Posted on: March 11, 2025

thewayout

Games: 164 Reviews: 1

The original epic action JRPG

This combination of YS Books I & II is a remaster of the first two games in a series that started in the 1980s on Japanese PCs long before other action RPG franchises appeared. While that means updated visuals, sound, accessibility, and some quality of life features vs. the originals. If you weren't around for those days long ago keep in mind that games of this vintage were a little more quirky and don't always explain things. The 'bump-combat' style is one of those unique and quirky aspects; it seems odd at first, but once you get used to it you can see that it leads to a fairly quick-paced combat flow with lots of movement which is what they were going for. Part of this older style also means they expect you to explore everything, and experiment with your equipment/items around the environment to uncover things organically. The thought would also be that you'd probably replay the game, which means something you missed could surprise you on a replay. The side effect of that is that it becomes really easy to miss things or not be aware of something as it doesn't drop much in terms of hints. If you don't want spoilers, but don't want to miss things have multiple saves and before any boss fight check a guide for anything you missed up to that point. I originally played this on a game console called the TurboGrafx-16 CD (PC-Engine CD in Japan) released in 1990 (1989 Japan). With that being the first CD game console and this game being one of the first CD games in existence with two sizable (for the time) games combined into one package with enhanced graphics, anime cut-scenes, voice-acting, and a CD audio soundtrack (vs. just chip-tunes) it was amazing. Replaying this using Gentoo Linux via Proton 9.0-203 compatibility layer with env var PROTON_USE_WINED3D=1, regedit to "DisableHidraw"/"Enable SDL" for controller support, and disabling movie playback via the config.exe. Works great!

Is this helpful to you?

Posted on: July 27, 2015

tehexile

Verified owner

Games: 307 Reviews: 4

a solid version of a great classic

I also have this version on Steam and several other versions of the same game. My first ever was Ys 1 on the Master System! This version feels the most streamlined with a nice cheerful graphical style and well enhanced music. it stays true to the original, along with some options of making things more like earlier versions, including the weird system of bumping into enemies in YS 1. I consider this game to be a true classic. my favourite things about the two interlinked games are the music, art style and general atmosphere. the plot can be a little cliched in parts, especially Adol's endless ladies to rescue, but as somewhat of a founder of a genre it can get away with it as it has started a tradition of its own. it requires a lot of grinding earlier on in the game as the bosses are notoriously difficult but I find the grinding to be relaxing, as it involves so much walking around on your own while listing to cool music. about halfway through, you will have maxed out your level and bought everything, and the mazes will start getting interesting so you can wander around getting lost while listening to cool music instead.

Is this helpful to you?

Posted on: August 5, 2020

Garrettius

Verified owner

Games: 171 Reviews: 1

Two Incredible Games

Falcom has always made amazing games and the Ys 1 & 2 remake is no exception. The music is outstanding and the graphics mesh with the art style astonishingly well. The gameplay is incredibly entertaining, however, it is not for the faint of heart. Some bosses will prove challenging even on lower difficulty settings. If you love the Ys series or JRPGs in general, then you are in for a great time.

Is this helpful to you?

Posted on: April 10, 2020

lambesk

Verified owner

Games: 496 Reviews: 32

Really fun games

I've never played any Ys games prior to these two, but I'm really looking forward to seeing where the series goes from here. I say that because I know moving forward the gameplay will be drastically different. As you can tell from other reviews and the game description itself, this is the only release on GoG to use the bump combat system. It doesn't take long to get used to really. The visuals in these games are actually really, really good. I love the anime aesthetic too. The music is also just amazing. I will say that the first game was much more difficult than the second. The very first boss was one of the more difficult ones to me honestly. I mean, he's nowhere near as insane as the final boss, but it could be a downer for people who've never played these games thinking that it's going to be super difficult throughout. It really isn't though. The second boss was a cakewalk comparatively. The second game to me is not only more fun, but also has quite a bit more to do. The main drawbacks for me with these games are that there are areas that don't really feel super intuitive and I had to consult a guide here and there. This was more prevalent with the first game, but there were a couple of times in the second game where I was left scratching my head. Much less so though, so it's once again an indication of how much better the second game is. Overall I'd say the first game is good albeit fairly difficult, but the second one is great. I definitely got my money's worth out of these games.

Is this helpful to you?

Posted on: June 25, 2020

smg7650

Verified owner

Games: 323 Reviews: 3

An enjoyable and Relaxing experience.

The Good 1-Combat is fun. 2-The music is on point (More than that )........Perfect. 3-The Story is good. The bad -Level design can be a headache sometimes.(Not bad But okay). -level cap .

Is this helpful to you?

Discover CD PROJEKT RED games

Highlights

Featured

Close, but not an exact hit

Ys I & II Chronicles+

Other ratings

Add a review

Edit a review

Delete this review?

Report this review

Additional Details (required):

Report this review