The Falcom Thread

[nocturnal YL]

I know what you're referring to, having played other series with similar structures. I'm just making fun of how there are other game series completely fine with not having major engine overhauls over extended periods.

Ys games come out at a slower pace, so even using the same game mechanics for a few games feel like a long time. Ys Seven came out in 2009, which, now that I think of it, is equivalent to all games in the Kirby example I listed. Kirby got iterative improvements (so Star Allies doesn't really feel like the Wii games), but in the case of Ys, the Ys IX system does feel like it's built upon Ys VIII. Even the time attack mode lists characters in the order of Slash-Pierce-Strike-Pierce-Strike-Slash, following the Ys VIII order and not matching Ys IX. A system renewal does feel overdue.

I'd want to see the party system stay. I guess having solo Adol would help the game stand out more (and feel less like something like Warriors), but at the expense of weapon diversity. Having others tag along also makes visiting remote areas less awkward.

[Nester the Lark]

So, for their 40th anniversary, Falcom held a poll in Japan on fans' favorite games and characters. They revealed the results on a live stream. You can see the results here.

My comments:

SPOILER: Click to show

Not surprised about Lacrimosa of Dana and Monstrum Nox placing so high for favorite Ys game, but Ys II is the second-favorite? Really? Surprising, especially since Ys I ranks so low...

I'm also surprised that Rean Schwarzer is the favorite character. I usually hear people say he was a little bland. Not surprised about Adol and Estelle Bright, though. Even though Trails in the Sky didn't click with me, Estelle was still a standout JRPG protagonist. But no Yunica Tovah in the top 20? Shenanigans! I demand a recount!

As for games you'd like to see on current consoles, this is an interesting list. It includes Zwei II, the only game in these lists not part of Ys or Legend of Heroes. (At least the Gagharv Trilogy isn't directly part of Trails.) Not sure what I would pick. Xanadu Next is under-appreciated, in my opinion, so maybe that. That is, aside from putting every other Ys game on Switch.

[Nester the Lark]

Here's a hilarious fan comic for Ys Origin.

[Nester the Lark]

Sounds like Falcom is finally going all in on Switch support, not just with porting games in-house, but also bringing older games to the platform. (Source)

I'm still mainly hoping for more Ys games, specifically Memories of Celceta, the only canon Ys game I have yet to play. I think the chances are pretty decent considering it got a PS4 port just a few years ago.

Aside from Ys and Trails, I can see them maybe bringing over Tokyo Xanadu (I'd prefer Xanadu Next, but I don't know how well that game would translate to a console), Gurumin, or the Zwei games. If we're talking about older legacy titles, I wonder if they're considering having things like Faxanadu or Wanderers from Ys on NSO. (Legacy of the Wizard/Dragon Slayer IV is already on one of the Namco Museum Archives.)

[Nester the Lark]

According to Noisy Pixel, Famitsu will be interviewing Toshihiro Kondo at the end of the month about the Ys series for its 35th anniversary. It will include info about Ys X.


It probably won't be anything too dramatic, but I'm looking forward to what he has to say.

[Nester the Lark]

Here's some early info about Ys X, and the first piece of artwork:

Bullet points from Noisy Pixel:

- Falcom wants to make older Ys titles playable on current hardware.

- Mentions an emphasis on providing new gameplay, as well as new scenarios, actions, and systems.

- The title will take place in Eresia, though the writer of the Famitsu article paints this as speculation.

- Kondo’s favorite Ys track is “To Make the End of Battle”

- Kondo emphasizes that Ys X is not a full-on Souls-like, as there is simply inspiration taken from the genre

- Kondo recommends any Ys game for newcomers. Later games like Ys VIII and IX shouldn’t be intimidating because they’re standalone.

- Similar to Nayuta’s Switch release, Kondo wants to make older Ys games playable on modern hardware.

- Ys X’ story will not be centered around the Romun Empire

- The Party Member system where you change characters and weapon attributes (Slash, Pierce & Strike) at will has received major changes, though it hasn’t yet been elaborated how

- Kondo heavily implies a multiplatform release.

- Adol will be around 17 years old, his age during Ys 1 & 2

- Trivia – Dark Fact from Ys 1 took Kondo an extensive amount of time to debug. He began at 9 AM one day, and he still couldn’t beat him at 10 PM. He went to the programming team to tell them it was too hard.

- Aside from Adol, Kondo’s favorite Ys character is Feena

[nocturnal YL]

Good to see Falcom's head is a "standard" Ys fan.

My most wanted information is the release window, which isn't mentioned.

Looks like the party system isn't gone. So basically we should expect a multi-character action game, just that it doesn't use the system of the last few games. And I laughed a bit at "The title will take place in Eresia", which almost doesn't narrow down anything at all.

I'm also wondering what older games do they have in mind for moving to new hardware. From what I know, there are roughly two kinds of fairly new Ys games — those based on the Ys VI engine, and those based on Ys Seven. And both shouldn't be too difficult to port to modern hardware. That leaves Ys I & II and (hah) Ys V, and I think the newest original, non-port version of Ys I & II is the DS one? I actually want to see yet another Ys I & II remake, since the existing ones are quite outdated.

[Nester the Lark]

Ys X is likely Falcom's big 2023 game, so its release will probably be Autumn of next year for Japan.

Ys I & II Chronicles is considered the definitive, canon version of those games (which is an upgraded version of Ys I & II Complete, which in turn is an upgraded version of Ys Eternal and Ys II Eternal, so it goes back a couple of decades). The DS version is considered rather poor. Not sure if I want to see another remake of Ys I & II before a remake of Ys V.

[Nester the Lark]

Here's a more detailed rundown of Kondo's interview with Famitsu from Frontline.

Some interesting bits:

Kondo asks if the Ys series has things that do not change, and Kondo says that one thing that always has the staff divided is the subject of whether or not Adol should speak. They have went with not making him speak in the titles that Kondo has worked on, and he says that this is because he feels that Adol is supposed to represent the player, and having him speak like Rean or Van from the Trails series would make him his own character, and that this would make it no longer Ys: Ideally, the adventure should be completed with the player completely self-inserting into Adol. That being said, he does think that this is something that can change if the times demand it. As such, they put a lot of thought into the scene in Ys IX where the Crimson King speaks.

Kondo next discusses the next Ys game. They already have the concept fleshed out to some degree, and the party, skill, and dodge/guard systems in use since Seven will likely not be returning as a result of them looking at both what they have accomplished in the games since then, and feedback from players.

While the action in the next game will continue to have the speedy Ys feel to it, Kondo says that they are reconsidering other things, such as perhaps having more of a focus 1-on-1 fights with the player sizing up the opponent. The interviewer inquires if this means it will have more “Souls-like” combat, but Kondo says that while it may have some similar elements, it will not go for the heavy and difficult style associated with the term. They are currently in a phase where they are considering whether they can incorporate some such elements while keeping the gameplay Ys-like, making an “Ys-style Souls-like”.