Ys Seven is a perfectly adequate action RPG that hasn't aged particularly well. Combat is fast-paced and satisfying, although some techniques aren't explained at all and the special moves are largely uninteresting and interchangeable. Later in the game the charge time for special moves is reduced, which makes the experience a lot more dynamic and really shines a light on how hamstrung the initial hours are. Fortunately the bosses are really engaging and require the player to learn their moves to time combos, charges, guarding, and dodging.
Playing on normal difficulty means very little XP grind, but there is still skill grinding and materials grinding for an awkward parallel crafting economy. More than any previous Ys game this title really feels like the grind is a necessary part of the experience. There also isn't that characteristic Ys "staircase effect" where leveling up feels like a major power increase. That said, hot-swapping characters and clearing rooms is still delightful, even if it isn't as snappy as previous games.
The writing is a mixed experience. There's a lot of unique NPC lines that change as events transpire, which really makes the world feel alive and malleable. However, those lines rarely felt worth the effort of talking to every townsperson. The main quest has great dialogue and is even laugh-out-loud funny at times, but the plot and locations are pretty generic elemental MacGuffin shorthand. Overall this is the first Ys game that felt ponderous and padded out to me. Memories of Celceta fixes a lot of these problems and is generally so much better that it almost makes Seven feel obsolete. Seven is a testament to why longer isn't always better, and I find myself giving up a little more than halfway through at 13 hours, which is about how long this game probably should have been.
Playing on normal difficulty means very little XP grind, but there is still skill grinding and materials grinding for an awkward parallel crafting economy. More than any previous Ys game this title really feels like the grind is a necessary part of the experience. There also isn't that characteristic Ys "staircase effect" where leveling up feels like a major power increase. That said, hot-swapping characters and clearing rooms is still delightful, even if it isn't as snappy as previous games.
The writing is a mixed experience. There's a lot of unique NPC lines that change as events transpire, which really makes the world feel alive and malleable. However, those lines rarely felt worth the effort of talking to every townsperson. The main quest has great dialogue and is even laugh-out-loud funny at times, but the plot and locations are pretty generic elemental MacGuffin shorthand. Overall this is the first Ys game that felt ponderous and padded out to me. Memories of Celceta fixes a lot of these problems and is generally so much better that it almost makes Seven feel obsolete. Seven is a testament to why longer isn't always better, and I find myself giving up a little more than halfway through at 13 hours, which is about how long this game probably should have been.