Let's start with the obvious; this is a remake of the original Ys I, and a faithful remake down to the bump combat and the general lack of tutorials and instructions. That said, I don't think the bump combat (while a meme) is as bad as many others have made it out to be; just think of it as an invincibility star (well, one where you're not always invincible so admittingly not that close but it'll suffice as a comparison for now) and you need to ram your opponents whenever they're vulnerable to chip away at their health. The actual angle calculation that is required to avoid taking damage altogether from bump combat can make this a bit more messy than how simply the combat was supposed to be designed, but in general as long as you're approaching an opponent diagonally with the joystick, you should be fine. With a little bit of grinding (and you will have to grind, because levels make a huge stat difference in a game capped at level 10) and the proper equipment, this usually isn't too egregious and is at worst, a novelty of its time.
The other complaint I often hear is that there aren't many instructions to guide you through the game; you wash up on a beach in a mysterious land greeted by strangers after the doctor takes you in, and you can actually leave for the plains right away without ever arming yourself. That's because the original Ys is a game heavily dependent on context clues and this game will not hold your hand; the doctor actually suggests talking to all of the villagers to fill yourself in on the situation, and talking to all the villagers and then talking to stockroom guy will net you a free sword. This is just one example of the clues that the people and environment around you will hint towards; you really need to make sure that you understand everything that's going around you (sort of atypical of the other Ys games I've played actually, but a welcome diversion), and if you follow and pay attention to their language, you'll make it out fine. Don't be afraid to use a guide, because it is an ancient game (in more ways than one) and there's no map or detailed adventure log, but it is definitely possible to figure out what to do and how to clear this pretty short adventure (took me less than 8 hours) without too much difficulty.
So I suppose what I'm trying to say is, it's aged a lot better than I expected. It's a pretty condensed JRPG and while the combat doesn't match up to future installments of furious hack and slash, the bump combat is serviceable enough for the generally interesting and varied boss fights: since there's a pretty early level cap, you'll really need to pay attention to patterns to figure out how to strategically pick each one apart instead of relying on stats to outbuff boss fights. (Though the strategy of running around in circles might work a little too well, even on that bat fight that's considered a nightmare by some.) The graphics are a nice upgrade from the original and hold up well in terms of lighting and color, and the soundtrack is Falcom JDK Sound Team, so obviously it's just banger after banger because these guys can do no wrong with their music.
I won't try and excuse that final boss fight though, which is just this mish mash of fireballs flying around the screen while you have to chase this speedy diagonal dude and dodging holes that form right under your feet as soon as you touch the boss and instakill you if you're caught by a hole. What the actual fuck.
But besides that, it's an interesting relic of Falcom's history that's worth an exploration if you've got five bucks and a lazy Sunday to blow. I'll obviously prefer both Ark and Modern Ys to this, but it wasn't half bad and Falcom fans will definitely be able to find some appreciation and enjoyment from this pioneer action RPG title.
The other complaint I often hear is that there aren't many instructions to guide you through the game; you wash up on a beach in a mysterious land greeted by strangers after the doctor takes you in, and you can actually leave for the plains right away without ever arming yourself. That's because the original Ys is a game heavily dependent on context clues and this game will not hold your hand; the doctor actually suggests talking to all of the villagers to fill yourself in on the situation, and talking to all the villagers and then talking to stockroom guy will net you a free sword. This is just one example of the clues that the people and environment around you will hint towards; you really need to make sure that you understand everything that's going around you (sort of atypical of the other Ys games I've played actually, but a welcome diversion), and if you follow and pay attention to their language, you'll make it out fine. Don't be afraid to use a guide, because it is an ancient game (in more ways than one) and there's no map or detailed adventure log, but it is definitely possible to figure out what to do and how to clear this pretty short adventure (took me less than 8 hours) without too much difficulty.
So I suppose what I'm trying to say is, it's aged a lot better than I expected. It's a pretty condensed JRPG and while the combat doesn't match up to future installments of furious hack and slash, the bump combat is serviceable enough for the generally interesting and varied boss fights: since there's a pretty early level cap, you'll really need to pay attention to patterns to figure out how to strategically pick each one apart instead of relying on stats to outbuff boss fights. (Though the strategy of running around in circles might work a little too well, even on that bat fight that's considered a nightmare by some.) The graphics are a nice upgrade from the original and hold up well in terms of lighting and color, and the soundtrack is Falcom JDK Sound Team, so obviously it's just banger after banger because these guys can do no wrong with their music.
I won't try and excuse that final boss fight though, which is just this mish mash of fireballs flying around the screen while you have to chase this speedy diagonal dude and dodging holes that form right under your feet as soon as you touch the boss and instakill you if you're caught by a hole. What the actual fuck.
But besides that, it's an interesting relic of Falcom's history that's worth an exploration if you've got five bucks and a lazy Sunday to blow. I'll obviously prefer both Ark and Modern Ys to this, but it wasn't half bad and Falcom fans will definitely be able to find some appreciation and enjoyment from this pioneer action RPG title.