New to Ys? Everything you need to know about the Ys series right in this thread.

[Domi]

If you are new to the Ys series and doesn't know what to do, don't worry, I'll give you all the information you need right here.

I - What's Ys exactly?
II - So how do I get into Ys?
III - List of Ys games [1987~1995]
IV - List of Ys games [2003~2016]
V - Timeline
VI - Links

I - What's Ys exactly?

The Ys series is an action JRPG from 1987, made by Nihon Falcom, also the makers of other games and series such as Gurumin, The Legend of Heroes / Trails, Brandish, Xanadu Next and Tokyo Xanadu among many others. The main appeal of an Ys game is the exciting action and gameplay, along with a great design and full of adventures.

For example, one common feature is the lack of grinding: the lower your level, the more experience you'll get from enemies and the higher your level, you'll get less. This way, you can catch up pretty quickly if you are underleveled, and when you barely get experience, the game it's pretty much saying you had enough and it's time to move on with the game to the next area or boss.

The Ys series is mostly about the adventures of Adol Christin, a red-haired adventurer that travels around the world always getting involved in big schemes and saving the lands he visits. These adventures are mostly self-contained and the stories are normally pretty simple but good enough to make you keep going, along with some great plot twists here and there. There are as well subtle references and ties to the main lore, which gives the impression that it has a "deeper than needed" lore.

Do you have to play the entire series to enjoy the last Ys game? Nope! Are you in love with getting every single detail, subtle reference and lore? Then play the previous games and get involved with the community for those extra juicy details.

You can perfectly play the entire series on PC but for obvious reasons I can't say more.

II - So how do I get into Ys?

Ys is not a series in which every new game happens after the last one, so it can perfectly confuse newbies, and most people just follow the chronological order. If you ask me, I don't think that's the best way to enjoy the series. This is, obviously, just my opinion.

This is a series in which you can see how the gameplay evolves, changes and improves on itself, and the chronological order would mean you'd have to go from the 1995 game to the 2016 title then 2003, which is the very first 3D game. And trust me, you will feel that in a very negative way. Another reason is that, if you are into its great lore and that stuff, you are going to miss a lot of references and ties if you follow the chronological order.

What I recommend is the release order. This is how Ys has been made and Falcom knows what they are doing.

III - List of Ys games [1987~1995]

[1987] Ys: Ancient Ys Vanished
[1988] Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter

Adol's first adventure, when he was just 17 years old, in the lands of Esteria, isolated from the outside world due to the Stormfall, a natural disaster in the form of a sea that destroys any ship that dares to reach land inside. These lands are connected somehow to Ys, an old forgotten kingdom which was a "paradise on Earth" 700 years ago, then it suddenly disappeared. Ys II is a direct sequel, since they wanted to make both games one but couldn't because of limitations.

These two games features the "bump system", in which you bump into enemies from the sides to hurt them, or else you'll be the one to be hurt. While it sounds bizarre and pretty bad, it's still very fun and if you get used to it, you'll probably have a blast playing the game. Ys II adds magic spells, but most of the times it means you'll be using the fireballs along with bumps.

You can find on Steam and GOG a remake of both games, called "Ys I & II Chronicles+", which I consider the best way to enjoy both games.

[1989] Ys III: Wanderers from Ys

2 years later, when Adol is at 19, he and Dogi visits Felghana, Dogi's hometown, but monsters are appearing around the lands, the king is increasing the taxes and closes the mine, resulting in the village barely getting any revenue, and Chester, an old friend of Dogi, has disappeared. What's going on exactly?

Ys III changes the gameplay to something close to Zelda II, and most people dislike this game, which is also pretty short. Luckily, there's a new version of this game in 3D (more of that later) meaning you can skip this game perfectly, plus this title is no longer canon and you can skip it.

[1993] Ys IV: Mask of the Sun
[1993] Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys

Returning to the bump system, Adol finds a message in a bottle requesting help to save the region of Celceta. This game happens between Ys I & II and Ys III, while Adol is 18 years old.

So why are there two Ys IV? In 1993, Falcom couldn't develop their own Ys IV, so they outsourced the game to two companies and both made two different versions of the game, and very, very different.

