Feeling bored with all of your psp games? Want to try out something different? Ys I & II Chronicles may just make that difference! The first thing you should know about this game is that it is an old-school role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom which happens to be a great hit over the span of 20 years after it was published. This game had appeared on many other platforms: Nintendo, SEGA , PCs and others too. Now, it is finally coming to us on the PSP!News flash! YS I & II was released in Japan 16th July last year. As for the rest of the world, fear not! XSEED Games will be localizing the game sometime early this year, which gives me time to leave you with a juicy preview while you wait it out.
The story of YS I & II puts me in the shoes of a red-haired swordsman known as Adol Christin. In the first YS known as YS I : Ancient YS Vanished, Adol took on the responsibility of seeking out the six books of YS. These books are said to contain the history of the vanished ancient land of YS. With these books, Adol is able to obtain the knowledge that he requires to fend off the evil currently sweeping the land of Esteria. Whereas in YS II, Adol is sent to YS where he begins his quest to unravel the lost secrets of the land and finally to remove the evil in Esteria.
In this latest port to PSP, there are two entirely different game modes. One is known as ‘Complete’ which allows you to load character portraits from the 2001 Windows release and another known as ‘Chronicles’ which allows you to create entirely new portraits for the current platform. There are three soundtracks in the game, two from the older versions of the game (one from NEC the other from the 2001 Windows release) and another is a new re-orchestrated soundtrack for the PSP which sounds incredible and at the same time, adds a new feel to the game.
Don’t expect high end or high definition graphics though. Unlike all the new generation games, YS I & II still utilizes a 16 bit graphics which is really old school. However, dramatic cut scenes, beautiful artworks and new character arts add a new spin to the game. Although I’m not a fan of old-school games, I can say that I’m really impressed with the outcome of the game on the PSP. The special effects like wind, smoke, shadows and also the scenery are awesomely detailed for a top down 2D game. It is truly something to be impressed with.
For the HUD, Nihon Falcom managed to organize the important stuffs such as the Health bar (both player and enemy have one), the Mana bar, a counter for the amount of gold you currently have and extra quick slots for magic at the bottom of the screen. This keeps the screen from looking congested and allows the me to observe my surroundings better while at the same time, enjoy the scenery of Esperia. Also, Adol does not get a full health bar at the start of the game, it fills in bit by bit as he gains levels and increments in health. The Mana bar is also not shown at the beginning of the game; this is a good implementation as Adol starts out without any magical powers. This mechanism should refine the growth of Adol and gamers can then really see the differences as Adol gradually becomes stronger during the later stages of the game.
Besides the HUD, a shop interface will also pop up whenever Adol interacts with an NPC trader. Every interaction that I could have such as buying and selling equipments, and healing health lost is placed on the right side, allowing me to fully appreciate and marvel at the stunningly beautiful artwork on the left side of the screen. How user friendly this game is! Now, here comes the tricky part, the combat in YS. I & II is something I respect as it is unique in its own way. Unlike games that require a click of a mouse or a pull of a trigger or even a press of a button, YS completely removed that kind of dependency. The analog stick acts as the master control of the game as it is capable of moving Adol in any direction, including diagonally. Movement in YS includes attacking, moving or ‘ramming’ Adol into a monster and these movements will trigger Adol to swing his sword. Although it does sound simple, but I have a feeling it actually isn’t. For example, if Adol is moved closer towards an enemy to attack it, that move would probably render Adol very vulnerable to any attacks from the enemy and a direct collision may cause Adol to take a higher damage compared to the damage he dished out. Gamers may have to think of special strategies to move Adol around and to kill enemies without taking any serious hits. But of course, the developer has given Adol special superhuman speed and perhaps this would help in making things easier for gamers to control Adol with his quests to overtake the enemies in the game.
As good as this game sounds, however, YS I & II is not without flaws. Observing the demo brings me to conclude that the enemies are all mindless walking zombies. Gamers will find them just walking around and may occasionally chase Adol when he gets near. Like all old-school games, the objects in Esteria are also quite identical; this may eventually become boring and frustrating for some players. This problem is notable in YS I’s biggest dungeon, the Darm Tower; where players have to smash a particular column out of a dozen similar ones in order to pass a corridor that immediately drains all of the Adol’s health.
In my opinion, Ys I & II are both great ports to the PSP system. The developer really made it a point for the player to enjoy some eye candy while playing the game. Besides that, the simple game mechanisms such as combat and interaction with NPC reduces the complexity of the game thus giving it a fast pace that will pull you into the world of Esteria. However, the lack of multiplayer options may be quite a disappointment for players who want to play the game with their friends. Lastly, the two in one combination of YS I & II makes it more affordable for players with a lower budget. All in all, it is a great game and will be worth the wait for old-school gamers and RPG lovers.
Related posts:
