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    Ys I & II Chronicles+

    genkicoll
    genkicoll


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    Post by genkicoll Wed May 29, 2013 4:55 pm

    Ys I & II Chronicles
    by Nihon Falcom - Original release 1987, PC release February, 2013

    Series links:  Ys I & II ChroniclesYs: The Oath of FelghanaYs VI: The Ark of NapishtimYs Origin, Ys SEVEN, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana

    Available at:
    GOG
    Steam

    Ys I & II Chronicles+ Header

    Long, long ago, there was an ancient kingdom called Ys which prospered under the auspices of two heavenly Goddesses. Over time, the kingdom came to be known as Esteria, and its divine history was largely forgotten by all but the descendants of those who once preached the Goddesses’ will. The only reminder of this lost lore was a cursed spire at the foot of a giant crater, which locals came to regard as “The Devil’s Tower.”

    Eventually, the men and women who called Esteria their home began mining a uniquely radiant silver from the nearby mountains, and development boomed. Towns were built, and the land became rich with life.

    Then, all at once, monsters began to appear. Only a few at first – but soon enough, the land was swarming with them, and the Esterians had no choice but to hide in fear, remaining ever vigilant just to stay alive.

    Our story begins with a young man who’d heard rumors of these misfortunes, and strove to verify them with his own eyes; a brave swordsman with an adventurous spirit bolstered by his own youthful naiveté.

    His name was Adol Christin.

    With no regard for his own safety, Adol set sail toward Esteria through a heretofore impassable barrier of neverending storms. There, he was destined to become ensconced within a 700 year-old mystery that would ultimately take him to a long-lost land nestled amongst the clouds...

    Ys I & II Chronicles  is the most modernized and up-to-date remake of Falcom’s classic franchise-spawning action RPGs from 1987 and 1988. Come see how the story began, and witness the birth of a legend!

    •    Classic buttonless “bump” combat receives a full analog-enabled upgrade for gamepad users, and is augmented in Ys II by a robust magic system.
    •    Soundtrack selectable from among the original 80s FM-synth, an early 2000s MIDI-style remix or a modern studio performance by Falcom’s in-house rock band.
    •    Character art selectable from 90s-style portraits or more modern anime designs.
    •    Four selectable difficulty levels and optional boss rush mode grant players a true old-school challenge (if desired).
    •    Transform into a demon to speak with any and every standard enemy in the game, creating unparalleled depth that still impresses even to this day. (Ys II only)
    •    Unique Steam Achievements plus Steam Cloud support and leaderboards.
    •    Adjustable high-resolution PC graphics with a smooth, consistent framerate.
    •    Greater viewing area than in previously-available Ys I & II Chronicles editions.
    •    Decorative screen frames available from the earlier Japan-only Ys I & II Complete PC release, in addition to the more modernized full-screen viewport of previous Ys I & II Chronicles editions.

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    Last edited by genkicoll on Sun Aug 06, 2017 3:12 am; edited 8 times in total
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8430
    Join date : 2011-12-28
    Age : 51
    Location : Pacific Northwest

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    Post by genkicoll Wed May 29, 2013 4:59 pm

    I've talked about these games over and over again as being my favorite
    RPG's of all time, and I'm sure nostalgia plays a big part of it. This game may have been my first sprite RPG. We had it for the CD attachment for the TurboGrafx, and I played it over and over again -- especially Book II, which was my favorite.

    I have the original PC version called Ys Eternal, which is Book I and II with some extra content. By looking at the screenshots, it SEEMS to be the Eternal version (based on the first screen I posted -- I don't think that scene was in the original, TurboGrafx version), but I couldn't say for sure unless I played this version.

    Go HERE for more information that I've compiled on this/these games Sunny
    genkicoll
    genkicoll


    Posts : 8430
    Join date : 2011-12-28
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    Post by genkicoll Tue Dec 31, 2013 9:43 am

    This is the same game as Ys Eternal, except that I'm guessing that ALL of the Japanese has been translated, and not just most of it Snicker

    First, what is Ys?

    Ys Book I and II
    is a game made for the CD-attachment for the game console, Turbo-Grafx. As far as I know, the Turbo-Grafx was the first gaming system to use full-sized CDs for games. In looking for a download, I've seen it described as a "cult classic". I guess I fall into that category, as I LOVE it!

    At first glance, Ys is your typical throwback game, with chibi (little) characters that run around doing quests to collect experience (so you can go up levels) and gold (so that you can buy new equipment). This game does have a much deeper level to it, though. This is the first console game I ever saw with animated cutscenes - and at the time, they were amazing! They still don't look bad today!

