Captured on Nintendo Swap (Docked)Manner again in 1989, Nihon Falcom launched Ys III: Wanderers from Ys for varied PC-based platforms and finally consoles just like the Genesis and SNES. This 2D side-scroller was well-respected locally and finally acted as the premise for 2005’s 3D reimagining, Ys: The Oath in Felghana, although this didn’t obtain a Western launch till a PSP model in 2010. Now, scorching off the current Western launch of Ys X: Nordics, Falcom brings this remake to trendy platforms as Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana. Sporting a couple of quality-of-life updates, this throwback to easier occasions (which debuted in Japan again in September 2023) gives up an fulfilling and tightly designed action-RPG expertise that you simply should not miss out on.
Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana covers one of many earlier adventures of collection star Adol Christin, following a journey to longtime companion Dogi’s homeland of Felghana. They arrive and are warmly welcomed by Dogi’s family and friends, but it surely doesn’t take lengthy for Adol to get caught up in a bigger battle. The king of Felghana seeks to assert a collection of statues to loosen the seal positioned upon a demon he needs to launch. Adol thus units out to retrieve these statues earlier than the king can, hoping to cease his nefarious plan.
Captured on Nintendo Swap (Handheld/Undocked)
It’s a comparatively skinny plot, all issues thought-about, however this remake makes probably the most of it by means of expanded scenes and voice performing. Sequences the place you get to work together with Dogi’s associates assist to provide the plot emotional stakes, whereas the brisk pacing retains the storytelling tight and never too overindulgent—in a world the place RPGs regularly go into triple-digit runtimes, Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is content material to inform a modest 10-15-hour story. Although there’s a lingering sense that extra may’ve been performed with the narrative right here, Ys video games have by no means actually been concerning the storyline and what’s right here gives up the proper combination of cosiness and intrigue.
Gameplay follows the everyday Ys components, mixing dungeon crawling and exploration with riveting fight, and whereas it’s apparent that is an older collection entry, the gameplay loop has an enjoyably timeless high quality. The side-scrolling design of the unique launch has been swapped out for a 3D isometric engine that creates house for extra dynamic fights and complex dungeon layouts, and although there are nonetheless some relics right here and there of the outdated 2D model, it looks like Ys III made a nearly-perfect soar to 3D.
Fight is decidedly easier than in later entries, although that’s to not say that it feels worse. Adol has a collection of floor combos, a couple of soar assaults, and a rising checklist of spells he can spam by burning some regenerating MP, all of which mix for a good number of offensive choices to drag from.
Captured on Nintendo Swap (Docked)
Even so, it looks like most fights start and finish in a matter of seconds, and there’s a sure scrappiness to encounters that calls to thoughts old-school beat ‘em ups. You usually get mobbed, mash the ‘A’ button whereas often leaping, and watch the fireworks as enemies drop all types of goodies that allow you to construct momentum within the combat.
Nearly each defeated foe will drop some kind of short-term stat-boosting consumable, additional buffing your assault and defence as you carve your method by means of one more enemy pack. This creates a splendidly satisfying loop the place Adol turns into extra formidable because the combat goes on, and in some locations we have been vaguely reminded of the ability journey Dynasty Warriors delivers as you fell foes with overwhelming ease. Naturally, which means that the bottom problem is a little bit of a cakewalk, however the boss fights nonetheless supply a wholesome problem and there are at all times more durable problem choices to activate if issues really feel only a bit too simple.
Captured on Nintendo Swap (Docked)
Visually, Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana utilises a fundamental however splendidly efficient artwork model that appears nice on the Swap’s moveable display. The character fashions all have a squat, chibi-esque look whereas the 3D environments are compact, however handle to squeeze in a whole lot of element. Notably, textures right here function a powerful stage of element, and all of the motion runs at a silky 60fps that hardly ever drops a body.
Couple this with the fixed bursts of sunshine and collectibles being tossed round like confetti throughout fights, and also you’ve obtained an exhilarating spectacle to behold and an motion RPG that feels proper at dwelling on Swap {hardware}. Falcom has performed a wonderful job of sharpening this practically 20-year-old sport for a brand new technology.
As for its audio, you have got a couple of choices for the way you’d wish to expertise the soundtrack. You possibly can both take heed to the extra rock-infused trendy iteration or choose as a substitute for one thing extra retro with the X68 or PC-8801 variations from the unique Ys III. It may be enjoyable to toggle between them and see how the fashionable soundtrack constructed upon and remixed the unique tracks, and whereas the brand new soundtrack looks like an total higher match for the fashionable gameplay, it’s a pleasant easter egg that you would be able to take heed to the traditional tracks too if that’s extra your velocity.
Captured on Nintendo Swap (Handheld/Undocked)
In the meantime, the voice performing completely walks that line between being a bit hammy with out being too excessive—we significantly loved the performances right here and felt that they added lots to the largely text-based exchanges.
Provided that the unique Oath in Felghana was itself a remake of an earlier sport, Falcom made a couple of comparatively minor quality-of-life changes to deliver it extra as much as as we speak’s commonplace. Probably the most important gameplay-affecting function is a brand new ‘turbo mode’ that may be triggered at any time with a click on of ‘R3’ to hurry up your complete sport. Although the cutscenes are skippable, we appreciated how this turbo function gives the choice to fireplace by means of slower-paced segments when you’re getting impatient.
In any other case, past the apparent audio and visible enhancements, this launch additionally options twin audio giving the choice between Japanese and English voice performing.
Conclusion
Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is hardly a revolutionary RPG, but it surely stands as a wonderful reminder that typically much less is extra. The brisk pacing, thrilling fight, and cutesy visuals all come collectively in a splendidly fulfilling and easy motion RPG. That is an expertise that makes no compromises and holds nothing again, and even when it’s clearly much less bold and expansive than lots of the later entries within the collection, there’s additionally one thing very satisfying about enjoying by means of a sport the place its attain didn’t exceed its grasp.
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