Thanks to Erick I Started to play The last one YS VIII Lacrimosa of Dana, I had never played a YS game before, an as far as I play I really enjoy IT! If you are worried about The story the only reference that you need us that Adol is an Adventurer and thats it!
Though Adol is in all but 1 of them (strategy excluded), there is little to no continuity between them other than Adol's friendship with Dogi pretty much. You're better off just playing the ones that look the most interesting to you. I personally think starting at the newest game is fine. Though I do actually recommend playing Ys1 and 2 before origin. I don't know how to explain it but Origin fleshes out the twin goddesses in a way that really only means anything if you played 1 and 2 I suppose. I also recommend playing as yunica in Origin, not Hugo. Hugo is such a douchebag, it's painful to play as him.
In general, due to most of the games being unrelated, going in order of "best to worst" isn't a bad way to get into the series. Back when XSEED was publishing the game, this was actually the reason they published _Ys Seven_ first. That's the title that really got me into the series, so when they published _The Oath in Felghana_ I was primed for it. Even the "worse" _Ys_ entries are still solid games though, so don't be too worried about quality, though difficulty might be more of an issue.
My very first YS game was YS 8 and man it was FANTASTIC ! I had the time of my life playing it. Currently playing YS 9 and it’s pretty amazing. What a great story...
I recommend completing the games in chronological order as I did. If sudden graphics jumps aren't your thing, you can start anywhere, but in my opinion this is the best way to experience Ys. Ys Origin Ys I & II Ys IV: Memories of Celceta Ys III: Oath in Felghana Ys V: Loat Kefin, Kingdom of Sand Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim Ys VII: SEVEN Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
absurd, it doesnt matter the order since the plot in every game is not dependant of the others far away from small easter eggs or some esporadic mentions
Ys Memories of Celceta was my first Ys experience. It was so addictive that it became my first platinum on PS Vita. But i agree that Lacrimosa of Dana blew it out of the water. Can't wait for the next one.
@Daniel Knight I've heard that Japanese people say that it doesn't actually come close to measuring up to Lacrimosa of Dana but that it's still a very good game.
@@Nyonics I've kind of avoided looking harder into _Ys IX_ but the trailers have enough of a tone shift from the rest of the series, along with some mechanics that seem a bit too much like something Tetsuya Nomura would produce. _Ys VIII_ is going to be something difficult to top without feeling derivative or going in a new direction. Still, it's an _Ys_ game, so as long as the gameplay is solid, with a rocking OST, and something a bit more complicated than standard RPG story, it should be satisfactory enough. I just hope NISA does a better job with the translation this time around.
I played Ys VIII first - loved it (after Ys 3? on SNES long ago...didn't enjoy that very much). I played Celceta next, and though it was technically and action-based much weaker, I really enjoyed it too.
@@InfectedElite I loved ys 9 I enjoyed the world and exploration the only feature which made it worse than 8 for me was the pacing, I feel it was too much at the end
Iam currently playing ys 8 and it's my first one in the franchise and oh boy iam loving it. I almost set myself up for disappointment by starting with the best one.
Not really, I think VIII is considered "the best" because the story becomes really engaging at a certain point BUT, gameplay wise, I think Ys Oath in Felghana and Origins are on par if not better.
don't worry! Ys I&II aged very very well, it's still awesome today and has one of the best ending in gaming history. Origin is epic, but you have to play all 3 characters to unlock the real (awesome) ending. Ys 7 and Celceta are very fun too and not so distant from 8. Felghana beats Napishtim for gameplay, but the latter has a great story! And, remember that Japan already has Ys 9...coming in English in 2021.
You well be. I started with 8 and tried to go back and play the others and I think they are terrible and very dated. Which is crazy cuz I still play xenogears to this day lol
It’s really interesting seeing folks discover Ys through the newer games and come to love the series in its entirety. I grew up playing the original Ys I&II as well as Ys III on the Turbografx 16. Ys Book I & II was the first game I ever played. I have a deep love for this series and I’m super excited new people are discovering it and that Falcom keeps innovating. It’s also really interesting seeing new players love the team party mechanic. I’ll admit it took me a while to warm to it. After 20+ years of it always just being Adol, it’s hard to drop that loner mentality of the red haired swordsman bravely taking on all the evil by himself. Though, now I will admit that Memories of Celceta and Lacrimosa of Dhana are great games!
I blitzed Ys1 in one evening out of curiousity and it got me so hooked. I could hardly believe how a game could feel so old school trashy in the very best of ways. It was the most fun I'd had in a game in years. I loved every bit of it along with the incredibly questionable scaling system.
Played Ys 8 last month. I loved it Soo much I played Celceta, Origin and just now finished Monstrum Nox. Thanks Ys 8 for introducing me to your Great universe.
The Ys series... basically a history lesson of game development done right. Can't wait for Monstrum. Feels like it will do what Celeceta did, but who knows what Falcom has under their sleeves. February can't come too soon (yes, I will wait until the PC version).
Ys 5 was actually the first action rpg incarnation of Ys. Sadly, it has yet to receive an official English release, though there is a fan translation of the SNES version of Ys 5.
My first experience was actually Ys Book 1 & 2 when I was playing on the Wii at the time. Pretty much, i was hooked on playing the series. Makes me want to play Ys VIII again before Ys 9 comes out next year. It's a beautiful series that needs to be noticed and rightfully so.
One of the very first games I ever played as a kid was Ys: Vanished Omen on the Master System so it'll always have a special place for me. So any version of Ys 1 would be top 3 for me. I also kinda love Ys 3 on SNES but that might be nostalgia. Oath in Felghana gets my number 1 spot, though. That's the pinnacle of the series to me. Even more than 8. Oath > 8 > Origin to me. I just love that someone is giving Ys some love in general lol.
Love the Ys series. I've played almost all of them. Only discovered it a few years ago with Oath in Felghana. Just now starting to play my way through Origin, and loving it.
