I'll add my own brick to this wall as well:
I 'discovered' Ys (Oath in Felghana, to be specific, because it was the first title to arive on Steam back then) because of my friend - now I don't know what arguments he used to convince me... Still - I watched the gameplay and had the same thoughts as you, SmashManiac. 'Isn't it just... simple?', I asked. It is - on paper. To describe it with one word it would be 'mashing'. Still the art, the music get me a little curious. Now, after playing it myself, I would call it simple. Yes, you mush attack button and it does the thing, but there are diffrent monster who need a more apriopiet approach. Bosses... I don't even have to mention them, because it's obvious it's no simple punching them in the face. Still - this is not a hack'n'slash. It's adventure game, and this is important - searching for things, exploring is vital for the series. Ys Origin is a little different in this matter, because of the setting - more focused, so there is, in some meaning, 'less space' in the game. It's not a bad thing, just... different. More that grinding, as said above - I think the only instance when you would need grinding is to make the last boss fight easier on highest difficulty, but it's still up to you - if you can't remember the pattern and to avoid his attacks grind won't win you this. The fast pace of the game and option to play it in quick sessions, also metioned above - it's true.
And one thing that, I think, no one mentioned here - feels. The story in the game probably wouldn't win any global award for scripts, but it is not just a pretecst for slaying hordes of deamons. It makes sense, it's part of a whole, and... it's also gives feels. I don't want to spoil the game, but in Ys II after doing 'good deed', you're going back to a house important to that deed. It's a happy moment. But the scene with the music gave me a sudden, very melancholic feel. I walked out of the house... and the music was still on! To this day I am not sure if I would hug or punch the guy who scripted it. And no - this game won't shake your world or anything. But it isn't blank, deprived of emotions. Which is also a good thing.

Hi, sorry to bump this old thread but I'm really considering getting this on GOG and I had a question about the music. Since you have played the TurboGrafx versions of Ys, I was wondering if you could comment on the music in this GOG version and how it compares to the TurboCD version's music. I really love how they did the music for Ys I and II on the TurboCD, so I'm curious about the presentation of the tunes in this remaster.

I don't have the GOG version of Ys Chronicles 1&2 but I do have the DotEmu mobile versions for my Android tablet.

I prefer the TurboGrafx version's music. One major plus is that it's uncompressed CD audio. You could put it in a CD player and play it as long as you skip the data track (track 2). The remixed music doesn't seem to keep my interest but the TG16's soundtrack keeps me hooked. A lot of it personal preference so your mileage may vary. Maybe try looking at some let's plays on YouTube.

Random Trivia: Jim Cummings ( Winnie The Pooh, Tigger, Darkwing Duck ) did the voice of evil wizard Dalles!

I think it's important to note that you can actually select which of the two music styles you want in the GoG version. I remember switching that option back and forth for more variety.

Way back in the day I loved playing 3 (Which felghana is a remake of) on both SNES and Genesis, loved the music, gameplay, story. It was just fun.

at some point the game feels like a mix between zelda and danmaku and its awesome!