The story---do I need to play Ys 1-6?

[Retroburn]

^Subject.

Thanks!

[Michel Baie]

Originally posted by shade00:

one good idea is to play 1-2 and origins as it gives the storys beginning as well as adols beginning story.
which the more ys games you play the more feel you get for adol and his many adventures.
as otherwise hes just another hero on many adventures.

so id say play from origins 1-2 and above in an line as youll get the feel that your actually playing as him v.s just jumping into an game with an hero named adol. :smilekit:

Problem is Ys 1 & 2 have quite the archaic gameplay.
It made perfect sense at the time but nowadays...

[shade00]

Originally posted by Hibachi:

Originally posted by shade00:

one good idea is to play 1-2 and origins as it gives the storys beginning as well as adols beginning story.
which the more ys games you play the more feel you get for adol and his many adventures.
as otherwise hes just another hero on many adventures.

so id say play from origins 1-2 and above in an line as youll get the feel that your actually playing as him v.s just jumping into an game with an hero named adol.

Problem is Ys 1 & 2 have quite the archaic gameplay.
It made perfect sense at the time but nowadays...

are you refering to the bump combat?
isnt that bad really, plus most combat based games which are melee are still nearly the same only difference being when you walk upto an enemy you stop and press an button.
being one extra step.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by Hibachi:

Originally posted by shade00:

one good idea is to play 1-2 and origins as it gives the storys beginning as well as adols beginning story.
which the more ys games you play the more feel you get for adol and his many adventures.
as otherwise hes just another hero on many adventures.

so id say play from origins 1-2 and above in an line as youll get the feel that your actually playing as him v.s just jumping into an game with an hero named adol. :smilekit:

Problem is Ys 1 & 2 have quite the archaic gameplay.
It made perfect sense at the time but nowadays...

you just have to go off-center, this is as simple as that...

[Michel Baie]

It's still archaic.

I didn't say it's bad (well, IMO it is but whatever).
I didn't say it was difficult either.

But it's been a while since game were ever programmed like that and it can be really off putting especially if you don't know what to expect.

We're used to see games where you have to position yourself, time your hits, make combos, and actually avoid contact with ennemies. Ramming into them without an attack button is 30 years old design... and not a really interesting one.

[IBJamon]

Ys is sounded out as ease, not wise. This is clearly demonstrated in the vocal themes of the various games.

[KaZudra]

Short answer; No.
Long answer; Seven is the most standalone of the Series, you can play it first, but that applies to all except Ys 1,2, Origin (and maybe 4). Ironically, If you do play all the games you'll get a healthy dose of world-building as the callbacks are notable... only if you've played those games... Except Ys 6, That one did something more clever and referenced Seven years before it came out.

[Retroburn]

Whoa. I didn't know this series have this active and passionate community. Thank you so much for all the input guys!

[Ashley]

Don't listen to the crazies.
Falcom deliberately created those games as stand-alone experiences.
Only Ys 1 & 2 need to be played in order, because Falcom split the original game in two when it first came out. They are literally two halves of the same game.

All the other ones - including Origins - can be played in any order you like.
There are recurring characters throughout the series, but you are never required to bring any kind of knowledge into any Ys game. There are the usual references between games, but they are very rare and very minor. You absolutely do not need to know about the Fact family when playing this game.

[Gaia]

Origin was definitely intended for you to at least experience I&II at some point, though.

[Gnidex]

Every Ys (ecept for 2) is a stand-alone experience with some cameos here and there. You can start with any game.

Originally posted by Gaia:

Origin was definitely intended for you to at least experience I&II at some point, though.

Origin was my first Ys and it just sucked me in and I knew nothing about Ys 1&2. I don't regret starting with it.

[Doomlord]

Originally posted by Gaia:

Origin was definitely intended for you to at least experience I&II at some point, though.

You don't really NEED to experience I & II if you've only played Origin. Those two have always been a single complete story that stands on its own. Not to mention gameplay wise I & II aren't going to appeal to everyone.

[Ikagura]

Origin is basically a way to explain the main story for people who doesn't like to play the bump games... this helped me to go into the serie

[Cold_Reverie]

Since OP is new to the series and this seems like a common question, I hope you will forgive me for copying and pasting a reply I made in another thread:

Sorry for the long post and welcome to the series! If you are new to the series you should check out http://www.digitalemelas.com/, which is a site made to introduce new players to the series.

