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Post by Nester the Lark on May 11, 2021 13:37:18 GMT -5
Here's an interview with Toshihiro Kondo and Nippon Ichi's Sohei Niikawa in which they talk about porting games to Switch. It was originally from Famitsu, and translated by Nintendo Everything. There isn't anything too revelatory in it, but there are some interesting bits. For one, it seems that one of the reasons Falcom switched from having Xseed localize their games to NISA was because Nippon Ichi offered to port it to Swtich as well. Also, it sounds like they're considering a port of Nayuta no Kiseki. Kondo also acknowledges the international demand for the "Crossbell" games. And again, they say they plan to continue supporting Switch, albeit via outside companies doing the ports. If the Switch versions of Cold Steel I and II are released outside Japan, I wonder if they'll license Xseed's localization. Dotemu did that with the Switch (and other consoles) version of Ys Origin, so I suppose it's possible, and that could open up the possibility of other older Ys games as well. |
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Post by nocturnal YL on May 12, 2021 10:29:11 GMT -5
It's actually quite interesting to see NIS of all publishers to pick up the task to port the games, seeing that their portfolio is made up of 2D games. Even their flagship Disgaea series didn't use 3D models until the very recent Disgaea 6.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jun 17, 2021 16:00:19 GMT -5
Apparently, Falcom will be having a free virtual concert during New Game Plus Expo next week. It will include a message from Toshihiro Kondo and some "special announcements." This was retweeted by NISA, so there will likely be localization news, as well.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Jun 25, 2021 9:41:03 GMT -5
Here's the full concert. They play a combination of music from Ys and Trails (including some of my favorite Ys tracks). This was the first time Falcom jdk Band performed a concert specifically intended for a Western audience. Worth a watch if you have time. As for the localization announcements, they were actually leaked several hours early on the Epic Games Store. But in short, NISA will finally be releasing the long-wanted Crossbell games, Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure, in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Interestingly, NISA is licensing the existing translations from fan translation group The Geofront as the basis for the official localizations. (Here is a statement from The Geofront about their partnership.) Also, Hajimari no Kiseki is confirmed for localization as Trails into Reverie, also for release in 2023. And finally, the one I'm looking forward to, the not-a-real-Kiseki game, Nayuta no Kiseki, is being localized as The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails. Again, scheduled for 2023. This is an action-RPG that's often compared more with the Zwei series, and actually has nothing to do with the Trails/Kiseki series other than having the name slapped on it for brand recognition purposes. I definitely want to give it a try. All four games are coming to Switch, PS4 and PC. On a side note, here's an interview with Toshihiro Kondo at Eurogamer where he explains, in detail, how he went from being a Falcom fan to Falcom's president. It's a fun read. |
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Post by Nester the Lark on Aug 1, 2021 10:14:12 GMT -5
I think I'm maybe... halfway through Ys IX? I've enjoyed it more the further I've gotten into it, so here are some impressions so far... The SettingA city built around a gigantic labyrinthine prison is a stark contrast to the tropical island in Ys VIII, but one of the side effects of having a main character that's known for washing up on beaches is that it can lead to the same setting in multiple games, so I appreciate the change. That said, Bulduq is rather bland compared to the lush scenery of Seiren, so ultimately, it's not quite as appealing. Eventually, you are able to leave the city and explore some areas beyond it, but even those feel a little muted. The StorySince I'm only partway through the game, I can't really say much about the story, not only because of spoilers, but because I still need to see how everything plays out. So far, however, it's quite thick with mystery and intrigue, more so than Ys VIII. There are also quite a lot of references to Ys lore from previous games, so it feels like its building on what came before. (An influence from the Trails series, no doubt.) I'm looking forward to finding out what everything is about. On the downside, there's a side story near the beginning of the game that was so poorly done, it was genuinely off-putting to me. I don't know if it's going to eventually