Similar games for PC?

[magusat999]

I SOMEWHAT like the Ys series, "somewhat" meaning it's okay, but not the best JRPG I've played. I'm almost done with Oath, I finished Ark - I might play Origin. I don't like the idea of "bump fighting" so those series don't appeal to me.

I'm looking for more RPGs (or JRPGs) like this for the PC, but with some differences:

1) Robust inventory. Many items to find and collect. Ys series is anemic in that regard - by design. Better examples: the Tales series, Star Ocean.

2) Control over items - like Ark. Oath surprised me with this "pick up and use" system.

3) Bigger world. Both of the games I played have these small, contained areas - and no proper "city". They have towns with very few people - yet they talk about "the world" being in danger...Better examples include almost every JRPC ever made... But titles like Suikoden, Final Fantasy come to mind.

4) Interaction with objects. There basically NONE in either Ark or Oath. I havent played the others so I don't know about them. Better examples: Star Ocean and to som extent the Tales games. Star Ocean is (was) a beast at object interaction, with descriptions and in some cases whole backstories on objects (maybe it was a little bit TOO much...)

5) Better (clearer) puzzles. The puzzles in this game, which mainly consist of jumping mechanics - are irritating. They aren't hard to do, thank goodnes - but they can take a few tries due to sloppy mechanics. Better example: Wild Arms.

6) Better clues to the missions - Oath was a fraction better than Ark in this regard - but so far the Ys series has a endency to leave you hanging out there. I missed the escort quest because I had no indication whatsoever that there was an opportunity. Nothing in the game warned me about warping around, or that there was some monster out there on the road, or anything about the Duke, King or whatever he is needing me to escort his son. NOTHING. There are scads of JRPGs that do not just hang you out to dry - too many to mention.

7) Longer story - these Ys gamea are short. There is no transition, like for instance Adol fights Gamera (j/k) and loses. The world in enveloped in darkness and Adol has to basically start over to eradicate the evil that has successfully taken hold of the world. Nope, in Ys, you beat the boss and that is IT - game over. Better examples include Final Fantasy, the Tales Series - even games like legend of Legaia and Grandia...

8) Branching strory? There is none in Ys. it's very limited and linear. Perhaps there is some JRPG out there that isn't so straight-laced?

9) New game Plus? Hasn't that been out since Chrono Trigger? Although I don't see why to play a New Game Plus because the inventory is very limited - but if you could find new things you couldn't find in the initial game that would have been nice. I know - Ys is re-made from the old game series. Xseed / Falcom did a geat job in sticking close to the original - probably too great a job. There is not much replay value.

Okay, if you read all that you probably think I am dumping on Ys, which I assure you I am not. In spite of the shortcomings I still enjoyed the titles. I just do not expect too much more. after playing alomost tw o games in the series. I am looking for more and better. I'm thinking of Tales of Zenia? Are there others? How does Ys Celceta differ?

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

The "bump system" is only present in Ys I & II (which you didn't mention, by mistake?) and refers to their combat mechanism where you deal contact damage to enemies by running into them at the right point/angle. It's less pronounced in Ys II because you also get a ranged attack.

FYI, Ys: the Oath in Felghana is a complete remake of Ys III: Wanderers from Ys -- "complete" in the sense that pretty much the only things that have been preserved are the area names, character names, boss names, the basis of the musical tracks (new rearrangements of which were made), and very general sense of the plot and progression. The original was a 2D action/platforming sidescroller with far different dungeons, entirely different boss gameplay, far more NPCs and more in-depth plot, and more.

Ys VI: the Ark of Napishtim, and Ys Origin, are both entirely new games made in the same game engine as Oath. (Ark was first; Origin came last.) If anything, the only thing "old" that has been preserved since the early games is the relatively limited inventory.

As for several things you mention -- (1) more items to collect with the (2) choice to use them at some later point in time, (3) bigger world, (4) interaction with objects, (5) different kinds of puzzles with less jumping and more sitting down and figuring things out, and (7) longer story, my first thought is the Golden Sun duology for GBA. (The two games, in order, make up one complete story together, each telling a different side of it.) The world is huge, there are many items to be found as well as "djinni" to collect that can be used to change your character class and also use special abilities. Interactions with objects are especially prominent as the use of "psynergy" (i.e. magic spells, basically) features prominently to do things outside combat. The details of a completed file on Golden Sun can be imported to Golden Sun: The Lost Age, as they figure prominently into the gameplay of the second game.

For another choice in that vein, though a bit smaller than the Golden Sun duology (which isn't saying much since that duology is HUGE), there's Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals, for SNES. Also has lots of dungeon puzzles and interactable elements.

If you're looking for an action RPG with interactable elements, try the Seiken Densetsu a.k.a. Mana series. The most famous one is Secret of Mana for the SNES, which has lots to do (weapons and magic spells to collect and level up), and can support up to three players. Inventory is a bit limited, though you can still choose when to use items. The game was poorly translated, unfortunately, but is still well-regarded. A bit of a slog if you play single-player though -- much more fun with a friend. I've also heard good things about the third game, Seiken Densetsu 3 (only fan-translated though), which has like three or six (or nine?) different storylines.

