This or 8 or 9?

[Rhanos]

Have heard that this franchise is good but I never play this franchise so which one I should get to get into this franchise?

[Lugum]

1-8, that's still closer to the original ones. 9 started to feel different, and 10 has a whole different fighting system (like how final fantasy 15 and intergrade started to change with that serie).

[QisTopTier]

8 is one of my favorite games of all time and I've been around the block

[Kanaev]

I started with 8 and it's fantastic. Also liked 9, but better start with 8.
Too bad price for 10 is overblown, would've played it already otherwise.

[Gloom]

All of the games are good and it doesn't really matter which order you play them excluding 1 & 2 which should be played in order.

[nelvus]

I'd start with the earlier titles if I were you (Felghana, Origin, Seven). They are more enjoyable, however all games in the series are rather good.

Out of the 3 you've mentioned, Ys VIII is the best imo. The combat, exploration and story are pretty good, and it's the longest one.

[Cygnus]

Most people will generally agree 8 is the best of the Ys Games. Start with 8, if you enjoy it branch out from there. 9 is okay but overall feels different storywise. 10 has also been great but with open world boating. Celceta is also a good game that 8 built upon but not quite as good.

[Rhanos]

Thank guys bought 8 already will give it a try.

[The Mighty Salmon]

Story wise, the 8 is more mature, make more sense and has a way better story line. The 9 could be good, but the Monstrum story telling/caracter was total crap and childish while the story of the bad one was pretty good and mature (two speed/tone/quality that break the immersion).

For the gameplay 1 to 7 is 2D/2.5D and 8 and ownward are 3d. All of them are pure button bashing.

[Isaxus]

If you care about chronology, 8 takes place pretty late but is the most standalone entry. X takes place immediately after the first game(s) Ys I & II Chronicles+, unless you count the prequel Ys Origin. There's usually not a focus on overarching story, but expect references and callbacks. 9 is probably the worst to start with from this perspective.

[PINGAS]

8 and 9 are on sale right now so I would recommend those. Pretty sure getting them both right now will cost you less than nordics. 8 is one of the best games ever made, 9 is really good, too

[Laurence I of Yharnam]

Originally posted by Rhanos:

Thank guys bought 8 already will give it a try.

Good choice. VIII is superb; Dana forever.
IX is also very good.
Then go for the older ones, but besides Memories of Celceta and Seven they're very different from the newer ones.

[daveunknown]

I started with 8, Its a fantastic game.

[Brighto]

Easy choice --> Ys VIII

The only problem you will face afterwards. Ys VIII is the pinnacle of this IP.

Arguably Oath in Felghana is on the same tier. But that one is fundamentally different from the modern Ys titles.

But for the other titles do not expect the same quality degree. Which does not mean the other games are not good. I personally enjoyed IX a lot or Ys Origins.

Ys X is the first skip for me though. The game feels like a downgrade to me.

[Star Sage]

8 is the best game in the series in general design, and this is a series that other than 2 and SEVEN needs no other info than Adol is an Adventurer, who goes on Adventurers, sometimes with a guy named Dogi at his side. It's a fun series for that. 9 is kind of a climax, referencing everything that came before, but without needing you to know anything about it to enjoy the story being told, and 10 is a unique flavor of game trying to do something different with it.

Memories of Celceta(remake of 4) is good, but IS an early 2010's budget title for all that that means in good and bad ways. And Origins is a side game, but means the most if you played the first 2, which are also on a few storefronts, and quite fun, but are kept somewhat faithful to their original design...which means a lot considering those games, the first Ys, were made in the 80s, so being faithful does mean they are sometimes punishing, and worse yet, have some design quirks that the industry moved away from, like how combat is done by touching enemies, rather than attacking them normally.

[Gloom]

Its worth noting that starting with Ys IX and X there is a lot more influence from Falcom's Trails series. Personally I don't find that to be a bad thing.

In terms of game design this series has a few distinct periods.

Ys I & II, Ys IV: Mask of the Sun and the unofficial Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys are bumper car action, this works better than it sounds even if its somewhat dated.

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys was a side scroller somewhat like Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, I don't think this aged very well. Its much better to play the remake.

Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand is an action rpg not too different from A Link to the Past and still pretty fun today. There is a fan translation for those inclined to look for it.

Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim, Ys: The Oath in Felghana (Remake of 3) and Ys Origin improve upon the combat in Ys V making it more distinct from other action rpg games.

Ys Seven, Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox and Ys: Memories of Celceta (Remake of 4) take the combat in the previous era and give a whole party and skills to use during combat.

Ys X: Nordics is almost like Tokyo Xanadu where you switch between two characters freely during battle, except non-player controlled character is still on the field unlike in that game.