I'm just now discovering this series after watching the trailer for Ys 9 and after watching this I do believe this series is up my alley! I'm definitely gonna check it out
the reason why I like Ys a lot is : - it wasnt a turned base RPG like Final Fantasy. - Fast playing that not takes too long to complete. - Great music soundtrack in every title. Genius composers. Ys The Oath in Felgahana is my favorite
Definitely my favorite vid of yours, so far. I've been playing the Ys games for years, but only in the last couple, started to get obsessed with the franchise. I'm currently playing through Ys Origin and absolutely loving it. Yunica rules!!! After that, I need to decide between a few other entries in the series. This video will help!
The original MSX, Ancients Ys vanished omen 1 and 2 are still my favorite and yes it has translations, together with the MSX's X.A.K. series they were the best rpg games for their time
Hey, obviously the video is a bit older, but (at least now) the PC version of Ys VI allows for teleporting from anywhere except story specific locations to any previously visited save point. Not sure how it was before, but with that feature, I didn't feel like the game was too difficult to backtrack through. Either way, great list! EDIT: Also, having played all of the Ys games released in English for PC/Modern Consoles except 7, I have to agree that VIII is just something else. It really is a masterpiece, and in a series with so many workmanlike games, it absolutely stands out. While I probably would put Ys Origins as my personal number 2, I have to agree that Falcom really has done a great job improving Ys with each subsequent release. Honestly, its why Ys IX kind of disappointed me. It isn't a bad game *at all*, but after VIII and considering the series' track record, I guess I had unreasonably expected it would be a masterpiece too.
I was on the fence about getting “Y’s VIII”, even though I loved “Y’s 7” and “Oath in Felghana”, but after watching this video and the fact that the digital version is on sale for $23.00 on the Switch right now, going to finally pick it up!
Just finished ys8 and I loved it so much, I just knew ys7 is the last series, so that's why adol said (ys8) he never been to altago city 😂, thx for the video
I liked Ys 7 a little (very little) more than Celceta because of its ending. I kinda agree with you, but I think that Ys I&II aged very well and has still one of the best ending in gaming (and the bump system is awesome). So, for me, also because it's the first Ys game I played, it's at second place just before Ys 8. I can't wait to play Ys 9!
Played ys 8 yesterday for the first time. It’s been a while since I haven’t felt 4 hours pass by so fast. Though the switch port has a lot of jaggy grass, it’s still that good of a game
I had never played an Ys game. I've spent the past two years playing Another Eden on my phone. Recently a bunch of "Tales of" characters were added and I liked their personalities so much I decided to try to find their entries for PS4. I found two of four, but I also there was Ys VIII on discount and I thought, "Hey, I've heard that name before." I've been playing it almost non-stop for the past month or so. It has quickly become one of my all-time favorites.
Cool video, I enjoyed it a lot! I agree with you on Ys 8, and Ys strategy, but our lists are wildy different for the rest, lol. After Ys 8, Ark, Oath, and Origin are my favorites.
Thanks to you I bought YS Origin back in the day. I liked it so much that I've purchased Memories of Celceta, Lacrimosa of Dana and now I'm currently playing Monstrum Nox. Such a beautiful series!
Big Ys fan here. Last ones I played were Ys 6 and the PSP remakes of the first three, so with Ys IX on the way I wanted to get back into it. Looking at your list, it seems like I've got the best ones still to come! The only issue was what order to play them in. I think I'll end up going Ys IX->Ys Seven->Celceta->Ys VIII. Yeah, it's a strange order, but hey. I'm playing the newest one first, then I'm going to save the best for last as I go through the others.
i do hope ys 5 somehow gets an international release, but i'm starting to think that's only happening if it's decided that there's a collection of all past games for next-gen systems like the ps5. granted i feel a lot of long running series could benefit from that like the various trails of games. and i still hope we get a xeno-collection with all 3 xeno saga games, a more complete version of xenogears and an in-between that explains how one became the other. unlikely, very unlikely, but i have hope.
in my personal opinion i liked Ys 1 and 2 psp version the most, the way it tells the story just feels great like you are figuring it out yourself and not narrated
Criminally underrated for sure. Feels like I have to explain this game to everyone, literally everyone. Just like me getting introduced to Ys, it’s the best game I never knew about.
The first Ys I played was 1 & 2, they got a fan translation + enhanced BGM on the PC so I decided to give it a Go! I won against The final Boss on my first try standing on the last tile with 1 HP!!!! I was out of breath! My best Ys is Origin.
I've been a fan of the series for about 10 years, playing them in release order more or less, including the fan translated ones. My last game was Ys 7 this year and I loved it so much! You really made me hype for Ys 8 now. And someday I'll play them all in a marathon (probably before getting into 8)
viii was shockingly good. i just played it recently and it blew me away, and that was my entry point into the ys franchise. i immediately bought celceta and origins and dove straight into celceta. now i need to find a copy of seven and felghana - i wish they'd remaster them for ps4/5. looking forward to ix coming out soon!
i liked it a lot. it's clearly clunkier, being an older game. the characters aren't as fleshed out, some of the systems have warts that are worked out later (like map completion). but i found the battle system actually a little better because it is faster, and if you pay attention to delaying your combo starts to get max sp return, you can basically use skills infinitely, which is more fun than just button mashing the attack button. overall, it's a "for it's time a really good game" experience. so as a retrogamer, this is more than good enough for me. however, it is clearly a lower quality production that's earlier in the line.
yeah the fixed view was a little annoying, but it's an artifact of it's time. a lot of jrpgs did it, so it just kinda followed suit. it's definitely not as good as ys viii, but it was still really entertaining for me for what it was. i definitely look forward to ys ix coming out soon!
My first game was Wanderers of Ys and I've been hooked ever since. 8 is one of the most perfect action rpgs I've had the pleasure of playing and Celceta and 7 aren't far behind.
