Ys Book I & II (CD)

Picture the year 1989 — and a game in which voiced characters speak to you through the speakers, animated scenes play out, and music of the quality you know from an audio CD plays in the background. For players of the era it must have felt like a revelation. Ys Book I & II in its CD-ROM version for the PC Engine rightfully went down in history as one of the titles that revealed the potential hidden within the new medium.

The foundation is made up of two games from the legendary series by the Japanese studio Falcom, brought to the PC Engine in collaboration with Hudson. It is a brisk action RPG built on the unmistakable „bump" combat system — you don't defeat enemies with an attack button, but by charging into them from the side or from behind. It may sound odd, but in practice the result is an incredibly fluid and fast combat that keeps up the pace even during the sprawling adventure of the hero Adol.

What made this version a milestone, however, was the presentation. Thanks to the capacity of the CD-ROM, players got voiced dialogue, animated cutscenes and, above all, a redbook soundtrack in CD quality — and the music of Ys ranks to this day among the most acclaimed video game soundtracks of all time. The energetic melodies underscoring the battles became iconic, and fans have returned to them for decades.

In the context of the era it was a staggering leap. While cartridge games on competing platforms were limited by size and by the sound of chip music, Ys Book I & II showed just how far the medium could advance. It is no exaggeration to say that this version helped kick-start the era of CD games and influenced how RPGs on consoles were viewed.

The beautiful thing is that the game holds up even today. The story of a journey after the mystery of the lost sacred books, the brisk gameplay and the timeless music make it a title played not just out of nostalgia, but for pure joy. The Ys series continues to this day, after all, and the original installments have seen a number of remakes and ports — but this CD version remains historically pivotal.

Why play: A historic milestone of the CD-ROM era with a timeless soundtrack and a brisk action RPG that is great even after more than three decades.