work into some larger theme, but as it is, I was left pretty baffled as to what the point of it was. I've only seen two other people complain about it, but at least it's not just me. The GameplayAs previously mentioned, Ys IX often feels like a repurposed Ys VIII. Nearly every gameplay element from VIII has some equivalent here. Instead of exploring an island, you're exploring a city. Instead of finding castaways to build a village, you're hiring people to run a tavern/hideout. Instead of playing as Dana in the past, you're... well, something I won't spoil. But even the more minor aspects seem to be replicated here. (Instead of feeding fish to a bird, you're donating meals to a church, etc.) It almost feels obligatory, and maybe it's just because I played Ys VIII first, but it all seems a little less cohesive. On the other hand, I appreciate that they tried to place the gameplay into as different a context as possible. Setting an Ys game mostly inside a bustling city is a clever idea, and it's a welcome change of pace. It still feels like doing mostly the same stuff, however. The exploration deserves a special mention as Falcom seems to have tried a semi-open-world approach. The Isle of Seiren was mostly linear, but with Bulduq, sections of the city are opened up as you play through the game, and you can explore them freely. There's also a lot of verticality added to it (as well as to many of the dungeons), and traversing around is very speedy due to the Monstrum gifts. It seems to have taken some cues from Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but it also feels somewhat janky. The areas outside of the city are wide open fields that have a little bit of a Xenoblade vibe. None of it is as well designed as those games, though, and it feels like Falcom is stretching outside their comfort zone. I didn't mean for these impressions to sound so negative. There's a lot to like about the game, but overall, it has a bit of a rushed feeling to it. This is the final game to use Falcom's old game engine, and they're certainly trying to push it to its limits, but perhaps they were a little eager to shove it out the door so they could move on to Ys X...
On a different note, the Turbo Views series on YouTube, which started in 2008 and set out to review every single TurboGrafx game released in North America (plus occasional import titles and other miscellany), has just released its final episode: a review of Ys III: Wanderers From Ys. I've been a fan of this series since about the time it started. I've even bought a few of the DVD releases. The creator, Chris "Spida1a" Bucci, has been a little sporadic with it over the years, but I guess the pandemic gave him a reason refocus on it in the past year. It terms of Falcom, his review of Ys Book I & II came out way back in 2010, and Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes was just last summer. |
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Post by Nester the Lark on Aug 19, 2021 8:27:55 GMT -5
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox vs. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
Wall of text incoming!
Now that I've finished Ys IX, here are my detailed thoughts on it in comparison with Ys VIII. But first, some general thoughts.
NOTE: There will be NO major spoilers.
The game definitely has a rough, unfinished feeling to it. It's a little janky and glitchy, although some of that is specific to the Switch port. For example, there was one part where a character simply slides across the floor with no walking animation. It was so awkward that I looked up a video of the PS4 version for comparison, but it only happens in the Switch version.
Also, I'm not sure if this is specific to the Switch port, but the main map screen is broken, often showing the icon for your character in a completely different location than where they actually are. This was a bit confusing to me at first. The regional map doesn't have this issue, however.
The game also crashed on me, but only once.
It also doesn't seem to have the bonus content that Ys VIII had. Other than unlocking a Time Attack mode, there is no art gallery or movie player that I was able to find. I was disappointed with that.
It's not all negative, however. NISA's localization is far better than it was in Ys VIII. I only came across two or three minor grammar errors, and the English voice acting was really quite good! The only hiccup was that due to the pandemic, the voices were recorded remotely, so there was a little inconsistency in the sound quality between characters. Other than that, NISA really stepped up their game this time around.
The game was updated to version 1.0.3 during my playthrough, so maybe some of these issues were addressed with that. (Not the map, though.)
Anyway, here are specific comparisons by category...
