Ys (video game)
Encyclopedia
(ˈiːs) is a Japan
ese computer and console role-playing video game
series, and Nihon Falcom
corporation's flagship franchise. It started on the NEC PC-8801
in 1987, created by Masaya Hashimoto (director, programmer, designer) and Tomoyoshi Miyazaki (scenario writer). In terms of the number of game releases, Ys is second only to Final Fantasy
as the largest Eastern role-playing game
franchise. Ys is particularly popular in Japan and Korea
.
Ys titles have appeared on the X1
, X1turbo
, MSX2
, FM-7/77
, FM-77AV
, NEC PC-9801, X68000, Sega Master System
, Sega Mega Drive
, Sega Saturn
, Famicom
, Super Famicom
, Nintendo DS
, PC
, PlayStation 2
, PlayStation Portable
, TurboGrafx/PC-Engine CD-ROM, cellular phone, SNES, and on the Nintendo
Wii
's Virtual Console
service.
to fight. The player must literally run Adol into enemies, hitting them on the side, back or slightly off-center of the front. This was created with accessibility in mind; while other RPGs at the time had either turn-based combat or a manually-activated sword, Ys had Adol automatically attack when walking into enemies off-center, furthering the accessibility concept that Falcom had in mind. While not every Ys title has used the 'bump attack' system, this has become one of the series' defining features. Falcom staff have compared this style of gameplay to the enjoyment of popping air bubble sheets, in the sense that it took the tedious task of level-grinding and turned it into something similar to a high-score-based arcade game
. According to GamesTM
and John Szczepaniak (of Retro Gamer
and The Escapist
), "Repetition of the act was pleasurable as you developed a psychological rhythm and, even in the event of backtracking, progress was always swift since the player never needed to stop moving." Another feature that has been used in nearly every Ys title, since the original, is the recharging health mechanic, which had previously only been used in the Hydlide
series. Recharging health has since become a common mechanic used in many video games today.
Ys II introduced several additions to the series. These additions include magic spells, such as shooting fireballs, and the unique ability to transform into a monster, which allows the player to both scare human non-player character
s for unique dialogues as well as interact with all the monsters, many of whom often mention "that pesky red-haired swordsman" (referring to the protagonist Adol) to the player (when in monster form). This is a recurring highlight in the series, offering the player insight into the enemies, to an extent that very few other games allow to this day.
Ys III: Wanderers from Ys adopted side-scrolling action-adventure
gameplay, similar to Falcom's own Dragon Slayer series and Nintendo
's Zelda II, with an attack button and a variety of different attacks. The classic control scheme returned in Ys IV: Mask of the Sun. With Ys V: Kefin, the Lost City of Sand, the game adopted a top-down viewpoint. Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim graphically departed from its predecessors, using three-dimensional graphics and hack-and-slash gameplay.
. Each of the first three games was released on that platform first. Ports of the game series to console platforms have usually been handled by various other licensee companies, such as Hudson Soft
, Tonkin House
and Konami
.
The first two games in the series were originally intended as a single game, but the creators Masaya Hashimoto and Tomoyoshi Miyazaki eventually decided to split it into two separate games: Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished
(1987) and Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter (1988). They were later re-released together as an early enhanced remake Ys I & II
(1989). It was one of the first video games to use CD-ROM
, which was utilized to provide enhanced graphics, animated cut scenes, a Red Book CD
soundtrack, and voice acting. Its English localization
was also one of the first to use voice dubbing
. The game received the Game of the Year
award from OMNI Magazine in 1990, as well as many other prizes. The Sharp X68000
remake of Ys I released in 1991 was notable for its early use of 3D
pre-rendering for the boss sprites
. An MS-DOS
remake called Ys II Special was also released exclusively for the South Korean market
in 1994; it was a mash-up of Ys II with the anime
Ys II: Castle in the Heavens
(1992) along with a large amount of new content.
