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Game Information

Game Title: Ys X: Proud Nordics

Platforms:

• Switch 2 (Feb 20, 2026)
• PS5 (Feb 20, 2026)
• PC (Feb 20, 2026)

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 84 average - 73% recommended

Metacritic - 85 average based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews


Analog Stick Gaming - Jeff M Young - 7 / 10

Proud Nordics does provide some fine quality of life features, but they are still encased in an adventure that is nowhere as good as the previous entries in the series.

Cubed3 - Adam Riley - 8 / 10

Ys X: Proud Nordics delivers Falcom's most confident and complete take on the adventure, refining the original release with sharper combat, cleaner presentation and a brighter sense of character. The Switch 2 version benefits from stronger performance, faster loading and a noticeably smoother flow during exploration and battles, although the dated engine and occasional stutters reveal the limits of the underlying technology. The added content and quality‑of‑life improvements give this re‑release genuine value, yet the full‑price model and lack of an upgrade path remain difficult to ignore. Even so, Proud Nordics stands as the definitive way to experience Adol's latest journey, offering an energetic, polished and consistently engaging action RPG that plays to the series' strengths.

Entertainium - Eduardo Rebouças - 3 / 5

Returning Ys X players have little to look forward to in Ys X: Proud Nordics as it doesn't add anything particularly substantial and the technical improvements aren't that great to begin with.

Evilgamerz - Peter Derks - Dutch - 6.8 / 10

Don't get me wrong, I love this series and while the additions are welcome, they don't make the game completely different or much better. 'Ys X: Proud Nordics' is still a game with a far too slow start, uninteresting naval battles and an uninteresting story. The new island is in that respect the best part of this whole package. However, there is no concrete information about an upgrade path so far. Is the new content worth repurchasing the game at full price? In my opinion, no. Don't own the game yet and are you a fan of the series? Then this is the version you can buy without thinking too much about it.

Game Hype UK - Aaron Jones - 85 / 100

I would say Ys X: Proud Nordics is worth it depending on two factors and that is if you own the original game, if you do then it may be worth holding off for now. The extra content of Ys X: Proud Nordics is not worth the cost of a full new game especially if you already own it, while the game does add previous DLC such as costumes and Items the actual content of the game itself cost wise reflects that of a small DLC and could easily be sold as that, unfortunately that just is not the case, but if you have yet to try Ys X then Proud Nordics is the most up to date and definite edition of the game that you should get.

Game Lodge - Pedro Ladino - Portuguese - 9.5 / 10

Although frustrating for those who played or bought the original game, Ys X: Proud Nordics is still an excellent choice to revisit. For first-time adventurers, it is a spectacular entry point into the Ys series.

GameBlast - Thiago da Silva - Portuguese - 7.5 / 10

Ys X: Proud Nordics delivers Adol's definitive journey featuring dynamic combat, memorable bosses, and naval exploration within a world full of new content. This version expands the experience with an additional narrative and a challenging dungeon designed for veteran players who have finished the main campaign. However, the game suffers from excessively similar linear environments and common opponents that make the battle rhythm less exciting over time.

Gameliner - Simon Verbeke - Dutch - 3.5 / 5

Ys X: Proud Nordics is a great pick for newcomers seeking a solid JRPG with an entertaining story and flashy combat in its most complete form, but for returning players the added content doesn't justify the full price and feels like it should have been inexpensive DLC.

Netto's Game Room - Benjamin Bell - Recommended

Ys X: Proud Nordics is easily one of the best entries in the series, period. From the solid gameplay to the ocean exploration, this story of Adol, Karja, and their crew is engaging from start to finish, and one can't help but get a bit misty-eyed at the thought of saying goodbye.

Nintendo Life - Ethan Zack - 8 / 10

It may have all the same bones as the original version, but Ys X: Proud Nordics on Switch 2 is undoubtedly the way that this landmark action-adventure title deserves to be experienced on Nintendo hardware. Not only are the visuals improved, but the major performance bump makes everything from striking down enemies to simply navigating menus an absolute joy.The new gameplay additions, ranging from new story scenarios to tough-as-nails dungeon crawling, are nice to have as well, even if they ultimately feel like a small speck awash in the sea of gameplay variety that Ys X already contained. This enhanced version's siren song may be too faint to lure back anyone who forged through the original release, but newcomers and prospective fans owe it to themselves to answer the call and embark on the definitive version of this grand adventure.

NintendoWorldReport - John Rairdin - 9 / 10

However, the lack of cross-progression does mean that you'll have no choice but to start over. On the other hand, if you've yet to play Ys X, I can wholeheartedly recommend this version. While returning players do have to wrestle with whether the upgrade is worth it, new players should absolutely dive in without hesitation.

