Returns to the old formula of Ys I & II with the bump combat system, which is a nice change, since Ys III's battle system was just not good.
While not much has changed at first glance, the flow of combat feels somewhat smoother.
The magic system is somewhat improved from the one in Ys II.
The track like the rest of the games is good.
The graphics are an improvement compared to Ys I & II.
Unfortunately, it inherits some of the flaws that the previous Ys games had, which brings it down by quite a bit imo.
Bosses can be quite unforgiving (the last boss being the biggest offender), leave little room for error and you'll have to grind quite a bit in general before you're ready to approach certain battles.
The story is good and has some nice twists, though character development felt almost non-existent.