Ys Origin
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Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Ys Origin
Ys Origin is over a decade old and holds up well despite showing its age.
The story here takes a back seat to the brilliant and compulsive dungeon crawling gameplay, which should appeal even to those who don't tend to enjoy action RPGs. No puzzle, no battle and no single room ever outstays its welcome in Ys Origin, resulting in one of the briskest, easy-going games we've played in a long time. Sure, the visuals could be better, the overall length might be too short for hardcore RPG fans and there's a lot of grinding afoot, but this remains a solid choice if you're a fan of this sort of thing. An easy recommendation to pretty much anyone who has an interest in RPGs, Ys Origin is perfect even if you've never touched a game in the series before. Now, can we get Ys: The Oath in Felghana on Switch, too?
Ys Origin on PlayStation 4 is a very good port of a classic game that is the prequel to one of the best action RPG franchises of all time.
Set 700 years before the first title, Ys Origin expands on the franchise's lore with a combat system that blends both style and substance.
I appreciate what DotEmu has done with the console port of Ys Origin. A story localized this good deserves to be easily accessed by gamers on as many ports as possible. Besides the strange rending issues on screen in the beginning of the game, I would say this is a great port of ten year old PC game that serves a preface to the beloved Ys series.
Despite abandoning the series' all-too-iconic red-haired hero, Ys Origin is one of the most memorable and enjoyable entries in the franchise. With multiple characters, incredibly tight controls, and rewarding unlockables and bonus modes, it's a perfect entry into the series for newcomers as well as an absolute treat for veteran Ys players. The lack of a map and the simple combat can sometimes be a bit of a frustration, but they're ultimately minor annoyances in an otherwise incredible old-school action RPG.
If you don't mind the game's port-related problems and weird changes, there's a chance that you could still have a good time with hacking your way through its enemies and bosses – especially if you're down with turning your Sony systems into your Ys machines. If anything, it's important for one to see if they can put up with DotEmu's work before they accept their mission to find the twin Goddesses.
Ys Origin is a simple but very enjoyable and replayable Action RPG. If you like this genre and the series, don't miss it.
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