Let me start by getting this out of the way: I’ve been pronouncing Ys wrong for OVER 20 YEARS. That’s a long time. Apparently it’s pronounced Yeese, like “geese” and I’ve been pronouncing it like “wise.” Now that that’s out of the way, let’s begin. Ys has a LONG history of games spanning decades of home consoles. It debuted back in 1987 on the PC and has graced many home consoles: NES, SNES, Playstation, etc. Ys Origin is out now on the Xbox One family of consoles, and this latest installment of the game… is a prequel.
Set 700 years before Ys I & Ys II, the land of Ys is headed for destruction. The Goddesses have taken the humans into the sky to prevent demons from getting them. The demons are quickly building a tower to get to the humans and the Goddesses. All hell breaks loose, the Goddesses disappear, the demons are climbing up, and the search party that was sent to look for the Goddesses have been split up.
A lot of this is told in the opening cinematic, which is absolutely gorgeous. The animation looks like it’s been lifted straight from an anime feature film. There is quite a shift in the visual style when Ys Origin moves from cinematics to gameplay. It takes on a more “chibi” approach that gamers are used to when it comes to JRPGs. This shift doesn’t take away from the game, but instead makes the player feel like they are playing a modernized version of a classic JRPG. The team at DotEmu have taken great care to capture the aesthetic of a retro JRPG without having to resort to retro pixel art. Lavish sets, massive bosses, and wonderful looking demons only add to what is already a great looking game.
Players can choose one of two starting characters: Yunica, the axe wielding warrior who prefers the “smashy smashy” close combat style of fighting; or Hugo, the sorcerer who much rather would take a step back and fire from a distance. There IS a third unlockable character in Ys Origin, but… #NoSpoilers. What Ys Origin does well is make the game feel different enough when you select the different characters. You encounter NPCs in a different order and dialogue changes but the main story stays the same.
The world is massive and there is no map to guide you. Ys Origin wants you to explore and it will reward you for exploring. Yes, getting lost can suck at times, but most of the time you can find your way back. Plus, enemies respawn when you leave a room and come back so you can grind out more XP. Save points are rare so make sure you save often—trust me on this. Sometimes there are rooms overflowing with demons, or a boss is just too overpowered and you will die. Unlike most modern games there isn’t an autosave feature so you will need to ensure you are saving as much as possible.
Combat feels great no matter who you are playing as. Controls are precise and the game provides a nice a challenge without being rage-inducing. There are some issues with the layout of the land; at times it is hard to line-up your character for jumps or attacks. This can cause some falling deaths. It’s not a game-breaking issue, but it does happen from time to time.
Just about every aspect of Ys Origin is amazing. The musical score rises and amps up when action does. Sounds from demons and bosses are scary and foreboding. Even the music when players are just exploring is catchy. The release of Ys Origin on Xbox One also comes with a “speedrun” mode, so in addition to playing through as the other characters, you can see how fast you can do it. All these extras just add more to the value of an already fantastic game.
Audiences both new and old to the franchise will have plenty to look forward to. If you are looking for an old-school JRPG with amazing graphics, gameplay, and sound, look no further than Ys Origin.