After completing Ys III (1989), Hashimoto and Miyazaki left Falcom and founded Quintet. Two particular versions of the fourth game were released, and Falcom
licensed both versions out: the Super Famicom
version to Tonkin House
(who had handled the Super NES port for Ys III), titled Ys IV: Mask of the Sun
; and the PC Engine version to Hudson
(who had ported all three previous games to that platform), titled Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys
. Hudson
took certain liberties with the latter, and as a result, the two games are very different. They share the same setting, cast, and much of the basic plot, but the actual structure of the story plays out in a completely different manner, as do the game's levels and enemies. Despite being non-canonical, Hudson Soft's Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys is considered one of the best entries in the series.
Mask of the Sun is the official continuation of the series. The Dawn of Ys takes several different turns, plot-wise, including some significant inconsistencies with the canonical storyline. For this reason, The Dawn of Ys is essentially an "alternate universe" take on the events in Celceta. A PS2 remake of Mask of the Sun was released in May 2005, further subtitled "A New Theory".
When Falcom
released Ys V, it came out on only a single platform: the Super Famicom
. As a stand alone title, it was one of many late generation games that took advantage of the true abilities of the SNES, partially due to the liberties it took with the gameplay (in particular, giving Adol a jump and making him swing his sword). It was considered very easy; in response to this, Falcom soon put out Ys V Expert, a harder version of the game. A PS2 remake of Ys V by Taito was released March 30, 2006 in Japan.
After this, the series sat dormant for eight years (except for remakes such as Ys Eternal), during which time Falcom
abandoned console development altogether, choosing instead to focus on the Microsoft Windows
platform. Out of nowhere, they announced a new game in the series, entitled Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim, which was released on September 27, 2003. It took what Ys V had done and refined it, turning it into a very fast-paced action-RPG, which was generally well-received.
In early 2005, a new title in the series was announced, this one titled Ys: The Oath in Felghana, which is a top-to-bottom "re-imagining" of Ys III, covering the same plot as the original, but expanding on it greatly. It could be considered a retcon
, but a rather minor one, as it basically clarifies and expands on events in Ys III, rather than overwriting them entirely. In spite of how much has changed, it is not "Ys VII." It was released on June 30, 2005.
A spinoff game called Ys Strategy
was released on March 16, 2006 in Japan for the Nintendo DS
. Unlike the rest of the series, this game is a real-time strategy game instead of an action-RPG. It received lackluster reviews and general disdain from fans.
Ys Origin
was released in December 2006. It takes place 700 years before the events of the first game, just following the separation of Ys from Esteria. The two initial playable characters are Yunica Toba and Hugo Fact. The two characters' stories play out somewhat differently during character interactions. Adol does not appear aside from being a hidden bonus character. Falcom has since released a new version of the game that required a copy's registration serial number sent to Falcom along with shipping charges to get an extra enhancement disc for the game. With this disc the player would be able to play as Adol, along with various other new features.
Ys Seven
was released in Japan during 2009 for the Sony PlayStation Portable.
: Ys: Ancient Ys Vanished, Ys Book I & II, and Ys III: Wanderers From Ys
. The original PC-8801, PC-9801, X1 and MSX2 versions, as well as the Famicom ports remain exclusive to Japan. English ports of the Japanese PC
game Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim for the PS2 and PSP were released by Konami in 2005 and 2006, respectively, marking the first English release of the series in thirteen years.
At one point, NEC Interchannel proposed bringing Digicube
's Ys Eternal Story to North America, but the idea was rejected by Sony Computer Entertainment America, commonly thought to be because of their prevailing attitude toward the viability of 2D games in the North American market; but as more small profile 2D games have been released in the PS2's lifespan, the decision was more likely due to numerous technical issues with the port itself including: long load-times (even for a PS2 game), frequent lock-ups, resolution flickering during menu or screen transitions and an abnormally large save file, clocking in at 1MB (1/8 of a memory card) whereas most, and much more recent RPGs average 100–200KB is size compared to a PC game. Many of these problems are associated with the game being quickly ported and released as Digicube was partially going out of business.