If you're looking for something more recent and on PC, Falcom also has their flagship turn-based JRPG series, The Legend of Heroes, of which the first two Trails games -- Trails in the Sky and Trails in the Sky SC are on GOG/Humble/Steam. These two games also form one story, like the Golden Sun games, and are best known for having a stunning attention to detail in their setting and story elements, including unique and distinctive (and often changing) conversation with every NPC. These two games are quite long, with typical completion times reported around 50 and 100 hours, respectively. They also have a New Game Plus feature, and also, how well you finished the first game can be used to get perks in the second game if you choose to import the save file.

There are also various other JRPGs currently available on PC (mainly on Steam), including famous names like Valkyria Chronicles, Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Zestiria, Disgaea, Phantom Brave, Neptunia series, Agarest series, Final Fantasy III and IV (and The After Years) and V and VI and VII and VIII and IX and X (with X-2) and XIII (all three parts) and XIV and Type-0, as well as less-famous games like LiEat, The Sacred Tears TRUE, Eternal Senia (a free action RPG and one of the highest-rated games on Steam), One Way Heroics, 99 Spirits, 200% Mixed Juice, Pier Solar and the Great Architects, and many more.

[Zaratus]

Oh, and then there is Ys Seven for PSP and Celceta for Vita. They're more robust, rather than the shorter and to the point style of Napishtim/Felghana/Origins, with materials and monster drops to collect, crafting, multiple party members and towns, skill leveling, etc... They're both bigger and longer than the earlier games. Unfortunately, they're not for PC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WhH2f4pelY

[Mustachious]

You say you want a similar game, but then you list pretty much... everything that makes this series what it is as what you want to be different...? So you want it to be similar and like this but... also completely different in every way? What part do you want to be similar? I can't even think of anything that is left in the game for it to be similar lol?? Like you mean you just want a game with anime characters or something...?? The examples you list as 'better' are... nothing like Ys at all?

Recently I Am Setsuna came out... it sounds like something you might like... but... it might not be answering the question you're asking. You mention Tales as a possible answer but I feel like that's a completely different type of game... I can't stand Tales games but I love Ys... and I don't really see anything similar between them other than that 'anime' look of the characters? Tales of Zesteria is the newest/most popular Tales right now though I think??

There's a bit older JRPG published by Square-Enix directed by Akitoshi Kawazu that is on Steam called The Last Remnant. One of the best RPGs out there, Kawazu's games are always really interesting. It doesn't really answer the question you asked here, either though, I don't think.

[Prelude2disaster TTV]

+1 The Last Remnant.

Or Nier. I loved that game, though I can't remember if I even got 1/4 of the way through because there's so much to do.

[Mustachious]

I have a friend who loves Nier to death and I've been meaning to play it :O

[Prelude2disaster TTV]

You really should. It's the least JRPG seeming AJRPG I've ever played. I honest to god must have spent like 15hours fishing in that game. I know I made it to at least the first proper dungeon, but my 360 is in storage now so I need to either remember where in the lock up it is... or suck it up and buy a new one lol

[DOGDWARF]

Dragon's Dogma is kinda similar. Give that a look.

[Mustachious]

I think Dragon's Dogma is an absolutely fantastic game, but I'm not sure how similar it is to Ys. But it does have a lot of the qualities OP seems to be looking for at least. Not all of them, but it's hard not to recommend DD. Dropped hundreds of hours into it on PS3, and recently bought it again to play on PC.

[InsideOut]

Dragon's Dogma and Tales of Vesperia +1

Also like the look of Ys seven. Too bad it isn't released for PC.

[Mustachious]

Ys Seven got greenlit for Steam recently, but it's a Chinese port in Chinese language only. But there may be a fan patch or possibly even official English-language support later.

[72.8% Water]

Having played Oath, it seems to me that this style of Ys is not really a JRPG at all, but an top-down action game with a levelling system. It's a pretty excellent action game, too, with some of the most intense bosses I've ever fought against.

If I was looking for a game that I liked in the same way that I liked Ys, I would probably be looking for something like Iga Castlevania, Zelda 1-3, maybe even God of War.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

It's probably most similar in design to the Castlevania games, which are gated-exploration (i.e. metroidvania-style) action games with RPG elements such as leveling, though most similar to the 2D top-down Zelda games in interface/gameplay.

[korytoombs]

Xanadu Next

[Bazzy]

What OP is describing is pretty much Zelda in a Nutshell, i would say try Links awakeing on Gameboy, if you want great Dungeons, if you like a 3D modern one give Twilight Princess a go.
I do not think Ocarina has aged well at all, sadly.

As for aRpgs on pc the recent relased NieR: Automata is extremly good, imo.
But it doesn't have puzzles. The combat, story, characters, world and ost make up for that, imo. The port needs a community Mod to run ok, beaware of that.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Hey, what happened to the "Ys Seven coming to Steam" thread?