I just finished playing Ys IX a few weeks ago, which means I've officially played every game in the Ys series. To celebrate, I thought it would be fun to rank every game from my least favorite to my absolute favorite.
Ah Ys VIII, that game is amazing. Now I have to go through and play the entire series thanks to your video (which is something I’ve been meaning to do anyway). I am surprised you put IX so high on the list, but I think your points of the exploration and story are fair. But man, I really want to replay VIII now haha
Ys 9 was amazing, you're really thinking at this point, how do they do it, such high expectations after the masterpiece Ys 8 is, and they delivered, that's really insane ( The end made me cry so much )
@@AliAlslaman I did prefer the characters of 9 overall, but that insane adventure 8 was truly is something unforgettable, i'd kill to be able to experience it for the first time again...
I still prefer Lacrimosa of Dana... but yeah. Monstrum was really good too. I had a blast and I will play it again with great pleasure. BUT... exploration isn't as good as Dana. Dana made me feel like a One Pièce Island. Ys 9 world was more Conventional (city was great though). His story and characters were really great. I really liked all of them (especially Falco and Krysha, the main team as It's them who will grew and evolve the most). But outside world was meh. Dungeon were meh too (except prison).
@@sterenn726 I cried so hard at the end when you had to part ways with Krysha, I agree with you tho, what felt like the biggest bad point for this game was the location, even tho the prison was cool the rest was really really inferior to the Island of Seiren which is easiest the greatest location in any game i've ever played, for some reason what felt like lacking for me in Ys 8 in the characters ( don't get me wrong they are good but I didn't feel much connection with them ) was "fixed" in Ys 9, seriously how can Nihon Falcom be this good every single time I will never understand hahaha
@@MiyuOSU They've got a good world building. And they love there character (a bit too much, they're like Oda (one piece) and can't kill their characters... it was a shame in Cold Steel 4 (I mean, I really liked those who were on the ship that explosed but... no game, you can't being black characters to life just like that). They like to réinvente themselves too. Ys 7/8/9 were différents from Ys 6. And 10 seem différents too. Same with next Legend of Heroes. It will be another gameplay. They probably thought they coulent improve cs4 gameplay.
And the best part. When you start the Lacrimosa of Dana game.. And that song at the beach at the start hits you... You KNOW that you are on an ADVENTURE. That is one of the most important things with these games. The unknown. The mysteries. The secrets just waiting for you to explore and discover. Its a brand new land. A land that nobody has ever set foot on.. And lived. But you are not alone. There are people out there that need your help as well. Saving the villagers. Which in turn unlock more parts of the island you can explore and find new stuff. Now im of to listen to Sunshine Coastline... Damn that song jsut hits so FKIN HARD..I got this song as my wake up song.
Well done and agree on your top choices. I’m a new convert to Falcom, and they have a way of injecting charm into their games that’s lacking in a lot of other jrpg franchises. Looking forward to your next video
I would definitely not have left "Ys 4: Dawn of Ys" out of the ranking, even though it's not canonical (who cares about Ys story anyway? it's such a mess...). Despite not being made by Falcom, I think it's actually THE most authentic Ys experience in my opinion, even returning to the original combat system. Plus it's been fan translated in recent years, making it playable on original Turbo Duo hardware if you want to (playing Ys on pc engine/turbografx 16 just feels right). Great game, amazing soundtrack that didn't age at all.
I remembered playing Ys I and malding so bad when I fought Dark Fact, the sense of accomplishment when you finally defeated him is so good and as you said in your video, I have to say Ys II felt more easier than I even though the map is so huge af lmao
Don't get me started about Monstrum Nox, they seriously lets us take a trip down memory lane with a lot of major callbacks to any event in some of the early franchise and even hinting at some point, that some of the old characters in the franchise appearing to Adol even though only as an orb of light giving him the support of every action he took ಥ‿ಥ
I love YS6! Never had the backtrack problem and I love the grind. It was the first game I wanted to play on nightmare mode and I finished it multiple times. But my favorite game is still YS8.
