Which Ys game should I start with?

[Retron]

I've got both Origin and Oath but I see Chronicles in the store as well which contains the first two games. Where to Origin and Oath fit in the timeline and which one should I start with?

[Regulus]

Origin and Oath are both great starting points. They're all relatively standalone; most of the Adol based games (all of them except Origin) only feature loose "seeds" of continuity between each other, excluding Ys 1 and 2, which are, together, practically two halves of the same game and thus should be played in order.

Origin takes place 700 years before the first game in the series and is very heavily linked to the story of that game, but you can honestly play it either before or after Chronicles. The callbacks, references, and revelations really work both ways.

I would recommend not playing Chronicles until after you've had a couple more contemporary Ys games under your belt. I love the classic games to death, but they feature a lot of late-80s archaisms which may not be to your tastes. It would be a shame if it turned you off of the rest of the series.

Your best bet is probably to start with Oath, then either move to Origin (which plays like Oath) or Chronicles. Don't worry too much about playing all of the games in order.

[kurosu_49]

For the timeline of these three games it goes Origin>Chronicles(Ys 1 and 2)>Oath. Any game is a good starting point really since they can each stand alone with the exception of Ys 2 which follows up right after Ys 1. Other than that, what order you play the games is up to you.

Personally I'd like you to start with Ys 1 which is a part of Chronicles because that's where the Ys games began but like Regulus said it's pretty old school and I wouldn't want that to hinder your experience or turn you away from the rest of the series. Unless you're a fan of the old classic/retro games. As Ys 1 and 2's battle system is the bump system which is you run into enemies to attack. It's a lot better than it sounds and personally, Ys Chronicles is my favorite of the series so far (from the ones I've played), simply because it was my first Ys game and really got me into the the series. Now I love it. But then again I love the old school classic stuff in games.

But if you're not too into old school or are unsure, I say play Origin or Oath first. But if you can't decide between those two and don't want to choose Chronicles first then play Origin first then move on. But if you plan on playing Chronicles later or are even considering it, you should buy it now while it's one sale =]]]] Hope you enjoy Ys~

[Waypoint]

Definitely start with Oath or Origin. 1 and 2 are...not bad, but they're definitely 80's games, ambiguous event flagging and all.

[GuyInDogSuit]

Chronologically, it goes
Origin
Chronicles Plus
Memories of Celceta
Oath in Felghana
Lost Sands of Kefin (Japan only, no translation)
Ark of Napishtim
Ys Seven

But I agree, Chronicles has not received an Napishtim engine upgrade, so it still has the old "bump into enemies to kill them" gameplay. Great story, otherwise.