The original Windows PC remakes were Ys Eternal and Ys II Eternal. Later, there was a compiled re-release, which bumped up Ys Eternal's visuals to Ys II Eternal's level (more color depth, primarily) and made the soundtrack sound more cohesive between the two. This was released as Ys I & II Complete. Later, once this was out of print, Falcom began selling the two separately again, as Ys I Complete and Ys II Complete. Falcom complicated the issue by changing the "Eternal" to "Complete" on all external packaging and advertisements, but not in the actual games themselves. In one of the English patches, the internal bitmaps are edited to reflect the external change for the packages.
Nintendo added Ys Book I & II to the US Virtual Console Service
on 25 August 2008. The Virtual Console
allows owners of the Nintendo
Wii
to download classic games. This marks the first release of the Ys series on a 7th Generation home console. Atlus released the games in one package entitled Legacy of Ys: Books I & II
on 24 February 2009 on the Nintendo DS
.
In May 2010, XSEED Games
announced plans to localize the PlayStation Portable
games Ys I & II Chronicles
, Ys: The Oath in Felghana
, and Ys Seven
in North America. As of 2011, all games have been released.
Both series were released on DVD in English by Media Blasters' anime label "AnimeWorks". They can be purchased separately, or in a three-disc box set, entitled Ys Legacy. The dubbed/audio tracks have changes to some character names ("Dark Fact" becoming "Dark Factor", "Adol" becoming "Adle", and "Lilia" becoming "Lillian," for instance). Pronunciations of various names are inconsistent, sometimes within the same scene.
Included on one of the discs is what appears to be a preview for an anime based around Ys IV. This was created by Falcom as a "pitch" trailer to shop around to various animation studios, to see if anyone was interested in producing the series. They had no takers, however, so this trailer is all that exists of the rumored Ys IV anime.
, Mieko Ishikawa, and Hideya Nagata. The composers' works have been remixed for each subsequent release of Ys I and II, most memorably by Japanese computer musician Ryo Yonemitsu for Hudson Soft
's Ys I & II
and Ys III: Wanderers from Ys releases for the PC Engine CD-ROM (TurboGrafx-CD). Combining Yuzo's composition and Ryo's arrangement abilities, this arrangement found itself introducing video gamers, for the first time, to video game soundtracks that can stand on their own as full orchestral pieces of music. The TurboGrafx versions are also notable for their very early use of Red Book audio in video games. The Ys soundtracks are today regarded as some of the best video game music ever composed.
Consequently, the Ys series is seen in the video game music industry as some of the finest and most influential role-playing video game
scores of all time, demonstrated by an extensive series of CDs based on the series' music, with numerous variations on its themes. It also inspired video game composers outside of Japan, such as Chris Hülsbeck
who cited it as a direct influence. The only other series with similar impact on the video game music industry at the time were Dragon Quest
and Falcom's own Dragon Slayer action RPGs
(also composed by Yuzo Koshiro and Mieko Ishikawa).
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese computer and console role-playing video game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
series, and Nihon Falcom
Falcom
is a Japanese computer game company. The company was founded in March 1981 by Masayuki Kato. Falcom has played a definite role in the growth and development of the Japanese personal computer software industry. The company released the first Japanese computer role-playing game in 1983 and followed...
corporation's flagship franchise. It started on the NEC PC-8801
NEC PC-8801
The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
in 1987, created by Masaya Hashimoto (director, programmer, designer) and Tomoyoshi Miyazaki (scenario writer). In terms of the number of game releases, Ys is second only to Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
as the largest Eastern role-playing game
History of Eastern role-playing video games
Eastern role-playing video games are role-playing video games developed in East Asia, specifically Japan, and, to a lesser extent, South Korea and China...
franchise. Ys is particularly popular in Japan and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
.
Ys titles have appeared on the X1
Sharp X1
The X1 is a series of home computer released by Sharp Corporation from 1982 to 1988. It was based on a Z80 CPU.Despite the fact that the Computer Division of Sharp Corporation had released the MZ series, suddenly the Television Division released a new computer series called the X1...
