Developer: Alfa System Publisher: NEC Release: 1990 Genre: Action RPG
I looked forward to playing Ys Book I & II for many years. Ever since it received a perfect 10 in Electronic Gaming Monthly it seemed liked the ultimate RPG experience. But the Turbo Grafx CD was four hundred dollars at the time so it remained a pipe dream. The CD version was not my first experience with the game; I played the Master System version and liked it well enough but it was not the game I wanted. I will not say that Ys Book I & II lived up to my years of anticipation but it is still an excellent pair of games nonetheless.
Ys Book I & II wisely pairs both games together on one disc. Seeing as Ys II continues directly from the end of the first game it makes sense. Adol the adventurer arrives on the island of Esteria and immediately learns of the island of Ys. The floating continent disappeared long ago but legend tells of six books left by the priests who ruled the island that are the key to unlocking its secrets. Adol arrives at the same time mysterious characters are also seeking Ys, initiating a race to find it.
The gameplay of Ys is simple at heart but is also controversial. Ys features no attack button. Instead you attack enemies by running into them off center. It is confusing at first but easy to learn within a few minutes. Whether it is satisfying is subjective. Even though it works and I became good at it I missed the tactile feel of swinging a sword. The various rings you can equip add modifiers but you are still basically a linebacker in a fantasy world. Ys Book II offers a slight concession with the addition of magic. The fireball spell in particular is a godsend for those that don’t like ramming enemies and remains useful to the very end.
Although Ys Book I & II are two games you still need to play them in order. Ys I is a very short game and comprises a select few locations. You explore a few villages and dungeons at the start but the majority of the game takes place in Darm Tower. The Tower is a twenty-five floor beast that is not as bad as it sounds at first. Most floors are pretty straightforward and easily navigable. What makes the first Ys tedious is the extreme backtracking. You will revisit prior floors frequently to progress further and there are no fast travel options. In one extreme case you must travel from floor 21 back to the sixth floor for an item which kills the momentum. It is very bad padding only made tolerable by the fact the game is short and leads to its superior sequel.
Ys Book II is the star of the package and a true undertaking. Picking up immediately after Adol arrives on the floating continent of Ys this is a much bigger adventure. Instead of spending 90% of your time in one location you visit a variety of towns and dungeons. Magic is the biggest addition in Ys II and its applications go beyond just combat. Light more than just illuminate dark areas and works on people. The most interesting is transform, which turns you into a demon and allows you to speak to monsters. Outside of that Ys II is more of what you liked about the first game but longer.
On their own Ys I & II are solid games but as a package Ys Book I & II is excellent. Not only do you get to experience the full story back to back but you also get to see the progress in gameplay firsthand. As much as I like Darm Tower and the ways in which they try to vary each floor it was tedious. Getting to explore a full continent and all that entails is a nice relief after that experience. The story is more involved with more cutscenes as well. You are practically watching Falcom’s growth as a developer in each game.
Even though Ys Book I & II is a remake of the PC-88 original you would be hard pressed to notice. The sprites and overall graphics have been touched up and are more colorful. But they are not very impressive. The added cutscenes give the game some visual flourish but they are infrequent. What truly makes Ys Book I 7 II stand out is its soundtrack. The Ys series has a long and storied history of some of the best soundtracks in gaming. The original chip tunes were great but it is the Turbo CD soundtrack that Ys is most famous for. The music truly lives up to the hype as the rearranged soundtrack is fantastic. There is a fair bit of voice acting as well which is decent for the time and a nice reward.
In Closing
Ys Book I & II for many is the defining game for the Turbo Grafx CD. That’s a lofty title but one that the game lives up to to an extent. Despite its dated graphics the overarching adventure is still compelling even today, to say nothing of its amazing soundtrack. There are many different ways to play Ys Book I & II, however you do so it is time well spent.