He showcased the PC version. The PS2 version actually fixed a ton of issues. Voice acting, less grinding with the inclusion of the Trials of Alma, and generally better looking, believe it or not.
I have only played Origin so far (still some high difficulty runs left), and this video is a good overview of what to expect from the rest of the series.
I recently got into the Ys series starting with The Oath in Felghana but dropped it because the combat system was way too simplistic for my taste and then went on to play 7, which I enjoy a lot right now. I can't rate every game yet but if there is one thing that all these games seem to have in common then it's a killer ost. The music gets your blood pumped in every dungeon and every time you are in the outside area. Absolutely amazing!
Ys V is a chilled like Zelda game, that I enjoyed a lot. Seven is my favorite, brought the third party system plus playing with Dogi and Geis is so awesome, great music too. Felghana is my second favorite. Don't know yet why everyone loves VIII so much, I know Dana story is great, but didn't like the cast, no playable Dogi, undefeatable enemies at first and a shipwrecked story again (how many times has Adol passed through that? Like 3 times I think?) just put me off. Have to give it a try again some day. Liked Celceta a lot, but it's true, the ending felt off some way. After Celceta I feel like they need to add something new to the series, to make it feel new again, but I think is just me. Great list by the way!
Granted I would not have put Monstrum Nox at 2, I agree with your number 1 though. My entry into the series was Oath in Fulghana, but I love 8, LOD is a masterclass in storytelling, gameplay and soundtrack. Ys X Nordics looks like a return to what made Ys 8 so damn good!
Its funny how you said how youre glad you gave it time to grow because I did the same exact thing. I finished with Yunica and I got EXTREMELY burnt out. I dabbled a bit with Hugo and said I'd come back to it and went to play Reverie next and didn't go back...till last week. I booted it back up and played as Hugo and had a blast, then an even further blast when you get The Claw. It has helped so much bc I treasure the combat and bosses a lot more this time around. Playing it 3 times in a row with repeating bosses and areas is a bit difficult as its draining, but reaching the final and true storyline is so so so worth it. I played I/II before so it hits all the better. Moral of the story is play Ys.
I do have a video on my channel cataloging the Timeline, its a bit dated because it was made before Ys 10 if your curious how of he canonical order you can check it out. Hope it helps :)
That’s funny. I got 30 minutes into Origins, in that tower, and I was like eh. Something compelled me to try 1 and 2 and I was blown away. Absolutely Incredible. So now I have a reason to keep going
My Yunica playthrough made me also feel kinda "eh," but as I played through Hugo and then Toal I really started to gain an appreciation for the way they slowly built the lore that culminates in Toal's story. I feel like if I had just played through Toal's story right from the beginning, it wouldn't have had the same kind of narrative impact. I grew up in the 80's and 90's, so I really enjoyed 1 & 2 because I'm used to the "talk to everybody and explore everywhere" kind of gameplay.
Thankfully, Kefin is old continuity, so we will probably get its remake either after Nordics or after Ys 11. I've only played 8, 9, and Celceta, but liked all of them. Was thinking of trying out Origin at some point in the future.
Ys VIII was one of the last games I've played where I actually couldn't put it down! That game alone made me fall in love with the series. I agree that the only downside is that i already seen the peak of the Ys series. Out of the ones I've played, here's my personal ranking: 1. Lacrimosa of Dana 2. Ys Seven 3. Monstrum Nox 4. Ys Origin 5. Memories of Celceta Can't wait for Nordics!!
I discovered the franchise from a review video of Origin and I've really been enjoying playing through the games in (somewhat) chronological order. From Origin I went to 1&2, then Oath, and now I'm playing through Celceta. It was a little confusing to discover that the remake of 3 technically takes place after the remake of 4. I'm surprised to see Celceta so far down your list, since its combat system feels so amazing that I'm enjoying it the most out of the 5 games that I've experienced so far. Hopefully that's a testament to just how good the other games in the list are that I haven't played yet. Though I may be tempted to dodge #6 just because of the sheer number of complaints I've seen about the platforming.