, X1turbo
Sharp X1
The X1 is a series of home computer released by Sharp Corporation from 1982 to 1988. It was based on a Z80 CPU.Despite the fact that the Computer Division of Sharp Corporation had released the MZ series, suddenly the Television Division released a new computer series called the X1...
, MSX2
MSX2
MSX2 may refer to:* Msh homeobox 2, a human gene* The second generation of the MSX home computers...
, FM-7/77
FM-7
FM-7 is a home computer released in 1982 in Japan.The Fujitsu FM-7 was Fujitsu's first entry into the Japanese home computer market, and for their debut computer, they chose to come out with a 6809-based personal computer very similar to Radio Shack's Color Computer.-Hardware:*Two MC 68B09 CPUs @...
, FM-77AV
FM-7
FM-7 is a home computer released in 1982 in Japan.The Fujitsu FM-7 was Fujitsu's first entry into the Japanese home computer market, and for their debut computer, they chose to come out with a 6809-based personal computer very similar to Radio Shack's Color Computer.-Hardware:*Two MC 68B09 CPUs @...
, NEC PC-9801, X68000, Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
, Sega Mega Drive
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
, Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
, Famicom
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, Super Famicom
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, TurboGrafx/PC-Engine CD-ROM, cellular phone, SNES, and on the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
service.
Plot
The Ys series chronicles the adventures of Adol Christin, a young man with a zest for adventure and an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time. Gameplay usually revolves around Adol, though his comrade, Dogi, is a frequent companion in his travels. Thus far, Adol has visited the regions of Esteria, Celceta, Felghana, Xandria, the Canaan Islands, and Altago.Gameplay
In early games, the player uses solely the directional padGamepad
A gamepad , is a type of game controller held in two hands, where the digits are used to provide input. Gamepads generally feature a set of action buttons handled with the right thumb and a direction controller handled with the left...
to fight. The player must literally run Adol into enemies, hitting them on the side, back or slightly off-center of the front. This was created with accessibility in mind; while other RPGs at the time had either turn-based combat or a manually-activated sword, Ys had Adol automatically attack when walking into enemies off-center, furthering the accessibility concept that Falcom had in mind. While not every Ys title has used the 'bump attack' system, this has become one of the series' defining features. Falcom staff have compared this style of gameplay to the enjoyment of popping air bubble sheets, in the sense that it took the tedious task of level-grinding and turned it into something similar to a high-score-based arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
. According to GamesTM
GamesTM
GamesTM is a UK-based, multi-format video games magazine, covering many video game platforms including PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2, PC games, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS and Arcade machines...
and John Szczepaniak (of Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Although launched as a quarterly publication, Retro Gamers soon became a monthly...
and The Escapist
The Escapist (magazine)
The Escapist is an online magazine covering video games, gamers, the gaming industry, and gaming culture. Published by the Themis Group, it was edited by Julianne Greer up to June 30, 2009, then by Russ Pitts through September 2011, and is currently edited by Steve Butts. The Escapist was first...
), "Repetition of the act was pleasurable as you developed a psychological rhythm and, even in the event of backtracking, progress was always swift since the player never needed to stop moving." Another feature that has been used in nearly every Ys title, since the original, is the recharging health mechanic, which had previously only been used in the Hydlide
Hydlide
is a action role-playing video game developed and published by T&E Soft. It was originally released for the NEC PC-6001 and NEC PC-8801 computer in 1984, in Japan only; an MSX release came the following year...
series. Recharging health has since become a common mechanic used in many video games today.
Ys II introduced several additions to the series. These additions include magic spells, such as shooting fireballs, and the unique ability to transform into a monster, which allows the player to both scare human non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s for unique dialogues as well as interact with all the monsters, many of whom often mention "that pesky red-haired swordsman" (referring to the protagonist Adol) to the player (when in monster form). This is a recurring highlight in the series, offering the player insight into the enemies, to an extent that very few other games allow to this day.