PSX Brasil - José Viana - Portuguese - 90 / 100

As a complete game, Ys X: Proud Nordics is among the best in the series. As a re-release, however, it leaves much to be desired.

PlayStation LifeStyle - Tyler Treese - 8 / 10

Whether they dive right in or wait a while, the good news is that Proud Nordics will be delivering a fantastic experience once they pick it up, as it's the definitive version of Nihon Falcom's latest RPG.

The Outerhaven Productions - Scott Adams - 4 / 5

Ys X: Proud Nordics is built on the solid bones of Ys X: Nordics. It, however, doesn't add a lot of extra substance to warrant a new playthrough. It is the ultimate version of the game and the new recommended Ys to play for newcomers.

Video Chums - A.J. Maciejewski - 8.6 / 10

Ys X: Proud Nordics is the same great game with extra content that adds a lot of value and rewarding challenges for those who master its memorable seafaring campaign. It may have released a bit too soon but what's here is excellent stuff regardless.

 

[Skifi28]

So glad I didn't cave and buy the original, fresh expererience.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

My copy has shipped! Didn't buy the first edition, because I'm super savvy!

 

[TintoConCasera]

Still need to give this series a proper go. I've only played Ark and Oath and had a ton of fun with both of them.

 

[mèx]

Yeah, it's a skip for me. I'm satisfied with what I played in the original game.

 

[jshackles]

Not going to replay this because honestly the story was a bit shit, especially in the first 1/3rd of the game. The naval battles were BAD. Progression felt weird for a Ys game. Combat was unintuitive. Maybe some of these gripes were fixed with this release? Either way I'm just ready for the next game and hope it's better than this one.

Still need to give this series a proper go. I've only played Ark and Oath and had a ton of fun with both of them.

My advice would be to start with VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA.

 

[Duellist]

Had no idea that this was even happening. Was wondering why there was release info as I bought this game like 2 months ago. Fuck this pisses me off. Lol

 

[TintoConCasera]

My advice would be to start with VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA.

Surprise surprise, I somehow already own it!

Guess I must have bought it during a sale and never got to try it lol.

How's Ys Seven? I was thinking of giving that one a go since it seems to be the one that comes after Ark.

 

[Baemono]

The game runs at 120fps on Switch 2, I should give it a try

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Noisy Pixel (linked their video in the OP) gave it a 10, for what it's worth.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

I started X like a week before Proud Nordics was announced. I figured might as well drop it and wait for the upgrade.

Although from the sound of it, it sucks that they spent over a year on this instead of working on something else.

 

[Paltheos]

Finally I can play Ys X lol. I'd actually bought the original but hadn't started it before the Atlus-style 'for realsies' version was announced, so I just put the whole thing on the back burner.

Still need to give this series a proper go. I've only played Ark and Oath and had a ton of fun with both of them.

Those two are both in my top 3 Ys games; the last one being Origin, which runs on the same engine and has a similar play feel (the three together are commonly called the Napishtim Trilogy). I'm sure I've mentioned or you've heard at some point that Ys 8 is also crazy popular and for largely good reason, even if I think all the party-based games since Ys 7 have generally been a step down.

Ys X's supposed to be a little different and a somewhat new direction, so I'll see how it stacks up!

 

[Fbh]

I'll probably get it when it's on sale.
I skipped the original release because reactions around here were pretty lukewarm. Then we found out about this version soon afterwards and at that point there was no reason to pick up the original, even when on sale.

Not going to replay this because honestly the story was a bit shit, especially in the first 1/3rd of the game. The naval battles were BAD. Progression felt weird for a Ys game. Combat was unintuitive. Maybe some of these gripes were fixed with this release? Either way I'm just ready for the next game and hope it's better than this one.

How much story is there?
One thing I didn't like about 9 is that I found the story pretty uninteresting, but they keep constantly interrupting you with cutscenes and dialogue.
The older games also had stories and cutscenes, but they felt more self aware about the fact that it's not the main appeal of the series, and they did a better job keeping the focus on the gameplay.

 

[StereoVsn]

Surprise surprise, I somehow already own it!

Guess I must have bought it during a sale and never got to try it lol.

How's Ys Seven? I was thinking of giving that one a go since it seems to be the one that comes after Ark.

Ys Seven is pretty good overall and so are Oath and Celceta.

That said I would just play Ys VIII. It's the best of the bunch.

I also recommend Tokyo Xanadu Ex+ which is a pretty great Ys and Trails mix set in more modern world.

 

[Diseased Yak]

Wish I hadn't of bought the first version and then proceeded to basically not put more than 30 minutes into it before getting distracted by other games.

Ahh well, I'm a huge Ys fan so I'll get this as well. (and proceed to not play it yet because of DQ VII-R and the Midnight launch, not to mention RE9...)

