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Ys I and II Chronicles

SCORE: 66

People got their Dragon Quests, and Final Fantasy's. I have always enjoyed the Ys series. I remember Ys I & II from my days playing the Turboduo. This game is an action adventure role playing game that put Zelda to shame in so many ways. Yet few give it the props it has earned. Well I am hoping to help with that imbalance. The movie cut scenes were a step above anything else from that era.

I was very pleased to hear XSeed Games was picking up the Ys remakes. This is the last one I saw at E3 in the year of our Lord 2010. Family Friendly Gaming was provided a reviewable copy of Ys I & II Chronicles on the Playstation Portable (PSP). We got a real treat by being provided the Premium Edition. In essence we got a music CD as well. The CD contains Musical Selections.

The remastered graphics are amazing in Ys I & II Chronicles. The little movies are amazing looking as well. The art work continues to be my personal favorite. With all of this praise there are a few issues that have to be addressed. Families need to be aware of the Teen rating (13 years old as a minimum to play this game). There are some female characters in certain areas of the game that are not fully dressed. Enemies leave a blood splatter, and fall to pieces when the player kills them.

The music completely and totally rocks in Ys I & II Chronicles. You may remember some stories we ran on that in the past. The upbeat, and energetic sounds really pumped me up. I enjoyed listening to the music in Ys I & II Chronicles. What hurts this game is there are some language issues. I did not personally see any need for it, and would have loved a "clean" version of the game.

Ys I & II Chronicles contains two separate video games that are connected through storyline. If it had been just Ys 1, or Ys II I would not think it would be worth the price. But getting two, and a music CD is a lot for the money. Ys I & II Chronicles includes various items, armors, and secrets. Players will spend numerous hours with this hand held video game.

The best way to describe the game play in Ys I & II Chronicles is playing chicken with swords. Ys I & II Chronicles is one of the few games I know of where you do not swing your sword. Instead you run into the enemies, and hope Adol is strong enough to defeat them. If not, work on leveling up. Ys I & II Chronicles is very old school in that regard. If a boss or area is too hard, then level up, get better armor, weapons, etc. I had trouble with some bosses, leveled up, and then beat them easily.

Ys I & II Chronicles does not tell players where to go next. So part of the joy of this game is searching around trying to find where to go next. Players can save almost anywhere, so be sure to use that. Especially before unlocking doors. I enjoyed my time with Ys I & II Chronicles on the PSP.

Ys I & II Chronicles teaches goddess worship, and that is one thing that will raise a lot of eyebrows. It is something that a lot of role playing games include. They do not regionalize the religious aspects for America. To be fair I am not sure how they could when there are certain characters, but I expect creative solutions could be provided. Adol is fighting for others, and works to stop a great evil. So there certainly is a saving grace for this title.
- Paul

Graphics: 55%
Sound: 64%
Replay/Extras: 82%
Gameplay: 74%
Family Friendly Factor: 55%
System: Playstation Portable
Publisher: XSeed Games
Rating: 'T' for Teen
{Alcohol Reference, Blood, Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Partial Nudity} 

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