Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana was a very strong way to start off 2024. This game is truly a masterpiece, amazing characters, an amazing plot, and extremely fun gameplay. Ys VIII follows Adol Christin, an adventurer who is sailing on a luxury ship called the Lombardia, which crashed onto a mysterious island called the Isle of Seiren. You must work together with the other castaways to find a way to escape this island, while solving the mystery of the island itself. The gameplay of Ys VIII has you traveling to different segments of the island, and fighting monsters with some pretty basic Action RPG combat, however, this combat is extremely fun. You meet a wide variety of characters, who join your party and help at the base, including Dana, a mysterious girl found on the island who doesn’t remember her past. Overtime throughout the story, the base will be attacked and you’ll have to defend it in raid battles. These battles you’re able to place defenses to keep large waves of monsters from reaching your base. Ys VIII has an engaging story, memorable characters, fun gameplay, and a truly amazing soundtrack. This is truly one of the best games of all time, and I’m so glad I finally experienced it for myself.