    There are intermittent voice overs, and the cutscenes all have voice overs, as well. There is a driving story that takes you seamlessly from Book I to Book II (If I recall correctly, they were on different disks... either that, or it took a different loading cycle - I'll come back to that, though).

    I'm going to talk here about Ys Eternal, as I have not played the Turbo-Grafx version for several years. So, what is Ys Eternal, you ask? Ys Eternal is a wonderfully extended version of Ys Book I and II. There are whole new scenes to visit, new characters, new monsters, extra storyline, and
    new ways to interact with characters.

    Story - Adol Christian is the red-headed warrior who will save the land of Ys. from destruction. Along the way you will fight evil demons, help villages, save kidnapped people, find ancient relics and become a conduit for the twin goddesses. You'll even become... Well, I don't want to give too much away Wink

    Combat is very simple - all you have to do is "run into" the enemy. Sounds easy enough, but there is some strategy to it. If you hit them at an angle (diagonally), you're much less likely to get hit, yourself. You can actually kill enemies that are much higher level than you by using this technique. Running straight-on at an enemy will quickly spell your doom if you're low level. In Book II you will use not just your sword, but learn magic and be able to use fireballs against your enemy.
    Ys I & II Chronicles+ 100803_040847_58893798

    Character Interaction - Again, simple!

    Bump into someone to talk to them. I mentioned a new way to interact with characters, too. This is for Book II only, as I recall. If you equip certain items before talking to someone (flowers, apples, herbs, rhoda tree fruits, etc), a though bubble will pop up with a picture of the item in it. If you click Give (or Yes, or whatever it asks), you will give the item to the person you're about to talk to. This will make them like you more. The more they like you, the more information they'll share... and sometimes they will give you things that you can't get in the game, otherwise! You can change how the main female character reacts to you by the number of flowers Ys I & II Chronicles+ Openflower(or other items) you give her, and it will change the ending of the story!

    TIP: Save the game before offering items to people. Sometimes it takes four items for them to give you something in return, sometimes they won't do anything special for you at all.

    EQUIPMENT - Like any RPG, you will find and/or buy new equiptment as you progress through the game(s). You MUST REMEMBER to equip your sword, armor, special items and/or magic wands! If you don't manually equip them, you're not using them!!!

    ITEMS - There are two types of items in the Ys games: The kind you can use in combat, and the kind you can use at any other time (although there are some all-the-time items you can use in combat, too, such as healing herbs). You will have two screens - one for Equipment and one for Items.  If you "equip" an item from the Items  screen, you can usually use it in combat. You can also offer that item  (some of them) to other characters in the game, as described above in Character Interaction.

    Equipment will show your armor, the item you currently have equipped and (in Book II) any rings you might have. The rings work towards resisting damage, slowing down the enemy, upping your protection, etc. Memory is slightly fuzzy, it's probably been over a year since I last played Ys I & II Chronicles+ Tongue

    Soundtrack - Really good. The music changes depending on where you are and what you're doing. I think it's lovely.

    LENGTH - I don't see any way you could make it through even Book I in a single day, much less the entire game. This is a nice LONG game, and one you can walk away from for a while if you need a break. (Though it's compelling, it's hard to stop!)

    This game is almost a gigabyte in size, and worth every bit of space it takes on your hard drive. In Ys Eternal, Book I and Book II are loaded separately. You do not carry forward equipment or items, but there is a VERY good and logical reason why you don't, hence the perfect break between Book I and Book II.

    If anyone decides to play the game, be sure to look for a walkthrough or ask for tips here in this thread. DO NOT enter Darm Tower (in Book I) without saving first - you can't get back out, and... something else that I won't go into unless asked, just a warning Ys I & II Chronicles+ Wink

    Ys I & II Chronicles+ 100803_040819_27393309Ys I & II Chronicles+ 100803_040806_36892272

    A comprehensive Ys site: http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/ys/ys.htm

    They do a wonderful job explaining the world of Ys - much better than my attempt. PLUS there are MP3 downloads from the game and more!

    ...

    Now, why do I bring this up?

    Because in approximately 18 minutes, Steam's Community Choice deal will be Ys I & II Chronicles for $3.75!  Happy bounce   It's truly one of my favorite RPG's, and though I have Ys Eternal, I will be getting this version, too.  $3.75 is just too good to pass up!

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