SolVanderlyn
Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
Hello, all, and welcome to the
This OT was a joint effort between Blue-kun and myself.
Ys VIII releases September 12th in America, and September 15th in Europe, on the PS4 and PS Vita.
What is Ys? How in the world do you pronounce that? Are there really eight games?
Ys (pronounced "Ees" or something close to that) is a series that takes its unfortunately difficult to pronounce title from the Lost City of Ys, which was really only relevant in the first two games. It is a high octane, fast paced action RPG series from developer Falcom, who you might also know for their Trails in the Sky and Trails of Cold Steel games. Falcom's also pretty well known in the game music scene, with their sound team being known as one of the best in the business.
Every Ys game stars a silent protagonist named Adol Christin, and is framed as a historical retelling of his greatest adventures. Technically, each game is told in retrospect, and is based off of what texts have told the narrator about this person's life. Adol is already known as a great adventurer, someone who became a legend over the course of the various journies he embarked upon, as well as for his impeccable skill with a sword. Because of the unique way the story is told, the games jump all around the timeline of Adol's life - for example, this game, Ys VIII, takes place between Ys V and Ys VI. Other than Ys I + II, however, the timeline is relatively inconsequential, and each game's story can be enjoyed as a standalone experience.
This time around, Adol and his friends find themselves shipwrecked on a mysterious island...
The Ys series is no stranger to real world references. The lost city of Ys is based on a real world legend, the map of Adol's world shares many similarities with our own, and the naming conventions don't attempt to hide their real world inspirations in the least, with factions such as the "Romun Empire" existing and functioning almost exactly like the Roman Empire we're all familiar with. The world of Ys is, essentially, a fantastical version of Earth, and each game has Adol finding himself in a location with new themes, motifs, and real-life influences. Ys V, for example, takes place in Ys' version of Africa, and is largely desert themed; Ys IV takes place entirely in a forest, Ys VII on Altago, an arid and mountainous land known for its legends about dragons... every place Adol visits is brimming with its own unique character and personality.
This time around, our hero and his friends find themselves on an island inspired by Greece. In addition to its real world inspiration, Ys VIII is also largely "beach" themed, or at least very "sunny" - it does take place on a deserted island, after all, and much of its artwork and general aesthetics are brimming with light.
There's two types of Ys games:
Solo, where Adol fights alone.
Party-based, where Adol fights with his friends.
Ys VIII, like all modern Ys games, falls into the second category. You will control a party of three, each with their own weapon type and abilities, that you can switch between on the fly. The gameplay is generally very fast paced and sometimes frenetic, and much of the monster slaying revolves around exploiting which weapon type works well on which kind of monster. If you're like me, though, you'll spend most of your time controlling Adol anyway, since he is usually by far the most fun to play as.
The game does, however, switch up the "new Ys" formula by adding in a secondary main character, Dana. Dana's segments take place in the past, relate to the story in Adol's time, and, most strikingly, are entirely solo experiences. Adol and Dana both function as the main characters of the game.
The world is "open" in the sense that you travel from point A to point B on an overworld, but the maps end up feeling very compartmentalized, perhaps due to the game's origin as a Vita title. As such, it's highly unlikely that you'll be overwhelmed or awed or ever get lost anywhere on this particular deserted island. The interconnected nature of the world, however, is an area that the Ys series has always excelled at - you'll see landmarks in the distance that you'll want to go to and explore, and, rest assured, you will end up exploring them later.
It's no Breath of the Wild, but it isn't trying to be. Expect fast paced, equipment changing, skill learning action-RPG fun in an interconnected world full of NPCs to talk to and monsters to slay.
Oh, you can also go fishing.
Ys VIII is a bit different from its ancestors. The early Ys games had very simple stories, not much dialogue at all, and were relatively light on cutscenes.
Starting with Ys VII, the series adopted a much stronger focus on narrative, something that's only grown more prominent with each new entry. Many fans (both western and Japanese) have noted the series' gradual shift towards emphasizing its story and characters, and how it's beginning to share a striking resemblance to Falcom's other flagship series, the Trails games. While Ys is a lot less text heavy than Trails, it has certainly adopted many of its sister series' conventions, for better or for worse.
Ys VIII, in particular, has been noted as being more story-centric than other Ys title to date. Your mileage may vary on how much you enjoy this, depending on how much you value story in your games.
Q: I've never played any of the games in the Ys series, but saw the good reviews/tried the demo for Ys VIII and am interested in trying it out. Does it require previous knowledge of the series or is it a standalone story?
A: Ys VIII, much like most of the Ys series, in fact, is a standalone story and serves as a perfectly fine entry point to the series. There are a couple familiar faces here and there, as well as a few names of distant lands that you'd be able to recognize if you played previous titles, but these are mostly tied to sidequests and are little more than 'fanservice' to old time fans who like to try and piece together a timeline of Adol's adventures. The actual story is completely self-contained.