Nowadays there's a new version of the events of Ys IV made by Falcom itself (more on that later), meaning these two games are no longer canon and you can skip both.

[1995] Ys V: Kefin, Lost City of Sand

One year after the adventure of Felghana, (Adol is 20), he travels to Xandria, north of Afroca. Legends talk about Kefin, a lost city that disappeared 500 years ago. Dormna, a merchant, is looking for the magic crystals that are suppose to reveal the secrets of Kefin. In order to achieve his goal, he hires Adol.

Ys V introduces a new gameplay system, in which Adol attacks, moves, jumps and shields himself with actual inputs, no longer needing to bump into enemies. This can be considered an extremely early version of how the 3D Ys games started.

There's no modern version of Ys V, and it's no longer canon, meaning that, yes, you can skip this game if you wish.

IV - List of Ys games [2003~2016]

Ys V wasn't... liked back in 1995, and Falcom decided to give the series a rest for 8 years (if we forget the first versions of the Ys I & II remakes). Around 2003, they released the very first 3D Ys game, introducing a new gameplay style and a new lore that unifies the entire series, then releasing new Ys games and new versions of old Ys games with new story and ties to the lore.

[2003] Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim

The Ys that resurrected the franchise, with a hack'n'slash style, 3 swords with its own gameplay differences and a new lore that future games will keep referencing again and again.

3 years after the events of Ys V, Adol is now 23 years old and has finally reunited with his best pal, Dogi, and is eager to begin a new adventure in Afroca. It seems fate has other plans, however, as a pirate captain named Ladoc catches up with him during a brief stopover in the port city of Ediz, and presents him with an offer he simply can’t refuse: exploring the mysterious western islands of Canaan. There, a phenomenon similar to the Stormwall from Adol’s first ever quest in Esteria is occurring, completely cutting off all trade and communication both in and out. The land is thus completely uncharted, and may hold treasures of heretofore unseen value.

It seems the Romuns have their sights set on Canaan as well, however, and they’re none too keen on a ragtag group of pirates and adventurers getting in their way. When the Tres Mares is inevitably attacked at sea, Adol is knocked overboard and left for dead.

He washes ashore in Canaan itself, rescued and resuscitated by two young girls named Isha and Olha who sport long ears and bushy tails. They are of the native “Rehda” tribe, and it seems Adol is not the first human to arrive here—nor are humans particularly welcome...

You can find "Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim" on Steam and GOG. The console ports aren't the best.

[2005] Ys: The Oath in Felghana

The new version of the events that happened during Ys III, and a game that takes the gameplay from Ys VI and vastly improves it.

You can find "Ys: The Oath in Felghana" in Steam and GOG.

[2006] Ys Origin

Set 700 years before the events of Ys I, this title tells about the story of the Ys kingdom when, one day, hordes of demons attacked and the Goddesses disappeared... and everything being linked to one single place: the Devil's Tower. The future of the kingdom of Ys rests in said tower.

This time, Adol is no main character, and instead we get 3, each with its own story mode. The gameplay from Ark and Oath are improved along with additional details and a lot of content. It's recommended to play the stories in this order: Yunica, then Hugo, then the secret character.

You can find the game in Steam and GOG.

[2009] Ys Seven

6 months after Ys VI, Adol and Dogi finally reaches the lands of Altago, rebuilding their kingdom around a newfound peace after years of war against the merciless armies of Romn. The classic adventuresome duo, Adol and Dogi, arrive in the harbor of Altago City, and quickly find themselves in a scuffle with the Dragon Knights, the kingdom’s military police body, when attempting to save a local girl from harassment by one of their commanding officers. Upset by the interruption and subsequent humiliation, the commander arrests Adol and Dogi, charging them with espionage.

The king of Altago, having known of the duo’s pending arrival from an old trusted friend, quickly releases the pair from prison and summons them to his chambers. He tells the men about an ancient shrine that was uncovered after a recent earthquake, and asks for their help in investigating this mysterious new find. Adol and Dogi oblige, unaware that they are about to take the first steps on a long journey to save all of Altago from long-forgotten ancient forces, and to reunite the estranged five tribes who serve and protect the Five Great Dragons – deified beings who may well be the world’s last hope.

