Recs.
Updated
Finding himself shipwrecked on the cursed Isle of Seiren, Adol Christin joins together with his fellow castaways to unravel the mysteries of the island while trying to find a way to escape.
Specs
Pros
Pro Able to be played without having played any other games in the series
Almost all of the games in the Ys series are self-contained stories. There are some references to locations and stories from other games in the series, but these references do not make an impact on the story at all.
Pro Fluid, fast-paced combat that is easy learn
The main combat of YS VIII is fast-paced, but not difficult to grasp. The core of the combat is the basic attack, dodge and guard. Characters also have special skills to deal more damage or to attack multiple enemies at a time, as well and an extra skill to deal heavy damage in a wide area. Combat becomes more nuanced with characters being able to deal one of three damage types, which can be used to exploit enemies weaknesses to stagger them or deal increased damage. Since the party is comprised of three members, all three damage types can be covered and switching to the right character is easily done by the press of a button. In addition to basic guarding and dodging, if the timing is done correctly, a flash guard or flash move is activated which either make you deal critical damage with each strike (guard) or move faster (move), as well as make you invincible for a short time. Boss fights are more complex than regular combat, but if time is taken to observe and understand their attack patterns, a hard boss can be easily dealt with when using a combination of skills and flash guards/moves.
Pro Beautiful soundtrack
The Falcom Sound Team delivers with a beautiful soundtrack for this game. The music ranges from rock tracks for combat, to upbeat music when in bright, sunny locals, and calm, serene music when the occasion calls for it. This is one soundtrack where the music is not only memorable, but fits the mood of the game very well.
Pro Interesting and compelling story and characters
Starting out with a monster attacking the boat Adol is on as the introduction, the story starts with finding fellow castaways while establishing and upgrading and defending a base of operations and trying to find a way to escape the island. As the island is explored and the story progresses, it shifts from trying to escape to unraveling the mysteries of island and why Adol is having dreams of Dana, a woman from an ancient civilization. The stories of the cast is also told as the main story progresses and more castaways are rescued, but can be further enhanced by completing side-quests given by the cast and giving them gifts as well. With enough affection, additional cutscenes with each member of the cast can be viewed, as well as journal entries unlocked to be read. What starts out as a group of strangers stranded on an island trying to escape turns into a bonded community working together in a story that evolves from trying to survive to unraveling the great mysteries of the island.
Cons
Con Localization could have been better
While it did not make the game unplayable, the localization of YS VIII was filled with grammatical errors, inconsistencies and typos. Compared to the rest of the games in the Ys series, this localization was a let down that ended up creating enough of an outcry from fans that NIS America is currently producing a new localization patch that not only fixes the text, but even has the voice acting redone. This patch is releasing on Jan 30th, so it may end up fixing this con.