Ys Origin

1. awildseaking

   Jul 24, 2012

   10

   I noticed not many people are capable of writing a proper review, so I had to chime in. Ys Origin is NOT a console experience. Ys Origin is aI noticed not many people are capable of writing a proper review, so I had to chime in. Ys Origin is NOT a console experience. Ys Origin is a PC exclusive. Although Falcom has recently turned to the psp and vita after they lost their PC distributor, they developed almost exclusively PC since the early 80s. The Zelda feeling people are getting should be flipped: the Ys series, which branched off from Dragonslayer, began in 1987. The first LoZ was released in 1986. Dragonslayer began in 1984. The modern day Zelda experience is absolutely nothing like Ys, and serves as a horrible comparison. Ys is traditionally known for its music and difficult boss fights. The composers are from the jdk sound team, which is the remnants of the jdk band from the early 90s. Their primary genre was metal. The boss fights and general gameplay is often cited as using button mashing. Unless you want to die every time, you won't use button mashing. Most boss fights have patterns and tiers, so you can't just inflict massive amounts of damage all at once. Many people also tend to think the gameplay requires grinding. Since levels only affect your base stats, this statement is false. The stages within boss fights do not allow you to do any more than a set amount of damage, so all grinding helps you with is staying alive longer if you get hit a lot. In short, grinding is only necessary if you're bad.
   
   A single playthrough on Nightmare takes about 30 hours the first time through. There are 3 playable characters with different stories and boss fights, so a full, 100% completion of the story could take you 70 or 80 hours to complete. There is also a time attack mode for boss fights, which helps to add a bit more replay ability to the game. For $20, this is a great game that everyone should consider trying.… Expand

   • 16 of 23 users found this helpful
2. crunchbuttsteak

   Jan 13, 2013

   10

   Ys Origin is a prequel to a long-running series of PC RPGs (Ancient Ys Vanished was released for the PC-88 in 1987 after branching fromYs Origin is a prequel to a long-running series of PC RPGs (Ancient Ys Vanished was released for the PC-88 in 1987 after branching from Falcom's other series, Dragon Slayer). However, if you haven't played Ys I and II, you'll still be able to enjoy Origin. Origin makes an excellent starting point in the series because, like the preceding Ys title (The Oath in Felghana, a remake of Ys III), it has unparallelled difficulty scaling. Unlike many action games/RPGs that simply buff enemy health and damage on higher difficulties, Ys Origin gives bosses extra attacks, makes enemies more aggressive, changes the mechanics on certain attacks to make them more difficult to dodge, and truly challenges the player. On Normal and lower, most bosses are only slightly challenging to an experienced player and have simplified patterns and attacks. For example, a boss that shoots a rapid-fire stream of magic missles at you on Normal will fire 3 sepearate streams on Hard, and on Nightmare, 5. Projectiles also may move faster and track you more accurately, and other attacks may have added AOE effects or leave the boss less open. These changes make is so that even inexperienced players can stand a chance on lower difficulties, and masters of action games will still have a grueling challenge awaiting them on the higher difficulty settings. You'll spend the majority of your time dungeon crawling and fighting bosses. While the dungeons can be challenging and most bosses will take dozens of attempts on the highest difficulty, it never gets tedious because you can simply re-try from the last checkpoint (which usually aren't too far apart) and during boss fights, you can simply start the fight over from the beginning without having to walk back to the encounter or watch an intro cutscene. While some might find he lack of punishment as a detraction, it's really a saving grace - you'll spend A LOT of time retrying boss fights on the hardest difficulty, as even the slightest mistake can turn the tides against you irrevocably. The boss fights demand perfection and mastery of the mechanics and skills, quick thinking, and careful planning without throwing unfair challenges at you like unavoidable attacks. However, it also demands that you carefully explore each area thoroughly for upgrades, equipment, and items that wil help you. Missing a single weapon upgrade can make some fights nigh-unwinnable, but thankfully it's pretty obvious when you've missed one.
   
