Ys X Nordics, a game that for better or worse, is finally coming ashore to the rest of the world. Originally released only for the Japanese audience back in September of 2023, Ys X Nordics, is a game from Nihon Falcom, the very same company that develops The Legend of Heroes series among a few others. And as someone who has been hooked ever since I’ve gotten my toes wet with Ys: Memories of Celceta, I was so ecstatic to try this out for the first time.
Ys X NordicsVideo Review
And right off the bat; I will say that, unlike previous titles in the series, Ys X Nordics while it still holds the same nostalgic scent of yesteryear, is now sprayed with a brand-new set of paint. Not only did they fully scrap the three-person party system but what Ys X Nordics actually gave us is a more focused combat and storytelling thanks to the smaller cast of playable characters.
Don’t get me wrong, there are still a lot of characters that are part of the story and have their own mini-progression and development but the focus here is still mostly on the main protagonist, Adol Christin and newfound heroine, Karja Balta. Before I get too ahead of myself, let’s talk a bit about the story first.
Where Adol goes, trouble follows…
Adol Christin’s story starts you off on a ship on its way to Carnac, a stopping point until his next big adventure. However, as fate would have it, you got roped, quite literally, into a huge mess when a talking seashell gave you mana powers and even chained you to none other than the daughter of the jarl herself, Karja Balta of the Balta Seaforce. From there, worse things start happening when “griegrs” a group of unkillable monsters start appearing in town which apparently can only be wounded by mana.
It’s a story that heavily focuses on the two as they grow and develop while trying to learn whatever’s making them bound to each other. That and maybe they’ll even solve the crisis that befell Carnac and the rest of Obelia Gulf in the process.
It’s a refreshing take, often feeling like a breath of fresh air from the usual large parties that RPGs are made of and one that really vibes with me as someone who enjoys a more focused story rather than a bulk of interconnecting and often convoluted mix of plots and character development. This made for an enjoyable experience not only story-wise but for its revamped combat system.
A fresh approach to combat
And speaking of the combat system, gone are the three-person parties. What we have now is just a DUO with Adol and Karja. And with this change, also removed the need for specific weapon types like slashing weapons, blunt or even pierce. This doesn’t completely simplify the whole game though. In fact, I found myself struggling to grasp the system a few hours in as new game mechanics were being introduced one after the other.
In battles, you’re able to choose which character you want to control in SOLO while a DUO mode is also available and this allows you to attack with both characters at the same time at the cost of reduced mobility. However, you still have the Ys staples like SP-based skills that get more powerful versions of moves as you master each one aside from perfect dodge and parries.
But what really got me was all the added trinkets such as Mana Actions like a string that allows you to latch onto interactable objects and enemies alike or the Mana Ride that summons a hoverboard to glide through areas among a few others. Not to mention that this also introduces Naval Battles as a game that took inspiration from Viking culture and more specifically its setting in Normandy.
Character progression on the other hand still follows the same old system where you can equip a weapon, a piece of armour and up to four slots of accessories each with their own unique yet nostalgic effects. They can also be refined and upgraded if you have the credits and resources to do so but what’s new here is the new skill tree system called Release Line.
This skill tree allows you to unlock nodes that can be used to attach mana seeds that alter your stats and give specific effects when you chain together similar types of seeds. Some nodes also unlock new skills for each character while increasing your depth in the skill tree unlocks DUO skills which are useful abilities that can only be used in tandem.
A bit uninspired but still has its charms
Despite its fun and exhilarating combat system with a robust progression through its skills and abilities, the weaker end of that spectrum does appear to be its linear and often uninspired level design. Unlike Memories of Celceta which had me roaming around in just about every nook and cranny I can find, Nordics’ open seas are just vast but with little to take in. Often times I’d just want to go from point A to point B as fast as possible. But beyond that, land exploration is something that does have its own merits.
It might not have something to write home about but it’s one that does its job well for what it was trying to do especially with all the new Mana Actions that were introduced which help in puzzle-solving and traversal aside from its niche uses in boss battles.
Conclusion
Ys X Nordics might not be the perfect game yet it still deserves to be explored. There’s an interesting story that feels more compact yet filled with interesting twists and turns. By the end of it all, I even found myself somewhat surprised as to how things ended up playing out. However, its biggest selling point is its exhilarating and addictive hack n’ slash combat complete with all the bells and whistles you could expect from the series.
Ys X Nordics character progression is more robust and expansive than ever despite some boss battles being a hit or miss when it comes to overall difficulty or fun factor. But all in all, Ys X Nordics is a game that I was genuinely happy that I managed to try out. So, if you’re interested in what you’ve seen or heard here, then I don’t need to say anything else other than good luck and have fun.
Ys X Nordics – Launch Trailer (Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, PC)
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