Ys Book I and II
Reviewed by Michael LoCascio
Ys Book I and II is by far the most captivating,
awe-inspiring, involving video game that I have ever played.
You can take Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy VII, and any
other titles that have been considered to be among the elite
epics in the video game industry, and they will all seem
like bad comedy in the face of this masterpiece. An
action-RPG that was never given the praise and attention
that it truly deserved, Ys can pull you into its world to an
extent that no other role-playing game has ever even come close to.
The story behind Ys is compelling and intriguing - to say
the least. Legend has it that a peaceful and prosperous land
called Ys existed over eight hundred years ago. Two
beautiful angel and six wise priests were admired,
respected and worshipped by the people of Ys, as they led
the kingdom and its people to an existence completely
consisting of peace and serenity. At some point a strange,
dark stone was discovered which was referred to as the
'Black Pearl'. The priests figured out that the stone
contained great magical powers, and they managed to create a
new valuable metal called 'Cleria' out of it. With the
great powers of Cleria and the Black Pearl, the kingdom of
Ys reached new, inspirational heights. It was a utopia if
ever one existed.
Then, Ys vanished. Why Ys disappeared all of a sudden is a
mystery to everyone. It is known that the six priests kept
their memoirs in six separate volumes, but the whereabouts
of these books are unknown. What the people of the world do
know is that buried samples of Cleria have been unearthed,
and that evil is sweeping the land. It is also known that
the vile Dark Fact, a descendant of one of the six great
priests, has plans to take over the world. The peaceful
citizens of the land are hopeful that by finding the six
books they will uncover some answers concerning the
re-emergence of Cleria, the monsters invading their world,
and the fate of the kingdom of Ys.
The hero of the game is a stout young red-headed lad named
Adol Christin. As Adol, you will have to rediscover the six
books - the last of which is guarded by Dark Fact. This game
is divided into two main parts: finding the six books and
uncovering the secrets they contain concerning the land of
Ys are the objectives of Ys Book I. Book II will require
that you return the six volumes to their proper place and
destroy the ultimate evil that plagues your world.
Ys is viewed from the same type of overhead perspective that
is typical of many of the more prominent titles in the genre
(such as The Legend of Zelda and Alundra). At the bottom of
the screen, beneath the playfield, Adol's vital statistics
are displayed (which include hit points, experience points,
and gold). Menus can be brought up at any time, and they are
extremely convenient and easy to use. Never has it been
easier to select items or equip new weapons and armor. Also,
you are allowed to save and load files whenever you want; Ys
Book I and II is a very user-friendly game.
The combat system in Ys is also quite simple - perhaps too
simple for the tastes of some people. To engage an enemy in
combat you simply need to make contact with it - some what
similar to the way in which battles take place in Hydlide.
However, there's more to fighting than simply bumping into
enemies. It will be to your advantage to attack enemies from
specific, vulnerable angles; should you attempt to stand
toe-to-toe with a monster that you are simply not ready for,
you'll be wiped out in no time. On the other hand, once you
obtain some powerful equipment and raise your levels up to
the point where you're a warrior to be reckoned with, you'll
be able to easily hack and slash your way through most of
the enemy's forces. Combat is hardly straining; it isn't
necessary to press any buttons to attack or defend as in
Hydlide. As a matter of fact, once you get used to this
system of fighting, you'll probably prefer it to any other
method that's used in RPGs. The pace of the game is rapid
and continuous; you won't have to deal with endless random
battles and boring combat menus. Later in the game, Adol
will gain some magical powers that will make combat even
faster and simpler.
Perhaps the aspect of Ys Book I and II that gamers were most
impressed by upon the title's initial release was the
incredible animated cinemas that occur at certain points
throughout the adventure. These cinemas remain absolutely
mind-blowing even today - almost ten years after the game
originally saw the light of day. One of these cinemas occurs
as soon as you turn the game on. You'll immediately know
that this is one special game when this sequence commences.
You'll see some colorful, beautifully-drawn scenes which
depict life in the ancient world of Ys, all while a narrator
explains the story behind the game. This sequence leads
directly into the title screen; upon beginning a new game,
you will be greeted by yet another cinema. This one is far
more explosive (and even more impressive) than the
melancholy first sequence. You'll basically be presented
with a montage of images which display many of the main
characters in the game. While this segment will definitely
blow you away with its amazingly well-drawn visuals and
dynamic music, the images will likely mean very little to
you until after you complete the game. Return to this cinema
after you've uncovered the secrets of the land of Ys, and it
will contain some entirely new meanings for you. You'll
finally realize the incredible significance, for example, of
the pretty young girl who sits outside in the rain, playing
her harmonica. Ys Book I and II is a game that will be fully
appreciated once you have completely experienced it.
Another impressive cinema occurs at the conclusion of Book
I. You will finally get a glimpse of the true evil that Adol
is up against. Also, an incredibly dynamic sequence occurs
which shows Adol being transported to an entirely different
world. The music is fast-paced and explosive; the visuals
are deep and colorful. While this sequence certainly is
awe-inspiring, it doesn't even hold a candle to the final
cinema that is shown at the end of the game. As a matter of
fact, even the credits that roll at the conclusion of the
adventure contain some incredibly entertaining surprises!
The graphics outside of the cinemas may seem fairly
uninspired upon first glance. With the possible exception of
the boss creatures, the sprites in the game are pretty small
and not very detailed. But further examination of your
surroundings will reveal that much detail and effort was put
into the game's visuals. Adol will traverse an amazingly
diverse set of locales, including towers, shrines, fields,
mines, caves, towns, ruins, and even a hall of mirrors! As
you progress in the game you'll constantly be presented with
fresh looking environments. This is quite a contrast to the
repetitive surroundings that most role-playing games contain.
As Adol makes his way through all of these places, he'll
come across some very intriguing characters. The distinct,
diverse personalities of all the characters that Adol
encounters contribute to the unique experience that this
game provides: each of the main characters' personalities
are developed and explored, and interestingly enough, they
are all connected in a specific way. Among the interesting
folks that Adol meets are Feena, a pretty young girl who
can't seem to remember anything about her true identity;
Lair, the aforementioned lady in the rain who treasures her
silver harmonica; Lilia, a charismatic girl whose feelings
for Adol grow after he does something very special for her;
Tarf, a boy who somehow manages to get himself into one
difficult situation after another; Keith, who despite his
repulsive green exterior is actually a very decent beast;
and Goban, a bandit who seems a bit rough on the edges but
comes through for Adol when he needs him the most.
There are also some intimidating evildoers to contend with
in Ys. Dark Fact, as mentioned previously, has his sights
set on conquering the world, and possesses immunity to all
types of weapons except one. Dalles is a despicable, cunning
sorcerer who, at one point, transforms Adol into a strange
green monster just for fun. Darm is the ultimate evil in the
game - and the origin of his powers is the final secret that
will be uncovered in the entire adventure.
As one might expect from a CD title, voices are included for
all of the main characters in the game. Ys contains the
greatest voice acting that I've ever heard in a video game.
NEC went the extra mile by hiring professional voice actors
for this project, and it really paid off: the sincerity and
emotion expressed during the game's dialogue is absolutely
unbelievable. Remember that popular old '80s cartoon, The
Transformers? Well if you do, you'll probably recognize
plenty of the voices from Ys, as the same folks who did
Optimus Prime and the rest of those legendary animated
robots are the ones who represent Adol and his pals (Of
course, they've done far more work than just that one
cartoon, but for some reason the voices in Ys reminded me of
The Transformers; I checked up on my suspicions, and they
proved to be correct).