   There are 3 seperate playable characters in the story mode and while the story is nothing special and the characters are rather shallow, it's not much of a focus. However, the fact that the story isn't a focus doesn't mean it isn't there - there's just enough plot to keep you motivated to continue and while most characters are simplistic, they're still likable enough to grow attached to.
   
   The music is arguably the best part of the game and while Origin's soundtrack suffers a bit overall compared to the rest of the series, it's still one of the best in the industry. The boss themes are fitting, keeping you on your toes, getting your blood pumping, and hyping you up for the encounter. In addition, the true final boss' theme (a remix of a theme from Ys II) is a brilliantly crafted and passionate piece that will simultaneously get you motivated and fill you with despair. Even if you don't like the game, it's at least worth giving the soundtrack a listen.
   
   Overall Ys Origin is a fantastic experience and a must-play for fans of fast-paced and grueling action games, or anyone who enjoys a fun, thrilling ride with fantastic music and absurdly polished gameplay.… Expand

   • 0 of 2 users found this helpful
4. Orbitalyo

   Dec 29, 2013

   10

   One of the best dynamic action RPG imo. My personal GotY 2012
   Thanks Falcom & Xseed for the Steam portage. Old school RPG, with cool mangaOne of the best dynamic action RPG imo. My personal GotY 2012
   Thanks Falcom & Xseed for the Steam portage. Old school RPG, with cool manga style characters, superb OST, THE BEST vilain introduction music.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
5. Andresitooo

   Aug 23, 2012

   9

   Great Game for 20 bux well worth it. Play it on hard for extra fun. Can't give a 10 cuz its not perfect something's missing. but damn close toGreat Game for 20 bux well worth it. Play it on hard for extra fun. Can't give a 10 cuz its not perfect something's missing. but damn close to it for an indie game. Great boss fights. Fun game mechanics. Haven't beaten yet about 3/4 of the way up the tower with both the beginning characters (i know waiting on Claw, too). This game is like Zelda meets Castlevania ( GBA and DS) with Megaman X music (which is awesome).… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
6. Hominghead

   Jan 6, 2013

   9

   An RPG well-done.
   Provides and interesting story and fair difficulty level as well as cleanly executed game-mechanics and physics.An RPG well-done.
   Provides and interesting story and fair difficulty level as well as cleanly executed game-mechanics and physics.
   
   Definitely worth-to-play.… Expand

   • 1 of 1 users found this helpful
7. cidgrad01

   Oct 22, 2013

   8

   This is a fun, neatly-made little ARPG with combat that requires more than repeatedly hitting the attack button. Use of a gamepad isThis is a fun, neatly-made little ARPG with combat that requires more than repeatedly hitting the attack button. Use of a gamepad is preferred. I picked it up during a Steam Sale and am very satisfied with the purchase.
   
   It’s a dungeon crawler (or in this case: climber) that manages to keep things fresh enough so that it doesn’t get boring. It also has some very entertaining boss fights. The graphics will remind you of a few old SNES games, but despite that are very sharp and hi-res. Environments & visual effects are also very nice and there are a few anime cutscenes thrown in for good measure.
   
   The weakest part is the story, which is a bit blah. Not as bad as other JRPGs I’ve played, but still has that overall unserious feel (e.g. demons are taking over the world and only the axe-wielding, 12 year old girl with the oven mitts can save us) as well as the sometimes spotty dialogue. Additionally, you can play through the game as three different characters, but your experience will be pretty much the same each time aside from different attack methods, so there isn’t much reason to.
   
   From a pure gaming standpoint, though, this one’s worth at least one playthrough.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. dprkforum

   Jun 6, 2012

   6

   The game is a quick-paced, button mashing adventure. It has a very arcade-like feel, which adds to the charm. The graphics feel dated, andThe game is a quick-paced, button mashing adventure. It has a very arcade-like feel, which adds to the charm. The graphics feel dated, and two-dimensional at times, but this game is obviously not going for ultra-realism. However, in an odd way, it brings that nostalgic feel. It is a very average game, but sometimes, average works.… Expand

   • 1 of 6 users found this helpful

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