Ys3 snes was my first Ys game and is one of my top 5 favorite soundtracks of all time, especially the PSP redone music which brought me back to and made me a fan of the games. The code that let's you change music on the second controller I abused to no end and I would often fight the final boss with the shop music cause it was my favorite. Ys 8 is my fav Ys game, the story was mind blowing and epic layered. The games aren't polished but the fast paced battling and characters, and the JDK Falcom Sound team that redoes all their music for each release, makes this one of my top must buy day 1 franchises along with Tales of, Final fantasy, persona and dynasty warriors (guilty pleasure)
Being a devoted FF fan, Tales fan, Star Ocean fan, my favorite game is Chrono Cross, etc. I somehow knew about Ys but never played it until IX, then I started devouring the series on PS4. Celceta was good but not great. Origins is still a ton of fun to play in arcade Dana was very touching and the best one PS4 can access. Monstrum was super fun MOAR.
The Ark of Napishtim was my first touch to this phenomenal series. Every time I started a new Ys game after that, I was afraid it wouldn't be able to live up to my expectations after The Ark of Napishtim... But every single time, my expectations were exceeded beyond my wildest dreams. Memories of Celceta, and especially Seven for me were the games that hit the absolute jackpot. And then came The Lacrimosa of Dana, blowing everything out of the water. It's just like you said, they learn from their mistakes and make an exponentially better game the next time. However... Ys IX was the first game that failed me on some level. The music wasn't *quite* up there, the plot was just so-so, and some of the characters were... Well... Obnoxious. Gameplay wise it was still pure gold and the use of the gifts was amazingly smooth and well thought-out. Can't wait for Ys X.
Ys 6 on PC got an update where you can teleport to the major areas since 2018 and Ys Oath in Felghana got the Voice Acting mod for English on 2019 for Pc too. The only problem of Celceta and Seven for me are their ports for PC. While there's a magnificent Chinese port of Seven who remade the graphics for 720P, XSEED just ported a emulated version of Ys Seven for Pc, and Celceta is the same on Pc, it's a emulated version of the Vita Version, at least you can play Celceta on Ps4 on a far superior port.
I just learned about the Ys series a few months ago. I've now beaten Ys 8, Ys 9, and Memories of Celceta. I'm planning on playing The Oath in Felghana next. I'll likely get to Ys 6 and 7 at some point, though from what I'm reading online, seems like people are less enthusiastic about Ys 6.
There is one thing which stopped me from getting Ys VIII: the abysmal keyboard/mouse support. At this day and age, a PC game definitely SHOULD have proper KB/M support. Ys Origin and Felghana are playable with KB/M just fine, but the slobs from NIS America couldn't bother optimizing Ys VIII for it.
Great video man. I remember my first time playing ys. My dad bought a turbografx16 when I was a kid. Brand new. With the cd attachment. I still have it at my house. One of the few things I have left of my dad after he passed away. To Make The End Of Battle is my personal favorite videogame fight song ever. Playing through ys 8 right now and I want to play the next one whenever I get the chance.
I love this video. Your impartial ranking really took into account the games as opposed to just your own subjective views. Nice! I love that you ranked them based on multiple facets too (ie: this one is good on psp but not as good on PC or vice versa). I enjoyed the chronology release at the end too. Will definitely be watching your ranking videos now. Going to watch your STAR OCEAN video soon and the TALES OF as well!
My favorites are either origin or memories. The reason I don't put 8 at the top is because of its horrible localization. They did Ys dirty on the psvita and it was borderline unplayable on the PC at release. It was so bad that even as a die hard fan of the series I didn't complete the game. One of these days I will go back and do it, but man I lost respect for NIS America after that. I really have no faith that they will do Ys 9 justice when it finally comes to the US. Btw my first Ys title was Ys 1&2 followed closely by oath which was brutally hard but great.
Ys VI is such a grace for me. I never have been bedazzled by the leading girl by any of the games I played before. Olha is such a kind and beautiful sweetheart.
Ys Lacrimosa rocked my world. I made me fall in love with JRPG after a 20 year gap. I went in there knowing nothing about it and was blown away every inch of the way. One of the greatest game ever made. Few games ever made exploration so satisfying. Unlike the FF franchise where new areas are a chore to make the story progress or even From Software where a new area is terrifying, in this game you are dying with excitement to unlock a new part of the map
@@alexthiebaut2195 oh really? I have always thought games generally get special treatment in france because they are more popular there compared to germany. Do you plan to play the prequels of cold steel? It is quate a lot but really worth it. I also did that after Cold Steel 2 and now part 3 is waiting till I finish the last of the prequels.
@@xSpyroTheDragon back on super nintendo and playstation we had shit loads of rpg. But then, to my knowledge, Falcom games were never or rarely ported to France, same with Sakura wars, Persona, Yakuza etc. Any game that had too much dialogue to translate didn't make it. I mean Yakuza got his first french release only a few years ago. To answer your question, I'll play anything that Falcom releases. I'm UK based now so it's much easier and cheaper to get games. By prequels, do you mean the Kiseki series? I'll play them when they will be released (to my knowledge they're not available on PS4)
What I like about YS series is that it gets better and better and better on each games they release, they just release YS 9 and as usual I freaking enjoy it
Whoever wants to start playing Ys should check Digital Emelas, is a website where there is a lot of information regarding the series and has guides, playing order, info on every game and on which plataform is available, lore etc.. Seriously, it's an amazing website and the people behind it are involved in the gaming industry (the original English translator of Falcom is a member of Digital Emelas, and a producer at XSEED Games is also part of the website).
As this is probably the only time I'll ever praise them again, Konami did an impressive job in Ys 6's localization to a point XSEED based theirs for Ys 1&2, Oath in Felghana, Memories of Celceta and Seven on that game alone.
I love Ys 8 cause it has the nice characters (especially Dana, very love her design). And next reason, the characters is appeared like 2D, not small guys in pixel :))))))))
I shipped Ys IX from Japan and I have to say, despite me not being able to understand anything, it competes with Ys Viii as my favorite in the series. The English release is going to be a long wait but worth it. Once again they decided to fix small things to make gameplay much better so I hope you all look forward to it.
