update 4 (final): descending into the world of ys

sun 16.2.25

tag: gaming

(a continuation of this original post | update 1 | update 2 | update 3)

it's been roughly another month, and my ys journey has ended (for now until more games come out i guess haha). what a time it has been. i adore adol christin with all my heart; he's my favourite red-haired adventurer.

1. Ys Origin
✔️ have played (finished 23.11.24)

2. Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished: Omen
✔️ have played (finished 28.11.24)

3. Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished: The Final Chapter
✔️ have played (finished 30.11.24)

4. Ys X: Nordics
✔️ have played (finished 15.12.24)

5. Ys: Memories of Celceta (Ys IV)
✔️ have played (finished 3.1.25) | gaming thread

6. Ys: The Oath in Felghana (Ys III)
✔️ have played (finished 28.9.24)

6.5. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys
✔️ have played (finished 23.10.24)

7. Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand
✔️ have played (finished 5.1.25) | gaming thread

8. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
✔️ have played (finished 19.1.25) | gaming thread

9. Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim
✔️ have played (finished 13.10.24)

10. Ys SEVEN
✔️ have played (finished 6.2.25) | gaming thread
i know this game seems to be well loved for its lore and that's valid, i liked the story too. but i did find myself enjoying it less due to the combat being unrefined (makes sense being the first party system game), and needing the story to pick up in the later half (the coliseum fight + escape is a big highlight).

11. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
✔️ have played (finished 16.2.25) | gaming thread
lucky last ys game and i'm glad i ended on this one to understand a bunch of the ys references throughout. the combat is very flashy but i was having fun and i really liked exploring areas with monstrum gifts (the wide field areas outside of the city were a bit of a pain though).

11.5. Ys IX Prequel: The Lost Sword
✔️ have read (finished 17.2.25)
yes i know this isn't a game but since i managed to get my hands on it, figured why not give a read through? it was cute getting an insight into adol and dogi's interactions while travelling. poor adol is truly cursed to lose legendary weapons every time. maybe he can find the bird and take caliocerion back someday.

✨

now that i've gone through all the mainline games, i suppose i should give a ranking of some kind right? crazy to think i went through all these games in half a year. none of the games were 100% perfect or flawless, but there were definitely ones that i enjoyed more than others.

• oath in felghana:
  ❤️ first ys game so i'm a bit bias for it. loved the combat, music, voice acting, and the 3d sprites.
  💔 the bosses kick my ass a lot, even when revisiting the game for boss rush mode. platforming can be a pain sometimes too.
• ys 9:
  ❤️ loved exploring areas using monstrum gifts, the art style, music, combat and characters.
  💔not so fond of the raids. camera goes really wacky at times and the frame rate struggles at times.
• ys 8:
  ❤️ loved the characters story (particularly dana's backstory), combat, music and art.
  💔 can be quite slow paced at times (which is a setback for me since i prefer shorter games), still wasn't into the hunts or raids.
• ys 10:
  ❤️ loved the setting, art, music, characters (especially karja).
  💔 since it was my first game that wasn't on the napishtim engine, it took some time to get a feel of the combat. the boat is really slow until you get upgrades... some of soundtracks were a bit grating to listen too
• origins:
  ❤️ loved the combat and music.
  💔 can be a bit repetitive being in the same areas, even though i'm playing as different characters. no adol in the main game makes me a bit sad LOL
• ys 6:
  ❤️ it's been a while since i've played this but i remember enjoying the vibe of it a lot, from the areas we visit and the ost. plus i really liked the escape scene.
  💔 combat is a bit clunky being the first napishtim engine game. dash jump sucks ass.
• celceta:
  ❤️ loved the art sprites, music, seeing adol childhood flashbacks.
  💔 the way the ending played out still upsets me.
• ys 7:
  ❤️ loved the lore and characters.
  💔 didn't enjoy the combat as much (charging attacks for the skill gauge was annoying), took time for me to get into the story.
• ys 1 & 2:
  ❤️ the bump combat is unique and wasn't too bad once you get used to it, especially in ys 2, cute sprites, good music.
  💔 certain ys 1 bosses make me cry. no map so it was easy to get lost on where to go (solomon shrine flashbacks).
• ys 5:
  ❤️ was on the easier side in overall difficulty, wasn't an amazing game but had it's charm? had some nice soundtracks too.
  💔 was easy to get lost and needed a guide, hated the slow menu.
• ys 3:
  ❤️ was nice to experience an older version of ys 3 before it became felghana. combat was straightfoward (but difficult to perfect i suppose).
  💔 if it weren't for save states, i would have never finish this game, so much pain.

✨

thanks for the fun memories ys, you're definitely a favourite in my book.

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