Played this almost exclusively in the experimental co-op via streaming it across my house hard-wired from PC to my Steam Link (the little physical box from 2015), using two DualSense controllers. Just has some issues with controller detection, so make sure no other controller or controller-like devices are plugged into the computer and it should be fine.

As far as the co-op goes, it was never intended for this game, and as a result there are times where it's a bit wonky, but I didn't care. This was a brilliant thing to have to be able to laugh at the silliness of the co-op at times, and to be able to have another person in the household more closely share in the experience so we could all enjoy this wonderful story together. I wish more single-player games enabled even a basic co-op feature like this. It was also not split-screen co-op which is really nice. I would just encourage using the Steam Overlay custom controller settings to disable the right-stick on the 2nd controller, so only player 1 controls the camera. Otherwise you'll frustrate each other. Also be cautious of too much lock-on, it's not great during co-op. But definitely play this co-op. It's such a great experience together. Also, it's a drop-in/drop-out co-op, so you can fortunately easily turn it off and continue, or have them hop in at any time.

Everyone should play the Ys games. They are possibly the most under-rated JRPG's out there. Ys VIII really builds on the good parts of what came before in Celceta and Seven. While I do feel some aspects of this game overstay their welcome (this is the longest Ys game so far), I think it's a good thing. A ton of it is optional, but personally I wouldn't skip anything. If anything, I'm disappointed the original Vita release didn't have some of the extra content this one has, since it adds in my opinion a lot more to the story that really rounds out a specific aspect of the story and helps you better feel for and understand the impact of that area of the story, which is really the reason I play these games. This truly feels like a definitive edition of this game. This is the best Ys story of them all so far, with well-developed characters, constantly changing circumstances and new directions it'll take you, surprises and twists, and by the end you will probably really feel for the characters and feel like you were actually a part of the adventure that happened here.

There's no need to have played any other Ys games to get into this. Most Ys games are largely standalone, but if you've played past games then you may get little bits of extra happiness and interesting things you'll notice tucked into everything going on.

The gameplay is phenomenal and the best thus far. For an action RPG, I don't think this can be beat. It's fast-paced, hectic, has options to make it painfully difficult if you want, and feels rewarding with the level of progress you make in developing your characters levels, gear, and skills. With this version of the game, there's also some additions that really extend the gameplay and give you far more to do if you're interested.

Ys games are slow moving at first. Give it a chance. Stick with it. The story and gameplay really pays off later on, but you have to stick around through the very long beginning of the game where it takes a while to really get moving and build the mysteries that the story winds up truly being about. Another tip, take the opportunity to talk with every character you can, when you can. Explore all areas you can before progressing the main story, go back for areas you might have missed, and remember to stop after story progression often and head back to the Village to check with people. It'll all really build up the story development for you if you do. This is one of those games that if you put it down and never finish it until a long time later, you'll be kicking yourself once you see what you missed out on.

If you beat the game, be sure to save your clear data, then reload it and instead of restarting a new game, choose the option to return to Chapter 6, and then go look for an interesting new quest in the center of the ruins marked on your map. Go do all of that, THEN beat the end of the game again and re-save the clear data. Now you'll have truly done everything. It was not obvious to me this was added in beyond the Vita version.

Finally, I also appreciate that this game has so many positive messages about teamwork, friendship, persistence, determination, and overcoming struggle and heartache. While it has a little bit of the usual RPG things, it's nowhere near what other JRPG's are. Every time you think there's going to be some kind of romance or something, there isn't. These are adventurers and friends, and they focus on that, and it really sends strong signals about having those healthy boundaries, unlike most other media that basically always goes there. In this game and this series, the boys and the girls can equally be powerful, and they can form intensely strong bonds that don't necessarily have to go those typical routes. For these reasons, I felt this game was a great one for teens or pre-teens since the positive messages were so well told and it displays lots of good ways to handle friendships with people.

Ys will always be one of my top 2 or 3 favorite series of all time. Now on to New Game+ which is so much fun in these. I'll be trying that out on Steam Deck.

Also, I got near 200 FPS with certain settings. If you're having FPS issues, try dropping Supersampling in Screen options and re-booting the game, and avoid the HBAO+ setting in Graphics and keep the shadows options to mid or low settings. Those seem to affect FPS the most depending on your hardware.

One more thing on the differences from the original PS Vita release. I am convinced they altered the experience gains in this game. I think you level up slightly faster in this version than in the original Vita version. By the time I was 100% completed in my first playthrough on PS Vita, I think I was around level 64. By the time I was 100% done on my first playthrough on this version, I was around level 85 before restarting at Chapter 6 for the final hidden dungeon, and then about level 96 after that dungeon. It's nuts how much you can level up by just thoroughly playing in the Steam version.

Anyways. Play Ys games, they're awesome, and give the co-op a whirl with someone.

UPDATE: I played a nightmare new game+ mostly on Steam Deck and it generally ran well. Turned down a couple settings, but for the mot part it looked and played great with decent battery life. Only a couple rare times in 25+ further hours on Steam Deck did the game randomly crash. Otherwise it played great.

