Support NeoGAF

[Darkroronoa]

Ys series is absolutely amazing, every single game (i havent played the latest on vita but i have no doubts).
Fantastic action and a soundtrack that will make your ears driping love juice from the eargasm.

 

[threelights]

IMHO, Oath and Origin have some of the best, most responsive and immediate controls of any game ever. And I don't say that lightly.

Indeed. VI (Ark of Napishtm) has some hitbox issues (it was the first 3D Ys, so it's understandable), but even in that one, you only really notice it if you play the game on Nightmare or if you play super agressively.

Outside of VI (and maybe V, since I've never played that one), the Ys games have some of the most perfect controls out there.

 

[Tizoc]

If I didn't already own all of them I'd buy them right now after reading that OP. 100% accurate. Those games are so good.

I'll add one of my personal favourites from the OST of Ys 1 & 2.

Ah Shrine of Salmon~
Yeah it's such a fantastic track, stands out from the usual flare you'd expect after playing Ys OiF.
But dear lord did one need an ingame map for that part of the game @_@

 

[Hello? This is Hailun!]

I have and enjoyed Ys Origin. What should I get next? Which is the "best" in the ones available on Steam?

 

[Producer]

Some people saying you need to grind in these games...nope. Evading effectively and recognizing boss patterns is all you need. Unless you were just blowing past the games and skipping out on all enemy encounters you wont need to grind.

 

[Tizoc]

I have and enjoyed Ys Origin. What should I get next? Which is the "best" in the ones available on Steam?

ALL OF THEM.

Some people saying you need to grind in these games...nope. Evading effectively and recognizing boss patterns is all you need. Unless you were just blowing past the games and skipping out on all enemy encounters you wont need to grind.

As I said when I made my Ys OiF LTTP: Just jump over that shit and grass their asses.

 

[John Kowalski]

I know i should buy Napishtim but i've played it already and i'm not exactly looking to do all that platforming again...

I have and enjoyed Ys Origin. What should I get next? Which is the "best" in the ones available on Steam?

hmm... I&II for narrative, then move to Napishtim and Oath, save the best for last

they are all preeeety good, though II>I and Oath>Origins>Napishtim

 

[Tizoc]

I know i should buy Napishtim but i've played it already and i'm not exactly looking to do all that platforming again...

TBH Ys 6 is my least fav. atm, it has good elements but its bad elements really show.
If it does get a remake, keep the good stuff and improve on it, and get rid of the grinding. Also have it let you play as Geis and whatsherface.

 

[Hello? This is Hailun!]

ALL OF THEM.



As I said when I made my Ys OiF LTTP: Just jump over that shit and grass their asses.

I'm cutting my Steam spending this holiday.

 

[Darkroronoa]

I have and enjoyed Ys Origin. What should I get next? Which is the "best" in the ones available on Steam?

You can get Ys I & II chronicles, they are the first games and they continue the story (origin is a prequel). Gameplay wise they play differently though, they use the "bump" system. You dont have an attack button, you just bump on the enemies, but on the side (not head on) so it involves skill. But they are great.
You could skip them though and go directly to oath in felghana which is the remake of the third game with the modern style of Ys, and the second best game after origin in my opinion. But I & II have something special about them.

 

[Tizoc]

I'm cutting my Steam spending this holiday.

If you can only get one, I personally recommend getting Oath in Felghana/Ys 3.

 

[Hello? This is Hailun!]

You can get Ys I & II chronicles, they are the first games and they continue the story (origins is a prequel). Gameplay wise they play differently though, they use the "bump" system. You dont have an attack button, you just bump on the enemies, but on the side (not head on) so it involves skill. But they are great.
You could skip them though and go directly to oath in felghana which is the remake of the third game with the modern style of Ys, and the second best game after origin in my opinion.

I'm okay with having a disconnected/disjointed story.

 

[Matt Attack]

I have and enjoyed Ys Origin. What should I get next? Which is the "best" in the ones available on Steam?

Oath is easily my favorite in the series, so I can't recommend it enough.

