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[Flarin]

Release dates:

PS4 & Vita
NA September 12th, 2017 | EU September 15th, 2017

PC
WW September 12th, 2017

Metacritic - 84
OpenCritic - 86

Dualshockers - 95

The truth is after picking up Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana I simply couldn’t put it down until I finished the story. In the end, I found myself attached to many of the characters that I met along the way and part of me wished that this Ys adventure never had to end.

Wccftech - 9.5

It took years for Falcom to develop the perfect entry in the series, and with Ys VIII: Lacrimosa Of Dana, they finally managed to do so by refining the renewed story focus and gameplay mechanics introduced in Ys Seven without taking away what makes the series so enjoyable. With a well-executed, albeit not really original story, charming cast, fast paced battle system, engaging boss battles, tight challenge level and plenty of side-content, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa Of Dana is without a doubt the best entry in the series and one of the best action role-playing games released this year.

God is a Geek - 90

Ys VIII is a fantastic new action RPG from Falcom that is great for getting into the excellent Ys franchise and one that has a ton of quality content and sublime combat.

Game Informer - 8.25

Ys VIII gets its hooks in you with its progression loop; you're always making new discoveries and locating new materials to craft something better. Nihon Falcom also does its best to inject variety when it can, from battles that involve your entire village to Dana learning different fighting styles throughout the game. With a wealth of content to pursue, you always have something to do, even if it's merely fishing or cooking. On top that, Ys VIII has a lot of memorable battle moments; I only wish the story and characters held the same allure.

RPG Site - 8

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is an outstanding RPG that will easily capture the hearts of players. There is so much packed into Adol Christin’s biggest adventure yet. Thanks to the success of the Trails series, Ys VIII’s storytelling received a remarkable improvement over its predecessors. It’s not flawless, but that shouldn’t stop RPG players from missing out on the best Ys game in many years.

TheSixthAxis - 8

Ys VIII is, without a doubt, a huge step for the franchise. In stripping away a lot of the usual narrative tropes the series is usually known for, Nihon Falcom have put a fresh spin on the franchise that puts characters and small moments over grand adventures and vast mysteries. Tied together by a fast-paced combat system and great music, the negatives of Lacrimosa of Dana are far outweighed by the positives, and this is a game that any JRPG fan would be a fool to sleep on.

Solid scores all around. Was surprised to see reviews out this early. NISA was obviously confident to have the embargo up this early. Played the demo and loved it.

 

[Brew124]

It's a fantastic game. Here's ours, both text and video reviews.

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgrFcYpb6Zw
Text - http://leveldowngames.com/ys-viii-lacrimosa-of-dana-review/

 

[silva1991]

Day 0.

 

[Flarin]

It's a fantastic game. Here's ours, both text and video reviews.

Nice! How long did it take to finish?

 

[Sinh_Magnus]

Looking good. Getting it day one anyways.

 

[DxD]

It's a fantastic game. Here's ours, both text and video reviews.

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgrFcYpb6Zw
Text - http://leveldowngames.com/ys-viii-lacrimosa-of-dana-review/

OMG...Semi-Dark Cloud building system? AND Map making?
Yassssssssssssssssssssss!

 

[ULTROS!]

Curious but is Ys VIII's story and characters anything similar or like Trails of Cold Steel's?

Spoiler

i.e. tropey

 

[Tohsaka]

Good scores. I liked the demo and am looking forward to the full game, will probably go for the platinum trophy like I did with Celceta.

 

[Theswweet]

My review is currently going through my editor, but I'll definitely pipe in and say it's worth picking up. My only real complaint is that the game's localization definitely could've been better. Even if I hadn't originally played the game when it came out on Vita in Japan... it would've been noticeably rushed.

 

[Flarin]

Good scores. I liked the demo and am looking forward to the full game, will probably go for the platinum trophy like I did with Celceta.

Hopefully there won't be annoying ones like filling in the map Was super tedious and hard to track in Celceta. Anyone have the English trophy list? Looked on the usual sites and they don't seem to be up yet.

 

[Rymuth]

Thanks for the thread!

Looking good so far ~ better than I'd hoped.

 

[Theswweet]

Hopefully there won't be annoying ones like filling in the map Was super tedious and hard to track in Celceta. Anyone have the English trophy like? Looked on the usual sites and they don't seem to be up yet.

Bad news, you have to 100% fill in the map for a silver trophy.