Q: What are the differences between the PS4/PC version of the game and the Vita one? I've read that PS4/PC have more content, is that true?
A: Yes! It is true. The japanese Vita version of the game precedes the PS4 one by more than a half year. Falcom spent that time improving the experience for the home console version, and as such, there are a few key differences in it:
- PS4/PC run at 60 FPS and feature much higher resolutions, obviously.
- PS4/PC versions of the game feature exclusive story content that dives deeper into Dana's civilization past. There are new cutscenes and a new solo Dana dungeon that you'll explore throughout the game, where Falcom fleshed the game's backstory.
- PS4/PC also feature a new exclusive post-game dungeon, this one unrelated to the plot and accessible through your Clear Data save on a certain spot of the map...
- PS4/PC also have some extra subquests where you can explore previously beaten dungeons 'at night'. These spots at night feature new enemies, as well as an increased number of encounters, some of which can prove to be a real challenge if you dare mess with them.
- PS4/PC added 'Suppression Missions', an alternate take on the already existing 'Base Defense' missions. Instead of defending Castaway Village, Adol and the group take the fight to the beasts' quarters. They must infiltrate and destroy them.
Q:Alright, I got it. But I still prefer to game on the go and am interested in the Vita version even while knowing I'll be missing on some content. How does that version hold up?
A: Ys VIII's Vita version is a fantastic handheld title on its own. Of course, some limitations are to be expected. The game runs at 30 FPS, and sometimes you'll run into a few drops, especially in very open areas with a large number of enemies. That said, if you've played Memories of Celceta, VIII runs better than that game, while being much, much more impressive graphically. For the story stuff you'll be missing, they're mostly backstory, intersting, yeah, but hardly gamebreaking. The meat of Ys VIII's plot is in the Vita version and you won't be missing too much by playing it. Of course, the two extra dungeons and new suppression/sidequests can't be replaced, but even then there's lots and lots of contents -- I clocked around 40 hours on my first playthrough. So, personally speaking, if you really want a handheld game to take on the go, Ys VIII is a pretty cool title. And who knows, maybe you'll like it enough to replay the PS4 version at a later date and enjoy all the enhancements?
Q: I heard the music was good?
A: Hell yeah it is!
Enjoy exploring the island, everyone!
This OT was a joint effort between Blue-kun and myself.
Ys VIII releases September 12th in America, and September 15th in Europe, on the PS4 and PS Vita.
What is Ys? How in the world do you pronounce that? Are there really eight games?
Ys (pronounced "Ees" or something close to that) is a series that takes its unfortunately difficult to pronounce title from the Lost City of Ys, which was really only relevant in the first two games. It is a high octane, fast paced action RPG series from developer Falcom, who you might also know for their Trails in the Sky and Trails of Cold Steel games. Falcom's also pretty well known in the game music scene, with their sound team being known as one of the best in the business.
Every Ys game stars a silent protagonist named Adol Christin, and is framed as a historical retelling of his greatest adventures. Technically, each game is told in retrospect, and is based off of what texts have told the narrator about this person's life. Adol is already known as a great adventurer, someone who became a legend over the course of the various journies he embarked upon, as well as for his impeccable skill with a sword. Because of the unique way the story is told, the games jump all around the timeline of Adol's life - for example, this game, Ys VIII, takes place between Ys V and Ys VI. Other than Ys I + II, however, the timeline is relatively inconsequential, and each game's story can be enjoyed as a standalone experience.
This time around, Adol and his friends find themselves shipwrecked on a mysterious island...
The Ys series is no stranger to real world references. The lost city of Ys is based on a real world legend, the map of Adol's world shares many similarities with our own, and the naming conventions don't attempt to hide their real world inspirations in the least, with factions such as the "Romun Empire" existing and functioning almost exactly like the Roman Empire we're all familiar with. The world of Ys is, essentially, a fantastical version of Earth, and each game has Adol finding himself in a location with new themes, motifs, and real-life influences. Ys V, for example, takes place in Ys' version of Africa, and is largely desert themed; Ys IV takes place entirely in a forest, Ys VII on Altago, an arid and mountainous land known for its legends about dragons... every place Adol visits is brimming with its own unique character and personality.
This time around, our hero and his friends find themselves on an island inspired by Greece. In addition to its real world inspiration, Ys VIII is also largely "beach" themed, or at least very "sunny" - it does take place on a deserted island, after all, and much of its artwork and general aesthetics are brimming with light.
There's two types of Ys games:
Solo, where Adol fights alone.
Party-based, where Adol fights with his friends.