Interesting list. I like to hear different views on this. My personal ranking would be: 1.) Origin 2.) Oath in Felghana 3.) Memories of Celceta 4.) Lacrimosa of Dana 5.) Monstrum Nox 6.) Ark of Napishtim 7. Seven 8.) Ys II 9.) Ys I Never played V. Hope they remake it someday. Like all the games, even my lower rated ones.
I'd have 1 n 2 higher just because that's before they went full action and the dungeons still had some bite to them but origin at the top is just correct.
Maybe it's bias(It's the 1st Ys game I played many years ago), Ys The Oath in Felghana is No1 for me. The game really blew me away. But Origin really grow on me either so it's really really close 2nd.
I love Ys IX since it did introduced me to Adol and X being probably the most anticipated game for me other than Reynatis and Trails Newest Entry i might actually give 8 a chance
I do have a different rank for the games, most of it is technicallity. I would place YS2 above YS1 just because it's technical enhancements make it better to play. I would place YS Memories of Celceta above YS Seven because Ys Seven has some very glaring issues being a PSP game Falcom never truly ported or tried to, nor they wanted to. But most of all because it has some of the most frustrating systems, and it's tiring after a while. Also Oath in Felghana was the first YS I've ever played and it was the PSP version, and frankly? Best game, yes. But that's it. I do agree with all of your positions.
i started playing Ys games on the psp emulator, i was super hooked onto the games, i am just finishing lacrimosa of dana and going into monstrum nox next, prob gonna play ever ys game on psp 1st and up
I started in the Ys series with The Ark of Napishtim, then played The Oath in Felghana, Origin, Seven, Memories of Celceta and Lacrimosa of Dana. In that order and all PC version. I didn't like Monstrum Nox (I put it down after about five, six hours) and I didn't play other games in the series. My ranking: 1. The Oath in Felghana 2. The Ark of Napishtim 3. Origin 4. Memories of Celceta 5. Seven 6. Lacrimosa of Dana
I'm kinda sad that YS 8 was my first Ys, i finished it at exactly 90 hours, one of the best games I ever played, the story was brutal...but now knowing is among the best, makes it hard to try the others, i gonna give nox another chance now.
Seems like the general consensus is that Ys 8 is the best game the series based on what I've read and watched so far. I tried it before in a uh "not legal way" just to try it out before buying and honestly the first hour didn't captivate me much. So I ended up puting it off. Now I'm thinking of getting back to it and the series after last playing Seven and Oath in Felghana back in the PSP. Is Ys 8 a good starting point?
@@TJTheEmperor welp, bought and downloaded it on Steam literally just now after trudging through a ton of reddit posts and youtube videos, yours being the deciding factor. Thanks a lot, your summary of the game really helped with my decision making.
