Ys: The Ark of Napishtim
Mar. 29th, 2013 09:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chuckroThe famous red-haired swordsman Adol is caught in a storm at sea and washed up on a mysterious beach…again. Only this time the storm in question is the Great Vortex, which seals in an island chain full of secrets. Can he bring peace to the troubled human and Rehda tribes, gather the magical emelas swords, and unlock The Ark of Napishtim?
Having recently played Ys: The Oath in Felghana, this is very familiar. Similar system (basically the same game engine), similar equipment and upgrades, and the usual Ys plot about the wandering swordsman Adol arriving in town and saving the locals from their ancient curses.
I give them credit for obviously trying to tie together the stories of the various installments--it seems that the winged race from Ys 4 caused the problems here before they vanished, and the same folks responsible for the recent mess also created the monster from Ys 3.
Given that it’s basically a glorified 2D ¾-view action game, the amount of loading is a little ridiculous. I wonder if this was the fault of a poor port from the PS2 version. (Honestly, in general the game feels like a problematic port, in that the graphics are sometimes a bit choppy and less-than-optimal for the small screen; and the action will occasionally pause when there’s a lot going on or you gain a level. The remake of Ys 3, obviously intended for the PSP from the start, is much better about this.)
I suspect the original was a very pretty game, and there are certainly some areas where that still shines through—some of the landscapes and visuals are really well-done. The giant statues when you enter the Ruins of Amnesia come to mind as particularly striking.
I’m a little irritated to have to play on Normal Mode, because I’m only middling at these games and playing on Easy (as in the other games) generally means not needing to grind to survive. Ys games tend to involve a lot of grinding for money and XP, because bosses are generally only defeatable once you hit a certain minimum level. This isn’t really different, though the FAQ I read claims you need to be level 57 to get past the final boss, and I managed it just fine at level 50 and missing a bunch of items. And I was able to finish the game and never hit any really big roadblocks, so obviously it was still playable despite my lack of skills.
Bad design: Incredibly well-hidden items that require pixil-perfect maneuvering and/or moves the game itself never teaches you (and I don’t have a manual, so I learned them from an FAQ); particularly the dash-jump. Fuck the dash-jump.
There are some dungeons where having a map (making one or getting one from the internet) is really, really helpful. And by “some dungeons”, I mostly mean the Limewater Cave, where it’s practically required if you want to find all the items. The fact that that cave is dark and all the areas look the same (and there’s a blind dash-jump to get a useful item) makes it the worst in the game.
The bosses range from easy to nasty, but most of them have pretty recognizable patterns; there are no arbitrary restrictions on using magic against them (like some other games); and you can immediately retry if you lose. Just remember to equip healing items in your tool slot, because you can’t access the menu screen during boss battles.
Overall: I’ve apparently made it a mission to play all of the Ys games, since I have the requisite hardware at this point. If you’re unsure about the series, I’d recommend either trying The Oath in Felghana or starting with the remakes of Books I and II, then working your way forward if they appeal to you. This one is still fun, but I have some issues with it.
Having recently played Ys: The Oath in Felghana, this is very familiar. Similar system (basically the same game engine), similar equipment and upgrades, and the usual Ys plot about the wandering swordsman Adol arriving in town and saving the locals from their ancient curses.
I give them credit for obviously trying to tie together the stories of the various installments--it seems that the winged race from Ys 4 caused the problems here before they vanished, and the same folks responsible for the recent mess also created the monster from Ys 3.
Given that it’s basically a glorified 2D ¾-view action game, the amount of loading is a little ridiculous. I wonder if this was the fault of a poor port from the PS2 version. (Honestly, in general the game feels like a problematic port, in that the graphics are sometimes a bit choppy and less-than-optimal for the small screen; and the action will occasionally pause when there’s a lot going on or you gain a level. The remake of Ys 3, obviously intended for the PSP from the start, is much better about this.)
I suspect the original was a very pretty game, and there are certainly some areas where that still shines through—some of the landscapes and visuals are really well-done. The giant statues when you enter the Ruins of Amnesia come to mind as particularly striking.
I’m a little irritated to have to play on Normal Mode, because I’m only middling at these games and playing on Easy (as in the other games) generally means not needing to grind to survive. Ys games tend to involve a lot of grinding for money and XP, because bosses are generally only defeatable once you hit a certain minimum level. This isn’t really different, though the FAQ I read claims you need to be level 57 to get past the final boss, and I managed it just fine at level 50 and missing a bunch of items. And I was able to finish the game and never hit any really big roadblocks, so obviously it was still playable despite my lack of skills.
Bad design: Incredibly well-hidden items that require pixil-perfect maneuvering and/or moves the game itself never teaches you (and I don’t have a manual, so I learned them from an FAQ); particularly the dash-jump. Fuck the dash-jump.
There are some dungeons where having a map (making one or getting one from the internet) is really, really helpful. And by “some dungeons”, I mostly mean the Limewater Cave, where it’s practically required if you want to find all the items. The fact that that cave is dark and all the areas look the same (and there’s a blind dash-jump to get a useful item) makes it the worst in the game.
The bosses range from easy to nasty, but most of them have pretty recognizable patterns; there are no arbitrary restrictions on using magic against them (like some other games); and you can immediately retry if you lose. Just remember to equip healing items in your tool slot, because you can’t access the menu screen during boss battles.
Overall: I’ve apparently made it a mission to play all of the Ys games, since I have the requisite hardware at this point. If you’re unsure about the series, I’d recommend either trying The Oath in Felghana or starting with the remakes of Books I and II, then working your way forward if they appeal to you. This one is still fun, but I have some issues with it.