Ys III: Wanderers from Ys adopted side-scrolling action-adventure
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
gameplay, similar to Falcom's own Dragon Slayer series and Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Zelda II, with an attack button and a variety of different attacks. The classic control scheme returned in Ys IV: Mask of the Sun. With Ys V: Kefin, the Lost City of Sand, the game adopted a top-down viewpoint. Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim graphically departed from its predecessors, using three-dimensional graphics and hack-and-slash gameplay.
Games
The Ys series has its roots in the Japanese computer system, the NEC PC-8801NEC PC-8801
The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
. Each of the first three games was released on that platform first. Ports of the game series to console platforms have usually been handled by various other licensee companies, such as Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
, Tonkin House
Tonkin House
Tonkin House is the brand name "Beijing" , such as "Tokyo" in Chinese as "Tonkin" is derived from what it was pronounced.-Summary:Tokyo Shoseki himself initially "Tokyo Shoseki" that there was also the launch of a computer software family with the brand name PC, Tokyo, Ltd...
and Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
.
The first two games in the series were originally intended as a single game, but the creators Masaya Hashimoto and Tomoyoshi Miyazaki eventually decided to split it into two separate games: Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished
Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished
is the first installment of Ys, an action role-playing video game series developed by Falcom in 1987...
(1987) and Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter (1988). They were later re-released together as an early enhanced remake Ys I & II
Ys I & II
is a Japanese computer role-playing game compilation consisting of enhanced remakes of the first two Ys games, released for the PC Engine CD-ROM by Nihon Falcom and Hudson Soft in 1989...
(1989). It was one of the first video games to use CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
, which was utilized to provide enhanced graphics, animated cut scenes, a Red Book CD
Red Book (audio CD standard)
Red Book is the standard for audio CDs . It is named after one of the Rainbow Books, a series of books that contain the technical specifications for all CD and CD-ROM formats.The first edition of the Red Book was released in 1980 by Philips and Sony; it was adopted by the Digital Audio Disc...
soundtrack, and voice acting. Its English localization
Language localisation
Language localisationThe spelling "localization", a variant of "localisation", is the preferred spelling in the US and Canada. is the second phase of a larger process of product translation and cultural adaptation to account for...
was also one of the first to use voice dubbing
Dub localization
Dub localization, also often simply referred to as localization, which is a form of a voice-over. It is the practice of voice-over translation altering a foreign language film, art film or television series by voice actors to further adapt the material for a "local" audience.Dub localization is a...
. The game received the Game of the Year
Game of the Year
Game of the Year is a title awarded by various magazines, websites, and shows to a deserving game. Many are only for PC or console video games...
award from OMNI Magazine in 1990, as well as many other prizes. The Sharp X68000
Sharp X68000
The Sharp X68000, often referred to as the X68k, is a home computer released only in Japan by the Sharp Corporation. The first model was released in 1987, with a 10 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, 1 MB of RAM and no hard drive; the last model was released in 1993 with a 25 MHz Motorola 68030...
remake of Ys I released in 1991 was notable for its early use of 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
pre-rendering for the boss sprites
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
. An MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
remake called Ys II Special was also released exclusively for the South Korean market
Video gaming in South Korea
This article is about video gaming in South Korea.Since 2006, the country has had its own video game rating board, the Game Rating Board, taking over from the Korea Media Rating Board following a controversy where they rated a gambling game as suitable for all ages following a bribe...
in 1994; it was a mash-up of Ys II with the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
Ys II: Castle in the Heavens
Ys (anime)
are two different anime series, both of which are based on the video game series Ys. The first series spans seven episodes and covers the general plotline of the first game of the series, Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished. The plot centers on Adol Christin as he journeys to the island of Esteria in search...
(1992) along with a large amount of new content.
