Other Ys inspired game?

[Ikagura]

Are there retro or indie game similar to Ys I could try while waiting for the next one?

[MegasonicZX]

Only game I can think of would be Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity which mimics the older gameplay style to a degree.

[avenueplus]

As you may know.

The only "Touhou" in the original sense is a series of old-fashioned vertical scrolling STGs by zun.
I think you can find most of them on Steam.
The other TOHO games are derivative works, so they vary in style and form, and it depends on the author's taste, so be careful.

The original game by zun is completely different from Ys, but I think it is quite similar in that it focuses on music (zun is a "musician") and you can get better by learning reflexes and the behavior of stages and enemies.

However, since it is a (self-proclaimed) doujin game, the stages are short, and the music sense and in-game dialogues are quite bizarre.
This is something that many of the secondary works also follow.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by MegasonicZX:

Only game I can think of would be Touhou: Scarlet Curiosity which mimics the older gameplay style to a degree.

I forgot that I already own that game, thanks for reminding me!

Originally posted by avenueplus:

As you may know.

The only "Touhou" in the original sense is a series of old-fashioned vertical scrolling STGs by zun.
I think you can find most of them on Steam.
The other TOHO games are derivative works, so they vary in style and form, and it depends on the author's taste, so be careful.

The original game by zun is completely different from Ys, but I think it is quite similar in that it focuses on music (zun is a "musician") and you can get better by learning reflexes and the behavior of stages and enemies.

However, since it is a (self-proclaimed) doujin game, the stages are short, and the music sense and in-game dialogues are quite bizarre.
This is something that many of the secondary works also follow.

I'm aware of Touhou, I know about the first being more like Arkanoid and I've only tested the 6th entry (which was a bit of a semi-reboot akin to Ys the Ark of Napishtim in a way).

But I've always been more of a Cave fan than Touhou.

[avenueplus]

Well, to be frank, if I had to pick a game that was close, I'd say the Metal Gear series was the closest.
It's not as smooth as Ys, though, because the action part is more strategic.

The only problem is that it's so famous that there's a good chance you've already played it (laughs).

If you have access to a Japanese site with retro games, "Project Egg" has a lot of them.
You can almost play Ys, Metal Gear, and Starcruiser, which I consider to be the big three at the time.

It's a shame there's no Starcruiser 2, though.

[avenueplus]

Originally posted by Ikagura:

I'm aware of Touhou, I know about the first being more like Arkanoid and I've only tested the 6th entry (which was a bit of a semi-reboot akin to Ys the Ark of Napishtim in a way).

But I've always been more of a Cave fan than Touhou.

I am well aware that zun-san loves cave and others.
He's also the reason I started playing so-called "bullet-hell shooters" like Gwange, Mushihime-sama, and Ketsui.

I've always been a side-scrolling shooting fanatic who loves "Gradius".

[essen]

Final Fantasy Type-0 is really great and probably the game that feels the most like Ys (although in a completely different universe).

The Mana games (Secret, Trials, Legend on Steam) are oldies but goodies.

Bastion/Transistor/Hades are a bit different but solid action (but you probably knew that already).

CrossCode and a bunch of similar 2D action adventure games are great time sinks.

Final Fantasy XV I guess is similar in a sense but it's a really bad game.

[somedude212]

If you are looking for fast-paced action hack/slash, I'd recommend Odin Sphere : Leifthrasir and Muramasa: The Demon Blade by Vanillaware.

Speaking of CrossCode, HyperLight Drifter and Death's Door are fun 2d top-down action adventure games.

Also, if you are interested in an old game similar to Zwei! or Gurumin, one recommendation I'd make is Threads of Fate. It's a PS1 game by SquareSoft but it really feels like a classic Falcom game, right down to characters, story, and gameplay.

[avenueplus]

If mean of "pass the time", there's no one better than the Atelier series.

It's got those "Flirting Flirting" visuals, a lot of "errand-feeling," and "basic turn-based combat".

If you can overlook those things, I think it's a decent game, although there are a few flaws in the series.

It's made with a more decent sensibility than Neptune.

There are a lot of uses in the series, though.
Also, it's expensive, but...