I am not the most knowledgeable about this series, but I will do my best to explain: This is a long-running RPG series that has a strong focus on gameplay. It is made by Nihon Falcom and is translated by XSEED Games and NISA, with NISA translating Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and Xseed handling all the rest. The game you saw for PS4 was either the Limited Physical Edition of Ys Origin or much more likely the upcoming Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana.

In short, the main games in this series that are available in English are: Ys I & II Chronicles +, Ys Origin, Ys: The Oath in Felghana, Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim, Ys SEVEN, Ys: Memories of Celceta, and Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana.

Ys VIII Lacrimosa of Dana will be released in English this September 12th on PS4, PS VITA, and PC. The PS4 and PC versions will have extra content compared to the VITA version.

Ys: Memories of Celceta is only available on PS VITA right now. Hopefully Xseed will port it to PC in the future so the whole series can be on PC. The sales of Ys SEVEN may be a factor in when they might choose to port it, since Ys SEVEN is Xseed's first port of a PSP game.

Ys I & II are the first 2 games in the series and are meant to be played together, with II taking place soon after I. The games are bundled and sold together as they are basically two halves of one game.

Ys Origin is a prequel to the first two Ys games. I have heard some people say that it is good to play Ys I & II first and I know there are some whose first experience with the series was with Origin and say that it is fine to play first.

There is also an Ys V which never got released in the West. As far as my understanding goes, Ys V is often regarded as the weakest entry in the series as it had a lot of unfinished parts to it. The President of Falcom, Toshihiro Kondo has stated that he is very interested in remaking the game with lots of added content so it is very possible an Ys V remake will be made and hopefully localised.

Typically in this series you can start with any entry without the need to play the previous ones similar to the Legend of Zelda series. The exception is Ys II, which should only be played after Ys I. And then there is Ys Origin that is often recommended to be played after Ys I & II for the ideal experience, but some have said it can be played just fine even if don't play them first and instead play them later.

The Ys series has an action based combat system that has slowly changed over the years. Most of the games star the red-haired silent protagonist Adol Christin.

Some of the games have gameplay that focus soley on Adol, while others allow you to play as other characters. Ys Origin, for instance, focus on other charecters rather than Adol, and Ys VIII has dual protagonists with both, Adol and new character Dana, starring as main characters. While some of the earlier entries in the series only allow you to play as Adol, other entries have a more party-based system that allows you switch characters, even in mid-battle.

Ys I & II have a 'bump' based battle system that causes you to deal damage whenever you ram into an enemy. You can also receive damage this way if the enemy bumps into you, so you must be careful when fighting an enemy.

Ys Origin, Ys: The Oath in Felghana, and Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim do not use the bump system and have a more traditional battle system where you deal damage by attacking.

Ys SEVEN, Ys: Memories of Celceta, and Ys VIII Lacrimos of Dana all use a party based combat system which allow you to change characters in the heat of battle.

The Ys series also has a recurring gameplay mechanic in that you can use items and switch accessories during battle. Later games also allow you to jump.

Nihon Falcom is one of the oldest and most higly regarded video game companies there is, specifically when it comes to RPGs. The are most known for the Ys series and The Legend of Heroes series. With Ys being highly praised for its fun and fast-paced gameplay and The Legend of Heroes, and its sub-series Trails in particiular, being highly regarded for its story and characters.

The two series' focus on different things, each having different strengths, but both are exceptional at what they set out to do. The one thing Falcom has always been praised for, no matter what game it is, is there music. Falcom's Sound Team are universally considered some of the best in the business, and there was once a time in the West where their music was more popular than some of the games they came from!

As I said, I am not the most familair with the Ys series, so if I am wrong about anything please feel free to correct me. I hope this post was helpful and I apologize if it was not. And I hope that whether you decide to start with Ys SEVEN or any other Ys game, that you enjoy this series and all of the other great games that Falcom has made! :)

[KaosReigns]

Originally posted by IBJamon:

Ys is sounded out as ease, not wise. This is clearly demonstrated in the vocal themes of the various games.

Yes, try to convince anyone that speaks english fluently, to actually say it like that..... Regardless if thats how its SUPPOSED to be said (because game makers say so) a y on its own, will never have the E sound.

Finally
Frankly
Fatty

Yes
Yellow
Yours

Its like George. Get a french person to say it with a hard G. Doesnt meant they are wrong, its just a different language.

[Cold_Reverie]

I'm fairly certain Ys is pronounced like Geece, but without the 'G'.