After completing Ys III (1989), Hashimoto and Miyazaki left Falcom and founded Quintet. Two particular versions of the fourth game were released, and Falcom
Falcom
is a Japanese computer game company. The company was founded in March 1981 by Masayuki Kato. Falcom has played a definite role in the growth and development of the Japanese personal computer software industry. The company released the first Japanese computer role-playing game in 1983 and followed...
licensed both versions out: the Super Famicom
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
version to Tonkin House
Tonkin House
Tonkin House is the brand name "Beijing" , such as "Tokyo" in Chinese as "Tonkin" is derived from what it was pronounced.-Summary:Tokyo Shoseki himself initially "Tokyo Shoseki" that there was also the launch of a computer software family with the brand name PC, Tokyo, Ltd...
(who had handled the Super NES port for Ys III), titled Ys IV: Mask of the Sun
Ys IV: Mask of the Sun
is an action role-playing game developed for the Super Famicom, and is the fourth game in the Ys video game series. Ys series creators Nihon Falcom Corporation licensed its development to Tonkin House....
; and the PC Engine version to Hudson
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
(who had ported all three previous games to that platform), titled Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys
Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys
is an action role-playing game developed for the TurboGrafx-CD, and is the fourth game in the Ys video game series. Ys series creators Nihon Falcom Corporation licensed its development to Hudson Soft....
. Hudson
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
took certain liberties with the latter, and as a result, the two games are very different. They share the same setting, cast, and much of the basic plot, but the actual structure of the story plays out in a completely different manner, as do the game's levels and enemies. Despite being non-canonical, Hudson Soft's Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys is considered one of the best entries in the series.
Mask of the Sun is the official continuation of the series. The Dawn of Ys takes several different turns, plot-wise, including some significant inconsistencies with the canonical storyline. For this reason, The Dawn of Ys is essentially an "alternate universe" take on the events in Celceta. A PS2 remake of Mask of the Sun was released in May 2005, further subtitled "A New Theory".
When Falcom
Falcom
is a Japanese computer game company. The company was founded in March 1981 by Masayuki Kato. Falcom has played a definite role in the growth and development of the Japanese personal computer software industry. The company released the first Japanese computer role-playing game in 1983 and followed...
released Ys V, it came out on only a single platform: the Super Famicom
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
. As a stand alone title, it was one of many late generation games that took advantage of the true abilities of the SNES, partially due to the liberties it took with the gameplay (in particular, giving Adol a jump and making him swing his sword). It was considered very easy; in response to this, Falcom soon put out Ys V Expert, a harder version of the game. A PS2 remake of Ys V by Taito was released March 30, 2006 in Japan.
After this, the series sat dormant for eight years (except for remakes such as Ys Eternal), during which time Falcom
Falcom
is a Japanese computer game company. The company was founded in March 1981 by Masayuki Kato. Falcom has played a definite role in the growth and development of the Japanese personal computer software industry. The company released the first Japanese computer role-playing game in 1983 and followed...
abandoned console development altogether, choosing instead to focus on the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
platform. Out of nowhere, they announced a new game in the series, entitled Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim, which was released on September 27, 2003. It took what Ys V had done and refined it, turning it into a very fast-paced action-RPG, which was generally well-received.
In early 2005, a new title in the series was announced, this one titled Ys: The Oath in Felghana, which is a top-to-bottom "re-imagining" of Ys III, covering the same plot as the original, but expanding on it greatly. It could be considered a retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
, but a rather minor one, as it basically clarifies and expands on events in Ys III, rather than overwriting them entirely. In spite of how much has changed, it is not "Ys VII." It was released on June 30, 2005.
A spinoff game called Ys Strategy
Ys Strategy
Ys Strategy is a Nintendo DS Real-time strategy game developed by Future Creates and published by Marvelous Interactive in Japan and Rising Star Games in Europe, and part of the Ys series. It was released in Japan on March 23, 2006, and in Europe on December 7, 2006....
was released on March 16, 2006 in Japan for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
. Unlike the rest of the series, this game is a real-time strategy game instead of an action-RPG. It received lackluster reviews and general disdain from fans.
