I've never tried any of the Ys games so far; I have Ys Origins but never played it. I'm usually not that into JRPGs because they're often very long and I'm not fond of the static (menu- and) turn-based combat systems that many of them feature, but if I'm not mistaken, the Ys game have more arcade-y, action-oriented real-time combat and they aren't that long?

I'm considering getting Ys 1+2 now. Can they be controlled comfortably by using keyboard only, so I could play them on my laptop without mouse? Or are they better played with gamepad? Do they even offer gamepad support? How long are they? How are the Ys games connected? Should I play Origins first?

Origin is hack and slash rpg. You run, jump, slash your enemies, shoot magic, all in real time. Since you already have it, play it first to see if you like the style or not. If you do, you can't go wrong with Oath of Felghana.

I haven't play the other titles in the series.

Also, a game pad is necessary for playing comfortably. Origin gameplay is not very suitable for keyboard mouse.

They're primarily Action-Adventures, with some RPG elements, not true J-RPGs. That also means they're much shorter than the average J-RPG, and while they have real-time combat, the controls are generally quite simple. I'd recommend a gamepad, but keyboard controls should work. I've only played a few games in the series, so I can't really give more in-depth feedback than that.

If you already have one of the games, you should probably just start with that one. No point in buying more, if it turns out you don't enjoy them.

P.S.: If you're looking for something to play comfortably using only your laptop keyboard, you're probably better off with a traditional J-RPG, with turn-based combat. The Trails series is good, and I think GOG has a few other good ones by now.

Like I said, I don't really like the turn-based combat I've seen in the JRPGs I've played; in turn-based RPGs I prefer being able to actually move and position my characters and then just point and click rather than selecting the same kind of attacks from a menu each round. Not that I'm totally averse to it, but it gets repetitive so quickly, especially if the games go on and on and on, and even feature random combat.

The reason why I don't just start with Origins but am considering to buy Ys 1+2 instead is that Origin seems more demanding regarding the system specs and more suitable for a gamepad, while the 2D Ys 1+2 look like they'd run on the laptop without issues and like they could be played with keyboard only. Real time action is no problem on the laptop, if you can play without a mouse and the game is not too demanding (e.g. I'm currently playing the 1993 Doom on the laptop).

I consider the Ys games to be action games rather than RPGs. They do tend to be longer than many other action games, but not as long as games I call RPGs.

The combat is just like the combat in a typical action game; nothing turn-based about it at all. In fact, boss fights feel like action game boss fights, with a heavy emphasis on dodging the enemy's attacks (in a game that uses collision to determine if an attack hits). I actually prefer it when you *don't* have to worry about actually moving and positioning your characters in combat; it makes combat go much faster. Also, I don't like pointing and clicking.

(For the record, the Ys games are very fast paced; as I said, they're action games, not RPGs.)

You've just described some of the main reasons why I'm not much into J-RPGs any more. Hah hah. The fights can definitely feel tedious after a while, especially after playing games such as Blackguards, where every battle was challenging and unique in some way.

Perhaps you'd enjoy Regalia - Of Men and Monarchs. It's a tactical RPG, with challenging and fun combat, and some of the aesthetics of J-RPGs. Played it a few months ago and it's one of my favorites of this year. Requires heavy mouse/cursor control, though.

I see your point about Ys 1&2, and it seems like good value at the current discount. Personally I couldn't get into the "bump" combat system, back when I tried the SNES version of one of these. But it might be well suited for keyboard-only controls. The only SNES Ys I enjoyed was a sidescroller, similar to Castlevania SotN. I think Oath in Felghana is based on that one.

On a side-note, Classic DOOM is probably not a good hardware benchmark at this point. :D

Of course not, I just meant to say the game does not need to be slow and turned based for me to have fun playing it on the laptop. ;) (And maybe that 2D and simple 90's 3D is better than more recent games running on real 3D engines. I could actually play Bioshock and Assassin's Creed on the laptop, but I prefer to keep it simple.)

