Developer/publisher: Falcom.
Platform: PS4/5/Switch.
Official Site: https://www.falcom.co.jp/ysx/
Release date: 27-09-2023.
I decided to just preorder this game last minute like a week before release
yea I was that on the fence about it. Ys games are mostly standalone
and don't really require order of play with the exception of 1 and 2
but those are bundled together nowadays.
The protagonist Adol's adventures are based on real life journals but falcom likes
to just do whatever when they make a new game so one moment
you got Adol at his oldest and the next he is young again.😂
So... if this game sparked your interest in the series its okay to start here!
Its not like falcom's gonna knock on your door if this is your first ys game...
Pro's
- Interesting story and a great cast of characters.
- Amazing Soundtrack.
- Fun boss fights.
- Smooth gameplay, no lag or anything on PS5.
Con's
- Its easy to gravitate towards combi mode and forget... regular skills exist.
- Confusing spheregrid-like system.
In short, I quite enjoyed my time with Ys X despite being on the fence about it prerelease.
it was hard to grow tired of it, even if some end game dungeons got longer
like the last game I played, it was still fun to try and find every chest, quest or
mow my way through the raid/strongholds. I liked the story as well I think
it is out there with Ys VIII. My only gripes would be with the orbment grid
or that I gravitate too much towards combi mode that I forget regular skills exist.
Combi mode just feels too good to be honest. Its a good game and I'm glad I played it!
If you can get past the fact there are only two playables and the graphics
being rough in certain areas then you're in for a good time! I believe falcom
really gave it their all with this game. I'm still pretty fatigued when I think about trails
but if falcom takes their time making their games and not rush them out year after year
then it'll be okay, idk how long this game took them but they deserve a very pat on the back.
9/10
More rambles after the jump, there won't be any plot spoilers in this post
i'll share a few screenshots but nothing with further context.
This game's story is best experienced going in blind.
 |
| Moshi moshi, seashell desu. |
that aside it has this thing when it gets going it goes hard or so to speak.
It was also pretty difficult to guess where any of it was going early on
which is where it hooked me to continue on.
I liked how they couldn't go too far apart for a story reason
which lead to some amusing scenes! there are a lot of side characters though
some kind of dropped of the map but they all had a place in the story.
I know it may be disappointing to have only two playables but it really makes sense
why this is the case, while there are exceptions most other characters aren't made for fighting.
Pacing A-ok, there are some things that could feel repetitive but nothing dragged too much.
Its a 30-40 hour game not too short but not too long either.
 |
| This made me laugh cuz Adol randomly got attacked by a crow called Hugill. |
Combat its half of what I am used to from say Ys VIII and half of it was new and
rather gimmicky if you asked me, I didn't like that since it felt really forced
on using the R2 skills which was kind of OP and didn't make me wanna try
and flash guard/dodge like usual. On the other hand the Mana Line mechanic
and the skateboard were neat and made exploring fun/refreshing so its... 50/50 I guess?
I liked the exploration but at times it felt like it became a sonic game....
 |
| Sonic adventure 1 colorized. |
it was just all around a terrible time and very little chance to hit it.
That stupid worm aside most bosses were pretty cool and it was exciting to fight them.
I didn't really take too many screen shots of the combat but this game doesn't
look good in screenshots tbh, you have to experience it.
this
annoying pirate who want the same treasure as us for some reason.
 |
| The reasons the graphics can look rough at time is because this game has an overworld. |
Since in Ys X there is more water than land you have to use the ship to get literally
anywhere, sometimes you have to fight too, I thought it would be clunky and well
at first it did feel like that but once you get the hang of it, it wasn't so bad.
I also definitely ran into an invisible wall while fighting off some other enemy ship one time.
Yea maybe I am just bad huh... and should learn how to use the steering wheel...
also it is not just me and enemy ships also frequently... think walls are comfy.
Idk why random ship battles existed but eat your heart out I guess?
 |
| Ship battles aren't so bad as long as you upgrade and most mats can be found by just playing! |
At first the Sandorias is s low as hell but atleast there are wind lines
that can help to get from point A to B or wherever you need to be quicker.
The more crew members you gather the better the stats which you can upgrade even further.
Also thank the lord that quick travel exists as well because hoo boy I wanted it.
-
There is also a some sort of spheregrid where you input orbs that can give
Adol and Karja benefical effects, I didn't grind much and used what I had on hand
but it was such a massive I have no idea what I am doing feel but I hope it works.
even by the end of the game I barely got the best versions, maybe it is because
I am such a combi spammer and during bosses I just forget about the regular skills.
That sounds like a me problem but it doesn't help that my reaction speed may just not
be enough to handle both R2 skills and the R1 skills so I gravitate towards the OP one aka R2.
My favorite skills would be the crowd control tornado and the cleave of ice.
 |
| Save the pikkards! you will won't you? |
There are quests as well and optional events with NPC's but early on it was annoying
if they're far away from a wind line... looking at you Glenn and your stupid fetch quest!!!
