Ys IX: Monstrum Nox

This game was an instant purchase for me when it came out on console. Much like in the case of the previous games this is an upgrade of the engine used by the game came out before. This being said the general gameplay is more balanced and somehow more responsive. The graphics are equal to the patched Ys 8 however suffers from the optimization problems where too much shadows and lights have to be handled even on the console. I found this detail interesting because Ys 8 had the exact same problem at start too. Unfortunately it fails to continue the climbing Ys 8 started. Ys 9 is more like the earily games where the story was told through plot scenes (sometimes way too long ones) and not really have those integrated in the whole. Don't get me wrong, this is the standard for Ys games but a step back compared to Ys 8 where it had the right balance. Its story also more similar to the older games rather than the newer ones (Ys Seven and above) lacking the "wow" moment. The plot is awesome and interesting, I have to say. The gameplay is perfect. It is the exact same as in Ys 8 with some balance changes in the response. Fighting feels epic and the transition between combat and the exploring is fluid. Skills are easy to use, nothing new. The most significant change is the remove of common equipments and instead the characters have separate traversal abilities. These however are more well used as you have more places to have fun with the traversal abilities, more freedom to use it. The only thing I dislike and made it lose a star is it feels like a lackluster version of Ys 8. The general gameplay feels a bit empty, often about traversing between the carefree town and the arena like fights with minimal diversion. Since I'm comparising already I would say this is kind of like in Ys 1. Most of the features from Ys 8 is here however all of them feels a bit forced maybe even out of place. I thought it is just here because the previous game featured it thus can not leave it out.

As the title says, I can't attest to the port's quality, but the game itself is a fine addition to this series. The City you're in for most of it is a bit less...colorful I'll say, than the island of VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, but it is also a bit more focused. There's no empty space here, no maps that you just run through, they all have a purpose, if not in the narrative, then in the world history, and like most of Adol Christian's adventures, you can pick this up, and play it, without playing any of his other tales. It references other adventures, but never requires that you know them. In a gameplay sense, the game is basically 'What if VIII was even better?' you still have defensive and offensive sub missions, almost all optional this time. Maps in the city have no monsters in the normal world, but instead spawn 'random points' that you can walk into to start a battle, which is always worth it, both because you need a certain amount of points(100 usually, with 6-12 per fight) to advance the plot, but, once you've maxed that out, the points are converted into a second currency that you can then spend on both upgrade materials, and even some special stuff, which is enjoyable. Beyond that, exploring the city and outskirts is a fantastic time with the traversal abilities, from running up walls, double jumping, hook shotting, and a few others, you get plenty of nice, fun powers to play with, and some interesting characters to go along with them. Not quite as focused as the cast of VIII, to be fair, but it's isolated location meant you only heard about families and stuff of those characters, whereas here, you meet them, which does take up some screen time. That said, I still think this is a fantastic game, and heartily recommend it to any fan of the series, with references for those of who've played every game, but never so much that it detracts for the story at hand.

Shares a lot of gameplay similarities with Lacrimosa of Dana with a story that sometimes feels like it is trying to be edgy and sometimes delivering intrigue in a unique setting for the series and games in general. Action and music are solid as to be expected from a Ys game. Big recommend if you enjoy Japanese action RPGs.

Simply put I absolutely loved this game. Refining everything Ys VIII did and adding new additions that work out exceptionally well, the series has so far ended on the highest note it has yet hit, and I honestly can't wait to see what's next for our favorite professional adventurer.