Almost played all the YS games too but the only thing I agree with you is YS VIII deserve being number 1. BTW, YS X is coming out on a few months or weeks
Hm, just going off the cuff here, but I’d put Dawn of Ys somewhere near the top, Wanderers From Ys in the middle, and Mask of the Sun close to the bottom
It's uncanny how this is overall fairly similar to my own list especially near the top... except specifically Ys IX. I really hope at some point, somebody, like yourself maybe, can make a case for why the narrative of that game is actually good, because everywhere it's talked about positively it's only ever "the story is good" (or in your case even contender for the best in the series) or "the characters are good" without explaining anything about what makes any of it good. Maybe it's a personal thing, but Krysha's arc of learning that being a Robin Hood is bad and presenting the poor as greedy assholes to drive that arc, and instead opening a flower shop there, which she can only do because of being the daughter of a rich family, and in fact, helps nobody, is kind of genuinely offensive to me. Idk if the idea was a callback to Tia or even Aerith but if it was it's purely hollow. And the other party members don't fare much better, ranging from forgettable to also maddening, special mention to Jules who sets up a conflict since he is literally going to die soon if the Monstrum ceases to exist, but then that is pretty much just never brought up again nor does Adol even spare a thought on that when he decides to destroy it, and Jules is only ever like mildly disappointed about it instead of horrified. In general his emotional responses to just about everything just don't feel like they work at all for someone who's terminally ill and crippled and yet having a miraculous opportunity to actually live. I'm being fairly harsh here, and I can't deny I had some fun playing the game as well while the discovery lasted with leaving Balduq for the first time definitely being a highlight. I do think the gameplay is a step down from VIII but I've no interest in arguing people's fun. But I've searched into this specifically trying to find discussions and opinion pieces to no avail, because of how strange it feels how people will merely call the story and characters "good" or even "great" without explaining anything about why what the story and character arcs are telling *is good* at all. Like I get that this is supposed to be an overview video so I don't expect too much detail here, but in general, if I at least could hear another perspective on them in more depth, I'd appreciate it.
Ys Viii is my first Ys since then I been looking for more Ys to play. I play all the YS on the Switch and PS5 However Origins the only I have not beaten I got stuck and do not know where to go.
personally i found Ys9 a bit lacking in gameplay. one could clearly see them trying to implement more story elements like they did with the Trails Series, but to me, instead, it felt lacking in the ongoing action segments. there's been a few occurences where the game rather went with a plot sequence, instead of a gameplay focus, for instance, instead of doing an escort mission to lead a prisoner outside, we get some narrative and the scene changes, and while that works, the series has experience with escort missions (including dungeons/prisons) and it would have been a nice drawback to older games. i would have also likely switched the order to unlock monstrums skills since getting the wall-running ability unlocked a whole lot more than the gliding, phantom walk, smashing and clairvoyance together, which felt like a lackluster. it's still a great game, with very solid gameplay but i would have rather seen it in the middle section. Ys8 would still have been my No1 as well, even though one gotta realise just how far they went offtopic with the plot, which granted them the freedom to make up such a vast story. many raids were painful and way too long, but the plot and as mentioned, the whole soundtrack is just so strong, and the gameplay still very fun, so it's a clear winner nonetheless.
My 1st time hearing the title of this game just didn't interest me. It had a weird title to me and so I passed. It wasn't until Y's Origin came out on switch that I actually gave it a try and hooooolyyy smokes, it was good and I was hooked. I'm now playing The oath of Felghana and that's my absolute favorite so far. I'm playing it on my PS3 and my phone using the ppsspp emulator and just swapping the saves back and forth from my phone which I play during the week in bed to ps3 which I play on the week ends. This is some great times here. I am immersed in this game like I was with Lunar The silver Star back in the ps1 days. AWESOME!!!
Even though I don't hate it, I'm kind of glad Ys V is the only mainline title that isn't accounted for in the West. Here's hoping it gets the remake treatment and fixed up.
I think for me Seven and origins were the lowest. Seven because the bosses felt really spongey and i'd played Celceta first which had a more refinded combat system at that point. and Origin had some pacing issues I kinda hated having to play the games three times that said, the bosses were incredible. If I had to rank them it would be as follows. Lacrimosa of Dana, Oath in Felghana, Ys 1, Monstrum Nox, Ys 2, Ark of Napishtim, Memories of Celceta, Origin, Seven, Lost Kefin Kingdom of Sand. I also think Monstrum Nox and Lacrimosa of Dana had some of the best characters in the series.
You know the ' is a misspelling on Sega's part when they released the first game in the Sega Master System, right? Also, you shouldn't judge a game by its visuals. At least not entirely.