Ys Seven marks the start of a new gameplay system. While it's still influenced by the previous games, it features the party system, in which you take control one of the three characters on your team but can change said control to any of the other two almost instantly. There's also skills to learn and improve, followed by a special attack.

This game was released only for the PSP.

[2012] Ys: Memories of Celceta

Falcom's modern take on Ys IV. Unable to remember even his own name, Adol Christin awakens to find himself in a city called Casnan, on the eastern end of the Ispani. It is here that he meets Duren, an information dealer who claims to have encountered him previously. Evidently, Adol was last seen heading into the Great Forest of Celceta, a massive expanse of woodland filled with such danger that even the mighty Romun Army fears to tread within.

What happened to Adol inside the Great Forest, and how did he lose his memories? The only way to find out is to step back into the foreboding woods and brave its dangers once more. But Adol will need to have his wits about him, or his second trip into the Great Forest may cost him more than just his past...

This game takes the gameplay from the previous title and improves it quite a lot. A day/night circle is added, and also making a map of the lands of Celceta by exploring all of it.

Released only for PS Vita.

[2016] Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana.

Set between Ys V and Ys VI, Adol (who is now 21 years old) is traveling from Xandria to Greek when the ship is attacked by monsters then, as you can imagine, it all goes wrong. Waking up on Seiren Islan, cursed by all eternity, he must find the survivors and help building a village in order to escape. While he explores the island, he keeps dreaming about a mysterious girl called Dana, from a different time and place, who for some reason knows him.

there's a lot to love about the last ys game: an amazing story, the biggest Ys game made, improving every single aspect from the previous games, etc.

This game will be released on fall 2017 for PC, PS4 and Vita, although the PS4 and PC versions will feature more content and perform obviously better.

V - Timeline

Before disappearing exploring the North Pole at his 65 years old, Adol managed to write over a hundred of travelogues, detailing thousands of adventures. Here's the full list of all his known adventures. Remember that Ys origin happens 700 years before Ys I & II.

1º: The old forgotten kingdom (Ys I & II) (17 years old)
- Prologue (Ys I)
- The last chapter (Ys II)

2º: Celceta, the sea of trees (Ys IV) (18 years old)

- Ys IV: The Mask of the Sun (not canon)
- Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys (not canon)
- Ys: Memories of Celceta (canon)

3º: Felghana's travelogue (Ys III) (19 years old)

- Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (not canon)
- Ys: The Oath in Felgahana (canon)

4º: Kefin, the capital of sand (Ys V) (20 years old)

- Ys V: Kefin: Lost City of Sand

5º: Periplus of the Goethe Sea (Ys VIII) (21 years old)

- Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana

6º: Searching the Winged Ones (Ys VI) (23 years old)

- Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim

7º: The five enormous dragons from Altago (Ys VII) (23 years old, six months after Ys VI)

- Ys Seven

VI - Links

- World of Ys[www.worldofys.com] - Pretty much a link for every modern Ys game site released on the West.
- http://www.esterior.net - A fansite about Falcom games, including unique translations and articles. Right now there are two articles containing juicy details of the Ys world and lore, but be aware of the spoilers!

Ys Timeline – The Ancient Civilization and Related Events Part 1 – Timeline [www.esterior.net]

Ys Timeline – The Ancient Civilization and Related Events Part 2 – Errata[www.esterior.net]

[Saibot]

can someone pin this thread?

[Blahto Blahtoto]

Adol really loves adventuring eh xD

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

FYI you screwed up your formatting by missing a close quote tag somewhere.

Also, you forgot to mention Ys vs. Sora no Kiseki, Ys Online, and Ys Strategy. But no one cares about those, except maybe Ys vs. Sora no Kiseki.

Also, you should preface your entire post by telling people that title is NOT spelled "Y's", and is pronounced "ees", because it's from a French legend.

[Domi]

Originally posted by Quint the House Gecko:

FYI you screwed up your formatting by missing a close quote tag somewhere.