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by avenueplus:

Originally posted by Ikagura:

I'm aware of Touhou, I know about the first being more like Arkanoid and I've only tested the 6th entry (which was a bit of a semi-reboot akin to Ys the Ark of Napishtim in a way).

But I've always been more of a Cave fan than Touhou.

I am well aware that zun-san loves cave and others.
He's also the reason I started playing so-called "bullet-hell shooters" like Gwange, Mushihime-sama, and Ketsui.

I've always been a side-scrolling shooting fanatic who loves "Gradius".

I really like Mushi, wish they added the sequel Futari to Steam.

And yeah the Gradius series is probably one of my favorite, shame that Konami will never go back to it (not even a re-release of Rebirth on Steam).

Sorry but the thread isn't really about shmups so I won't derail it further.

Originally posted by essen:

Final Fantasy Type-0 is really great and probably the game that feels the most like Ys (although in a completely different universe).

The Mana games (Secret, Trials, Legend on Steam) are oldies but goodies.

Bastion/Transistor/Hades are a bit different but solid action (but you probably knew that already).

CrossCode and a bunch of similar 2D action adventure games are great time sinks.

Final Fantasy XV I guess is similar in a sense but it's a really bad game.

I've always been curious about FF Type-0 but despite the name it's not "Final Fantasy 0" right?

Bastion and Transistor were cool, I really like that dev and I'll eventually get Hades.

I also did the Crosscode but I didn't plan to buy it so it's stayed in my Wishlist for a long time but I can see the Ys style in it.


I've searched a bit and I found about the DS Lufia game but I also remember an old Genesis era game that was like Ys but I forgot the name.

[essen]

FF Type-0 doesn't have much to do with other Final Fantasy games. Its setting is probably closest to Cold Steel, except as an action RPG, and with far less character development. It has a number of FF things like Chocobos or summons, and its lore borrows many things from the FFXIII lore, but that's about it.

What makes Type-0 so great, besides the gameplay, is how dark it can get. It's total war. You will question whether you are good guys or bad guys. You will despair at your forgotten dead comrades. And after you complete the game once, you can play NG+ which enables secret missions that you were not aware of when you initially played the game, and those give new meanings to the events of the game.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by essen:

FF Type-0 doesn't have much to do with other Final Fantasy games. Its setting is probably closest to Cold Steel, except as an action RPG, and with far less character development. It has a number of FF things like Chocobos or summons, and its lore borrows many things from the FFXIII lore, but that's about it.

What makes Type-0 so great, besides the gameplay, is how dark it can get. It's total war. You will question whether you are good guys or bad guys. You will despair at your forgotten dead comrades. And after you complete the game once, you can play NG+ which enables secret missions that you were not aware of when you initially played the game, and those give new meanings to the events of the game.

I'm genuinely annoyed that Squarenix is slapping the Final Fantasy brand on any game even without any connection.

Sure the Tactics game are good (althrough they aren't really tied to FF aside from the Avalice setting) and FF Legends is a nice game but they don't "feel" like FF, they're their own thing.

Even FFXV feels more like a generic Open World game with some vague relation with FF but I guess that Squarenix wants the series to be different from the older game (I hope FFXVI would be a bit back to that era).

I'll watch some gameplay of Type-0 while trying to remember if there are any Ys clone on the PC engine, SNES and Genesis.

[essen]

Well to be fair FF games are all independent (excluding the odd sequel or lore reuse). Type-0 has as much in common with the others as any other game in the series.

FF Legend though you're right, it's an obvious marketing ploy, just like there was "Final Fantasy Mystic Quest". But those are not originally Final Fantasy games, unlike Type-0 or Tactics.

I am also hoping FFXVI to not be complete crap like FFXV was. I'd be happy if it was just an OK game lol.

Good luck with your quest!

[avenueplus]

I think it's a bit of a misnomer to call them "a clone of Ys".

After the release of Ys in the retro PC era in Japan, many of them were inspired by it.

Even "Hydryde" was very much inspired by Ys in Hydryde3, and "Xak" is a "clone" of it. (Don't expect much in the way of story).

Something similar to Ys on the Mega Drive?
Is it the "LUNAR" series by Game Arts at atmosphere.
In terms of action and music, I'd say "The Story of Thor".
The BGM is by Yuzo Koshiro.