Patient Gamers @sh.itjust.works fckreddit @lemmy.ml 2y ago

Ys VIII is soo good.

I just finished playing Ys VIII on switch. And boy, am I glad I did. I loved the story, the setting and the combat. However, I found that performance is not great in certain locations. Please beware that, I played the game on easy mode and I haven't mastered the combat in any sense of the word. I sucked at the timing of Flash Guard and Flash Dodge. The game is balanced pretty well. I loved the dungeons and the feeling of first feeling lost and then, mastering them as you progress.

The game is also pretty decent in length. It took me about 50 hours to complete most of what the game had to offer. And there was almost no padding. However, it had the typical JRPG tendency of removing player from the control, for a story bit or something else and it could get annoying especially in the early game where you are constantly told to backtrack for a tutorial, etc.

Personally, my favourite part of the game was the story and the characters. Characters, especially the party members were well-written and well-realized. I was genuinely sad to see the story end because of them.

This was my first Ys game and now I am moving on Ys 9 and loving it so far.

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That game (Ys VIII Lacrimosa of Dana) is fantastic on PC too and has an exclusive two player co op mode where someone else can play a team member alongside you instead of the AI. Well worth getting for a replay when it's on sale if you're able to
Ys games are pretty neat. They always provide a good adventure.
It's one of those older series I always looked at with a curious gaze without daring getting into it, is there any benefit from playing the older ones in terms of story/lore ? or should I just pick one that looks good and run with it without fear of missing elements ?
- Just want to drop this excellent resource here on everything Ys: https://www.digitalemelas.com
  
  Ys 8 is a great entry point which got me hooked on the series. Each game is self-contained, however Ys 9 does reference previous games more as an easter egg/fan service than actually affecting enjoyment of the story.
  
  oooh, got some reading to do
- Ys 1 was pretty fun and short. It uses bump mechanics for combat which was fun. The final dungeon is like half the game and you are already max level when you enter so the challenge was pretty good. The random lore snippets gave me a sense of wonder the whole game. Ys 2 was more complex in its mechanics and it seemed to randomly get super hard so I gave up on that one.
- While there are references to older games, they are not necessary for the enjoyment of the game. You will not miss much even if you don't get the references.
Ah yeah I really like the Ys series. I started with Ys Origin and absolutely loved that, it was almost like an isometric Metroidvania, that one. With excellent and memorable music, the music is amazing in this series! I did play Ys VIII too on the Switch and yeah, the performance issues are noticeable. The game is still very playable despite that. I just lost steam at some point about 2/3rds of the way into the game, after the big cave at the top of the mountain. The ape enemies infuriated me, lol. I do want to play more of the series, mainly the older titles. I already know I don't like the first couple with the bump style combat, but I want to play at least 6 and 7.
- Yeah. Later in the game it is much satisfying railroad those big apes. I think you are supposed to avoid them. The areas are filled with enemies that you cannot defeat..
I've been playing Ys 9, almost at the end now. I played 8 on the switch around 3 years ago on a whim and really enjoyed it. I also played Origins when it came out there, and it was fun although different. I'm late to the party but find this franchise to be a fun and light jrpg that I can just jump in and out of.
- Me too. I am pretty close to the end in Ys 9. Eagerly waiting for Ys 10, which is looking to expand the gameplay to Naval Battles.
Ys for the Sega Master System is an all time favorite (the first one). I also played Ys 2, which unfortunately was only NES and not released on the US. There was also a cool one called Ys 2 Plus from Korea for DOS, but it was basically a different game than Ys 2.

Perhaps I’ll try a newer one!
- Ys 1&2 have since been remade for PC (look up Ys Chronicles+) and they're fantastic imo. I didn't like Ys 2 as much as the first, but it's still a great game.
  
  I also really liked Ys Origin. It plays a bit different (no more bump combat), but it feels very much like an Ys game and is a very worthy prequel with a much more modern gameplay feel. I recommend playing Ys 1&2 first, and then Ys Origin.
  
  I have also played Felghana and Celceta and enjoyed both, so I think you'll be happy with any game in the series. My favorite is still Ys 1 followed by Ys Origin.
  
  Cool, I’ll check those out! I do have Ys 1 and 2 for Windows, but haven’t thoroughly played them yet.
  
  For clarification, it's because I have played the original SMS one about 75 times.

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