Ys VIII, like all modern Ys games, falls into the second category. You will control a party of three, each with their own weapon type and abilities, that you can switch between on the fly. The gameplay is generally very fast paced and sometimes frenetic, and much of the monster slaying revolves around exploiting which weapon type works well on which kind of monster. If you're like me, though, you'll spend most of your time controlling Adol anyway, since he is usually by far the most fun to play as.
The game does, however, switch up the "new Ys" formula by adding in a secondary main character, Dana. Dana's segments take place in the past, relate to the story in Adol's time, and, most strikingly, are entirely solo experiences. Adol and Dana both function as the main characters of the game.
The world is "open" in the sense that you travel from point A to point B on an overworld, but the maps end up feeling very compartmentalized, perhaps due to the game's origin as a Vita title. As such, it's highly unlikely that you'll be overwhelmed or awed or ever get lost anywhere on this particular deserted island. The interconnected nature of the world, however, is an area that the Ys series has always excelled at - you'll see landmarks in the distance that you'll want to go to and explore, and, rest assured, you will end up exploring them later.
It's no Breath of the Wild, but it isn't trying to be. Expect fast paced, equipment changing, skill learning action-RPG fun in an interconnected world full of NPCs to talk to and monsters to slay.
Oh, you can also go fishing.
Ys VIII is a bit different from its ancestors. The early Ys games had very simple stories, not much dialogue at all, and were relatively light on cutscenes.
Starting with Ys VII, the series adopted a much stronger focus on narrative, something that's only grown more prominent with each new entry. Many fans (both western and Japanese) have noted the series' gradual shift towards emphasizing its story and characters, and how it's beginning to share a striking resemblance to Falcom's other flagship series, the Trails games. While Ys is a lot less text heavy than Trails, it has certainly adopted many of its sister series' conventions, for better or for worse.
Ys VIII, in particular, has been noted as being more story-centric than other Ys title to date. Your mileage may vary on how much you enjoy this, depending on how much you value story in your games.
Q: I've never played any of the games in the Ys series, but saw the good reviews/tried the demo for Ys VIII and am interested in trying it out. Does it require previous knowledge of the series or is it a standalone story?
A: Ys VIII, much like most of the Ys series, in fact, is a standalone story and serves as a perfectly fine entry point to the series. There are a couple familiar faces here and there, as well as a few names of distant lands that you'd be able to recognize if you played previous titles, but these are mostly tied to sidequests and are little more than 'fanservice' to old time fans who like to try and piece together a timeline of Adol's adventures. The actual story is completely self-contained.
Q: What are the differences between the PS4/PC version of the game and the Vita one? I've read that PS4/PC have more content, is that true?
A: Yes! It is true. The japanese Vita version of the game precedes the PS4 one by more than a half year. Falcom spent that time improving the experience for the home console version, and as such, there are a few key differences in it:
- PS4/PC run at 60 FPS and feature much higher resolutions, obviously.
- PS4/PC versions of the game feature exclusive story content that dives deeper into Dana's civilization past. There are new cutscenes and a new solo Dana dungeon that you'll explore throughout the game, where Falcom fleshed the game's backstory.
- PS4/PC also feature a new exclusive post-game dungeon, this one unrelated to the plot and accessible through your Clear Data save on a certain spot of the map...
- PS4/PC also have some extra subquests where you can explore previously beaten dungeons 'at night'. These spots at night feature new enemies, as well as an increased number of encounters, some of which can prove to be a real challenge if you dare mess with them.
- PS4/PC added 'Suppression Missions', an alternate take on the already existing 'Base Defense' missions. Instead of defending Castaway Village, Adol and the group take the fight to the beasts' quarters. They must infiltrate and destroy them.
Q:Alright, I got it. But I still prefer to game on the go and am interested in the Vita version even while knowing I'll be missing on some content. How does that version hold up?
A: Ys VIII's Vita version is a fantastic handheld title on its own. Of course, some limitations are to be expected. The game runs at 30 FPS, and sometimes you'll run into a few drops, especially in very open areas with a large number of enemies. That said, if you've played Memories of Celceta, VIII runs better than that game, while being much, much more impressive graphically. For the story stuff you'll be missing, they're mostly backstory, intersting, yeah, but hardly gamebreaking. The meat of Ys VIII's plot is in the Vita version and you won't be missing too much by playing it. Of course, the two extra dungeons and new suppression/sidequests can't be replaced, but even then there's lots and lots of contents -- I clocked around 40 hours on my first playthrough. So, personally speaking, if you really want a handheld game to take on the go, Ys VIII is a pretty cool title. And who knows, maybe you'll like it enough to replay the PS4 version at a later date and enjoy all the enhancements?
Q: I heard the music was good?
A: Hell yeah it is!
Enjoy exploring the island, everyone!
