The worst 'good" game I have ever played. The concept design is excellent - the idea of Adol exploring a deserted island is a fantastic spin on the Ys series. The narrative is crafted nicely and moves along at the perfect pace. The castaways and barter system adds a cool simulation rpg/town-building element to the game that somehow works perfectly within the confines of being an Ys game. I wasn't too fond of the party as a lot of them just felt like they were merely taking up space, but I didn't outright dislike them.

The gameplay is...not good, really it's mediocre at its best. And gameplay is king in Ys. The enemies are HP sponges to the point where even normal encounters become extremely tedious. Items break the game by an absurd amount to the point where anything below Nightmare is a non-game with zero stakes. Anything above Nightmare just mandates use of the Flash Guard to cut down on the HP-filled behemoths. The bosses no longer feel memorable in a series where bosses are extremely memorable and the raids are a fun idea, but feel way too drawn out.

Ys VIII has the markings of a great game, but as someone coming from earlier titles I can't help but be a bit skeptical when its most important element isn't up to par. I liked Ys VIII as an experience, but - here it comes - it's a good game, not a good Ys game.