Ys Series - Digital Emelas: A Fansite Spreading Awareness of Ys




List of Games

* Canon to the series



GAME TITLE
:
Ys I & II Chronicles+
PLATFORM
:
Steam
DEVELOPED BY
:
Nihon Falcom
TRANSLATED BY
:
XSEED Games
PUBLISHED BY
:
XSEED Games
ENGINE
:
Bump System
RELEASE DATE
:
Feb 14, 2013
Reflections of Ys
By Jessie Cooper

Ys I & II was my introduction to the Ys franchise. I didn't know what to expect but I knew it must have been good with the many recommendations I was hearing. I can honestly say that it changed the way I think about the games I play. Ys I & II Chronicles, paired with Ys Origin, now stand as my favourite game trilogy of all time.

The first thing I noticed was the music. I found out later that Falcom's own JDK rock band performed many of the in-game scores. The atmosphere created by the music had me leaving Adol standing on the screen just so I could listen to the amazing soundtrack. The second thing I noticed was that every character, even of lesser importance, had a unique name and profile. I must admit... I found myself running around to ensure that I spoke to everyone so I could have a complete codex in Adol's journal. It turned out that listening to the villagers would help me discover how to progress in the story or learn where to go next if ever I got lost. I was able to piece much more together just by speaking to people I ran into. For this reason, I made sure I had an actual, physical notebook nearby to jot down anything that the NPCs spoke of that could be useful later. I even drew little maps of places I had visited for future reference. For me, exploration will always be the most valuable part of each Ys game.

The Steam version has a few additional features that differ from other releases. The game has controller support and I highly recommend making good use of it. Before starting, I made sure to increase the resolution to the highest possible setting for an optimal visual experience. When I approached the Steam version, I had already completed Ys I & II Chronicles on a PSTV. I took a look at the newly added Steam achievements and had some fun discovering other things I had missed in my first play through. I don't recommend looking at the achievements list until you've experienced the game organically at least once because the descriptions may be somewhat of a spoiler.

The original Ys games come from a time when a player was required to pay close attention and to think outside of the box. This series helped shape the RPG genre that exists today. It's refreshing in its differences. To me, Ys I & II left me feeling good about being a gamer. Simply put, its much more rewarding to complete a game that doesn't hold your hand.








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