Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - Review

Oath had the perfect balance. The RPS system was more about using your different kinds of magic tactically and on the right kinds of enemies, the magic was used for traversal and unlocking areas in a Metroid-esque fashion, emphasis on dungeon/area exploration, fast paced combat relying a lot of jumping and dodging skill, accessories with neat attributes, killer soundtrack, and a fun area to explore. I did enjoy Celceta more later on as you got more characters and especially as you unlocked more skills for them over time. Falcom CEO mentioned with this game that with the switch in style they've been fleshing out the concept from game to game and I think it's shown steady improvement in the new age

VGJunky

Thank Kami-sama for Ben

VGJunky

A review of high quality as always. I'm very happy a low budget niche title like Y's gets talked about and even receives a full big boy review here. That's why I support you people.

I'm no stranger to the Ys series, so I'll likely be checking this out eventually. My favorites are easily Ys: Origins and Ys: The Oath in Felghana. Anyone who thinks quick-paced combat and a shred-fest of a soundtrack sound like a good time should check those games out. However, I'm playing Ys: Memories of Celceta, and I... don't love it. There's too much story and dialogue, which Ys is never good at, and inconsistencies in character motivations and context are incredibly distracting. The soundtrack is significantly worse than previous entries (quick aside - one of the tracks in this review is a repeat from an older game). Memories obviously wants me to upgrade equipment constantly, but it's pointless, since upgrades are so marginal for the cost, and you receive new equipment regularly. Honestly, the Ys games have gotten worse since they decided three was the number of your party, and the number of your party shall be three. Origins and Oath focus on one solitary character, and the games greatly benefit from the focus this provides. Providing weapon weaknesses for each enemy (and allies to exploit those weaknesses) actually hinders the game instead of helping it; before, Ys was about just being good at combat; now, Ys is about playing rock-paper-scissors every 15 seconds, which is not interesting in the slightest. I'm still going to play this game, as it looks to be an improvement from Memories, but jeez, I long for the simpler - and yet more engaging - days of Origins and Oath.

Skip destiny play Ys and Metroid

VGJunky