Setting sail into new waters is the vanity behind the tenth Ys sport and one thing it does with gusto, in accordance with our personal Sean Cabot’s wonderful evaluation. Now, nevertheless, a “definitive” version has reached our shores within the type of Ys X: Proud Nordics. Whereas a worthy buy for these curious and people who’ve but to strive the vanilla model, does Ys X: Proud Nordics justify a double-dip for returning gamers? The waters are murky in that regard.
Set someday after the occasions of the second Ys sport, Ys X: Proud Nordics sees redheaded swordsman Adol Christin as soon as extra embarking into the good unknown, accompanied by his erstwhile associate Dogi the Wall Crusher and the researcher Physician Aptitude. It isn’t lengthy after arriving within the waters of Obelia Gulf that the boat they’re using on is besieged by the Norman forces of the seafaring Balta Seaforce. That encounter results in the trio’s momentary stranding within the port city of Carnac, the place Adol not solely encounters a mystical speaking seashell but in addition turns into actually chained to the Norman Pirate Princess Karja.
When Carnac is attacked by an timeless, monstrous military and the townspeople are kidnapped, Adol and Karja embark on an epic quest amidst tumultuous waters to guard your complete gulf from being swept into chaos. The truths they uncover in regards to the area’s historical past hit nearer to dwelling than they may think about, particularly for the decided Karja.
That’s just about the gist of Ys X: Nordics’ plot, and it’s carried over word-for-word to the Proud Nordics model. Adol and Karja rescue their allies and, within the course of, receive the mandatory improve supplies to strengthen their boat, the Sandras. Their crew sails the waters of Obelia Gulf, reclaiming occupied territory as they traverse by a mixture of each naval and land battles. If one has performed the sport’s unique model, there’s little or no totally different right here past some minor high quality of life enhancements to make fight stream higher and boat journey simpler.
It’s the addition of the EX quest line involving the massive and mysterious Oland Island that actually differentiates Proud Nordics. This island is a big area that lets you take a look at acquired mana talents, combating powerful enemies as you journey the dungeons all through to uncover the mysteries behind why the Normans have been compelled to depart their ancestral homeland within the historic previous. Adol and Karja meet up with Karja’s cousin Canute and his exasperated Defend Sister Astrid, with Canute coercing the 2 into collaborating in a contest to see who can uncover extra of the island’s mysteries. In fact, he has an ulterior motive, culminating in a difficult and multi-tiered last combat.
The EX quests open up about midway by the sport’s ten chapters, and I’d hardly name them “seamless” additions, given their size and the way they usually divert from the principle plot line. That is particularly obvious with the final EX quest that prompts proper earlier than the principle storyline’s last boss combat, inflicting you to jump over to Oland to run by a maze-like dungeon and combat the ultimate boss of the EX quests earlier than leaping again over to proceed with the sport’s precise last boss and see the ending.
You get to place your mana talents to the take a look at with the EX quests, which could be enjoyable and rewarding, however past some mild lore and world-building, there isn’t an excessive amount of precise story added into the combination. Canute and Astrid are fascinating characters, however the sport waits till the top of the EX quests to essentially delve into them, in order that they aren’t as memorable as they may have been.
Past having new dungeons to discover and executives to combat on Oland, you may as well take part in mana board racing and practice up Adol and Karja by coliseum fights. A brand new mana means, the Mana Maintain, allows you to telekinetically carry blocks or yank projectiles out of the air and hurl them in a unique course. To be trustworthy, Mana Maintain isn’t my favourite of the skills Adol and Karja unlock, as Mana String and Mana Board will without end maintain these spots, and Maintain’s aiming may use some fine-tuning. Nonetheless, it’s one other fascinating technique to deal with puzzles and exploration development.
Exploring the waters of Obelia Gulf results in a slew of latest discoveries, and I loved uncovering islands to discover, liberating townsfolk to recruit to the ship, discovering misplaced pikkards, and simply crusing basically. The Sandras basically turns into a floating city in and of itself as you go, and I appreciated getting the possibility to boost affinity with its residents and uncover their private quests, as that usually meant I had the chance to as soon as once more set out and discover to my coronary heart’s content material.
The naval battles themselves weren’t horrible both, being much less tedious than, say, these in Suikoden IV. So long as the ship is upgraded and retrofitted, they’re manageable. The gradual boat journey can get tedious, so I usually relied on the useful quick journey choice to rapidly return to locations I’d uncovered as soon as it was obtainable.
The motion RPG gameplay after reaching land and traversing dungeons is the place Ys X actually shines, with Adol and Karja utilizing mana talents to rapidly get to areas that’d in any other case show inaccessible. The combo-based fight is each quick and fluid, counting on assaults you program into button shortcuts. You’ll be able to management both character straight or have them work in tandem, with their joint assaults usually having extra oomph. It was enjoyable seamlessly switching between the 2 totally different kinds of play.
