Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is the entry that pushed the long-running Ys series into the spotlight with a wider audience beyond Japan. Eternal adventurer Adol Christin is shipwrecked on the forbidden island of Seiren, where instead of a quick escape he sets about building a castaway camp. He gradually finds other survivors, expands the settlement, maps the unexplored coastline, and discovers that the island hides the remnants of an ancient civilization along with creatures long thought extinct. Running alongside this is a second storyline in which the player relives the memories of a mysterious girl named Dana, and the two threads come together in a way that gives the game surprising narrative weight.

Gameplay is built on very fast action. Characters switch on the fly depending on which attack type is most effective against a given enemy, and a precisely timed dodge or block triggers a time slowdown or counterattack. Alongside combat, the game leans heavily on exploration, since new movement abilities gradually open up previously inaccessible spots, as well as on camp management, gathering resources, cooking, fishing, and defensive battles against waves of enemies. It's precisely this alternation between free exploration and piling up small tasks that keeps the game's pace brisk and addictive.

On PlayStation 4 the game looks rather modest technically, but it runs smoothly, which matters more for action this fast than detailed textures. A strong point is the music, made up of the distinctive rock and symphonic tracks from Falcom's house sound studio, capable of turning even an ordinary walk through a forest into an expedition. Reception was very positive, and the game is often cited as the best entry point into the series, though the first Western release was criticized for translation quality, which the publisher later fixed. Today Ys VIII is a great choice for anyone who wants an action RPG with an adventurous mood and no unnecessary grimness. The castaway theme also lends the whole thing an unusual sense of togetherness, since every person rescued shows up at the camp and starts being useful, which naturally pushes players to explore even the island's last corner.