Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga
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Critic Reviews for Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga
It’s amazing that Nihon Falcom has released Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga for their fans. But longtime Trails and Ys fans will find a lot of their favorite characters missing. Hopefully Nihon Falcom will make a proper Ys Seven modern console port soon.
Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga is a fighter brought back from the era of the PlayStation Portable. A lot of the enhancements are great but it doesn't stop it from feeling like its still from a handheld from that era.
Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga is a fun crossover game, but limited as a fighting game in 2025. Still, for fans of the franchises, the RPG systems the game brings are functional and the fan service is pretty nice.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Fun fighting game crossover between the Ys and Trails in the Sky series
A wild Nihon Falcom mash-up that brings the hype, the heart, and the classic soundtrack magic!
Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga is a crossover game that combines the fast-paced action of Ys with the narrative of Trails in a fighting game with an RPG soul. The remaster modernizes graphics, sound, and multiplayer, while respecting the foundation of the PlayStation Portable original. A recommended title for fans of Nihon Falcom and those looking for strategic combat in action-packed arenas.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The biggest barrier to recommending Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga is not really a functional one. The game wasn’t made to be the most balanced experience and it has many of the issues that typically limit crossover titles in their ambition, but it’s still made with the goal of fun in mind, and it’s chock full of goodies. This is also far from a rush job of a port to modern systems, as refint/games did a lot to make the game play well and feel fitting among these franchises’ existing western releases, given the game featuring dual audio, maintaining a consistent English voice cast, and the work that went into its online features. Indeed, as someone who played the original PSP title many moons ago, this is more than I could have hoped for with a 2025 rerelease of this title. Some minor hiccups aside, it is a genuinely excellent remaster of a rather niche game. Rather, it’s the fact that this game conceptually feels made for a fairly small number of people. This one is for Falcom fans specifically, and there’s a lot of appeal to them here, even if it doesn’t break a ton of ground for either series. For anyone outside that space, it’s significantly harder to recommend this game. Which is a bit of a shame, because this game is genuinely quite fun for what it is. The implementation of 3D Ys mechanics into a fighting game works better than it perhaps should, given this is a company not known for making fighting games, and it has perhaps the best assembly of music of the company’s illustrious catalog. If you aren’t already a fan of Ys and Trails, this game can be a tougher sell, much as I recommend getting into those series already with all my heart. If you are a fan of Ys and Trails already, this is a worthy title to fit into your collection. It’s a neat little time capsule of Falcom’s history, and a fun experience on its own for what it is.
Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga is an interesting crossover JRPG attempt. It stays true to the roots of both series while adding new features and a story that flows together in a way that pleases both old and new fans. The pace is just right, the characters are memorable, and the two types of games make for a truly unique experience.