 

[John Kowalski]

Some people saying you need to grind in these games...nope. Evading effectively and recognizing boss patterns is all you need. Unless you were just blowing past the games and skipping out on all enemy encounters you wont need to grind.

I'm thinking most people get stuck on upgrading weapons and armor rather than levels but don't know it.

 

[Darkroronoa]

I'm okay with having a disconnected/disjointed story.

I played oath first and i really enjoyed it. I had no problems like feeling lost about the story, it felt self contained, gameplay is king in Ys games.
But I & II have nice story, and after you played origins it will make more sense probably since you will know stuff about the characters.

 

[threelights]

I'm okay with having a disconnected/disjointed story.

Then Oath and Napishtm are the most like Origin.

 

[Adamator]

Are these games continuations or spin offs or remakes or anything of the original Y's games? I remember there was one for the TGCD called Ys Book I and II I think, and then there was Wanders from Y's, and probably a few more.

Are those old games on steam?

 

[Tizoc]

I'm thinking most people get stuck on upgrading weapons and armor rather than levels but don't know it.

Funnily enough the game ends up giving you all you need to upgrade weapons and armor as you progress.
Like in Ys Seven, after taking out a dozen enemies, boom enough items for a new weapon or upgrade and all that took was what 5ish minutes?

 

[Producer]

I'm thinking most people get stuck on upgrading weapons and armor rather than levels but don't know it.

Yeah true..and Ys 7/Celceta with their loot system also kinda encourage grinding for gear too.

 

[kewlmyc]

In terms of gameplay, Origin is like a better Oath.

mANY WILL tell you that Origin is BETTER than Oath, gameplay-wise, and they're right.

You're going to love Origin. Its like Oath, but even better.
Also replay OiF on PC if you havent, 60fps is awesome.

Put Oath and Orgin in my cart, thanks.

Is Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim any good?

 

[Hello? This is Hailun!]

Oath it is then.

 

[Tizoc]

Put Oath and Orgin in my cart, thanks.

Is Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim any good?

If you want to play Ys 6, I'd recommend playing it on Easy :X
Ys 6 was the precursor to Ys OiF and Origin's combat system and it SHOWS. It has some good ideas but some bad stuff too, if you manage to look past the negatives you may enjoy it, but I personally rank it lowest among my Ys series ranking at least until it gets a remake or a mod or something

 

[daakusedo]

I'm thinking most people get stuck on upgrading weapons and armor rather than levels but don't know it.

Not me, you have to clear up the zone to be at proper level and not do 1 dmg but that's not much fun I just want to go forward, fight enemies here and there, find secrets and then boss time.

 

[Miker]

Some people saying you need to grind in these games...nope. Evading effectively and recognizing boss patterns is all you need. Unless you were just blowing past the games and skipping out on all enemy encounters you wont need to grind.

While this is true, I found that, at least in Oath, even just one level can make a massive difference. I was struggling with a boss, then went back and got the remaining XP needed to reach the next level, and had a much easier time. I also grinded for about 5 minutes before the final boss to give myself some leeway via stats because I felt like it was a better time investment than spending infinitely more time retrying it over and over and over.

 

[Matt Attack]

Are these games continuations or spin offs or remakes or anything of the original Y's games? I remember there was one for the TGCD called Ys Book I and II I think, and then there was Wanders from Y's, and probably a few more.

Are those old games on steam?

Other than Origin, they all star Adol who is the main character of the games you listed. Oath in Felghana is a remake of Wanderers, and I and II have updated versions on Steam as well (Chronicles).

 

[Vincent Alexander]

I remember last year when I started Ys 1 on PC. I thought it was pretty bad and wanted to quit after 15 minutes---

---then I played another 6 hours, beat the game, and saw the light. What a fool I was.

 

[John Kowalski]

Are these games continuations or spin offs or remakes or anything of the original Y's games? I remember there was one for the TGCD called Ys Book I and II I think, and then there was Wanders from Y's, and probably a few more.

Are those old games on steam?