I’ve only played Origins and Celceta through IX and I’d rank them this way: 1 - VIII - my favorite by far and in my top 5 games of all time 2 - IX 3 - Celceta 4 - VII 5 - Origins (couldn’t even finish it, just did not like it)
Crazy as it sounds, I don't really rank 8 and 9 as highly personally, they're great don't get me wrong, but it feels like it lacks the soul of an Ys game, by this I mean mostly music, yes you heard me right. Singa isn't a bad music composer by any stretch, but a lot of his music lacks the type of trademark of wonders Ys got through its series and unfortunately, he's done most of the music in 9 and a good chunk of 8(that is not to say I hate everything he's done, but it's a lot harder for me to find his tracks memorable). For me Seven is more or less the peak as far as music goes, Falcom's best music always ends up having violins for me, case and point, Genesis Beyond the Beginning from Origin and Vacant Interference from Seven, while 8 does have it's share of great music, A to Z, Night Survivor and sunshine Coastline, there's just...not enough really memorable boss tracks I've found imo. I guess the best way to describe it is that the music lost a bit of its identity from Seven to 8, although I'd say the music started going downhill from Celceta if I were to pinpoint it. VI had Mighty Obstacle, Armored Bane and god forbid Ernst which is up there as one of this series' Favorite. Not to mention it's kickass opening. Seven had Vacant Interferance, Scias, Innocent Primeval Breaker, Mother Earth Altago, Children in the Shadows, Desert of Despair, Smashing through the Mountain Path, Sanctuary of Meditation (Kylos), An Assault, Crossing Rage, I'd continue but the list is long enough as is, point is it's got TONS of bangers. Oath in Felghana has Valestein Castle obviously, but they also have The Boy Who Had Wings, Illburn Ruins, A Searing Struggle, Snare of Darkness, Death Blitz, Steeling the Will to Fight, Seal of Time, Believe in my Heart and especially The Strongest Foe. those are the main 3, but considering those were mostly b2b games, you should get a decent idea of what I mean by soul of the franchise, music does a lot to elevate a game, I just wish 8/9 had more of this and less of...what they got, I genuinely cannot remember anything from 9 music wise, which hurts considering the music of this franchise is what got me in the series in the first place :s
I think I have to agree with the music. The style and soul of the older games OSTs are different from 8 and 9 (though they certainly have some good tracks too!) and I prefer the older style. I wonder what X will hold.
@@austinnafziger4159 I really hope it's a return to form, 7 is so high up there for me purely cuz of the music, I don't know why there's no violins or slight midi here and there in 8/9 but I'd like to see it come back in 10, less Singa, more everyone else.
I agree. Aside from too much dialogue, I also felt like the music in Ys IX didn't capture the soul of the Ys series. It's like they're trying too hard to be edgy these days. If you haven't, I highly recommend giving a listen to the soundtrack for Ys IV: Dawn of Ys on PC-Engine. That game has some amazing tracks especially "Crimson Wings." It's such a shame Falcom decided to make Memories of Celceta the canon story for Ys IV since I think Dawn of Ys does a better job with bringing back familiar characters and scenery from Ys I & II.
@@guardianrandy yeah, I've heard that before, I probably should at least sit down and watch a playthrough frankly, I'm struggling to find time nowadays though :c I would suggest you play trails in the sky btw, it feels like an ys game music wise and has a pretty solid story to boot, although it is a bit wordy cuz it introduces you to the world of Trails.
I agree that the music in Ys IX is a bit weaker, albeit still really good, but no way in hell is the music in Ys VIII weak. The music has more of a mystique style compared to the harder rock of the previous Ys entries, but it fits the island settings better that way. I do agree that Seven has the best OST of the franchise though.
