| #43 | Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana |
|---|---|
| guessed by | OTBWY |
| platform | Switch |
| release year | 2016 |
| developer/publisher | Nihon Falcom/NIS America |
| genre | action RPG |
| links | Wikipedia |
| past years | 2019: #45, 2018: #47 |
Ys is a longrunning RPG-series with the hero Adol Christin as the main character. In this entry his ship wrecks on a mysterious island. As he explores the island he find other passengers of the ship, helps building a shelter, fend off monster attacks and so on. It is a very satisfying mix of actions.
The story is set in the universe of the Ys series, but brings the characters to an island which no one ever left. It is filled with monsters of all sorts, including Primordials which were believed to be extinct. Exploring the island and reaching the regions you saw before from afar is very satisfying.
The fighting system is diverse and each character brings on their own set of moves, which helps to keep fighting fresh. The game also offers decent challenges.
The real fun is to explore more and more of the island and on the way uncover more of a twisted plot. At some point we have even to solve a crime and play detective.
Another element are the recurring monster attacks which can be played for points as waves of monsters attack your base.
I played it on Switch, which probably doesn't offer the best graphical fidelity of all versions, but still it was a very nice looking game. If you like action JRPGs, you should give this game a try. In the meantime the Switch got Ys Origin and Ys IX is announced for the platform. So more Ys is coming.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zojyM1cNIgM