- Story -
With Ys VIII, I really enjoyed the “castaways surviving on a deserted island” part, but beyond that, I was less interested in the stuff with the Eternians and the Lacrimosa. With Ys IX, it was kind of the opposite. Roaming around the city of Balduq and building up a tavern/hideout was a little mundane, and the more political aspects about Gllia and the Romun empire didn't interest me much, but the mysteries and intrigue behind the prison and the Grimwald Nox were highly engaging. While an early, awkward story beat soured the experience a little for me, Ys IX does have a far better ending than VIII, so it at least left a better impression on me. I think I'll give a slight edge to Ys IX in the story department.
- Setting -
It's pretty easy to pick the lush tropical setting of Ys VIII over the grubby city and prison of Ys IX. The main appeal in IX is the more open, explorable maps, both within the city and its surrounding areas. It works reasonably well, but Falcom has a ways to go to catch up with the likes of Xenoblade or Breath of the Wild. While VIII's maps are more linear, the sense of discovery was somehow stronger when finding new areas or landmarks. Ys VIII wins this one.
- Characters -
This is a tricky one. Falcom is pretty great at creating memorable, fleshed-out characters. Ys VIII's and IX's strengths lie in different areas, however. In terms of playable characters, I think I enjoyed the Monstrums more (with maybe the exception of Credo, where Falcom leaned a little too hard into his berserker class). Each one had their own backstory and relationships that were very well done, and they all had satisfying character arcs.
As for side characters, I'd say they're both about equal. However, Ys VIII's theme of castaways working together to survive created a sense of close relationships between the characters, so it might have a slight edge in this regard.
Overall, I'm going to call this a tie.
- Gameplay -
As mentioned before, the gameplay is basically the same between Ys VIII and IX. While I do appreciate that they tried to change to context as much as possible, it all really boils down to doing the same stuff. (Well, IX has no fishing minigame.)
The main difference, I'd say, is using the Monstrum gifts to explore the environments. As I said before, it's a little janky, but it mostly works fine, and it's fun to a degree.
Aside from that, I do think that the general gameplay felt more cohesive in Ys VIII. Maybe it's just because I played it first, but it seemed more like the game mechanics were designed specifically for VIII, and carrying them over into IX was more obligatory.
Slight advantage to Ys VIII in this category.
- Length and Pacing -
I've complained about pacing in multiple games in recent years, so maybe this is just something I've come to be picky about. As such, let's get right to the point: Ys IX is only about two-thirds the length of Ys VIII.
Some people seem to think IX is a little on the short side, but for me, VIII was a bit too long. I thought it seemed artificially inflated, perhaps to make it closer in length to a Trails game. (Indeed, even if it still isn't as long as a Trails game, it's easily the longest Ys game.) Combined with the later plot details that I didn't find too interesting, it made the game drag a bit.
While Ys IX can feel a little slow in places, and the exploration aspects pad things out a little, it's a more tightly paced game overall. (Heck, some sequences even give you the option of bypassing them entirely as if you had completed them successfully.) I appreciated the shorter play time, as it prevented the game from outstaying its welcome. Ys IX wins this one.
- Conclusion -
With two points for each game plus one tie, things come out pretty much even. Even with their differences, these games are very similar experiences, and it's hard for me to say one is clearly better than the other. All it really comes down to is that because Ys VIII came first, it was a fresher experience. If I had played IX first, I might feel the opposite. But VIII does feel to me like a more cohesive experience, and I get the impression that Falcom was a little more inspired when making it.
So, in the end, I'm going to hand a very slight victory to Ys VIII. If I replay these games in the future after having a bit of distance from them, it's certainly possible that my feelings could change, but for now, this is where things are settling.
I eventually plan to post a new Ys rankings, as well, so stay tuned for that!