I loved everything from YS 8. Specially its music, damn listening to the OST was like traveling to another world. Masterpiece in all, one of the best games ever made and with such a low budget. The last dungeon's OST is the perfect theme for a final dungeon imho. *PERFECTION*
Thanks for this list, bought memories of Celceta when it launched but didn’t get around to playing it until earlier in the year, got its hooks in me and showed me how awesome Ys is but o stopped because I wanted to figure out if I should play other games in the series before I finished it, I’ll get Dana for sure later but I think I will at least get 7 and try to play those 3 before 9 comes to the west
Fortunately very little plot continuity is meaningful in Ys games. You can play them in almost any order and all you're going to miss are things like, "why does Adol already know this woman [tiny tiny part of Ys VIII if you haven't played Celceta]," "Where did this girl come from and why is she traveling with Adol [tiny tiny part of Napishtim if you didn't play Y's V]," and "Why is this blue-haired snacc traveling with Adol [any game if you haven't played Ys I&II]." The general idea is that the Romun Empire is always after Adol, but I don't think I even know why and I've played or watched LPs of all the games except Celceta. They really treat each title as a standalone adventure from Adol's lifetime chronicles (except I & II really are like two halves of a single game).
Played 8 and you said it best it really feels like you play different games but it combine into one = very long first time gameplay and alot of replayability.
For Celceta.... I prefer the TurboGrafix version, though it didn't get an English release, it did get a very well done fan dub and translation. But like with Ys 3, I'd definitely consider Memories of Celceta a different game to the previous versions of Ys 4.
Ys seven is also what got me into the series. Love that game. But yea, my list is very similar, like you said it's a series that keeps improving and 8 is just amazing. Such a good series, in my top 5 favorite series, love the amount of adventure and wonder I feel with great gameplay and sweet soundtracks. Just great. If you've read this far stranger make sure to enjoy you're day :)
I’ll admit I am not the biggest fan of 8. The gameplay is a definite improvement from the other party-based Ys games, but I was really let down by the writing, especially towards the end. Not only did it feel like it was retreading a few too many things from 7, but the plot makes the plot of Celceta retroactively make no sense. And well, if I’m gonna strike one from my personal canon, it’s 8.
I actually liked Dana's story, but the "main" plot was... not as bad as just utterly mediocre. Personally, i think that Memories of Celceta is the only Ys with a competently written story, and even it only really works as a stand-alone game and not as a part of the series. The strories in other games range from servicable (1, Felghana) to completely terrible (Seven) Ys 8 also might suffer from having a bit too much of unnecessary stuff. All these raids, sidequests, settlement developing mechanics, do they really make the game better?
Personally I think Ys 9 is better but I have seen people who still prefer Ys 8 at least for the story and setting. But most agree that the new game mechanics in Ys 9 makes it more fun to play.
Thanks for the video! I've beaten Ys 8 a few days ago, so this video will be helpful when it comes to choosing the next game to play. As a side note - Ys 8 has a lot in common with Tokyo Xanadu, at least when it comes to combat. Even the endings of both games have similarities.
Felghana is probably my favorite, the bosses, gameplay, and level design, so frantic and fun while absolutely phenomenal music. The story wasn't half-bad either.
Check out the series ranked from EASIEST to HARDEST: ua-cam.com/video/CrWTQK7mAws/v-deo.html
As someone who never played a Ys game and no idea where to start this has helped.
Thanks
Thanks to Erick I Started to play The last one YS VIII Lacrimosa of Dana, I had never played a YS game before, an as far as I play I really enjoy IT! If you are worried about The story the only reference that you need us that Adol is an Adventurer and thats it!
The order I've been doing is
Origins> Ys I&II> Celceta> Felghana>VIII>Napishtim>Seven
Though Adol is in all but 1 of them (strategy excluded), there is little to no continuity between them other than Adol's friendship with Dogi pretty much. You're better off just playing the ones that look the most interesting to you. I personally think starting at the newest game is fine. Though I do actually recommend playing Ys1 and 2 before origin. I don't know how to explain it but Origin fleshes out the twin goddesses in a way that really only means anything if you played 1 and 2 I suppose. I also recommend playing as yunica in Origin, not Hugo. Hugo is such a douchebag, it's painful to play as him.
@@Ghalion666 you have to play Origin with both to unlock the best character.
In general, due to most of the games being unrelated, going in order of "best to worst" isn't a bad way to get into the series. Back when XSEED was publishing the game, this was actually the reason they published _Ys Seven_ first. That's the title that really got me into the series, so when they published _The Oath in Felghana_ I was primed for it. Even the "worse" _Ys_ entries are still solid games though, so don't be too worried about quality, though difficulty might be more of an issue.
My very first YS game was YS 8 and man it was FANTASTIC ! I had the time of my life playing it.
Currently playing YS 9 and it’s pretty amazing. What a great story...
started on Dana? lol!
I recommend completing the games in chronological order as I did. If sudden graphics jumps aren't your thing, you can start anywhere, but in my opinion this is the best way to experience Ys.
Ys Origin
Ys I & II
Ys IV: Memories of Celceta
Ys III: Oath in Felghana
Ys V: Loat Kefin, Kingdom of Sand
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim
Ys VII: SEVEN
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
I wish to start from origin, but the game don't stop crashing in my Pc and i cant find a fix for it
Tbh i feel that it'd be better to start with Ys 1 and 2, because origin spoils a big plot point in 1 and 2.
@@BakuBomber heh it sure does. I started with origins just because I didn't have access to 1 and 2 till recently.
absurd, it doesnt matter the order since the plot in every game is not dependant of the others far away from small easter eggs or some esporadic mentions
Why you put memories above oath 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
I hold Ys 8 as one of the best action rpgs I've ever played.
IT"S FACT!
Same. Can't believe I didn't play the series sooner. I wanna find a way to play 1 thru 6 now lol ready for 9 to come to switch
Ys 8 is one of the best games I've played period, including every genre, and probably top 3 soundtrack ever aswell.
Damn, it brings back all the feels and memories. Ys 8 is among the best games I have ever played.
How about ys9
Ys Memories of Celceta was my first Ys experience. It was so addictive that it became my first platinum on PS Vita. But i agree that Lacrimosa of Dana blew it out of the water. Can't wait for the next one.