 

[isaacnukem]

Great scores! Really liked Celceta so I'll buy this.

 

[Aters]

Just wish it was shorter. I think I've played a lot, but I couldn't see the end.

 

[texhnolyze]

Woow, sounds amazing.

I've been torn between this and D:OS2. They release in just 1 day apart. Maybe I should try the demo first later this week.

Just wish it was shorter. I think I've played a lot, but I couldn't see the end.

From what I've read, it's between 40-60 hours, right? Sounds perfect to me.

 

[Flarin]

Bad news, you have to 100% fill in the map for a silver trophy.

:\

 

[Tohsaka]

Hopefully there won't be annoying ones like filling in the map Was super tedious and hard to track in Celceta. Anyone have the English trophy list? Looked on the usual sites and they don't seem to be up yet.

Yeah, I came really close to giving up on the map completion. There were a bunch of areas that looked like they were completely filled in but actually weren't, so I ended up hugging the walls in like every area and it took so long.

 

[Theswweet]

From what I've read, it's between 40-60 hours, right? Sounds perfect to me.

It took me 50 hours for a "100%" playthrough, though I'd imagine that someone playing it for the first time would take longer (I played the original Vita release, so I was able to expedite my playthrough a bit.)

 

[texhnolyze]

Yeah, I came really close to giving up on the map completion. There were a bunch of areas that looked like they were completely filled in but actually weren't, so I ended up hugging the walls in like every area and it took so long.

Ugh, I HATE map-filling mechanics in my RPGs.

 

[Brew124]

Nice! How long did it take to finish?

I finished the game in roughly ~40 hours, doing a fair bit of extra exploration and all side quests and optional invasions. Plus, I always tend to over level. Did not achieve the platinum yet, however.

OMG...Semi-Dark Cloud building system? AND Map making?
Yassssssssssssssssssssss!

No no, lol. It has similar elements in which you slowly are building up Castaway Village by finding missing passengers, but you do not have control over where things are placed or anything like that. It's still enjoyable though watching it grow.

Curious but is Ys VIII's story and characters anything similar or like Trails of Cold Steel's?

There is a fair amount, to be honest. I saw some people comparing this heavily to Cold Steel, even going as far to say Ys no Kiseki.

 

[Theswweet]

:\

Yeah, I came really close to giving up on the map completion. There were a bunch of areas that looked like they were completely filled in but actually weren't, so I ended up hugging the walls in like every area and it took so long.

Although there's still a trophy for it, the good news is that the map is much more lenient this time and beyond that you've got an equip that can double the range of your map-making sight.

 

[Brew124]

Although there's still a trophy for it, the good news is that the map is much more lenient this time and beyond that you've got an equip that can double the range of your map-making sight.

Yeah, this was super helpful, and definitely made it less of a chore.

 

[Flarin]

Although there's still a trophy for it, the good news is that the map is much more lenient this time and beyond that you've got an equip that can double the range of your map-making sight.

Oh okay that's really nice. I don't mind the task of doing it, I just hate when it's hard to track. This sounds like a nice QoL update.

 

[kurahador]

No no, lol. It has similar elements in which you slowly are building up Castaway Village by finding missing passengers, but you do not have control over where things are placed or anything like that. It's still enjoyable though watching it grow.

So it's more like Suikoden 3's Budehuc Castle then. Interesting.

 

[rainking187]

Do any reviews talk about how the localization is?

 

[Theswweet]

Do any reviews talk about how the localization is?

Mine's not up yet, but...

My review is currently going through my editor, but I'll definitely pipe in and say it's worth picking up. My only real complaint is that the game's localization definitely could've been better. Even if I hadn't originally played the game when it came out on Vita in Japan... it would've been noticeably rushed.

 

[jb1234]

Do any reviews talk about how the localization is?

Some say it's weaker than the norm, others say it's okay. I think the demo gives a pretty good impression of it.

 

[Brew124]

So it's more like Suikoden 3's Budehuc Castle then. Interesting.

Good call. That may have been a more appropriate comparison.

 

[Osahi]

These reviews made me download the demo and will probably make me pick up a game that I actually don't have time to actually absorb myself into... (Still have Persona 5 on my backlog, and I fucking love Persona)

 

[aadiboy]

Wow...Ys has a way better track record than Tales. This makes me want to start the games I got on Vita not too long ago and check them out.

 

[ULTROS!]