Y's I&II Chronicles+ let's you play with graphics from an older version (the Complete version iirc) and music from Complete and PC Engine versions. That's as old as you'll get.

Not me, you have to clear up the zone to be at proper level and not do 1 dmg but that's not much fun I just want to go forward, fight enemies here and there, find secrets and then boss time.

All it takes is for you to kill every enemy you find on your way. That's really not a lot. Y's II is the only one that needs some grinding in the beginning, about four levels before the first dungeon.

Also Ys II C+ has best intro.

 

[flintstryker]

Oath in Felghana is incredible, I remember vividly the joy I felt when I beat the 3rd boss.

 

[Kumubou]

This OP is the realest of real talk. Go play through Oath in Felghana or Origin on Nightmare and find out just how nuts this series can get.

I made the mistake of playing Ys 1 on hard, and I'm at a place where I think I'm at max level and there's some bat demon asshole who I have a window of literally one "bump" and I have to him like 50 times and he can instant kill me.

The obvious solution is to start over but meh.

This boss fight is straight asswater on Hard and Nightmare and is probably the worst boss fight in the entire series. Even the last boss fight is easier to deal with (as frustrating as that boss is, at least you or it is dead in 20 seconds or less).

While this is true, I found that, at least in Oath, even just one level can make a massive difference. I was struggling with a boss, then went back and got the remaining XP needed to reach the next level, and had a much easier time. I also grinded for about 5 minutes before the final boss to give myself some leeway via stats because I felt like it was a better time investment than spending infinitely more time retrying it over and over and over.

The level scaling in Felghana and Origin is rather extreme -- if you go into a boss fight even a level or two short, you are going to do very little damage. However, the EXP scaling works both ways. It's very easy to catch up, and it makes grinding over the boss' level impractical. So while level management is a thing, straight grinding is not very effective.

 

[Tain]

Origin and Felghana are great 3D action games.

Napishtim leans on its "RPG" mechanics a bit more (the level curve is less obvious) and is a weaker game as a result, and the first two games rely on a lame save-anywhere structure. They're all at least solid, but Origin and Felghana are great and the clear best.

 

[tokkun]

While this is true, I found that, at least in Oath, even just one level can make a massive difference. I was struggling with a boss, then went back and got the remaining XP needed to reach the next level, and had a much easier time. I also grinded for about 5 minutes before the final boss to give myself some leeway via stats because I felt like it was a better time investment than spending infinitely more time retrying it over and over and over.

That is my main complaint about Oath. Stats are really more important than skill in that game. Even if you are amazing at the game, you are not going to want to play when you are underleveled or don't have the latest gear because you barely damage the bosses and the game becomes extremely tedious.

 

[storafötter]

I think I will wait even if I loved Oath like crazy. I already have the one on Vita I havent played yet.

 

[daakusedo]

All it takes is for you to kill every enemy you find on your way. That's really not a lot. Y's II is the only one that needs some grinding in the beginning, about four levels before the first dungeon.

Talking about origin.
I played without problem until dealing 1dmg to the boss from the fire floor which is already far into the game. After that it's been clearing multiple time rooms and it kill my interest.
But like I said I discovered that easy mode is more lenient on grinding,
I don't find the battle system good enough to go clear every enemies out there.
And easy mode will also go hand in hand with the high jump glitch to sequence break which I found pretty satisfying to pull off.

 

[Miker]

The level scaling in Felghana and Origin is rather extreme -- if you go into a boss fight even a level or two short, you are going to do very little damage. However, the EXP scaling works both ways. It's very easy to catch up, and it makes grinding over the boss' level impractical. So while level management is a thing, straight grinding is not very effective.

That's interesting, I didn't know that there was some sort of scaling implemented. I thought stat gains were just that significant between levels.

 

[John Kowalski]

That's interesting, I didn't know that there was some sort of scaling implemented. I thought stat gains were just that significant between levels.

It's pretty cool. It has a soft lock for every dungeon.