Ys Origin
Ys Origin
is a Japanese Action RPG released in 2006 for Microsoft Windows by Nihon Falcom. It is the seventh game in the Ys series but as a prequel, it is the first in terms of chronology...
was released in December 2006. It takes place 700 years before the events of the first game, just following the separation of Ys from Esteria. The two initial playable characters are Yunica Toba and Hugo Fact. The two characters' stories play out somewhat differently during character interactions. Adol does not appear aside from being a hidden bonus character. Falcom has since released a new version of the game that required a copy's registration serial number sent to Falcom along with shipping charges to get an extra enhancement disc for the game. With this disc the player would be able to play as Adol, along with various other new features.
Ys Seven
Ys Seven
is a Japanese Action RPG developed and published by the Nihon Falcom Corporation and the seventh installment in the Ys video game series. It was released in Japan during 2009 for the Sony PlayStation Portable and was released by Xseed Games in North America on August 17, 2010 and in Europe on...
was released in Japan during 2009 for the Sony PlayStation Portable.
English releases
Until 2005, only the first three Ys games were available in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
: Ys: Ancient Ys Vanished, Ys Book I & II, and Ys III: Wanderers From Ys
Ys III: Wanderers from Ys
is an action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom Corporation. It is the third game in the Ys series.Ys III was initially released for the NEC PC-8801 and NEC PC-9801 in 1989, and versions for the MSX 2 and Sharp X68000 soon followed. In 1991, a number of console ports were produced:...
. The original PC-8801, PC-9801, X1 and MSX2 versions, as well as the Famicom ports remain exclusive to Japan. English ports of the Japanese PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
game Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim for the PS2 and PSP were released by Konami in 2005 and 2006, respectively, marking the first English release of the series in thirteen years.
At one point, NEC Interchannel proposed bringing Digicube
DigiCube
DigiCube Co., Ltd. was a Japanese company established as a subsidiary of software developer Square on February 6, 1996 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The primary purpose of DigiCube was to market and distribute Square products, most notably video games and related merchandise, including toys,...
's Ys Eternal Story to North America, but the idea was rejected by Sony Computer Entertainment America, commonly thought to be because of their prevailing attitude toward the viability of 2D games in the North American market; but as more small profile 2D games have been released in the PS2's lifespan, the decision was more likely due to numerous technical issues with the port itself including: long load-times (even for a PS2 game), frequent lock-ups, resolution flickering during menu or screen transitions and an abnormally large save file, clocking in at 1MB (1/8 of a memory card) whereas most, and much more recent RPGs average 100–200KB is size compared to a PC game. Many of these problems are associated with the game being quickly ported and released as Digicube was partially going out of business.
The original Windows PC remakes were Ys Eternal and Ys II Eternal. Later, there was a compiled re-release, which bumped up Ys Eternal's visuals to Ys II Eternal's level (more color depth, primarily) and made the soundtrack sound more cohesive between the two. This was released as Ys I & II Complete. Later, once this was out of print, Falcom began selling the two separately again, as Ys I Complete and Ys II Complete. Falcom complicated the issue by changing the "Eternal" to "Complete" on all external packaging and advertisements, but not in the actual games themselves. In one of the English patches, the internal bitmaps are edited to reflect the external change for the packages.
Nintendo added Ys Book I & II to the US Virtual Console Service
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
on 25 August 2008. The Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
allows owners of the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
to download classic games. This marks the first release of the Ys series on a 7th Generation home console. Atlus released the games in one package entitled Legacy of Ys: Books I & II
Ys I & II
is a Japanese computer role-playing game compilation consisting of enhanced remakes of the first two Ys games, released for the PC Engine CD-ROM by Nihon Falcom and Hudson Soft in 1989...
on 24 February 2009 on the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
.
