Post by bishopcruz on Dec 4, 2013 22:39:17 GMT -5
Well, just beat the game. and I wanted to talk about it with some of the gang here. I also posted this at NeoGAF.
Loved it, but it just might be my least favorite Ys overall. There are a lot of reasons for this, some are hardcore Ys fan annoyances, and some are just strange choices that the game made.
The Good:
-The combat is crisp and fun as ever. It's a step up from Ys Seven, and flash moving and flash guarding are a ton of fun. Skill finishes are especially enjoyable, and the game is fast and fun. Still haven't played an ARPG that is as good on the action as an Ys game. It just works.
-The Forest. I LOVE the huge map and world to explore, and I like having muliple choices in where to go and when. Very cool. The towns are great in their design, each has its own feel and reason that they are what they are.
-The party members. Your party is a varied and fun bunch to be around. They each have something to add story wise and the personalities are not grating at all. Ys tends to have strong archetypal characters and this one is no exception
-The quest system. I like it, some of them are a little meh, but overall it adds a lot to the game and gives you a good reason to explore the HUGE world. Good stuff overall.
-(Most of) the Dungeons. While they aren't quite up to the pure awesome that was OiF or Origin, the dungeons were for the most part cleverly designed and a joy to rip through. The puzzle elements didn't always work, but I always looked forward to exploring the areas.
-The Roos. All Roo dialogue is hilarious if you bother transcribing the runes.
-The shout outs. Great shout outs to all of the Ys games. In fact you could play this one in chronological order and it will likely increase your enjoyment of earlier games. Nice.
The meh:
-The new tunes. We got a bunch of new tracks from Falcom for this one, but honestly they weren't up to snuff. They aren't bad by any stretch, they hover around Ys 7, but that was another weaker entry in the franchise music wise.
-The NPCs. By this I am singling out anyone who isn't in the actual party. They just never felt like they were adding much to the whole thing. Rabbit and Pigeon were alright, but
The Bad:
-Lack of musical variety. There just isn't enough music for the number of areas in this game. So many areas reuse tunes that it's ridiculous. Yeah a lot of other games do that, but not Ys! Ys has always been great at having a different bit of music for each dungeon and area on the map. Sometimes every TOWN would have different music. The music here isn't bad, it borders on great, but it grates after a while. That and they cut the best tracks from the Ys IVs for no good reason. I just don't get it.
-The removal of (Ys IV spoilers)
-The final dungeon. The final area of Ys games is traditionally a tense, difficult run through hordes of monsters in an absolutely massive labrynthene area. Finding your way around is sometimes as hard as getting through the enemies, and that's usually pretty hard too. Games like Ys 1 and 2 both had sprawling monstrosities of dungeons that took the latter half of the game to complete. Ys VI, OiF and Origin had smaller areas, but they felt no less epic. You felt like you were going through some of the best level design in the game to make it to the end. Not here, the final dungeon is a joke
-The Ending. Was terrible. Really, terrible. Like felt like it got cut off in the middle terrible.
Still loved the game, and will heartily recommend it to anyone who asks. Just a bit disappointed in comparison to the rest of the series. This game did SO MUCH right, that it's worth it. I just wish it was a little more polished. It feels rushed.
Loved it, but it just might be my least favorite Ys overall. There are a lot of reasons for this, some are hardcore Ys fan annoyances, and some are just strange choices that the game made.
The Good:
-The combat is crisp and fun as ever. It's a step up from Ys Seven, and flash moving and flash guarding are a ton of fun. Skill finishes are especially enjoyable, and the game is fast and fun. Still haven't played an ARPG that is as good on the action as an Ys game. It just works.
-The Forest. I LOVE the huge map and world to explore, and I like having muliple choices in where to go and when. Very cool. The towns are great in their design, each has its own feel and reason that they are what they are.
-The party members. Your party is a varied and fun bunch to be around. They each have something to add story wise and the personalities are not grating at all. Ys tends to have strong archetypal characters and this one is no exception
-The quest system. I like it, some of them are a little meh, but overall it adds a lot to the game and gives you a good reason to explore the HUGE world. Good stuff overall.
-(Most of) the Dungeons. While they aren't quite up to the pure awesome that was OiF or Origin, the dungeons were for the most part cleverly designed and a joy to rip through. The puzzle elements didn't always work, but I always looked forward to exploring the areas.
-The Roos. All Roo dialogue is hilarious if you bother transcribing the runes.
-The shout outs. Great shout outs to all of the Ys games. In fact you could play this one in chronological order and it will likely increase your enjoyment of earlier games. Nice.
The meh:
-The new tunes. We got a bunch of new tracks from Falcom for this one, but honestly they weren't up to snuff. They aren't bad by any stretch, they hover around Ys 7, but that was another weaker entry in the franchise music wise.
-The NPCs. By this I am singling out anyone who isn't in the actual party. They just never felt like they were adding much to the whole thing. Rabbit and Pigeon were alright, but
Leeza is boring, though she always was. Leo got a bigger role, but a kinda forgettable one, at least as the dumb villain he had some spark and Eldeel is just odd, but he has never been written all that well. I just wish we understood him more, as he is the window into the Eldeans.
The Bad:
-Lack of musical variety. There just isn't enough music for the number of areas in this game. So many areas reuse tunes that it's ridiculous. Yeah a lot of other games do that, but not Ys! Ys has always been great at having a different bit of music for each dungeon and area on the map. Sometimes every TOWN would have different music. The music here isn't bad, it borders on great, but it grates after a while. That and they cut the best tracks from the Ys IVs for no good reason. I just don't get it.
-The removal of (Ys IV spoilers)
Esteria.
I knew it was coming, but I don't like it one bit. Esteria was HUGE in both Mask of the Sun and Dawn of Ys. It cemented the links between the first games and the Eldeans, and it was a great bit of fan service as well. Not to mention it was a huge part of the later third or so of the story. Without it, things seem kinda off.
-The final dungeon. The final area of Ys games is traditionally a tense, difficult run through hordes of monsters in an absolutely massive labrynthene area. Finding your way around is sometimes as hard as getting through the enemies, and that's usually pretty hard too. Games like Ys 1 and 2 both had sprawling monstrosities of dungeons that took the latter half of the game to complete. Ys VI, OiF and Origin had smaller areas, but they felt no less epic. You felt like you were going through some of the best level design in the game to make it to the end. Not here, the final dungeon is a joke
With three floors that each have a single gimmick. They are all short, and not all that satisfying. Both Ys IVs had huge abandoned cities to explore before the end. Here it's a whole lot of buildup for nothing.
-The Ending. Was terrible. Really, terrible. Like felt like it got cut off in the middle terrible.
Still loved the game, and will heartily recommend it to anyone who asks. Just a bit disappointed in comparison to the rest of the series. This game did SO MUCH right, that it's worth it. I just wish it was a little more polished. It feels rushed.
