Ys: The Oath in Felghana

I'm a casual Ys gamer - I've played through the original three, this one, and Ark of Napishtim. To the uninitiated, Ys is a pretty legendary series in Japan that helped inspire some other early Japanese games that you might have played.The Ys games thrive on simple combat-centric mechanics that make the player work to beat the game rather than ease you into it. The settings and music liven up the experience to wrap it all neatly into a bombastic action-adventure. Canonically, this is a remake of the old, excellent Ys III - music and all. I prefer much of the original music to this one but don't go in with low expectations: The quality in OoF is top-notch and still enjoyable to listen to. The story is dreadful, but that comes with most Ys games. Like the original, the characters, voice-acting and plot remain entirely painful. But you're not here for a tear-soaked heart-wrencher, are you? You're here for some needle injections of intense combat with squealing guitars! Forget all about the moping Chester and terribly clichéd useless female character. Waltz your way outside of the village you could care less about and start beating some sense into angry flora and fauna of the nearby forest! The excellent gameplay progression culminates in a spectacularly memorable final boss fight that will punish you to some seriously rocking music. Gripes that carry over from all the previous Ys games (because really, the mechanics and structure are basically verbatim to all the others in the series): It is impossible to play the game underleveled. As someone that likes to 'clear once, skip on backtrack', my Adol likes to hang with the anemic heroes - unfortunately, if you're not at the 'right level' that is dictated by the game, you will deal 0 damage. Level up once and BAM, you're now able to hurt the enemy. Just something to keep in mind. The game is a blast, so I'd highly recommend (and it works flawlessly on wine for non-windows users ;))

Wonderful game, Awesome visuals, Great boss fights, and it's YS! This is a remake of the original "Ys III, Wanderers from Ys". While I enjoy the Turbografx 16 version of Ys III, This re-done version is the Holy Grail of Ys games. Recommended for anyone that enjoys early Legend of Zelda titles, with a larger emphasis on action and a leveling up system.

This was a really fun, challenging game. I played it after Ys Origins, so I was a bit leery that it would be a step back since that came out afterwards, but it really wasn't. For one thing, they added voice acting which was actually pretty good. Supposedly this was done earlier in 2020. The music is just fantastic and the story was good as well. The overworld is admittedly quite small for an RPG, but that's ok. I only really used a guide to know if I would miss an achievement if I progressed too far in the game. Other than that, I didn't really need to consult one at all. Maybe some of the bosses would have been easier if I had, but that would take the challenge out of the game. I would like to add that this game worked better with the Galaxy Client than Ys Origins in regards to achievements. Every one of my achievements showed up immediately upon attaining them, so either this game is better integrated or they've recently worked out the kinks. One thing to note is that you need to run the config client either from the folder or through the additional executables command in the Galaxy client. You can set up better graphical options and configure a controller from here. Also, you should change the default executable to ysf_win_dx9.exe under Manage Installation --> Configure. If you don't, the game will run the DX8 version instead. This will keep you from being able to enter the Elderm mountains once you get there. Those are galaxy client related nitpicks, but all in all this is another solid entry in the Ys franchise that's definitely worth a try.

This is a remake of Ys 3, which was my first and is still my favorite Ys title, as of this writing; it had a wide skillset; bright, beautiful artwork, with strange monsters; and a hero so cool that I couldn't help but love him. While I don't feel this quite measures up to that, it's a worthy remake, and doesn't change TOO much. There have been additions to the story and cast that flesh it all out a bit better, but it does come off as a bit apocryphal. That said, I love what they did with Dogi; there are a few lines that will make long-standing fans of the series smile. The environments look good, too; while many of them differ quite a bit from the original, none are bad, and some are absolutely beautiful, Ilvern/Illburn Ruins being a favorite of mine. The characters are sprites, which remind me of SaGa Frontier. I ADORE SaGa Frontier. It's also a neat touch that when you wear all of the pieces of one particular set of equipment, it will change your sprite to match. The music isn't great; the guitar work is almost always completely over the top, even when it doesn't really need to be. It isn't the worst I've heard in a Falcom remake, but I did find myself laughing at it more than just a little. Most important is the gameplay, and it's built very well. The world is now seamless, and while platforming is a bit awkward at times, it is a joy to explore. Combat is great, too, with a standard combo and a few additional moves, along with 3 different attack spells. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the bosses, as they tend to be impossibly difficult if you missed just one thing, and turn into a complete joke once you have it. That said, the game doesn't waste your time on retries; you can skip the cutscenes leading up to any boss with the Try Again option. A little ways in, you get a fast travel option, too, which is super helpful. If you like Action-Adventure, you'll probably find a lot to like here.