Ys: Origin (Review)

By: Mithrandiel[yasr_multiset setid=2] I've been a huge fan of the Ys franchise since I first played Ys Book I & II on the Turbografx in the early 90s. Visiting my 2nd cousins I would wander around the beautifully designed world and take in the lush 16-bit graphics as I explored the mysterious world of Ys. My interest in the franchise continued through the years of my early childhood, and I was thrilled to eventually play Ys III on the Sega Genesis a couple years later. My interest in the franchise waned as I realized that they weren't really porting any more titles, and before I knew it nearly 20 years had passed before I came across a new Ys title. I was delighted with Ys Seven on the PSP, and with Nippon Ichi Software's recent announcement that Ys VIII will be on its way by Fall of this year, my excitement for the series has properly been re-kindled.To be honest, the PS4 release of Ys: Origin snuck up on me. I was reviewing some press releases and happened to catch that it was being released within the next week and a few emails later I found myself battling hordes of monsters as I battled my way up a tower teeming with demons. The game itself was released over 10 years ago now in Japan, but had a US port in 2012. For whatever reason (possibly to remind people that Ys is still around) Origin is now enjoying a PS4 port to help shed some light on the world of Ys.Origin is the first Ys title that doesn't feature everyone's favorite red-headed hero, Adol Christin, as the main protagonist. Instead, players get to choose from two characters at the start (though a third is eventually made available): Yunica Tovah and Hugo Fact. The adventure begins when a search party for Reah and Feena, the twin goddesses of Ys, is forcibly disbanded on their journey down from their floating continent. The search party finds themselves re-convening at the ominously named "Devil's Tower", where the goddesses' energy is sensed ever so slightly. A monstrously large structure with each floor having stronger monsters than the last, it quickly sets itself up as a dungeon crawling action title that keeps things simple.I'm a fan of the story in Ys: Origin. It utilizes the multiple playable characters to encourage playing through the game multiple times and getting unique viewpoints on the story. It effectively fleshes out some of the more recognizable elements of later Ys titles, including the twin goddesses, the black pearl and the six priests.The gameplay is about as straightforward as you can get: you jump with X, attack with square, activate a "Boost" mode with triangle, and can execute special attacks with circle. There's a guard action as well, but as of yet I haven't really had to utilize it. As you journey through the tower you can accumulate different pieces of armor and footwear, as well as strengthening your primary weapon.Scattered throughout the cursed tower are statues dedicated to the twin Goddesses that act as your save point, and also serve as the primary "shop" in the game. By offering up SP (game currency dropped by monsters), you can purchase blessings that can strengthen your equipment, increase your movement, or a number of other boons as you see fit.The action is fluid and fast-paced, reminiscent of some of the later titles like Oath of Felghana and The Ark of Napishtim. You may find yourself maneuvering away from enemies from time to time, but the real challenge of Ys often comes when it's time to face off against the boss as opposed to offering too much of a challenge with your run of the mill monsters.Fans of Ys may remember it being somewhat of a grind, especially if you're the sort of gamer that likes getting overpowered early on and wrecking enemies ruthlessly (spoiler alert: I'm that kind of gamer). Ys: Origin definitely invites you to re-visit rooms and make multiple runs through, as enemies are re-spawned as soon as you exit and come back. Once you find a good room to cycle through you will definitely find yourself re-treading it and grinding up your XP multiplier to level even faster. I'm not complaining, because the gameplay is so fun and easy to pick up that you don't mind battling the same enemies over and over if it means you'll get an advantage during the next boss fight.The biggest gripe I have about the game are the graphics... especially when it comes to the CG scenes. They say a picture says a thousand words, so here's a 2,000 word example:Those shots were taken in real time on my PS4 and look extremely rough and unpolished. I'm not sure if the final product will look like that, but considering that I was doing my playthrough ~24 hours before release I would assume I got the same game everyone else will be playing.In addition, the early scenes had some very patchy transitions. Once you get into the game properly it's a blast, but the graphics in the opening sequences can certainly be distracting, at the very least. The majority of the game looks fine, but the 20% that doesn't look good is very noticeable.Overall, Ys: Origin is a fun dungeon crawler that backfills the lore of a robust franchise. With fast, crisp gameplay and just enough depth to keep you engaged without compromising its core identity, it's worth the buy. Happy hunting!Many thanks to DotEmu for providing us a review code for Ys: Origin