I didn't enjoy this game as much as I did Ys I for a few reasons. The small changes to the bump system made it hard to get to grips with again, and I personally find this version a lot less enjoyable because it tries to create the illusion of a complex battle system where there is none, rather than embracing its simplicity like the previous title. Additionally, the layout of the world and the puzzles made it almost impossible to get through without a guide, so I found myself pressing Shift+Tab after every other event.
I also had to look up how to get the Bestiary Potion in this game, which was very easy to find in Ys I. It's hidden in a place I wouldn't have even thought to check, so I'm glad I'd done my research or I would've gone through the entire game never finding it. Not to mention the fact that now each monster has to be defeated thirty times rather than the original game's 25, making the 'Demon Duster' achievement even more of a pain to get than it was before. Thankfully, the notebook does log your kills before you find it, so even if you do end up backtracking to pick up the potion in the endgame you won't have to farm every enemy from 0. However, due to the way they changed the level system, grinding pretty much becomes mandatory and VERY tedious. Once I reached the lava area it just became a chore to play the game at all because all of the enemies have a ridiculous amount of health, and not getting hit is extremely difficult. This led to me defeating 1-2 enemies, standing still for a full minute to regenerate my health (PAINFULLY slowly compared to Ys I), saving just in case, and then killing two more enemies. Rinse and repeat. Not my idea of a good time, personally.
None of the bosses I've fought so far have been remotely fun and I even had to use cheat engine to get past the 2nd boss Tyalmath because it barely took any damage and had a tendency to one-shot me randomly halfway through the painfully long fight (I'm playing on nightmare mode). For reference, I beat every boss in Ys I legit, including Vagullion and Dark Fact. I have no idea why people consider those two bosses the worst in the series when Tyalmath exists. At least Vagullion was fun enough mechanically to fight repeatedly.
I know it's unfair to compare the two games so heavily, but it's just such a massive quality-of-life downgrade between the two titles, especially after expecting them to be so similar—which they really are in a lot of ways.
For now, I've decided to shelve this game. I'm not having any fun anymore, and I want to continue the series. I'm aiming to get 100% in every main-series Ys game eventually though, so I will come back and continue this playthrough eventually... probably after I've beaten the rest of the series.
I also had to look up how to get the Bestiary Potion in this game, which was very easy to find in Ys I. It's hidden in a place I wouldn't have even thought to check, so I'm glad I'd done my research or I would've gone through the entire game never finding it. Not to mention the fact that now each monster has to be defeated thirty times rather than the original game's 25, making the 'Demon Duster' achievement even more of a pain to get than it was before. Thankfully, the notebook does log your kills before you find it, so even if you do end up backtracking to pick up the potion in the endgame you won't have to farm every enemy from 0. However, due to the way they changed the level system, grinding pretty much becomes mandatory and VERY tedious. Once I reached the lava area it just became a chore to play the game at all because all of the enemies have a ridiculous amount of health, and not getting hit is extremely difficult. This led to me defeating 1-2 enemies, standing still for a full minute to regenerate my health (PAINFULLY slowly compared to Ys I), saving just in case, and then killing two more enemies. Rinse and repeat. Not my idea of a good time, personally.
None of the bosses I've fought so far have been remotely fun and I even had to use cheat engine to get past the 2nd boss Tyalmath because it barely took any damage and had a tendency to one-shot me randomly halfway through the painfully long fight (I'm playing on nightmare mode). For reference, I beat every boss in Ys I legit, including Vagullion and Dark Fact. I have no idea why people consider those two bosses the worst in the series when Tyalmath exists. At least Vagullion was fun enough mechanically to fight repeatedly.
I know it's unfair to compare the two games so heavily, but it's just such a massive quality-of-life downgrade between the two titles, especially after expecting them to be so similar—which they really are in a lot of ways.
For now, I've decided to shelve this game. I'm not having any fun anymore, and I want to continue the series. I'm aiming to get 100% in every main-series Ys game eventually though, so I will come back and continue this playthrough eventually... probably after I've beaten the rest of the series.