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Post by nocturnal YL on Aug 19, 2021 9:49:48 GMT -5
It also doesn't seem to have the bonus content that Ys VIII had. Other than unlocking a Time Attack mode, there is no art gallery or movie player that I was able to find. I was disappointed with that. Oh. Does it have anything like DLC? (Actually, does the PS4 release have DLC?) I'm under the impression that Ys IX is more or less "planned" for Switch (they'd do it as soon as Nippon Ichi said it's OK), and is thus not treated as a definitive re-release with all the extra contents in. …the mysteries and intrigue behind the prison and the Grimwald Nox were highly engaging. While an early, awkward story beat soured the experience a little for me, Ys IX does have a far better ending that VIII, so it at least left a better impression on me. I think I'll give a slight edge to Ys IX in the story department. Good to hear. I tend to care more about how a story ends than the earlier parts, so this should be a plus for me. It's pretty easy to pick the lush tropical setting of Ys VIII over the grubby city and prison of Ys IX. The main appeal in IX is the more open, explorable maps, both within the city and its surrounding areas. It works reasonably well, but Falcom has a ways to go to catch up with the likes of Xenoblade or Breath of the Wild. While VIII's maps are more linear, the sense of discovery was somehow stronger when finding new areas or landmarks. Ys VIII wins this one. How often are loading areas encountered? Individual outdoor areas in Ys VIII are actually quite small, but loading doesn't take much time. I think this would put less stress on the system. (Well, IX has no fishing minigame.) Good. I don't have to worry about mashing buttons while rotating the analog stick for 5 minutes straight. I've complained about pacing in multiple games in recent years, so maybe this is just something I've come to be picky about. As such, let's get right to the point: Ys IX is only about two-thirds the length of Ys VIII. Some people seem to think IX is a little on the short side, but for me, VIII was a bit too long. I thought it seemed artificially inflated, perhaps to make it closer in length to a Trails game. (Indeed, even if it still isn't as long as a Trails game, it's easily the longest Ys game.) Combined with the later plot details that I didn't find too interesting, it made the game drag a bit. While Ys IX can feel a little slow in places, and the exploration aspects pad things out a little, it's a more tightly paced game overall. (Heck, some sequences even give you the option of bypassing them entirely as if you had completed them successfully.) I appreciated the shorter play time, as it prevented the game from outstaying its welcome. Ys IX wins this one. I prefer long games myself, even as my backlog continues to pile up. I do agree that Ys VIII feels like it's artificially prolonged, but it sounds like I'll still like it over Ys IX in terms of length. So, in the end, I'm going to hand a very slight victory to Ys VIII. If I replay these games in the future after having a bit of distance from them, it's certainly possible that my feelings could change, but for now, this is where things are settling. From what I've seen so far, I think I'll end up liking Ys VIII a bit more by the time I eventually get to Ys IX. Ys VIII is (1) longer, (2) less laggy and (3) doesn't feel like it tried as hard to replicate the previous game (see, for example, how some aspects of Fire Emblem Fates feel forced). I do look forward to the story, though. Also, how does the music compare? I eventually plan to post a new Ys rankings, as well, so stay tuned for that! I'll look forward to it. |
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Post by Nester the Lark on Aug 20, 2021 8:47:11 GMT -5
Oh. Does it have anything like DLC? (Actually, does the PS4 release have DLC?) I'm under the impression that Ys IX is more or less "planned" for Switch (they'd do it as soon as Nippon Ichi said it's OK), and is thus not treated as a definitive re-release with all the extra contents in. There is paid DLC. It's just some costumes and some useless item packs. Unlike Ys VIII (and Trails of Cold Steel III and IV), it's not included for free in NISA's physical Switch version. (Although, I think it is included in the Japanese release. Not 100% sure, though.) Some or all of it was free for digital pre-orders, depending on which version you pre-ordered. Strangely, though, one set of costumes was exclusive to pre-orders, and are not available to buy now. It's not a big deal for me since I didn't think most of the costumes were that good anyway. Aside from that, the PS4 version gave you a couple of bonus accessories if it detected save data for Ys VIII and Memories of Celceta. For the Switch version, you'll have to update Ys VIII before starting Ys IX in order to collect its bonus item. And since there is no Switch version of Memories of Celceta, it just gives you that item regardless. Good to hear. I tend to care more about how a story ends than the earlier parts, so this should be a plus for me. Maybe it's worth mentioning that Ys IX only has one ending, so it doesn't matter if you're a completionist or not. How often are loading areas encountered? Individual outdoor areas in Ys VIII are actually quite small, but loading doesn't take much time. I think this would put less stress on the system. Loading is actually not frequent. The game only loads when you enter a completely new environment. For example, the entire city is one continuous area, and you only get a loading screen when you enter a building or dungeon, or leave the city. Also, how does the music compare? Personally, I agree with the consensus that Ys IX has a weak soundtrack for an Ys game. It's not bad, but little of it stood out or stuck with me. (The regular city music was kind of relaxing, though.) It matches the rushed feeling of the rest of the game. By the way, I'm curious. Were you still considering playing Ys Origin first? |
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Post by nocturnal YL on Aug 20, 2021 13:20:04 GMT -5
I just checked. The Japanese release will come with the DLC costumes.
