Ys X Proud Nordics is a game that’s essentially a re-release of 2024’s Ys X Nordics. By adding “Proud” to the title and including all the previous DLC into one package, along with a lot of quality-of-life features and improvements.
Does Ys X Proud Nordics warrant a purchase if you played the original Ys X Nordics in 2024? Should newcomers pick this version up instead of the other? I’ll get to that shortly!
Overview of Ys X Proud Nordics
The original Ys X Nordics was released in Japan in September 2023. A year later, we got a global release from Nihon Falcom and seeing as the Ys franchise is something that I’ve been following for quite a few years now, it definitely looked quite interesting. Ys X Nordics seemed like a departure from the more traditional Ys games, with only Adol Christin and Karja Balta featuring heavily as your playable party. Which, to be honest, I didn’t really mind so long as the story was good and delivered the Ys goodness I’ve become accustomed to.
Thankfully, this was the case, and the game followed Adol and Karja’s foray into fighting Griegrs or monsters in Obelia Gulf. Ys X Proud Nordics is effectively the same game as Ys X Nordics was, but Nihon Falcom have upgraded the game with quite a few quality of life features as well as additional content this time around.
Gameplay & Combat Changes
Onboarding you into the game takes a hefty amount of time, and some players might find it a bit overwhelming, but once you get going and come to terms with the SOLO and DUO mechanics, you’ll have a blast fighting enemies. The Ys X Proud Nordics version of the game, however, shockingly doesn’t feature co-op mode. Whether or not this was an oversight or a purposeful design choice is beyond me, but it’s absolutely mind-boggling how a “Definitive Edition” of a game removes a feature that was a heavy focus in the original title.
New Content & Features
Moving on to what has been introduced in Ys X Proud Nordics, players will have access to a massive new location with numerous new dungeons. There’s also new boss enemies, stronger normal enemies and plenty of new story to boot. Additionally, players will also have access to all the cosmetic DLC that was in the base game, which is nice to see. This shouldn’t be confused with the additional DLC costumes that are available to purchase for the Ys X Proud Nordics version of the game, though.
Ys X Proud Nordics also features a new “Mana Hold” ability, which can be used to solve puzzles in the game world. Öland Island itself is teeming with content that’s been worked into the main base game and Ys X Proud Nordics feels like it has a lot more content on offer because of this. The end-game Muspelheim dungeon will keep players busy for hours and hours on end and you’ll want to challenge yourself further with the boss-rush coliseum.
Graphics & Performance
Graphically, Ys X Proud Nordics still looks fine and if you haven’t played the original Ys X Nordics, you’ll be treated to some really great visuals as you play throughout the game’s story. Character and enemy designs are visually appealing throughout and so too are all the flashy effects and skills. Unfortunately there are still some aspects of the game which look quite dated or disappointing with jagged edges or lackluster texture work.
Overall Improvements & Missing Features
Ys X Proud Nordics feels like a much better, more cohesive, and complete version of the game. The balancing, quality of life changes, introduction of the Mana Hold system and all the additional content rounds off the package extremely well but it truly is disappointing that the co-op mode has been dropped. Why Nihon Falcom, why?
Upgrade Path Controversy
Lastly, one thing that I do need to touch on is the fact that Ys X Proud Nordics was announced extremely quickly after Ys X Nordics released in the West. This immediately puts a sour taste in the mouths of gamers who were there on release and purchased Ys X Nordics. Also shockingly, the “Upgrade path” that Nihon Falcom and NISA have laid out on involves a timed discount period. The official statement on Steam reads as follows:
“Good news, returning adventurers!
We are proud to announce that owners of Ys X: Nordics will be able to access an exclusive discount. By purchasing the Ys X Special Upgrade Pack, available from March 6, 2026 to August 31, 2026, you’ll be able to save 34% on the new, definitive Ys X: Proud Nordics!
Experience brand new story content seamlessly integrated into the campaign, then take on extra challenges at the Coliseum, Ceaseless Sea, and Muspelheim to make the most of your adventure! Best yet, the entire experience is chock-full of quality-of-life improvements. It’s time to set sail and stand proud for adventure!”
Since the game is priced at $70, 34% off for the upgrade pack doesn’t seem like a big enough discount… And why this is a time limited discount and isn’t permanent, I will never understand but hey, this is what they’ve decided and its up to us as consumers as to whether or not we’ll support such decisions right?
Final Verdict
In any case, back to the review at hand, Ys X Proud Nordics is the true definitive edition of the game from 2024. The additional content expands upon the game quite a lot and while the co-op mode has vanished, if you’re a single player JRPG player, you wouldn’t really mind losing out on this anyway. If you never played the original Ys X Nordics, Ys X Proud Nordics is certainly the best way to play the game.
If however you already own the original game, you may want to consider only picking this up if you deem the new content to be worthwhile, and have the disposable income to purchase the still pricey special upgrade pack before August 31 2026. It is after all essentially the same game with additional content that could have simply been an upgrade DLC and cost a few dollars extra instead of a whole new re-release at full Triple-A pricing.
The soundtrack is great, the voice acting is great and the storytelling is still absolutely fantastic but hopefully Nihon Falcom’s next Ys entry isn’t marred by some strange business decisions.
Ys X Proud Nordics – Launch Trailer (Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, PC)
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The game was provided to us for the express purpose of reviewing.
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