700 years before the events of Ys I & II, the land of Ys was on the brink of destruction. Demons came in droves and forced the twin Goddesses who ruled the land to whisk their subjects away from the surface, into the safe embrace of the clouds. The demons were persistent, however, erecting a massive tower in pursuit. The battle that raged upon the ground had begun ascending for a second round up above.
One day, amidst this turmoil, the Goddesses stole away into the night, vanishing from Ys altogether. And there's only one place they could have gone: the Devil's Tower.
A search party of knights and sorcerers was hastily formed and dispatched to the surface in hopes of retrieving these runaway deities. Among its members were apprentice knight Yunica Tovah and troubled sorcerer Hugo Fact.
This is their story. Or at least, it's how each of them remembers it.
Expanding upon the gameplay elements introduced in Ys: The Ark of Napishtim and further developed in Ys: The Oath in Felghana, Ys Origin...
Set 700 years before the first title, Ys Origin expands on the franchise's lore with a combat system that blends both style and substance.
Being an ARPG on the shorter side, the different perspectives in Ys Origin offer excellent replayability and gives players a pleasant, rounded experience without bogging them down with too many details. Even though the repetitive grinding can be a mind-numbing task to gain experience points, at least the controls are fluid, making this an easy game...
It's not often that I review a game in which I want to dive right back in after I finish with it, but Ys Origin is one of those rare exceptions. With the exceptional boss fights, the copious amount of unlockables, and the short runtime, I can already hear the game calling to me to return. However, if there's one thing that really stands out to me about...
The story here takes a back seat to the brilliant and compulsive dungeon crawling gameplay, which should appeal even to those who don't tend to enjoy action RPGs. No puzzle, no battle and no single room ever outstays its welcome in Ys Origin, resulting in one of the briskest, easy-going games we've played in a long time. Sure, the visuals could be better,...
Despite abandoning the series' all-too-iconic red-haired hero, Ys Origin is one of the most memorable and enjoyable entries in the franchise. With multiple characters, incredibly tight controls, and rewarding unlockables and bonus modes, it's a perfect entry into the series for newcomers as well as an absolute treat for veteran Ys players. The lack...