@Daniel Knight I've heard that Japanese people say that it doesn't actually come close to measuring up to Lacrimosa of Dana but that it's still a very good game.
@@Nyonics I've kind of avoided looking harder into _Ys IX_ but the trailers have enough of a tone shift from the rest of the series, along with some mechanics that seem a bit too much like something Tetsuya Nomura would produce. _Ys VIII_ is going to be something difficult to top without feeling derivative or going in a new direction. Still, it's an _Ys_ game, so as long as the gameplay is solid, with a rocking OST, and something a bit more complicated than standard RPG story, it should be satisfactory enough. I just hope NISA does a better job with the translation this time around.
I played Ys VIII first - loved it (after Ys 3? on SNES long ago...didn't enjoy that very much).
I played Celceta next, and though it was technically and action-based much weaker, I really enjoyed it too.
Ys 9 is still good, but far from the greatness that 8 was. I find 9 had a lackluster world as it almost entirely takes place in the city/underground
@@InfectedElite I loved ys 9 I enjoyed the world and exploration the only feature which made it worse than 8 for me was the pacing, I feel it was too much at the end
Iam currently playing ys 8 and it's my first one in the franchise and oh boy iam loving it.
I almost set myself up for disappointment by starting with the best one.
Not really, I think VIII is considered "the best" because the story becomes really engaging at a certain point BUT, gameplay wise, I think Ys Oath in Felghana and Origins are on par if not better.
don't worry! Ys I&II aged very very well, it's still awesome today and has one of the best ending in gaming history. Origin is epic, but you have to play all 3 characters to unlock the real (awesome) ending. Ys 7 and Celceta are very fun too and not so distant from 8. Felghana beats Napishtim for gameplay, but the latter has a great story! And, remember that Japan already has Ys 9...coming in English in 2021.
@@AcidBurst1 yep,and origin have amazing boss fight. It my favorite ys games
@@tuantrananh4015 Origin is great! I have to go with Oath in Felghana, though... I really love its difficulty!
You well be. I started with 8 and tried to go back and play the others and I think they are terrible and very dated. Which is crazy cuz I still play xenogears to this day lol
It’s really interesting seeing folks discover Ys through the newer games and come to love the series in its entirety.
I grew up playing the original Ys I&II as well as Ys III on the Turbografx 16. Ys Book I & II was the first game I ever played.
I have a deep love for this series and I’m super excited new people are discovering it and that Falcom keeps innovating.
It’s also really interesting seeing new players love the team party mechanic. I’ll admit it took me a while to warm to it. After 20+ years of it always just being Adol, it’s hard to drop that loner mentality of the red haired swordsman bravely taking on all the evil by himself. Though, now I will admit that Memories of Celceta and Lacrimosa of Dhana are great games!
I blitzed Ys1 in one evening out of curiousity and it got me so hooked. I could hardly believe how a game could feel so old school trashy in the very best of ways. It was the most fun I'd had in a game in years. I loved every bit of it along with the incredibly questionable scaling system.
Started playing it.
Ys viii is my first ys ( and the only one for now). I really loved it.
Played Ys 8 last month. I loved it Soo much I played Celceta, Origin and just now finished Monstrum Nox. Thanks Ys 8 for introducing me to your Great universe.
The Ys series... basically a history lesson of game development done right. Can't wait for Monstrum. Feels like it will do what Celeceta did, but who knows what Falcom has under their sleeves. February can't come too soon (yes, I will wait until the PC version).
Ys ark of napishtim was my first Ys. I've fell in love with the series ever since.
Same
Great list! I love Ys VI Ark of Napishtim, but I agree that the lack of fast traveling can be troublesome.
That was the first Ys game I ever played.
This was helpful. Happy to see the only ys game I played was somewhat in the middle. Added a few to my steam wishlist
They’re all on the steam sale now!
Or go on gog and you will have an installer!
YS's music is perfect!!!!! Specially the rock/metal tunes from the older games!!
Ys 5 was actually the first action rpg incarnation of Ys. Sadly, it has yet to receive an official English release, though there is a fan translation of the SNES version of Ys 5.
My first experience was actually Ys Book 1 & 2 when I was playing on the Wii at the time. Pretty much, i was hooked on playing the series. Makes me want to play Ys VIII again before Ys 9 comes out next year. It's a beautiful series that needs to be noticed and rightfully so.
One of the very first games I ever played as a kid was Ys: Vanished Omen on the Master System so it'll always have a special place for me. So any version of Ys 1 would be top 3 for me.
I also kinda love Ys 3 on SNES but that might be nostalgia.
Oath in Felghana gets my number 1 spot, though. That's the pinnacle of the series to me. Even more than 8.
Oath > 8 > Origin to me. I just love that someone is giving Ys some love in general lol.
Love the Ys series. I've played almost all of them. Only discovered it a few years ago with Oath in Felghana. Just now starting to play my way through Origin, and loving it.
I'm just now discovering this series after watching the trailer for Ys 9 and after watching this I do believe this series is up my alley! I'm definitely gonna check it out
the reason why I like Ys a lot is :
- it wasnt a turned base RPG like Final Fantasy.
- Fast playing that not takes too long to complete.
- Great music soundtrack in every title. Genius composers.
Ys The Oath in Felgahana is my favorite
Definitely my favorite vid of yours, so far. I've been playing the Ys games for years, but only in the last couple, started to get obsessed with the franchise. I'm currently playing through Ys Origin and absolutely loving it. Yunica rules!!! After that, I need to decide between a few other entries in the series. This video will help!
The original MSX, Ancients Ys vanished omen 1 and 2 are still my favorite and yes it has translations, together with the MSX's X.A.K. series they were the best rpg games for their time
Hey, obviously the video is a bit older, but (at least now) the PC version of Ys VI allows for teleporting from anywhere except story specific locations to any previously visited save point. Not sure how it was before, but with that feature, I didn't feel like the game was too difficult to backtrack through. Either way, great list!
