Developer: Advance Communication Publisher: Victor Release: 05/25/90 Genre: Action RPG
Falcom did an excellent job establishing Ys as a unique series within the action RPG sphere with the original game. Its combat may have been divisive but it was functional enough that most put up with it to experience the adventure and that amazing soundtrack. But it was a warm up for its far superior sequel. There are some nips and tucks but overall Falcom and their partners have done a good job bringing the game to the NES.
After his victory against Dark Fact atop Darm Tower Adol is transported to the floating continent of Ys where he is found by Lilia. Adol quickly learns that civilization has continued uninterrupted despite the land of Ys disappearing hundreds of years ago. In fact the citizens are unaware of the events transpiring below. Their peaceful bliss does not last long as demons appear in Ys as well and the people will need Adol’s help to stop them.
Ys II assumes you are familiar with the first game. It begins immediately after the original ends but unlike every other version of the game the Famicom edition does not have an elaborate introduction to set up the story. There is only a brief (and I do mean brief) setup that does nothing to acclimate new players. Let’s be honest however, if you are playing Ys II it is guaranteed you have played the first game. There is a reason both titles are usually bundled from this point going forward.
At first Ys II seems identical to its predecessor. But in short order the numerous improvements begin to show. The general bump system of combat remains unchanged. Unfortunately like the first Famicom game the smaller sprites with their reduced hit box make attacking tricky. You will suffer unintentional damage constantly. The addition of magic makes the game more accessible for those that do not like bump system. Early on you learn the fireball spell and it can easily be your default. Magic depletes so slowly the game almost wants you to rely on it exclusively. Aside from fireball the rest are utility such as revealing hidden objects, teleportation, and changing form. These are integrated well and are a great addition to the game.
One of the biggest complaints with Ys is that it was short. Even though there were a few scant locations in Ys you spent the overwhelming majority of the game in Darm Tower. The world is much bigger this time which goes a long way toward relieving the monotony. Even though there is no overworld Ys II has more locations and towns to explore. The dungeons are bigger as well. Annoyingly most of these dungeons will require you to leave and come back more than once and it grows old fast. This reaches its peak in Solomon Shrine, the longest section of the game which is nearly equivalent to Darm Tower. It is blatant padding and they could easily have cut down on it. Luckily it never gets to the point of frustration.
Despite the expansion of the world the pace is a bit slow in this game. Experience comes slowly and the game requires grinding at nearly every story point. It is not because Ys II is difficult; far from it in fact. But the game has hard caps on enemies and if you are not at the minimal level your attacks do nothing. Grinding is also slower because there are less enemies in this version, meaning you will have to wander from room to room tediously. Gold is also a little hard to come by but the convenience of the fireball spell means you will rely on equipment less than before. Speaking of convenience….
The magic system is one of the main reasons the difficulty is so low in this version of Ys II. Being able to attack from long range eliminates the dangers of the game’s combat system. But it goes beyond that. You earn the telepathy spell early on in the game. With this you can transform into a creature and speak with monsters. But you can also use it to bypass combat altogether as well! It drains magic but for the amount of backtracking is indispensable. The boss battles are one of the biggest disappointments here. The simplified patterns rob them of any challenge. In addition you can leave the room at any time, teleport to town to fully heal and try again! I suppose some concessions were necessary to fit the game on the NES but it is still disappointing.
In Closing
I have played far more versions of Ys II than I thought possible yet I still love this game. Ys II – the Final Battle is a great game in every single way and the Famicom version is a respectable edition of this classic title.
