a kid. There was a magic to your favorite games that feels like it doesn't exist as an adult.
Ys Chronicles gave me that feeling.