'I Want To Get into Ys, But I Don't Know Where to Start'

'I Want To Get into Ys, But I Don't Know Where to Start'

The Ys Series is without question my favourite action centric JRPG franchise. But with so many games under it's name, it's quite difficult for a newcomer to check out Ys and establish the best starting point.

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🎵 M U S I C U S E D 🎵

Opening themes can be found via YT searches. Other music used:

Ys V OST - Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand - Niena
Ys Memories of Celceta OST - Underground Ruins
Ys - The Oath in Felghana OST - Valestein Castle
Ys I & II Chronicles - Feena (Ys I)
Ys IX -Monstrum NOX- OST - Bar 'Dandelion'
Ys IX -Monstrum NOX- OST - Prisoncity
Ys Origin OST - The Guidance of a White Tower
Ys Seven OST - Being Slow on the Waves
Ys VI The Ark of Napishtim OST - Reconciled People
Ys VIII Lacrimosa of Dana OST - Yesterday in Eternia
Ys VIII Lacrimosa of Dana OST - Sunshine Coastline

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⌚T I M E S T A M P S ⌚
0:00 - Intro and Series overview
2:33 - Ys I & II
4:44 - Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand
6:04 - Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim
8:24 - Ys: Oath in Felghana
10:53 - Ys Origin
13:20 - Ys Seven
15:51 - Ys: Memories of Celceta
18:18 - Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
21:19 - Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
24:46 - Conclusion

[RedRoomDisco]

I guess you could say it's pretty "Ys-sy" to get into the franchise.

[ShindoKokoro]

I knew a guy who said he won a facebook contest back in the day to have his name be in Ys 7 as a quest-giving NPC. I checked and sure enough, it's in there, even on the PC version.

[firebreather]

I'd say if you are planning to play through the whole series then play in release order, starting with Ys Chronicles. If you just want to try it out, start with Ys VIII as it's the best game. Ys V and the older PC Engine games are more for hardcore Ys fans. But in the end it's Ys and not Trails, so you can start wherever you like.

[Xwfy]

Literally perfect timing for this, was looking into this recently.

[jlwest]

Ys 6 was my first entry into this series and I never looked back.

[Honest_Grifter]

Just restarted VIII on the switch, found a physical copy recently and had to scoop it up!!

[eldritchautomaton]

I started at YS VII on the PSP and since then have been a lifelong fan.

[otgrey]

Ys VIII is the only Ys game I've played (on the PS Vita of all things) and I love the hell out of it. Currently completing a new game plus run.

[NightFore]

Ys VIII is undoubtedly the best game for me to start with. The gameplay is fluid and dynamic while being modern. This game's soundtrack is also the reason why I became interested in Falcom games or J-RPGs in a broader sense, beyond just the well-known titles. Discovering Sunshine Coastline for the first time as a random YouTube recommendation was truly eye-opening. Especially when I realized it was just one of the early OSTs within the game, it dawned on me how great soundtracks can be in gaming experiences. That moment likely marked the beginning of my YouTube playlist dedicated to game OSTs.

While waiting for Ys VIII to release in the West, I played Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim but never managed to finish it. As a first experience with the series, it felt kind of clunky to play, with mechanics like the Dash Jump causing some frustration that haunts me to this day.

Nevertheless, the numerous great soundtracks in Falcom games still inspired me to play The Legend of Heroes: Cold Steel first, followed by Ys VIII. They remain some of my most favorite J-RPGs or even games I've ever had the chance to play.

[haumai]

I have play almost all of the Ys games (except Oath in Felghena and Ys V) and I have to said ys VII still have the most impact on me, the music, the charater, the gameplay and the story is perfect. I really like Tia and other Adol companies throughout the game, and when the ending hit in, my eyes tear up cause this is such a beautiful game to play.
The other game that have strong impact on me is ys VIII (mostly because of Dana lol)

[benmcmanus]

My anticipation for Ys X has finally got me to take the plunge into the series. It’s interesting how there are three eras of game design, going from the bump action of Chronicles, to the action platforming of Napishtim, to the party based design of the recent games. I’ve decided to go the game design route, as in, the earliest iterations of these eras. So, my first Ys game is Ark of Napishtim, as it leads to other games in the series. I considered playing through chronicles first, but because it’s pretty much a stand alone entry being the only one with the bump system, I didn’t want it to be my first impression of the series only for it to be pretty much unrelated to the rest of the series outside of story. I think I’ll play chronicles when I’d like a change up in how the games feel, like taking a break from a run of the Napishtim style or the party based style.