Played this almost exclusively in the experimental co-op via streaming it across my house hard-wired from PC to my Steam Link (the little physical box from 2015), using two DualSense controllers. Just has some issues with controller detection, so make sure no other controller or controller-like devices are plugged into the computer and it should be fine. As far as the co-op goes, it was never intended for this game, and as a result there are times where it's a bit wonky, but I didn't care. This was a brilliant thing to have to be able to laugh at the silliness of the co-op at times, and to be able to have another person in the household more closely share in the experience so we could all enjoy this wonderful story together. I wish more single-player games enabled even a basic co-op feature like this. It was also not split-screen co-op which is really nice. I would just encourage using the Steam Overlay custom controller settings to disable the right-stick on the 2nd controller, so only player 1 controls the camera. Otherwise you'll frustrate each other. Also be cautious of too much lock-on, it's not great during co-op. But definitely play this co-op. It's such a great experience together. Also, it's a drop-in/drop-out co-op, so you can fortunately easily turn it off and continue, or have them hop in at any time. Everyone should play the Ys games. They are possibly the most under-rated JRPG's out there. Ys VIII really builds on the good parts of what came before in Celceta and Seven. While I do feel some aspects of this game overstay their welcome (this is the longest Ys game so far), I think it's a good thing. A ton of it is optional, but personally I wouldn't skip anything. If anything, I'm disappointed the original Vita release didn't have some of the extra content this one has, since it adds in my opinion a lot more to the story that really rounds out a specific aspect of the story and helps you better feel for and understand the impact of that area of the story, which is really the reason I play these games. This truly feels like a definitive edition of this game. This is the best Ys story of them all so far, with well-developed characters, constantly changing circumstances and new directions it'll take you, surprises and twists, and by the end you will probably really feel for the characters and feel like you were actually a part of the adventure that happened here. There's no need to have played any other Ys games to get into this. Most Ys games are largely standalone, but if you've played past games then you may get little bits of extra happiness and interesting things you'll notice tucked into everything going on. The gameplay is phenomenal and the best thus far. For an action RPG, I don't think this can be beat. It's fast-paced, hectic, has options to make it painfully difficult if you want, and feels rewarding with the level of progress you make in developing your characters levels, gear, and skills. With this version of the game, there's also some additions that really extend the gameplay and give you far more to do if you're interested. Ys games are slow moving at first. Give it a chance. Stick with it. The story and gameplay really pays off later on, but you have to stick around through the very long beginning of the game where it takes a while to really get moving and build the mysteries that the story winds up truly being about. Another tip, take the opportunity to talk with every character you can, when you can. Explore all areas you can before progressing the main story, go back for areas you might have missed, and remember to stop after story progression often and head back to the Village to check with people. It'll all really build up the story development for you if you do. This is one of those games that if you put it down and never finish it until a long time later, you'll be kicking yourself once you see what you missed out on. If you beat the game, be sure to save your clear data, then reload it and instead of restarting a new game, choose the option to return to Chapter 6, and then go look for an interesting new quest in the center of the ruins marked on your map. Go do all of that, THEN beat the end of the game again and re-save the clear data. Now you'll have truly done everything. It was not obvious to me this was added in beyond the Vita version. Finally, I also appreciate that this game has so many positive messages about teamwork, friendship, persistence, determination, and overcoming struggle and heartache. While it has a little bit of the usual RPG things, it's nowhere near what other JRPG's are. Every time you think there's going to be some kind of romance or something, there isn't. These are adventurers and friends, and they focus on that, and it really sends strong signals about having those healthy boundaries, unlike most other media that basically always goes there. In this game and this series, the boys and the girls can equally be powerful, and they can form intensely strong bonds that don't necessarily have to go those typical routes. For these reasons, I felt this game was a great one for teens or pre-teens since the positive messages were so well told and it displays lots of good ways to handle friendships with people. Ys will always be one of my top 2 or 3 favorite series of all time. Now on to New Game+ which is so much fun in these. I'll be trying that out on Steam Deck. Also, I got near 200 FPS with certain settings. If you're having FPS issues, try dropping Supersampling in Screen options and re-booting the game, and avoid the HBAO+ setting in Graphics and keep the shadows options to mid or low settings. Those seem to affect FPS the most depending on your hardware. One more thing on the differences from the original PS Vita release. I am convinced they altered the experience gains in this game. I think you level up slightly faster in this version than in the original Vita version. By the time I was 100% completed in my first playthrough on PS Vita, I think I was around level 64. By the time I was 100% done on my first playthrough on this version, I was around level 85 before restarting at Chapter 6 for the final hidden dungeon, and then about level 96 after that dungeon. It's nuts how much you can level up by just thoroughly playing in the Steam version. Anyways. Play Ys games, they're awesome, and give the co-op a whirl with someone. UPDATE: I played a nightmare new game+ mostly on Steam Deck and it generally ran well. Turned down a couple settings, but for the mot part it looked and played great with decent battery life. Only a couple rare times in 25+ further hours on Steam Deck did the game randomly crash. Otherwise it played great.