EDIT: Also, having played all of the Ys games released in English for PC/Modern Consoles except 7, I have to agree that VIII is just something else. It really is a masterpiece, and in a series with so many workmanlike games, it absolutely stands out. While I probably would put Ys Origins as my personal number 2, I have to agree that Falcom really has done a great job improving Ys with each subsequent release. Honestly, its why Ys IX kind of disappointed me. It isn't a bad game *at all*, but after VIII and considering the series' track record, I guess I had unreasonably expected it would be a masterpiece too.
I was on the fence about getting “Y’s VIII”, even though I loved “Y’s 7” and “Oath in Felghana”, but after watching this video and the fact that the digital version is on sale for $23.00 on the Switch right now, going to finally pick it up!
Just finished ys8 and I loved it so much, I just knew ys7 is the last series, so that's why adol said (ys8) he never been to altago city 😂, thx for the video
I liked Ys 7 a little (very little) more than Celceta because of its ending. I kinda agree with you, but I think that Ys I&II aged very well and has still one of the best ending in gaming (and the bump system is awesome). So, for me, also because it's the first Ys game I played, it's at second place just before Ys 8. I can't wait to play Ys 9!
Played ys 8 yesterday for the first time. It’s been a while since I haven’t felt 4 hours pass by so fast. Though the switch port has a lot of jaggy grass, it’s still that good of a game
I had never played an Ys game. I've spent the past two years playing Another Eden on my phone. Recently a bunch of "Tales of" characters were added and I liked their personalities so much I decided to try to find their entries for PS4. I found two of four, but I also there was Ys VIII on discount and I thought, "Hey, I've heard that name before." I've been playing it almost non-stop for the past month or so. It has quickly become one of my all-time favorites.
Cool video, I enjoyed it a lot! I agree with you on Ys 8, and Ys strategy, but our lists are wildy different for the rest, lol. After Ys 8, Ark, Oath, and Origin are my favorites.
With Ys 8 they finally reached the top tier in my opinion. Ys 9 ranks now high on my "get and play asap" list.
I really like this channel, Thanks bro! I'll buy these games for PS4 and now they're on offert.
February of 2021 we’re getting 9. If you want to play it on the PC or Switch, those ports are coming out in the summer.
Thanks to you I bought YS Origin back in the day. I liked it so much that I've purchased Memories of Celceta, Lacrimosa of Dana and now I'm currently playing Monstrum Nox. Such a beautiful series!
Ys series only need more budget to improve
I just got Ys 8 on sale and I’m loving it. First Ys game I’ve ever played
Big Ys fan here. Last ones I played were Ys 6 and the PSP remakes of the first three, so with Ys IX on the way I wanted to get back into it. Looking at your list, it seems like I've got the best ones still to come! The only issue was what order to play them in. I think I'll end up going Ys IX->Ys Seven->Celceta->Ys VIII. Yeah, it's a strange order, but hey. I'm playing the newest one first, then I'm going to save the best for last as I go through the others.
i do hope ys 5 somehow gets an international release, but i'm starting to think that's only happening if it's decided that there's a collection of all past games for next-gen systems like the ps5. granted i feel a lot of long running series could benefit from that like the various trails of games. and i still hope we get a xeno-collection with all 3 xeno saga games, a more complete version of xenogears and an in-between that explains how one became the other. unlikely, very unlikely, but i have hope.
It would be nice to see this get a PC version or something. At least there's a fan translation of the game which is better than nothing.
Finally, took long enough...
Out of the ones I have beaten, The Oath in Felghana is my favourite.
If you like, you should also consider: Xanadu Next
Erick Landon, always one of my favorite reviewers, this dude is like my brother from another mother.
Por tus recomendaciones empecé a jugar el YS VIII y me está encantando! Saludos desde CDMX!
in my personal opinion i liked Ys 1 and 2 psp version the most, the way it tells the story just feels great like you are figuring it out yourself and not narrated
Can`t wait for Ys 9.
You'll enjoy it.I bought mine in Japan last Nov. Now I can't wait for Ys10 to come out within next few years
Me too, but I'm dying for Cold steel 4 even more.. SQUEEEE
Aghhhh i better get my ps4 soon....
Criminally underrated for sure. Feels like I have to explain this game to everyone, literally everyone. Just like me getting introduced to Ys, it’s the best game I never knew about.
The first Ys I played was 1 & 2, they got a fan translation + enhanced BGM on the PC so I decided to give it a Go!
I won against The final Boss on my first try standing on the last tile with 1 HP!!!! I was out of breath!
My best Ys is Origin.
I've been a fan of the series for about 10 years, playing them in release order more or less, including the fan translated ones. My last game was Ys 7 this year and I loved it so much! You really made me hype for Ys 8 now. And someday I'll play them all in a marathon (probably before getting into 8)
I spent so long mispronouncing the title until I heard someone who actually knows the series say it.
viii was shockingly good. i just played it recently and it blew me away, and that was my entry point into the ys franchise. i immediately bought celceta and origins and dove straight into celceta. now i need to find a copy of seven and felghana - i wish they'd remaster them for ps4/5. looking forward to ix coming out soon!
i liked it a lot. it's clearly clunkier, being an older game. the characters aren't as fleshed out, some of the systems have warts that are worked out later (like map completion).
but i found the battle system actually a little better because it is faster, and if you pay attention to delaying your combo starts to get max sp return, you can basically use skills infinitely, which is more fun than just button mashing the attack button.
overall, it's a "for it's time a really good game" experience. so as a retrogamer, this is more than good enough for me. however, it is clearly a lower quality production that's earlier in the line.
yeah the fixed view was a little annoying, but it's an artifact of it's time. a lot of jrpgs did it, so it just kinda followed suit. it's definitely not as good as ys viii, but it was still really entertaining for me for what it was. i definitely look forward to ys ix coming out soon!
Just a note, the PC version of Ys VI already has teleport so the only thing that isn't fixed is the infamous dash jump XD
Ys The Vanished Omens on the Sega Master System was a Gem.
My first game was Wanderers of Ys and I've been hooked ever since. 8 is one of the most perfect action rpgs I've had the pleasure of playing and Celceta and 7 aren't far behind.
