{33:40:37} | Adol's Lv. 83 | Exploration Progress: 97.663% | Treasures: 300/322 | Quests: 40/40 | That's the end of that journey! What a crime that the game's final couple of hours happen to be the best parts of the journey, not just because it finally reveals its full plot, but because there's some actually Good-Ass Level Design, and a great final boss fight, that actually uses the game's mechanics in a full-throated manner. I'm so bummed that this game couldn't be like this at all times, and even more bummed that the game had a great epilogue to send off a cast that, frankly, did not deserve me feeling like I'd miss them as Adol left for the Next Journey. There was a lot about this ending that also played into the fact that this is game nine in the series, and I'm very curious to know if this might be building to a major series-wide crossover when the tenth main-line installment comes our way. Ys VIII is in my top-15 games of all time - this isn't even close to that - but I'm really glad I played it and I'll likely return sometime to do some Trophy clean-up. I had like, what, 3% of the map left to find? Maybe that's an experience for podcasts. OH, also, I never played as Jules. Ever. Whoops. | Trophies Unlocked: Conqueror of the Nox / Intrepid Tourist / Overdrive / Good Samaritan / Twilight Guardian / Showstopper / Hawk, the Peerless / Golden Anvil / Ambassador of the Dandelion / Debonair Socialite / Monstrum Nox |

{28:17:59} | Adol's Lv. 65 | Exploration Progress: 80.096% | Treasures: 249/322 | Quests: 33/40 |
Almost thirty hours in, and we're finally getting answers for a lot of this game's central mysteries. I think if I wasn't committed to seeing this through, or if I didn't love the previous game so much, I would have dropped this quite a while ago. I'm not sure if VIII was a flash in the pan for this franchise, or maybe it's just a blip in the series, but I'm pretty let down by this game. I don't like these characters, the plot is a little too messy, the combat feels a lot more button mash-y than VIII. Pretty bummed, but at least the end is in sight, I can put it on the beat list, and a huge chunk of the trophy list is already taken care of. Hopeful that Ys X pops off, because this one wasn't it. | Trophies Unlocked: Heartbreaker / Capricco of the Prison / Shopaholic / Material Girl / I Would Walk 300 Krimelye / Raging Bull, the Unyielding / Hermetic Bastion / Doll, the Resplendent / Thus Spoke the Alchemist / Haute Cuisine |

{22:40:54} | Adol's Lv. 52 | Exploration Progress: 58.208% | Treasures: 182/322 | Quests: 27/40 | | Trophies Unlocked: Fields of Blue / The Renegade's Secret / White Cat, the Nimble |

{17:55:04} | Adol's Lv. 40 | Exploration Progress: 42.311% | Treasures: 142/322 | Quests: 22/40 | | Trophies Unlocked: The Doll's Search / Lemures Exterminator / Crimson King, the Radiant / The Raging Bull's Treasure / Culling the Herd / Art Critic |

{11:37:53} | Adol's Lv. 28 | Exploration Progress: 29.364% | Treasures: 99/322 | Quests: 10/40 | Okay, this game better start resolving some mysteries soon, because this highway is congested and I have NO idea where it's going. What's the situation with the curse? What is Aprillis' motive? Why did the Empire lock up Adol in the first place? Who is the OTHER Adol? Is this a class warfare subplot? Why is Yufa keeping her status as Raging Bull a secret? Who is Doll? WHAT IS THIS. GIMME SOMETHING HERE. This is a little slanted in terms of play time - I stopped playing today in the middle of the intermission sequence of Chapter 4, but now we're at the start of Chapter 5 and looking for just a liiiittle clarity on what exactly is going on here. | Trophy Unlocked: The Feral Hawk's Fury |

{5:56:18} | Adol's Lv. 14 | Exploration Progress: 14.005% | Treasures: 40/322 | Quests: 5/40 | God, I forgot just how much STUFF there is to track in a Ys game. This is a treat. What I'm most fascinated by is how they managed to translate a lot of the core loop of Ys VIII, a game that took place on a deserted island, to here, a game that takes place in a massive city. The exploration I've managed to do so far feels fun and rewarding, albeit slightly janky and kind of uneventful (aside from the Asure Pedals, the only collectable not marked on the map.) I would love to know how the game's environments will move away from the cold gray of the city dank caverns of the underground. I'm not sure if that will change. Also, this cast - I'm not fully engrossed in them yet, but I think that's because there's still so many mysteries as to what anyone is doing as a Monstrum in the first place. VIII had a pretty simple premise to get its opening hook in, but this is a lot more high concept in practice, and this far in, there have been no answers yet. But, I'd be damned if I wasn't excited to get more in tomorrow. Just wish the game didn't make my PS4 very sick at all times. | Trophy Unlocked: The White Cat's Melancholy |

{1:52:19} | Adol's Lv. 5 | Finally starting this, and BOY do I wish I had it on PC. It runs pretty dang bad on a launch PS4. But, it's basically like YS VIII had a goth sibling, so I won't complain too much. Finished the first chapter, and ending today's play breaking my first barrier in the city. Really interested to see how the game's mapping mechanics translate from Deserted Island to City With A Big Problem In It. I hope this supporting cast warms up fast. I don't like my first impression of them. | Trophies Unlocked: To Freedom / Adol, the Fugitive / Zenith of the Grimwald / Monstrum Nox |