In May 2010, XSEED Games
XSEED Games
XSEED redirects here. For the proposed supertall structure see X-Seed 4000.Xseed Games is a video game publisher and distributor founded by former members of Square Enix USA. Their goal is to bring high-quality interactive entertainment to the North American market...
announced plans to localize the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
games Ys I & II Chronicles
Ys I & II
is a Japanese computer role-playing game compilation consisting of enhanced remakes of the first two Ys games, released for the PC Engine CD-ROM by Nihon Falcom and Hudson Soft in 1989...
, Ys: The Oath in Felghana
Ys: The Oath in Felghana
is a Japanese Action RPG released in 2005 for Microsoft Windows by Nihon Falcom. It is a remake of the third game in the Ys series, Ys III: Wanderers from Ys. A PSP version was released on April 22, 2010 in Japan...
, and Ys Seven
Ys Seven
is a Japanese Action RPG developed and published by the Nihon Falcom Corporation and the seventh installment in the Ys video game series. It was released in Japan during 2009 for the Sony PlayStation Portable and was released by Xseed Games in North America on August 17, 2010 and in Europe on...
in North America. As of 2011, all games have been released.
MMORPG
In 2009, Ys Online was released as an open beta for European players. The setting is centuries after Adol Christin's adventures.Animation
There are two separate OVA anime series of Ys, with the first spanning seven episodes and covering the events of the first game, and the second spanning four episodes and loosely covering the events of the second game. The first anime expands on the relatively thin storyline of Ys I including a retelling of the prologue, previously only told in text in the original Japanese manuals.Both series were released on DVD in English by Media Blasters' anime label "AnimeWorks". They can be purchased separately, or in a three-disc box set, entitled Ys Legacy. The dubbed/audio tracks have changes to some character names ("Dark Fact" becoming "Dark Factor", "Adol" becoming "Adle", and "Lilia" becoming "Lillian," for instance). Pronunciations of various names are inconsistent, sometimes within the same scene.
Included on one of the discs is what appears to be a preview for an anime based around Ys IV. This was created by Falcom as a "pitch" trailer to shop around to various animation studios, to see if anyone was interested in producing the series. They had no takers, however, so this trailer is all that exists of the rumored Ys IV anime.
Music
The Ys series is particularly known for its original music soundtracks by Yuzo KoshiroYuzo Koshiro
is a Japanese video game music composer and audio programmer. He is regarded as one of the most influential innovators in chiptune music and video game sound design...
, Mieko Ishikawa, and Hideya Nagata. The composers' works have been remixed for each subsequent release of Ys I and II, most memorably by Japanese computer musician Ryo Yonemitsu for Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
's Ys I & II
Ys I & II
is a Japanese computer role-playing game compilation consisting of enhanced remakes of the first two Ys games, released for the PC Engine CD-ROM by Nihon Falcom and Hudson Soft in 1989...
and Ys III: Wanderers from Ys releases for the PC Engine CD-ROM (TurboGrafx-CD). Combining Yuzo's composition and Ryo's arrangement abilities, this arrangement found itself introducing video gamers, for the first time, to video game soundtracks that can stand on their own as full orchestral pieces of music. The TurboGrafx versions are also notable for their very early use of Red Book audio in video games. The Ys soundtracks are today regarded as some of the best video game music ever composed.
Consequently, the Ys series is seen in the video game music industry as some of the finest and most influential role-playing video game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
scores of all time, demonstrated by an extensive series of CDs based on the series' music, with numerous variations on its themes. It also inspired video game composers outside of Japan, such as Chris Hülsbeck
Chris Hülsbeck
Chris Hülsbeck is a video game music composer from Germany.He has written soundtracks for more than 70 titles, the latest being Star Wars: Rebel Strike for Nintendo GameCube. Many of his scores for the Commodore 64 are regarded as classics among enthusiasts today, most notably The Great Giana...
who cited it as a direct influence. The only other series with similar impact on the video game music industry at the time were Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest
, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
and Falcom's own Dragon Slayer action RPGs
Action role-playing game
Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...
(also composed by Yuzo Koshiro and Mieko Ishikawa).