 

[jshackles]

How much story is there?
One thing I didn't like about 9 is that I found the story pretty uninteresting, but they keep constantly interrupting you with cutscenes and dialogue.
The older games also had stories and cutscenes, but they felt more self aware about the fact that it's not the main appeal of the series, and they did a better job keeping the focus on the gameplay.

Let's put it this way - this game is like if Falcom had a focus group of literally insane people who all said the story and cutscenes were the best part of Ys 9 and that the next game should have even more interruptions than the previous one. When X lets you off the leash, it can be fun and some of the dungeons are really decent - but the game constantly interrupts you with story time.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Ys Seven is pretty good overall and so are Oath and Celceta.

That said I would just play Ys VIII. It's the best of the bunch.

I also recommend Tokyo Xanadu Ex+ which is a pretty great Ys and Trails mix set in more modern world.

Cool! I'll probably play Seven next then. No rush to get to VIII since I plan to play them all.

 

[StereoVsn]

Let's put it this way - this game is like if Falcom had a focus group of literally insane people who all said the story and cutscenes were the best part of Ys 9 and that the next game should have even more interruptions than the previous one. When X lets you off the leash, it can be fun and some of the dungeons are really decent - but the game constantly interrupts you with story time.

I guess Ys VIII was basically an accident .

I will get Nordics when it hits $30 or so. Game doesn't sound super appealing.

 

[jshackles]

Cool! I'll probably play Seven next then. No rush to get to VIII since I plan to play them all.

For what it's worth, keep in mind that the release order isn't the in-game chronological order for this series.

Ys VIII follows Adol's adventures before the events in Ys VI. VII takes place after VI though.

All Ys Games Listed In Chronological Order

The Ys series remains a popular, but well-kept secret in the JRPG game world. Here's how every game fits into the series' timeline.

www.thegamer.com

 

[DarkShadowXI]

So weird that they did this, but I'll definitely play it this year. Nothing like an Ys game

 

[Kacho]

This is up next in my 2026 hit list. Just need to wrap up DQ7 first.

 

[adamsapple]

My advice would be to start with VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA.

The only problem with this is that, like someone recommending Vesperia as the first Tales of game, it might end up ruining the others since you're starting with the best game in the franchise, lol.

 

[lachesis]

I re-play all Ys games from time to time, and I already finished vanilla X with all the trophies. Will re-visit and play Proud Nordics on sale.
It is strange that they re-released it with additional content (not sure how much has changed - I think they added a few characters and island?)
Ys 8 was similar - I originally bought it on Vita, but my experience on PS4 Pro - it felt like they changed up some stuff - enough change to throw me off and question my memory.

 

[graywolf323]

the lack of an upgrade path is going to make me wait for it to be on sale for at least half off, it's such a slap in the face to everyone who foolishly bought the original only for them to announce this improved version something like 6-8 weeks after it released in America?

 

[Deerock71]

The game runs at 120fps on Switch 2, I should give it a try

Fer real?

 

[Germuso]

Damn my ps2 is Broken.

 

[Baemono]

Fer real?

 

[Deerock71]

I may buy this out of sheer principle.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

the lack of an upgrade path is going to make me wait for it to be on sale for at least half off, it's such a slap in the face to everyone who foolishly bought the original only for them to announce this improved version something like 6-8 weeks after it released in America?

Wait WTF is there no upgrade available for the original? I could've sworn they said there will be one. Falcom can go fuck themselves if true.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Is there seriously no upgrade path? That is beyond poor form.

Never played the original version because I was waiting to upgrade my computer first. Finally building a new machine (probably) this week, so... I dunno. I guess I'll get this eventually, even if it's fuckin' booshit how they're re-selling it.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

Looks like I'm buying this a second time.

 

[RoboFu]

Already played through the original on pc. it was a lot of fun... Might get this later but too much stuff coming out right now.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Loved 8 but something about the look of this one just doesn't grab me.

It was the same with 9.

Perhaps I'll hold out for Ys 11 for my next fling with the series. Hmmm...

 

[Skifi28]

Wait WTF is there no upgrade available for the original? I could've sworn they said there will be one. Falcom can go fuck themselves if true.

They really are trying to be the new Atlus!

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

They really are trying to be the new Atlus!

I swear JRPGs are the only genre where the fanbase lets them get away with this bullshit.

Just imagine the outrage if like, Ubisoft announced Assassins Creed: Proud Shadows, 2 months after the original release, and it would only be sold as a separate full-priced game with no upgrade path.

 

[LyricalShrike]

I was hooked with Ys I after trying the series because I was enjoying trails. It's such an oddly satisfying game. I'm looking forward to playing X after I finish with origins. I guess I got lucky that they happen to be in chronological order.