Talking about origin.
I played without problem until dealing 1dmg to the boss from the fire floor which is already far into the game. After that it's been clearing multiple time rooms and it kill my interest.
But like I said I discovered that easy mode is more lenient on grinding,
I don't find the battle system good enough to go clear every enemies out there.
And easy mode will also go hand in hand with the high jump glitch to sequence break which I found pretty satisfying to pull off.

Check a walkthrough you might have missed some upgrades. They're kinda hard to find sometimes in Origin. I had to backtrack a couple of times because i missed one of those stupid little buggers.

 

[Akibared]

Amazing games everyone should play them!

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

The OP is 1000% factual truth.

 

[bobeth]

Alright then, Oath in Felghana bought! Thanks OP!

 

[Htown]

Fine, I'll install Oath in Felghana. Sheesh.

 

[davidwhangchoi]

I'm okay with having a disconnected/disjointed story.

if you have only have 5.99. Oath is great...

Ys I+II had it's own charm, definitely you won't regret getting it.

 

[daakusedo]

Check a walkthrough you might have missed some upgrades. They're kinda hard to find sometimes in Origin. I had to backtrack a couple of times because i missed one of those stupid little buggers.

No issue on that front.
The game just didn't gel with my playstyle but it told me about it too late...

 

[Lumpy Onion]

Oath is so good. It's probably one of my favorite games of all time. A lot has to do with how it never overstays it's welcome (Ys Celceta and Seven -cough-) and delivers a very tight adventure on a smaller scale. There is practically no padding and the only backtracking for extra stuff has a satisfying Metroid feel to it. My average playthrough of Oath is around 10-12 hours so anyone short on time shouldn't have to worry too much.

And I thought the story was nice. A simple story that's been done many times over, but there were a few twists and turns I wasn't expecting. It's probably my favorite story in an Ys game.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Really, really wish I could, but I spent the last of my game budget on Yakuza 5. Onto the wishlist they go.

 

[Psxphile]

I made the mistake of playing Ys 1 on hard, and I'm at a place where I think I'm at max level and there's some bat demon asshole who I have a window of literally one "bump" and I have to him like 50 times and he can instant kill me.

The obvious solution is to start over but meh.

Even on Nightmare the bat can be taken down, but you have make sure you have the right equipment for the job: at this point hitting the game's max of Level 10 should be doable if you're not already there. From then on you'll have to rely on equipment upgrades, and you'll need to get the Silver Sword, Armor and Shield if you want an easier time killing Vaguillon.

Spoiler

Hopefully you've already found the armor and shield in the mines, if not you'd better comb over the place again. The sword will require you to leave and visit the Roda Trees (older and younger brothers) off the beaten path between Minea and Zepik Village. You'll need to use the Roda Seeds you find in the Mines to talk to them. The younger brother will give you the sword. Also equip the Power Ring if you got it from Zepik's Mayor.

That should bring down the amount of hits from 50 to like, 15, or something. Just avoid the bats at all costs by keeping to the edges of the room and circling ahead of them.

 

[zero shift]

Ys Origin is the best game in the series by far.

Oath is a poor man's Origin (which makes sense since Origin was built on top of it).

Ys II is great while Ys I is terrible.

Ys VI is a steaming pile of shit and is only noteworthy for it's memorable opening music.

 

[Wagram]

God I love Ys. This series really needs more love.

Origins > Felghana > Celceta > Napishtim > Seven > II > I.

I wish they would remake V.

 

[BasilZero]

Bought Ys VI just two days ago.


I have the entire series (thats available on Steam) now!

 

[Cow Mengde]

Funny how Ys started was a humping game when it first came out.

That said, yeah, it's great. It's even more depressing to think about it cause I just came out of the Witcher 3 thread.

My first new Ys was Oath of Felghana. Loved every minute of it. Never got to play Origins. I guess I should fix that.

 

[orthodoxy1095]

Good job OP, great series to advocate for.

Everyone really should pick these up.

 

[ShadowgeistX]

Ys Origin is the best game in its sub-genre, period.

Also, Genesis Beyond the Beginning is one of the best pieces of videogame music of all time.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. I still feel like Ys Origin is the closest the series has come to perfection in its entire package.