First off, as always it's time to explain my bias towards this series.
I adore Falcom titles, I may love some more then others but I always give them a chance.
In the case of Ys despite a rocky start (read as: do not play Ys 1&2 on DS) I quickly fell in love with the series and every time a game was localised I would get it as soon as possible.
Because I know how much i love this series I know i may be more forgiving if it has flaws. So keep that in mind... this is me rambling about how much i love this game... if it's not your cup of tea that is fine but this title will forevermore have a special place in my heart.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana takes place sometime between Ys 5 (Sand of Kefin/not localised yet) and Ys 6 (ark of napishtim). Adol is off to Greek for another adventure when his ship is attacked and everyone ends up shipwrecked on the mythical island of Seiren which no one has ever escaped alive.
Most people would be disheartened by this bleak situation, most people aren't Adol Cristin.
Together with the other castaways Adol used his cartography skills to map the Island and hopefully find a way to escape.
However almost every time Adol has a dream it's about this girl from the past named Dana. What part will she play in his destiny as they travel this island untouched by time.
Before this game I would waffle on which one is my favourite. Depending on the day you I would say 3... or 4... or maybe 7.... although origins is good too. I don't need to waffle anymore.
This is my favourite.
The controls are perfect, the play styles are interesting and varied enough that everyone should find a character that clicks with them.
Flash moves and guards have the right feel to them. Bosses are a lot of fun even if some are really hard (I'll touch on this later)
and there are many varied modes of play..... assuming you are playing the PS4 version.
See as of late Falcom has been doing this thing were they release on a less powerful system (almost always the vita) and then later do a ps4 version with more content.
In Tokyo Xanadu's case that seems like just a little more story and a few more playable characters.
However in Ys VIII..... I can't even imagine this game without the content that the ps4 version adds in.
So there are (at random times) Interception battles where you have to rush back to the village to protect it from monsters.... honestly i dislike this mode but still it helps spice things up.
However in the PS4 version you also have suppression battles where you have to light torches, destroy nests and bosses in order to stop an area from being destroyed.
Also exclusive to the PS4 version are Night dungeons. You essentially go to certain areas at night and have different monsters and challenges.... and stealth seems to be a bit more of a focus (i mean i still ran through killing everything but i like EXP)
So ok two new modes... no big deal right?
Well not exactly.
This is a game with two main characters... Dana plays far more like classic Adol, no party and no changing types......
unless you have the PS4 version and then it gets a little crazy how much they added.
Faries, new forms for Dana (which makes her feel similar to how Adol plays in Ark of Napishtim), an entire Dungeon, New characters and stories.... damn near everything except the main story goals is PS4 exclusive and considering that explains everything about Dana's story i really can't imagine the game without those things.
There's also a post game dungeon that isn't in the ps4 version. Falcom really went all out.... so if i haven't been clear you really want to play the PS4 game if possible cause there is so much more to do.
But yeah I love this game, I don't tend to worry about platinum trophies but I'm over 80% there so why not? It is my fav of the series (I don't see myself changing my mind on this because it just did so much i really enjoyed and the story was really enjoyable)
I love how alive the world feels... I buy that there was an ancient civilization here and that bits of their influence are still all around. I buy that this isn't the first shipwreck that the island has seen and i buy that Dinosaurs can roam around like they own the place.
any flaws?
Yes... a big one actually
So the Blacksmiths name is Kathleen... when you listen in Japanese she says it very clearly (the clearest I've ever heard my name spoken in Japanese actually)
NISA localised this to Cathrine (which i know when you look at Katakana yeah i see what it happened)
I understand why, i get it.... but I'm still calling her Kathleen and no one can change my mind on this (probably being stubborn since it's.... you know... my name... and I'm a big fan and really happy it's in my fav game)
Other then that the game is really good.
Will it be my number one of the year? *looks at Trails in the sky the 3rd, Tokyo Xanadu and any other Falcom titles that may release soon* well we will see.... but it'll definitely be up there. fighting for that number one spot.
NOW I'm going to treat myself by looking through the artbook and maybe drawing some art for it.
See you on the next adventure. (enjoy some old art of little Adol)
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