I'm still considering playing Ys Origin, yeah, although I think I may get to WarioWare: Get It Together! and Metroid Dread as they come out. That should push Ys Origin into late October or even later, depending on how I progress in other games.
How long does Ys Origin last?
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Post by Nester the Lark on Aug 21, 2021 9:21:06 GMT -5
Origin is a very short game. Even if you play through all three character routes (the story is a little different for each one), it'll probably only take around 30 hours total.
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Post by nocturnal YL on Aug 21, 2021 9:28:21 GMT -5
Cool, so I guess I can play it along with other games (both long and short ones) without getting in the way of those other games too much.
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Post by Nester the Lark on Sept 7, 2021 10:36:27 GMT -5
Here's an article from Game Informer on the 40th anniversary of Falcom. It has an amusing anecdote about the debugging process of Ys I Eternal. So, I've been thinking about Falcom's future release schedule. For this year, obviously, they will be releasing Kuro no Kiseki. Next year will likely be Ys X for the 35th anniversary of the Ys series. 2023 will probably go back to Kiseki/Trails. But then... Well, here's the monkey wrench: Traditionally, Falcom releases a new Xanadu game every ten years. Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu came out in 1985, the remake Revival Xanadu was in 1995, the excellent Xanadu Next in 2005, and Tokyo Xanadu in 2015. If they continue this trend, then we can expect another Xanadu game in 2025. So, how does this fit into their rhythm of Trails and Ys games? Last decade, Ys: Memories of Celceta came out in 2012, and Ys VIII didn't come along until 2016 due to the release of Tokyo Xanadu. I suppose that could be the case again as Falcom seems to prefer to take their time developing Ys games as opposed to the frequent releases of the Trails series. So that could mean we'd see another Trails game in 2024, and the next Ys wouldn't be along until 2026. That's assuming, of course, that Falcom doesn't release anything besides their flagship franchises, but they don't seem to be in a position of releasing more than one game per year at this point, and they've been playing it fairly safe for the past decade. |
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Post by Nester the Lark on Sept 10, 2021 10:48:44 GMT -5
Following on from my previous post, it occurred to me that 2024 will be the 40th anniversary of the original Dragon Slayer. It was a landmark title for Falcom, as well as for the action-RPG genre, and without it, there would be no Xanadu or The Legend of Heroes, and in turn, no Trails/Kiseki. So, I wonder if Falcom will have any plans to commemorate it with a new game or remake.
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Post by nocturnal YL on Sept 10, 2021 22:40:00 GMT -5
The words "Dragon Slayer" bring back painful memories. If they're going to bring the series back, they should certainly make it easier and less confusing. And less Game Boy- or Famicom-like. |
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Post by Nester the Lark on Oct 27, 2021 10:00:07 GMT -5
The RPG podcast Axe of the Blood God (formerly part of the now-defunct US Gamer) recently released an episode with a discussion on the original Dragon Slayer and Xanadu. It also goes into bit of the history of series creator Yoshio Kiya. It's an interesting listen. The actual discussion is nearly an hour into the episode, so skip ahead to the 59-minute mark. |
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