There is a fair amount, to be honest. I saw some people comparing this heavily to Cold Steel, even going as far to say Ys no Kiseki.

Eugh, guess I might have to skip it. I dislike ToCS' characterization.

What's bad about Ys no Kiseki though?

 

[Theswweet]

Oh yeah, just a heads up since it doesn't seem anyone has reviewed the Vita version so far - it has noticeably less content than the PS4/PC version, some of it significant. It's still a great game, and worth playing if you don't have a PS4 or a PC that can run it, but keep that in mind!

 

[jb1234]

Eugh, guess I might have to skip it. I dislike ToCS' characterization.

What's bad about Ys no Kiseki though?

The Ys games have been getting more and more bloated since Ys Seven, mostly because Kiseki elements have been brought over. Increased emphasis on story, crafting, sidequests, that sort of thing. And yeah, both Seven and Celceta are pretty tropey so I'd expect the same from VIII.

 

[Lnds500]

Do I need to play other games in the series before this one?

 

[jb1234]

Do I need to play other games in the series before this one?

Nah. They're largely self-contained.

 

[Kresnik258]

Even though I'm less of a fan of party-Ys, I still loved Memories of Celceta. Can't wait for this!

 

[theofficefan99]

Wow, wasn't expecting scores to be this high! Considering it's relatively low-budget and a Vita port and all.

 

[pbayne]

Huh to the story being praised. For me the story in Ys games always feels super tacked on or generic.

 

[ULTROS!]

The Ys games have been getting more and more bloated since Ys Seven, mostly because Kiseki elements have been brought over. Increased emphasis on story, crafting, sidequests, that sort of thing. And yeah, both Seven and Celceta are pretty tropey so I'd expect the same from VIII.

I remember reading an import review of Ys VIII that the person recommended the Vita version over the PS4 version due to less bloat or something.

 

[Strings]

Eugh, guess I might have to skip it. I dislike ToCS' characterization.

What's bad about Ys no Kiseki though?

For what it's worth, I think the world and characters are more interesting in Ys VIII than they are in Cold Steel (but not Trails in the Sky).

And I'd disagree with that. The Dana sections in the Vita version are almost no action, all story, whereas there's way more combat available in her new content, making her sections actually fun for once.

Yeah, same. Are you maybe thinking of a user in the gaf import thread? Cause the guy complaining about the PS4 version realized a lot of the 'bloat' stuff was optional after getting further in.

 

[encephalon]

I enjoyed what I've played of the game, but after I'm able to find the time to finish it I plan to sell it, because the costume design bothers me so much. If the story is an improvement, the costume design is there to undermine it. I can't take any scene with Dana seriously.

 

[Theswweet]

I remember reading an import review of Ys VIII that the person recommended the Vita version over the PS4 version due to less bloat or something.

And I'd disagree with that. The Dana sections in the Vita version are almost no action, all story, whereas there's way more combat available in her new content, making her sections actually fun for once.

 

[JJShadow]

Nah. They're largely self-contained.

Following this point, is this one a good entry point to the series? Never played any Ys game before but I've always wanted to

 

[ULTROS!]

Following this point, is this one a good entry point to the series? Never played any Ys game before but I've always wanted to

Yes, pretty sure. Ys are generally self-contained liked FF or DQ. But it might be harder to go back to the older ones if you're accustomed to this one.

Ys I and II are the only ones connected.

 

[Strings]

Following this point, is this one a good entry point to the series? Never played any Ys game before but I've always wanted to

Yeah, it's as great as any. Check out the demo on PSN, even though the full game is a fair bit better.

 

[Hydrargyrus]

Fantastic scores!

Added to my wishlist

 

[Anoxida]

Nice reviews. I'm totally down for the PC version.

 

[DarknessTear]

I pre-ordered the CE for this and I haven't even played all the Ys games. I played Ys 1 Eternal and some of Celceta. Hated Celceta, but I love Trails and after playing the demo this game appears to get that trails feel right. Lol.

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

Only ever played Memories of Celceta on my Vita, then this game's demo. Since I ended up cancelling my Destiny 2 preorder on PS4 since that game runs extremely well on my PC, I decided to put my preorder toward Ys instead -- demo sold me, it's a lot of fun!

 

[crimilde]

I've been spending all my gaming time in Yakuza Kiwami these days but I'll definitely give the demo a try. Reviews are great, so it seems like a definite purchase for me so far.