Anyway, I’m really enjoying the Ark of Napishtim! Just got the 2nd sword, it’s really satisfying getting better and better at the gameplay, but the characters and story are taking me by surprise with how much I’m enjoying them too. The music and art are incredible, heck even just the art on the PSP box is so impressive. And by the by, I’m playing the kinda awful PSP port on original hardware, and I’m still having a great time! But I sure am looking forward to the other PSP entries having better performance lol. I’m most excited to get to Seven (love the vibe), Monstrum Nox (darker vibe which I also enjoy *cough* emo) and Nordics when it comes out. Oath, Dana and Origin all seem like popular and well-liked entries so I’m looking forward to them too, with Celceta and Chronicles being the least interesting for whatever reason, but I’ll still get to them.

I have to say, it is *really* nice to get into a new series that’s been going for so long. And that it has plenty to dig into with a good amount of variety to keep things fresh! Interested in picking up some of Falcom’s other smaller entries too, like Zwei, Xanadu Next and Tokyo Xanadu (are they related?), and Gurumin. I’ve looked into Trails, but they’re a bit too long-winded for me right now - if someday I start on them; it’ll either be with Sky, Zero, or the upcoming Daybreak. Long live Falcom!

[dhumbleb]

Great vid. Enjoying my first play through of Ys VIII at the moment.

I’ve noticed you game a fair bit on PC also, you ever considered getting a Steam Deck? That’s the place I’m mainly playing it at the moment, and then my main PC every now and again.

[ernestoarteche]

Great vid idea! I've only completed Ys Origins and I loved it! The graphics, the music, the combat. Chef's kiss

[nightwolf]

Y’s VII intro song goes so hard on those violin and guitar solos. I loved playing through it on my psp

[giuseppeparry]

Probably the best game to start with is the best game for whichever style of gameplay the player prefers.

If you prefer:

"Bump system" then YsI&II

"Hack-and-slash" then Ys Origin

"Party-based" then Ys VIII

If you're here for the story on the other hand, I'd say Ys VIII no contest.

Of course, the one disadvantage with this approach is that if you play the best game first, every later game might disappoint you.


(Also the Ys VIII footage with Adol fighting an enemy with the wrong damage type was painful to see).

Ys is pretty awesome. It has a continuity and built-up world bigger than almost any other franchise, yet is still 100% accessible at any game (except for Ys II) unlike Trails. You could say it's the best of both worlds. Top-tier world-building with extra rewards for those who've seen the others, yet fully accessible and losing nothing of the experience for new players.

An Ysy recommendation.

[Zazou]

I honestly can't believe I haven't heard of this game serie sooner with how amazing it is! I played Ys for the first time earlier this year, it was Lacrimosa of Dana and I just loved it! I'm now currently playing Monstrum Nox and I'm almost done with it. I can't wait for the release of the next games ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

[Sunnyboy-obxz]

Personally I started with Ys VIII after I had caught up with the entire trails franchise, with very limited knowledge of the lore (red hair guy with a sword who goes on adventures). I feel like it was a very good starting point, the graphics and artstyle will be familar to fans of Falcom's many other games, the story is really good, characters are memorable and the music is divine.

[saintfayde]

Celceta will always hold a special place in my heart since it was my first Ys game. Even after playing the rest, I still hold it in high regards. That said 8 is of course my favorite overall. Dana is just too precious and her theme still pops into my head randomly from time to time.

[dogryme]

Ys Origin was my main entry point to the series, I'd say it was excellent!
Still I am glad to hear about the other good games. Both of Oath in Felghana, and Ark of Naphishtim onwards sound like next big points of interest. Lacrimosa of Dana and Monstrum Nox look like they'd be very interesting to play, should I ever reach them.

[armandostockvideos]

Bump combat is dope, you cant chance my mind.