Say what you will about the Turbografx CD unit, but the fact
is that it cranked out some of the best music ever heard
from a home console, and at no point did it shine quite as
brightly as it did with Ys. The music in this game is far
and away the best music that has ever been contained in any
video game - bar none. I can't even begin to describe how
much the music contributes to the feel of the game. Possibly
the best instance of this effect occurs as you enter Dark
Fact's chamber at the end of Book I. As you approach the
platform where Dark Fact awaits you, passing some
strangely-placed statues of the six priests as you go, some
brilliant, eerie violin tracks play in the background,
making for a very grim and intense experience. When you
reach Fact, the violins will reach an explosive, dynamic
climax, and a close-up of Fact will be displayed as he
reveals his plans for the world and boasts of the powers he
possesses (this is among the coolest, most intense scenes in
the entire game). Music during boss encounters begins with a
great guitar riff which, after a few seconds, is joined by
some extremely fast and powerful drum and bass lines. Words
cannot describe the track that plays during Book II when you
enter the rooms that contain the great statues of the six
priests. As the secrets of Ys are revealed to you, a slow,
ethereal track plays that actually really makes you feel as
if you are discovering the truths about an ancient world
that have been concealed for hundreds of years. Finally,
never has a more explosive, intense track been contained in
a video game than the tune that plays as Adol makes his way
to the room where Darm awaits him at the very end of the game.
There are plenty of riddles and puzzles to solve in Ys, but
they're not of the 'block-pushing' variety that are so
prevalent in action-RPGs. Ys won't make you sit in a room
for hours on end trying to figure out the proper way to push
a few blocks or flip some switches, but it will demand that
you use some creativity in order to solve the various
puzzles in the game. Figuring out how to sneak by enemy
lines or listen in on distant conversations can be plenty of
fun. Experimentation is a must in this game, and the ease
with which you can navigate your item menus make it fun and
easy to fool around with different possibilities. None of
the riddles in the game are ridiculously difficult; use your
head and you'll be able to figure them out.
There are tons of little touches that the producers of the
game added on to make Ys a very enjoyable title. For
instance, later in the game Adol can use his magic powers to
transform into a monster. In monster form, you can actually
speak to every single enemy that you come across in the
game! It's extremely amusing when the enemies actually talk
to you about yourself, saying things such as, 'Keep an eye
out for that red-headed kid!' It can be loads of fun just
roaming around as a monster and talking to all of the enemy
creatures (they're actually pretty funny once you get to
know them). However, should you enter a town in this form,
the citizens will be terrified of you. Ys is all about
having fun, and as intense as it can be, it's good to know
that the game does have a wonderful sense of humor and
doesn't take itself all that seriously.
I'm sure you're wondering whether or not there are any
outstanding flaws in Ys, but to be completely honest, I
can't think of any. It might be said that Adol is the one
character in the game that is inadequately developed;
there's only one instance in the whole game where he's even
directly involved in any dialogue, and there isn't any
voice-acting for his character. Still, let's consider that
Ys is a game which draws the player in and makes us feel as
if we really are part of a fantasy world, uncovering secrets
and destroying evildoers. It makes perfect sense that we
should be able to attribute whatever characteristics we want
to Adol, as he basically represents ourselves in this
imaginary land. Since Adol isn't a distinct or overbearing
personality, there's room for us to place our own
personalities into the game, thus increasing the effect of
feeling like we're actually there while all of this is happening.
However, I do have one complaint about the instruction book
that comes packaged with the game. A major part of the game
is having Adol discover what really happened to the land of
Ys. Well, the story that the instruction manual presents
basically gives away a great deal of what is contained
within the six books, thus ruining what could have been some
very intriguing surprises. If by chance you purchase the
game after reading this review, allow me to suggest that you
skip over the story provided by the instruction manual; the
cinema at the beginning of the game will fill you in on what
you need to know as you begin your quest.
It truly is a shame that this game never received more
attention or exposure, because it really is such a wonderful
title. I only hope that many more players will eventually
get to experience Ys. Maybe one day it will receive the
respect that it truly deserves as the greatest video game
ever created.
Overall: 10 out of 10
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