What I'm looking for right now, are basically simple, cheap action games that can be played with keyboard only but are still addictive and fun; nice story, obvious progression and RPG elements are a plus. And I have a great library of bought games to browse already, I was just wondering if these Ys games would fit, since they're on sale at the moment.

I'd say Ys1&2 work for that, just make sure to watch a trailer, to check if the combat system appeals to you.

How about Chaos Engine? Maybe SteamWorld Dig? Hammerwatch? Shovel Knight, and similar old-school Platformers/Jump'n'Runs, if you're into those. Oh, and Broforce is pretty amazing. These should all work reasonably well without a mouse/gamepad.

Ys Origin spoils some things for Ys 1 + 2 so you should play 1 + 2 first for story purposes (even though Origin is technically a prequel).

The other games aren't connected so you could just play whatever game looks the most interesting to you.

I've played through Steamworld Dig; Shovel Knight is too expensive for my liking, and Hammerwatch I found a bit boring. I don't have Chaos Engine; and it seems to have been removed from sale for German customers? But I remember it had mixed reviews. I do have Broforce though, and it's fun. I only played with gamepad so far, but I could try how well it works with keyboard, thanks. Good to know, thanks!

Rogue Legacy is pretty cool too, if you haven't played it. And Spelunky, although that one is light on story and doesn't have RPG style progression. Still a great game.

And did they seriously region-lock Chaos Engine? I used to have the old game for SNES, and even back then it was hard to see why it was indexed/banned/whatever -- If selling that game on the German market is still restricted, that is actually hilarious. And a little sad. And to think that I bought a completely uncut German version of Evil Within last year, via German Amazon.

Someone should tell the folks at GOG's law department that they're technically not allowed to sell Witcher 3 to German customers either, unless they add an age verification system to their store. Funny how they're cherry picking which laws to obey and which ones to ignore... ( Edit: Now that I think about it, make that the entire Witcher series, not just the third one. Pretty sure they're all rated 18+ here. )

Having played Ys Chronicles I & II fairly recently, I agree 100% that you should check out some gameplay videos to see how combat works in these games. In the beginning I remember being frustrated because I couldn't "get it right". And then it just ... clicked! And I was surprised at how this bump-combat system allows the game to flow very nicely! You just have to get used to it with some initial practice. Also, I think they may work fine with a keyboard (I don't remember using lots of buttons although I played with a gamepad). If you decide to buy the I & II pack (which I highly recommend) just give the combat system some time to grow in you else you will miss a pair of great games!

I've got Rogue Legacy and Spelunky but I never got very far in them. They're fun for a while, but I tend to lose motivation with rogue-lites quickly, if I always have to start from scratch and there is no story or permanentt progression to speak of, although admittedly there is some progression through unlockables in these games, but apparently that's not enough for me in the long run. I could casually play them so more now though, I guess, since I haven't played them for quite some time.
I did watch some gameplay footage and what I liked is that apparently (at least in Ys 1) you can save your game at all times and everywhere? That would definitely help with getting accustomed to the combat system, provided you can also continue from the exact spot you made your savegame in.

Some time ago I decided I'll only buy games when they are either ridiculously cheap, part of a big sale(such as when they would count towards an overall tier to unlock bonuses), out of nostalgia, or when I intend to try/play them in the following days.

All this talk of Ys, is making my fingers itch for some Nihon Falcom action adventure. That's when I ran into this wiki entry: So has anybody tried to play the game on Win10?

EDIT: I should have used my brain before posting, because searching the Ys(series) GOG forum, I've come across this: Ys Origin crashes to desktop - Windows 10. But the thread also links to an unofficial patch. So it looks like the game works.

Yes, if I am not mistaken, in Ys I & II no matter where you may be (except boss screens I think) you just open the menu screen and navigate to a 'save' option. It is extremely helpful because these games seemed a bit hard to me (I am not an expert in the genre) so I had to save a lot (eg. after finding a better sword or after beating a hard boss).