The first few hours were insufferable if you wanted to explore but patience is key...
there's enough time to complete most quests you come across and some you trigger at the end
of ch3 can be done into ch4. I wasn't sure if there were any missable ones but I have found out
that this game is very lenient on quest deadlines despite locking you into the story at times.
Just make sure to save a lot and it should be ok if you explore everything.
 |
| This has such a its not about THEM mood. |
Also unlike the previous game I played, side quests in Ys X are actually worth doing
and can add a bit of life to the world and expand on some stuffs.
My favorites were the golden apple quest and the events surrounding a blind girl
that lives alone on some faraway island. Maybe the idiot pirate treasure hunters as well...
 |
| My favorite questline... |
I liked finding little islands at times whether it was for a quest or not, some are rewarding to explore.
Treasure chests have their own animations for opening them too... I guess this is what
happens when you scale down the number of playable characters to just 2.
so you won't be mashing like a maniac and hurting your fingers in the process, its light and fun.
Graphic wise, I think this game won't win any awards...
some areas can feel like they lacked polish but overall it was nice on the eyes?
I liked the soft colours and the character models were nice atleast? it didn't have
the saturation of Ys IX... is that the right word? or should I say darker coloring.
The buildings and such didn't look too bad either its just the environment in general?
I don't really care about graphics tbh and when you were exploring or fighting
it was hardly noticable some areas could look a bit rough. The reason some of it
looks unpolished is on purpose, this game has an overworld like older games
which naturally look worse than most field areas.
 |
| A good example of this game can actually look nice! |
though the first outfield bgm sounded like something you'd hear on a chicken farm
but most others were pretty great and there is a lot of variety in tracks
it actually made me want to buy the soundtrack and that is very rare for me.
maybe it was the black and blue. Also if you missed the preorder there is still
another Pikkard attachment as a reward from a quest. I wish some of the shop only
costumes were unlockable in game though or being able to buy it later
some of them simply look too good and it would be incentive to do things
but it is what it is, you think those costumes would sell if you could buy them on psn
for people who couldn't preorder/buy it within the first two months?
I probably would if the costume looked nice. I think it is more a thing of fomo
or exclusivity than anything else.
Final Thoughts?
 |
| Adol's journey continues on... |
I actually enjoyed this game more than I thought I would?
idk if it is because I had low expectations and lowered the bar
but despite groaning prerelease at there being gimmicks or clunky looking ship battles
it didn't turn out to be bad and its actually quite a fun game with a pretty good story.
The cast of characters, especially NPC's were all so involved I was nostalgic of Tokyo Xanadu.
The story from the pacing to the revelations along the way, nothing felt like it dragged
to long, Adol always learns something new that improves the adventure as well.
I actually laughed out loud at some things, this game had a good sense of humor too. I enjoyed rescueing townsfolk, the raids weren't too bad this time? I remember disliking them in IX.
Quests were much better than the last game I played as well. I played on normal
but at times it is really obvious that if you don't guard or dodge you will feel the hurt.
Healing items were limited as well and you had to refill them if they ran out thankfully
it can be done on the sandras or... the little crow will give you an opportunity during the story.
There were little optional things to do like collecting pikkards and... a super boss
on a island with a permanent thunder storm whom I promptly ran away from.
Combat was just okay, its still in the same vein as VIII or IX, just focus more on R2 skills
which I also didn't really like but it is what it is! I think it is mostly cuz of button overlap
with the classic R1 skills and guard also being R2. So I can't help but use combi more.
Navigating the ship early on was bleh too... unless there was a optional mark
I didn't explore if I didn't have to go there but it does get better and piloting the ship
does not stay slow and clunky which was a huge relief.
I guess some villain could get annoying, after a while was so done with what's his name? Larg?
I kept reading/hearing that as Raak for some reason like a clown.
So go figure, villains can range from simply remembering they existed like Ord
or being the most annoying ant in a cargo hold Yord. Larg just tried way too hard tbhI actually wanted to punch him cuz his conductor antics got to me more than the one with
the most punchable face which was Leif who I actually ended up having a soft spot for.
 |
| That's just rubbing salt into the wound... atleast it makes sense why adol get shipwrecked in almost every other Ys game, lmao. He probably forgot and is facing Karja's wrath!😂😂😂 |
Anyway i've said enough and I don't want to ramble too much Ys X was a pretty great game
and I enjoyed playing through it! I think it is my fav entry next to VIII.
I can't gaurantee anyone to like it as well but who knows! if you're not sure why not try?
if you like Ys even in the slightest I totally recommend to play this game!
I think I will take a break for now and not start any new games, maybe try and collect
some things in this game or continue scarlet nexus kasane route.
I do want to give fate/remnant a try but I am not in the mood for a 50 hour game right now...
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