Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana Review – Ys Better Late Than Never
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Honestly, I’ve been playing video games for half of my life and this is the first time that I learned about the Ys franchise. As I was doing this review, I learned that Ys has been around for almost thirty years with the first game being released in 1987. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of […]
Honestly, I’ve been playing video games for half of my life and this is the first time that I learned about the Ys franchise. As I was doing this review, I learned that Ys has been around for almost thirty years with the first game being released in 1987. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is the 8th game in the Ys franchise. It is an action rpg developed by Nihon Falcom and was made for the Playstation 4 and Playstation Vita and developed by NIS America. I may be jumping late to the party but as they say, “ys better late than never”. I’m just thankful that I’d be able to get the experience the game that most gamers have been playing for years.
STORY
The Ys leading protagonist is the red headed adventurer, Adol Christin. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is your traditional JRPG that lets you embark on a quest, find items and kill monsters. The story begins on a cruise ship, the Lombardia. Adol is a member of the crew in quest of searching the world for new adventures.
As the ship was sailing along, the Lombardia passed along an area, which is similar to the Bermuda triangle, wherein ships disappear or sank mysteriously. As luck would have it, Adol and the rest of the crew and passengers encountered the same fate. A mysterious sea creatured appeared and tore the Lombardia in half.
Adolf drifted in the sea and found himself alone in the mysterious Seiren Island. The journey begins as Adol search for other survivors and figure out a way to get out of the island.
VISUALS AND PERFORMANCE
Ys visuals are what you’d expect out of a JRPG. The characters even the monsters looks like they came right out of an anime, which is something common for most JRPGs. What separates Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana from previous Ys games is that it’s in full 3D. The previous games were a combination of 3D rendered background combined with 2D character sprites. The graphics aren’t really as eye-catchy compared to other games today but it’s understandable as this game is made for both the PS4 and Vita. What the visuals lack, the animations makes up for it. Ys has solid gameplay animations as you hack and slash your way through the island that really puts you in the thick of the action.
GAMEPLAY
The true beauty of this game lies in it’s compelling gameplay. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is more than just a hack and slash JRPG, there’s lots of stuff that you can do in-game aside from the main storyline. Ys VIII is also part world building, as you rescue other survivors in the game, it opens up a new part of your headquarters. Your headquarters is a settlement wherein you’ll find the blacksmith, a trading post, and others as you progress along. Survivors also provides side-quests that helps you build parts of your settlement.
Ys also has it’s own mini-game, a fishing game. Since you’re on a deserted island, it’s obvious that there’ll be a fishing mini-game. Ys fishing mini-game is probably the easiest I’ve played in an rpg, it doesn’t present much of a challenge but still entertaining nonetheless.
You play in a party of three and attacks are separated into three styles; Adol’s slash (effective against soft-bodied monsters), Laxia’s pierce (perfect for flying creatures), and Sahads strike (useful for armored creatures). You can switch to any character at any time with the press of button. It’s a game of trial and error as you try to figure out each creature you encounter in-game.
VERDICT
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is game that wouldn’t impress you at the onset. It has everything that you’d expect out of a JRPG. However, it’s in this simplicity that Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana will charm you. What made the Ys franchise successful all these years is their simple, effective and highly entertaining gameplay. Yes, it’s nothing new but you find yourself playing more. May be it’s a sense of nostalgia or may be it’s just the beauty of playing a JRPG, something that you keep looking for in games today. I understand that they had the VITA in mind while developing this game but hopefully, the next Ys game would maximize the graphic power of our current generation consoles. An upgrade on the visuals and Ys would be the next must-have rpg.
My save file shows that I’m only a few hours into the game but as soon as I post this review, I’m going to pick my controller back up and continue racking up hours on this game.