Can we take a second to acknowledge how the Origins track, Genesis, sounds similar to AoT 1st season opening track. Ys Origin: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WfvNAU3SORE.html AoT: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qMllATX6XY4.html
As a long-time fan of the Ys series, I agree with your list for the most part EXCEPT for Ys IX. I really tried to like it, but there was way too much blah blah blah, to the point that I would completely skip cutscenes. It felt too much like the Trails series. Lacrimosa of Dana did a better job of striking a balance, at least for me. I'm looking forward to Ys X as it looks like they're FINALLY retiring the Strike/Slash/Pierce system.
my personal top is: 1. Origins 2. Lacrimosa of Dana 3. Memories of Celceta 4. Monstrum Nox 5. Ys I&II 6. Ys Seven 7. Ark of napishtim 8. Oath in Felghana I don't understand why people love Felghana game, the most boring and weird for me
Although YS Origin is essentially a Falcom Castlevania I find it a little difficult to get into.. Maybe I’ll go back and give it another try.. I’ve only fully played through 3 titles in the series thus far Memories of Celceta, Lacrimosa & Seven.. Surprisingly I’m having trouble with the supposedly easy one Monstrom Nox.. I find it has weird difficulty spikes
I'm currently playing VIII and IX, jumping back and forth between the two. I'm playing both on Nightmare. I can't tell any significant difference in the difficulty of the games, outside of the fact that VIII feels stiffer to me, and IX has some frame rate issues (both PS4 versions). I'm loving VIII, but I personally prefer IX for a number of reasons.
@@Xoulrath_ I def like Lacrimosa better than Monstrom but I still quite like many things about it still.. Dana steals the show.. The difficulty spikes in that you make sudden changes between levels.. I’m just not a big fan of that concept
I haven't felt difficulty spikes in Monstrum but I've been completing everything i can as i go, so maybe I'm overleveled. Weirdly enough I have basically totally disregarded armor and weapons for my playthrough... It just hasnt felt necessary to make the combat any more trivial that it already is. The main issue I have had with it is the story and environment design. The invisible walls blocking off chests placed right at their border is infuriating, especially when you finally get to the chest and it just contains a useless item like a fruit or something. I'm most of the way through the game and the basic "why am i doing this?" question that any story needs to answer to be engaging is just left up to mystery. It's like I'm supposed to beat the game and then they will tell me why I played it. Sorry but the storytelling is probably one of the worst of any rpg... And half the game is cutscenes! So many text boxes!
@@Zadamanim I’m talking about the parts where you lose your party and at a lower level.. You have limited items and can’t take many hits.. Also the time limits during base protection scenes.. At times I find it difficult to kill all the enemies in time.. I don’t have much of an issue with the story except it pales in comparison to Lacrimosa.. But then again it’s a tall order for any rpg to reach those heights as far as this criteria
@@Mintcar923 If you are having trouble with base protection you might not have talked to Dogi to strengthen your base's defenses. It's kinda easy to miss or forget about unless you are familiar with the raids from Ys 8. As for when you play as weaker Adol, yeah that makes sense, I died a few times on those parts but it's because it's trying to encourage you to be more stealthy or quickly run past enemies, so they take away the tools that would make u easily kill everything.
I have to be one of the few persons who dislikes Ys VIII. FOR ME, the story was disappointing, a whole lot of nothing until the last two chapters. Although those last two chapters were nice, I don't think they paid off with how bored I was with what came before. Combat, although very good, is held back by the fact that most of the characters were boring to play us. I genuinely only enjoyed playing Hummel and Adol, and even then, with Hummel I was just spamming a few sets of attacks. I didn't enjoy the economy system of the game. If, by any chance, you didn't get the necessary drops from the enemies, you were fucked. Most enemies are absurdly imbalanced in higher difficulties, dealing insane damage, because leveling up in Ys VIII feels meaningless unless you stack a bazillion levels. Also, most bosses (if not all) are unremarkable and forgettable. Last but not least, the characters. 90% of them are bland. There are exceptions, such as the captain, and i was charmed by the girl saved by the captain, but the rest... man who gives a shit. At least I understand why people like it
@@Giggles_iJest It is far more nuanced than that. The philosophies behind each are way different. Combat design, level design, puzzle types, game play speed are all extremely different.