Also, you forgot to mention Ys vs. Sora no Kiseki, Ys Online, and Ys Strategy. But no one cares about those, except maybe Ys vs. Sora no Kiseki.

Also, you should preface your entire post by telling people that title is NOT spelled "Y's", and is pronounced "ees", because it's from a French legend.

Thanks for telling me about that mistake.

If I wanted, I could add waaay more stuff, but I wanted to focus on the really important games. The Ys MMO game is more a curiosity than anything else. Aisde from acting as a filler for the post, there's no point talking about it. Same goes by the way "Ys" sounds or how do you have to write it.

If you keep seeing "Ys" all the time even on the logo and they still write "Y's" or "YS" (Why the hell is this new mistake being so popular nowadays?) then it's their problem.

[Doomlord]

I'll correct you on one thing only. Ys V is very much still canon. It may have been garbage, yes, but no game has replaced it yet and the very first weapon you get in Ys VIII is a sword from Ys V meaning that the events of that game did occur..

[inovade]

awesome, just regretting why not all of them are on steam or PC for that matter

[Domi]

Ys V is no longer canon. From what I know, Ys VIII goes against some plot elements.

Originally posted by Inovade:

awesome, just regretting why not all of them are on steam or PC for that matter

They are, but I can't say more ;)

[Blahto Blahtoto]

Originally posted by Domi:

Ys V is no longer canon. From what I know, Ys VIII goes against some plot elements.

Originally posted by Inovade:

awesome, just regretting why not all of them are on steam or PC for that matter

They are, but I can't say more ;)

Celceta is on Vita.....

[DDR]

There are ways to play console games on the PC.

[Domi]

Originally posted by Blahto Blahtoto:

Originally posted by Domi:

Ys V is no longer canon. From what I know, Ys VIII goes against some plot elements.



They are, but I can't say more ;)

Celceta is on Vita.....

Let's say I can't say more, but there's a way to play Celceta with 60 fps.

[Doomlord]

Until we get an official statement from Falcom stating otherwise Kefin is completely and utterly canon. Please don't make things up to confuse people. By your logic I and II are also no longer canon simply because the things we see and hear in Origin vastly differ from what we see and hear in I and II. Not to mention Origin ends in such a way that the events of Ys II as they are now become impossible to happen. EDIT: This also applies for Felghana as the way Celceta goes Adol should not only know what a Galbalan is by the time Felghana happens, but he should also have a very special anti-Galbalan sword, meaning he wouldn't need Genos' sword in order to kill it.

The only officially non-canon games as of now are the turbografx version of I & II (replaced by Eternal, Complete and then Chronicles), Wanderers from Ys (replaced by Felghana) and Mask of the Sun (replaced by Celceta). Dawn of Ys was never canon to begin with.

EDIT: Also if you want to REALLY get into what's canon and what isn't keep in mind that the way Ys lore works now is that every single game barring Origin is actually some scholar's attempt of analising one of Adol's many journals as the man himself is long dead and all these events happened way over a 1000 years ago, so we don't really have any solid idea of what actually happened back then because we only have Adol's words to go by .

[Blahto Blahtoto]

And we can say that "scholar" is us players right? ^_^

[Doomlord]

Yep. Falcom really are geniuses aren't they?

[Domi]

Not sure if you can use that example, Adol seems to lose his equipment after every game, plus the last sword of Felghana is (probably) made of Emelas. There's a reason that sword has to be used to defeat Galbalan... and I'm sure that can hurt more than the... knife? He got from MoY.

There's also another thing to take in mind. There's a difference between what looks to be an unintended plot hole and contradicting another game on purpose, like Lacrimosa does to V.

I'm not sure if the whole scholar thing can be used as an arguement. I mean, I get what you mean, but I doubt Falcom is contradicting itself just for that very small detail, and would give us the idea that you can't trust what the games says because the next one will claim something completely different, and it looks unprofessional to me. That should be used to explain unintended plotholes.

[KOS-MOS]

I had alot of fun with Ys Seven can't wait for Lacrimosa!