Whereas I most well-liked Adol’s speedier strategy to combating, I discovered that Karja’s heftier axe and ice assaults have been a boon at instances. Ys fight is polished to a tee right here, although boss battles usually proved to be classes in endurance slightly than ability in direction of the sport’s last portion. Whereas I loved the totally different fight kinds of the varied occasion members in different Ys titles, I believe the streamlined fight here’s a sturdy promoting level, because it actually provides the sense of Adol and Karja working as a group.
From a personality stance, Karja is Ys X‘s driving drive. Her private journey of development and growth shapes the narrative, whereas Adol’s wide-eyed enthusiasm for adventuring helps place the participant straight within the story. I appreciated many of the different characters too, and the Sandras’ crew all had their moments to shine, although Rafe, Ashley, and Ezer have been most likely the standouts given their tales and questlines.
I don’t assume the Sandras crew may need as a lot endurance in my thoughts as, say, the occasion members from Ys IX: Monstrum Nox or Ys: Reminiscences of Celceta, since they don’t usually go away the ship or journey dungeons with you, however they’re well-written nonetheless. I do really feel a bit dangerous for Dogi, although! He’s Adol’s most steadfast companion, and I like him, given his narrative all through the sequence, however even he tends to take a little bit of a story backseat right here. Sadly, that appears to be the lovable man’s lot in lots of the current Ys titles.
From a narrative stance, I do assume Ys is in an fascinating place proper now. In the mean time, Falcom has two big-name sequence, with Ys on the motion RPG aspect and The Legend of Heroes: Trails on the opposite. I like each sequence for various causes: Trails is a sprawling sci-fi/fantasy epic, whereas Ys is a extra self-contained story of discovery and journey. Ys is like consolation meals to me, and the sequence has an entire lot of coronary heart and polished gameplay mechanics that make it enjoyable to play.
Even I can inform they’re now attempting to increase the narrative extra, given Trails‘ success, and I’ve blended emotions about it. On one hand, it’s actually an fascinating strategy, and we get some nice characters like Karja by it. Then again, Ys is extra in regards to the thrill of journey and overcoming problem, meant to be loved at any level within the sequence’ timeline with out feeling beholden to what got here earlier than.
There are some fascinating teasers happening on this sport about attainable future story factors, together with a secret trace you possibly can uncover within the epilogue, however I do know that the Ys sequence leaning extra in direction of being like its cousin Trails has had blended reception, so Ys is actually at an fascinating crossroads proper now. I do want that Ys received as a lot growth price range as Trails does, although, as a few of the visuals, like acquired loot graphics, look much less visually interesting and nearly “gacha”-esque.
Talking of visuals, Ys X: Proud Nordics is a handsome sport in lots of respects. There’s a stunning vibrancy to the graphics. I do assume the terrains and enemy designs can have some extent of “sameness” to them, however character fashions and artwork are expressive and detailed.
The areas you journey on foot are cleverly designed that will help you assume and work out find out how to greatest progress with out being too irritating. There have been some pop-ups within the last dungeon areas, however I do know a Day One Patch is deliberate to repair a lot of these hiccups. The script localization can be very well performed, with nary an error to be discovered; spectacular on condition that it is a meaty script for Ys.
In fact, one can’t actually speak about Ys with out delving into its music. The soundtrack for Ys X positively doesn’t disappoint, with a number of tracks designed to seize the sense of wonderment the sport desires to convey and to get the blood roiling throughout frenetic fight. Ys X: Proud Nordics even has extra music tracks, which solely add to that sentiment, resembling “Mighty Blizzard.”
The English voice appearing can be comparatively first rate, with particular kudos going to Karja’s actor, Cherami Leigh, specifically for some unbelievable deliveries. Adol and Dogi’s actors additionally do a incredible job reprising their respective roles. Ys X does endure from sporadic/partial voice appearing at instances, which is an fascinating alternative to make sure, as there are oftentimes lengthy stretches of no voice work in any respect.
Ys X: Proud Nordics is an odd duck: although it’s most actually the definitive version of the tenth Ys sport, it’s a tall order to get somebody to pay full worth for a sport that might’ve simply been a less expensive DLC growth, particularly in the event that they’ve already performed Ys X: Nordics. I vastly loved this sport myself and was completely entertained by this new installment of Adol the Purple’s adventures, however I’m within the place of not having had an opportunity to strive the unique beforehand. I believe any newcomers to Ys X ought to actually add Proud Nordics to their assortment, however those that’ve already crossed these waters may wish to anticipate a worth discount earlier than doing so once more.
