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Franchises

Ys

17 titles in the catalog 20 versions across platforms ⏱ 1987–2023 12 platforms
Ys – obaly dílů série

Ys is one of the oldest Japanese action RPG series of all. Nihon Falcom released the first entry in 1987 on Japanese eight-bit computers, and it spread quickly to MSX, PC-98 and the Sharp X68000. The hero is the red-haired adventurer Adol Christin, who in every game washes up somewhere on the edge of the known world and is pulled onward by whatever mystery he stumbles into. The original combat did not even have an attack button: you simply rammed into an enemy slightly off-centre. It sounds like an oddity, but it made for a fast, fluid system that, together with Falcom's celebrated music, gave the series an unmistakable momentum.

Ys has changed clothes several times since. The third entry switched to a side-scrolling view, the remake Ys: The Oath in Felghana brought it back to top-down action, and Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim settled the modern shape with a direct attack and a jump. Ys Seven on PSP added a three-member party and character switching by damage type, a design continued by Ys: Memories of Celceta on Vita. The high point today is usually named as Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, a castaway story on an unknown island that first opened the series to a wide Western audience and paired fast combat with building up a camp. The most recent major chapter is Ys IX: Monstrum Nox from 2019.

Entries in the series (17)

  1. Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished · 1987

    An action RPG with a bump system — you attack simply by walking into the enemy; simple and effective.

    PC-98

  2. Ys (SMS) · 1988

    Action RPG with bump combat; a classic.

    SMS

  3. Ys I & II · 1988

    An action RPG with a combat system based on simply bumping into enemies; a pillar of the genre.

    MSX

  4. Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter · 1988

    A direct sequel to the first, completing one story; a bigger map and new magic for Adol.

    PC-98

  5. Ys Book I & II (CD) · 1989

    One of the first CD RPGs with voice acting and redbook music; a milestone.

    PCE

  6. Ys IV: Mask of the Sun - A New Theory · 1990

    Svižné akční RPG, kde se bojuje najížděním do nepřátel; Adol znovu v akci.

    SNES

  7. Ys: The Vanished Omens · 1990

    Nihon Falcom's Ys; instead of swinging a sword, the hero Adol simply bumps into enemies with his body.

    SMS

  8. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys · 1991

    This port abandons the series' classic bump combat in favor of active sword-swinging and jumping.

    MD

  9. Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand · 1995

    Adol heads to the sand-swallowed kingdom of Kefin; a more compact world than before.

    SNES

  10. Ys: The Oath in Felghana · 2001

    Svižné akční RPG bez zbytečného zdržování; skvělý rockový soundtrack.

    PC PSP

  11. Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim · 2003

    A fast-paced action RPG with the tough bump-style combat typical of the Ys series.

    PC

  12. Ys Origin · 2006

    A prequel set 700 years before the series; it offers two playable characters with different fighting styles.

    PC

  13. Ys Seven · 2009

    Fast action RPG; superb music and pace.

    PSP

  14. Ys: Memories of Celceta · 2013

    An action RPG from Nihon Falcom made directly for the Vita; progressing through the game means drawing the map of the forest.

    Vita

  15. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana · 2016

    According to many fans, the pinnacle of the Ys series; the shipwrecked Adol builds a camp on a forbidden island.

    Vita PS4 Switch

  16. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox · 2019

    Adol, imprisoned in a prison city, transforms at night into Monstrum, a superhuman monster hunter.

    PS4

  17. Ys X: Nordics · 2023

    Adol and the pirate Karja investigate a shipwreck in harsh northern waters full of wreckage.

    PS5