When it comes to classic RPGs, not too many people these days are familiar with the Ys (Pronounced like 'East', but without the 'T') series, originally created for the Japanese NEC PC-8801 in Japan all the way back in 1987. The series was characterized by its super streamlined Action RPG game play and past-paced action. Ys would later make its way to many other platforms, including the X68000, MSX2, Sega Master System, and Nintendo's Famicom but most prominently, the PC Engine CD. It would subsequently be released in North America and Europe for the TurboGrafx CD.
Though it never made a name for itself like say, Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest did, the people who would play the original games in the Ys series often came back for more adventures with Adol the Red. However, unlike its wild popularity in Japan, while Nihon Falcom's flagship title saw critical acclaim overall, it garnered only mediocre sales, likely due to the fact that Nintendo and Sega had most of the market cornered when the TurboGrafx 16 was relevant. As a result, North America would only see one more Ys title before the release of Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable in 2004.
While Y's: Book I & II on the TurboGrafx CD were both of the same style (not to mention being on the same disc, back to back) the third game in the series, Ys III: The Wanderers from Ys, was a radical departure from the lot. Released in North America on the TurboGrafx CD, Super NES and the Sega Genesis, Wanderers would nix the classic overhead 'bump-n-slash' mechanic from the first two games, instead opting for a strictly side-scrolling view. Player now also had direct control over swinging Adol's sword and of course, jumping. This meant that instead of pure exploration, Ys III was more of a Platformer. However, it didn't make Ys III and less great. It had a no-nonsense approach to its gameplay and introduced many new characters to the series. It also had great story, decent voice work, excellent music (at least as far as the TurboGrafx version is concerned) and an epic final boss.
Because of the radical departure in its game play though, fans of the original games call this game the 'black sheep' of the series, much like Zelda II: The Adventures of Link on the NES. Not only that, but when stacked up against other instalments in the series, fans often call it the worst of the lot.
Fast forward to the year 2010. Advances in technology have made it possible to take the console experience with you on the go with the PlayStation Portable. The PSP is home to many quality RPGs, like Final Fantasy, Valkyrie Profile, Breath of Fire and even the acclaimed Lunar. And, in 2004, Ys made a return to form with the excellent Ark of Napishtim, published by Konami. Though the port from PS2 to PSP was botched and marred by horrific loading times, the experience was still one worth having, thanks to engaging characters and challenging gameplay. However, this would not be the last we saw of Ys, past or Present.
This year, we have seen two releases in the series from the excellent publisher, XSeed Games; The newest installment in the series made exclusively for the PSP, Ys Seven and a remake that pulls out all the stops; Ys: The Oath in Felghana.
Oath is a completely overhauled version of Ys III but at first glance, you'd never notice. Changing views from a side-scrolling to quasi-isometric perspective, Adol now has free range over his movement. There are still devious platforming elements, but the 3D engine adapted from Ark of Napishtim runs brilliantly and makes for a very playable experience. The game's no-nonsense classic hack and slash game play returns as well, but the challenge has been ramped up considerably. Don't think that this game is going to be a walk in the park. Even at a high level, the massive bosses in this game will likely wipe the floor with you like a red-headed mop, often multiple times in a row, before you set out to become stronger yet again. And even then, you'll likely only get past your opposition by the skin of your teeth!
To make things even more difficult, you can't sock up on curative items in this version of the game. Instead, enemies will drop health pickups, mush like in the Zelda series. There are items which will auto-revive you, but they will be prohibitively expensive until the very end of the game. There's also an item that will recover your HP when you're standing still hidden in the game as well. However, the added charged attacks that you have access to later in the game will allow you to recover your HP when used at a certain point in the game. Until then though, when fighting bosses, the health you start with is the only health you'll have.
New to this version is a comprehensive upgrade system, which allows you to power up each piece of weaponry and armour that you find. Using a material called Raval Ore , you can boost your arsenal by two levels, at which pint it reads 'Max'. This is critical in order to make the fastest progress.
On the presentation side of things, it was really nice to hear the amazing remixed versions of the classic music in the third game again. This soundtrack shines as one of the best I've ever heard, with rocking tunes and throbbing beats throughout. It lends itself the the past-paced nature of the game. The 2-D character sprites and huge 3-D bosses, not to mention the backgrounds as a whole, are richly detailed and pleasing to look at. The character design is top-notch stuff as well, and each person you meet has a colourful personality. Most notably in the game, in stark contrast to even Ys Seven, is a story chock-full of voice overs. Most of them are fantastically delivered too, with only the odd one out sounding hammy or fake. With the addition of so much voicing comes additional story elements and even a few twists from the original title, so fans of the original Ys III will still get a new story in the end!
If you're into Action RPGs in specific, you can do a lot worse than Ys: The Oath in Felghana. This game is one that you shouldn't pass up, even if you've played the original game. You can get the standard version for only $29.99, with a deluxe boxed version including a CD Soundtrack and a 2011 art calendar with gorgeous art for $39.99.
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