Ys3 snes was my first Ys game and is one of my top 5 favorite soundtracks of all time, especially the PSP redone music which brought me back to and made me a fan of the games. The code that let's you change music on the second controller I abused to no end and I would often fight the final boss with the shop music cause it was my favorite. Ys 8 is my fav Ys game, the story was mind blowing and epic layered. The games aren't polished but the fast paced battling and characters, and the JDK Falcom Sound team that redoes all their music for each release, makes this one of my top must buy day 1 franchises along with Tales of, Final fantasy, persona and dynasty warriors (guilty pleasure)
Being a devoted FF fan, Tales fan, Star Ocean fan, my favorite game is Chrono Cross, etc. I somehow knew about Ys but never played it until IX, then I started devouring the series on PS4.
Celceta was good but not great.
Origins is still a ton of fun to play in arcade
Dana was very touching and the best one PS4 can access.
Monstrum was super fun
MOAR.
Started playing the Nintendo DS version of YS 1 Ancient Ys Vanished. Feels like I'm playing an old school Dragon Quest game. Wish me luck.
The Ark of Napishtim was my first touch to this phenomenal series. Every time I started a new Ys game after that, I was afraid it wouldn't be able to live up to my expectations after The Ark of Napishtim... But every single time, my expectations were exceeded beyond my wildest dreams. Memories of Celceta, and especially Seven for me were the games that hit the absolute jackpot. And then came The Lacrimosa of Dana, blowing everything out of the water. It's just like you said, they learn from their mistakes and make an exponentially better game the next time.
However... Ys IX was the first game that failed me on some level. The music wasn't *quite* up there, the plot was just so-so, and some of the characters were... Well... Obnoxious. Gameplay wise it was still pure gold and the use of the gifts was amazingly smooth and well thought-out.
Can't wait for Ys X.
Ys 6 on PC got an update where you can teleport to the major areas since 2018 and Ys Oath in Felghana got the Voice Acting mod for English on 2019 for Pc too.
The only problem of Celceta and Seven for me are their ports for PC. While there's a magnificent Chinese port of Seven who remade the graphics for 720P, XSEED just ported a emulated version of Ys Seven for Pc, and Celceta is the same on Pc, it's a emulated version of the Vita Version, at least you can play Celceta on Ps4 on a far superior port.
I just learned about the Ys series a few months ago. I've now beaten Ys 8, Ys 9, and Memories of Celceta. I'm planning on playing The Oath in Felghana next. I'll likely get to Ys 6 and 7 at some point, though from what I'm reading online, seems like people are less enthusiastic about Ys 6.
My first was Ark of Napishtim, and...
MY GOD, that OST! 😍
There is one thing which stopped me from getting Ys VIII: the abysmal keyboard/mouse support. At this day and age, a PC game definitely SHOULD have proper KB/M support. Ys Origin and Felghana are playable with KB/M just fine, but the slobs from NIS America couldn't bother optimizing Ys VIII for it.
Great video man. I remember my first time playing ys. My dad bought a turbografx16 when I was a kid. Brand new. With the cd attachment. I still have it at my house. One of the few things I have left of my dad after he passed away. To Make The End Of Battle is my personal favorite videogame fight song ever. Playing through ys 8 right now and I want to play the next one whenever I get the chance.
I got into the Series with VIII. Then grabbed Memories of Celceta and now will get into origins on the switch when the physical comes out. I’m hooked.
Thanks for the list at the end. I usually play game series' in chronological order.
I love this video. Your impartial ranking really took into account the games as opposed to just your own subjective views. Nice! I love that you ranked them based on multiple facets too (ie: this one is good on psp but not as good on PC or vice versa). I enjoyed the chronology release at the end too. Will definitely be watching your ranking videos now. Going to watch your STAR OCEAN video soon and the TALES OF as well!
Wanders from Ys holds a special place for me, as it was my first Ys game, a long long time ago.
When I was playing Memory of Celceta, it made me feel I was Adol. While I don't have that feeling for Ys 8. Ys 8 is definitely well made though.
Done playing YS seven and YS: Memories of Celceta. I'm playing YS 8 today.
My favorites are either origin or memories. The reason I don't put 8 at the top is because of its horrible localization. They did Ys dirty on the psvita and it was borderline unplayable on the PC at release. It was so bad that even as a die hard fan of the series I didn't complete the game. One of these days I will go back and do it, but man I lost respect for NIS America after that. I really have no faith that they will do Ys 9 justice when it finally comes to the US. Btw my first Ys title was Ys 1&2 followed closely by oath which was brutally hard but great.
Ys origins (my first ys) is the game that made me decided to buy the rest of the series... glad it's in the middle of the list.
Ys 7 is the game that got me into Ys series. Always be my favorite.
Ys VI is such a grace for me. I never have been bedazzled by the leading girl by any of the games I played before. Olha is such a kind and beautiful sweetheart.
I Only played Ys VI... Now It's One of My favourite games.
Ys VIII was obnoxiously good. I couldn't believe how much fun I had with this one.
Ys Lacrimosa rocked my world. I made me fall in love with JRPG after a 20 year gap. I went in there knowing nothing about it and was blown away every inch of the way. One of the greatest game ever made. Few games ever made exploration so satisfying. Unlike the FF franchise where new areas are a chore to make the story progress or even From Software where a new area is terrifying, in this game you are dying with excitement to unlock a new part of the map
when you had a 20 year JRPG gap you have never played the legend of heroes series? best jrpg series of all time by same developer as Ys!
@@xSpyroTheDragon the series was never ported in France where I grew up, so no. I played the FF as a teen, Grandia, a few others and that was it
I've played Cold Trails a few months ago though, great game, I'm aiming to do the 2nd and 3rd this year
@@alexthiebaut2195 oh really? I have always thought games generally get special treatment in france because they are more popular there compared to germany.
Do you plan to play the prequels of cold steel? It is quate a lot but really worth it. I also did that after Cold Steel 2 and now part 3 is waiting till I finish the last of the prequels.
