Review by: James Fudge

Ys Chronicles is a remake of a remake of a remake, an endless recycle of two games that first appeared on PC Engine in Japan over two decades ago. I first crossed paths with the series on the Sega Master System and the Turbografx-16 in the late 80’s. (Yes, I am old.) While the game has been remade and reworked over the years, the original formula remains mostly intact, such as the four paragraph-long plotline and ginger haired protagonist that never speaks a single line of dialogue.

I know my opening sounds a bit disparaging, but I actually love the Ys series. Having not played the original for a number of years, I am happy to see that XSEED decided to re-release the PSP game in North America. While there is nothing really new in this release (some new character portraits, a smattering of dialogue, and some slightly tweaked graphics) that wasn't in available in 2009, Ys Chronicles I & II holds up surprisingly well.

In fact, I would even go so far as to say that this game could serve as a case study on how to release a classic game on a modern system. The reason the game holds up so well is because Nihon Falcom focused on modernizing the aesthetics while keeping the core game principles intact. That is important because chances are that more old school gamers are interested in this game than new players. One could argue that this release isn't exactly anything to brag about because it's a straight port of the 2009 PSP release, but fans will appreciate having access to this new game all the same.

So what is so special about Ys: Chronicles I & II? The game embraces the original mechanics and anorexic storyline. This minimalist approach is refreshing because it does require the player to read more than five screens of text. This game boils down its RPG to the very basics: finding items, killing things, rinse, repeat.

Most of the game is spent "lancing" enemies out in the field, finding items in mines, towers and shrines; and talking to NPCs in a few sparsely populated areas. Ys is the only game to ever perfect a combat system that does not require an encounter screen (think Dragon Warrior I on the NES), or wild, button mashing swordplay (Zelda comes to mind). Admittedly, combat in this game is an acquired taste that you’ll either embrace or shun within the first ten minutes of playing.

Taking control of red-haired castaway protagonist Adol, players line up with enemies and run into them much like a lancer. Lining up the wrong way will cause Adol to take massive amounts of damage. It is very easy - at least in the early parts of the game - to die almost instantly from most enemies you’ll encounter. Another interesting feature is how Adol heals on the field. Adol can heal out in the field (but not inside the few dungeons in the game) simply by staying still. This makes it a lot easier to level up because when things get too harrowing, you can simply have Adol cool his heals in a safe spot and wait for his health meter to fill back up.