Ys I & II Chronicles+

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.

It's been a while I wanted to play the Ys serie. I tried on the PSP, then emulated the SuperGrafX. I liked it, but bounced on it. But those remake, they are great games. Stellar soundtrack, the graphics are wonderful. It's simple as in efficient, the writing is great, they are numerous details to think about. The bump game play is weird at first but it's actually really fun and engaging, it's like playing a supercharged arcade game. I find the first more contained, the two pens up and add some mechanics but it's a tad too long. That's nitpicking , given the finish of these remakes. I'm following with Origin, as I will play them in the story order. I'm delighted. If you like action-adventure RPG, it's something else. Higly recommanded.

Ys (or Y's, as it was wrongly called on the Sega Master System) was one of the first role-playing games I ever played some thirty-five years ago. I still remember the feeling of wonder to this day. The music was probably the biggest factor in that wonder – it was and still is probably the most memorable music ever created for a video game. Even with the very limited sound abilities of the Sega Master System (SMS), I was enthralled, hearing pounding drums, soaring guitars and epic synths instead of the tinny PCM sounds that the SMS was actually putting out. Now, in this version, I can actually hear the sounds how I imagined them all those years ago. The graphics too are much, much improved, believe it or not. Yes, they still look extremely basic by current standards, but they are perfect for what is, after all, a very simple game: talk to everyone, explore everywhere, and kill as many monsters as you can. The “Bump System” combat is also extremely simple, involving little more than hitting enemies in any way except head-on. Once you are powered up enough, you can plough through enemies like you have a chainsaw, although you still have to pay attention in the final few areas of the game. So all in all, despite its age, I'd say this is still a fun, good old game and the obvious start to your adventures in the world of Ys.

For both games, their combat system is interesting, mostly has you attack by running into enemies at an angle. Progression is pretty linear, not much in the way of side quests and side content outside of optional character interactions. Characters aren't deep and the plot is basic but it all still has a lot of charm to it. Nice pixel art all around and really awesome music (in 3 variants too!) that could still grow tiring from how often you hear it, the most often heard battle track usually. They're very classic RPG in that your only way to find out where to go is to talk to different characters for more information and hints, can feel rewarding if you're successful, frustrating if you're lost. You also have to make it through without a map and areas get increasingly complex and hard to navigate, but they aren't completely impenetrable at least. Even played together their runtime is pretty short for a JRPG, and it always feels like you're making rapid progress. Ys I has its flaws but Ys II makes definite improvements on the first game. In terms of bosses, they all feel like entertaining challenges, and the game also gives you additional tools to play with, such as offensive and utility magic. You can also at least use your equipped item during a boss fight but still can't change it. Regular enemies can now also perform an attack apart from just bumping into you, so there's something else to watch out for. You don't have a massive boost in power from each level and upgrade anymore but you do still feel like you're gaining power at a decent pace. The plot is more involved and there's a bit more to the character interactions, especially with the simple gifting system, and now talking to enemies is also possible after a certain point. It's basically improved on the first game in important ways and is even more enjoyable to play through. I recommend these if you're into older JRPGs overall.

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.