Okay I had a good time with the first Ys but this is even better. Bump combat feels even smoother than the first time around, magic adds an extra dimension to combat and also turns most bosses into proto-shmups which is extremely cool. Loses some of the adventure gamey open world-ish puzzle solving of the first game but as a result is more streamlined and required less guide usage. The ability to talk to monsters makes the boundary between dungeons and towns extremely thin in a way that's really interesting. The final dungeon isn't quite as visually or conceptually impressive as Darm Tower but it is a masterclass in making a big samey-looking space readable - past the first few minutes of wandering around, even I, a directional idiot, could figure out where I needed to go and how to get there.

Both extremely sick games but this one is better!