@@xSpyroTheDragon back on super nintendo and playstation we had shit loads of rpg. But then, to my knowledge, Falcom games were never or rarely ported to France, same with Sakura wars, Persona, Yakuza etc. Any game that had too much dialogue to translate didn't make it. I mean Yakuza got his first french release only a few years ago.
To answer your question, I'll play anything that Falcom releases. I'm UK based now so it's much easier and cheaper to get games. By prequels, do you mean the Kiseki series? I'll play them when they will be released (to my knowledge they're not available on PS4)
I just remembered that I didn't finish Ys II on the PSP. Now, I remember why. There are no maps, and I have a horrible sense of direction.
What I like about YS series is that it gets better and better and better on each games they release, they just release YS 9 and as usual I freaking enjoy it
Whoever wants to start playing Ys should check Digital Emelas, is a website where there is a lot of information regarding the series and has guides, playing order, info on every game and on which plataform is available, lore etc..
Seriously, it's an amazing website and the people behind it are involved in the gaming industry (the original English translator of Falcom is a member of Digital Emelas, and a producer at XSEED Games is also part of the website).
Really been wanting to dive into this series. Appreciate the video guide! 🙏🏽
As this is probably the only time I'll ever praise them again, Konami did an impressive job in Ys 6's localization to a point XSEED based theirs for Ys 1&2, Oath in Felghana, Memories of Celceta and Seven on that game alone.
Just finished Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim as my first ever Ys game and im officially a fan of the series
I love Ys 8 cause it has the nice characters (especially Dana, very love her design). And next reason, the characters is appeared like 2D, not small guys in pixel :))))))))
7:36 : SPIIIN
Unfortunately I played YS 3 Wanderers from YS in 2003 and it's my first YS game. 😂
I shipped Ys IX from Japan and I have to say, despite me not being able to understand anything, it competes with Ys Viii as my favorite in the series. The English release is going to be a long wait but worth it. Once again they decided to fix small things to make gameplay much better so I hope you all look forward to it.
I loved everything from YS 8. Specially its music, damn listening to the OST was like traveling to another world. Masterpiece in all, one of the best games ever made and with such a low budget.
The last dungeon's OST is the perfect theme for a final dungeon imho. *PERFECTION*
Now I'm wondering what folks think about Ys 9 cause I heard that one did what 8 did but STILL improves!
Wanderers from Ys was my first experience in the series and ibhave loved it since
Thanks for this list, bought memories of Celceta when it launched but didn’t get around to playing it until earlier in the year, got its hooks in me and showed me how awesome Ys is but o stopped because I wanted to figure out if I should play other games in the series before I finished it, I’ll get Dana for sure later but I think I will at least get 7 and try to play those 3 before 9 comes to the west
Fortunately very little plot continuity is meaningful in Ys games. You can play them in almost any order and all you're going to miss are things like, "why does Adol already know this woman [tiny tiny part of Ys VIII if you haven't played Celceta]," "Where did this girl come from and why is she traveling with Adol [tiny tiny part of Napishtim if you didn't play Y's V]," and "Why is this blue-haired snacc traveling with Adol [any game if you haven't played Ys I&II]." The general idea is that the Romun Empire is always after Adol, but I don't think I even know why and I've played or watched LPs of all the games except Celceta. They really treat each title as a standalone adventure from Adol's lifetime chronicles (except I & II really are like two halves of a single game).
Played 8 and you said it best it really feels like you play different games but it combine into one = very long first time gameplay and alot of replayability.
For Celceta.... I prefer the TurboGrafix version, though it didn't get an English release, it did get a very well done fan dub and translation. But like with Ys 3, I'd definitely consider Memories of Celceta a different game to the previous versions of Ys 4.
Great ranking. Thanks for sharing!
Ys Seven is my first then Felghana and then then then...and it's true Ys VIII was BIGGGG MASTERPIECE!
Damn I'm so hyped for Ys 9. Wish it was getting a holiday release. The wait is killing me.
Really shouldn't take that long just for an English translation and VA tbh
And the wait is no more! It's finally here
@@ryanthomas4943 not on PC...
@@inrptn oh really? I didn't know that. When does it come out on PC?
@@ryanthomas4943 no set date, maybe summer
What happen to ;
Y's the vanishing omens ??
I miss the old intro
Ys seven is also what got me into the series. Love that game. But yea, my list is very similar, like you said it's a series that keeps improving and 8 is just amazing. Such a good series, in my top 5 favorite series, love the amount of adventure and wonder I feel with great gameplay and sweet soundtracks. Just great. If you've read this far stranger make sure to enjoy you're day :)
The only Y's game i've played is Y's VIII and it is in my top 3 favorite games of all time along with Kingdom Hearts 2 and Spyro the Dragon.
I’ll admit I am not the biggest fan of 8. The gameplay is a definite improvement from the other party-based Ys games, but I was really let down by the writing, especially towards the end. Not only did it feel like it was retreading a few too many things from 7, but the plot makes the plot of Celceta retroactively make no sense. And well, if I’m gonna strike one from my personal canon, it’s 8.
I actually liked Dana's story, but the "main" plot was... not as bad as just utterly mediocre. Personally, i think that Memories of Celceta is the only Ys with a competently written story, and even it only really works as a stand-alone game and not as a part of the series. The strories in other games range from servicable (1, Felghana) to completely terrible (Seven)
Ys 8 also might suffer from having a bit too much of unnecessary stuff. All these raids, sidequests, settlement developing mechanics, do they really make the game better?
Ys 8 is without a doubt Falcom's magnum opus. can't wait to play Ys 9 but don't expect it to beat 8. hopefully we get a remake of 5.
Personally I think Ys 9 is better but I have seen people who still prefer Ys 8 at least for the story and setting. But most agree that the new game mechanics in Ys 9 makes it more fun to play.
Thanks for the video! I've beaten Ys 8 a few days ago, so this video will be helpful when it comes to choosing the next game to play.
As a side note - Ys 8 has a lot in common with Tokyo Xanadu, at least when it comes to combat. Even the endings of both games have similarities.
Felghana is probably my favorite, the bosses, gameplay, and level design, so frantic and fun while absolutely phenomenal music. The story wasn't half-bad either.