Ys: Memories of Celceta Reviews
That said, Ys: Memories of Celceta is both a wonderful action adventure RPG just as much as it is a solid entry into the Ys Series. Having made its way to the PS4, there are now three options to experience this adventure and fans that want to get back into it from the original Vita version will be happy to know that they share a trophy list. With plenty of ground to cover, plenty of monsters to fight and puzzles to solve, this re-release of one of Adol’s earlier adventures may be exactly what you need to tide you over as we wait for the localization of Ys IX: Nox Monstrum.
Whether you’re an Ys fan eagerly waiting for the series’ ninth mainline game, or just a JRPG fan in general, there’s a lot to love in Memories of Celceta. Very few games like this are fun enough for me to actively want to fight and grind for hours on end.
The new PlayStation 4 version of Ys: Memories of Celceta is a great upgrade over both the original and the PC versions. Despite having a single technical issue in Comodo Village and a resolution which doesn’t seem to be above 1080p, the game itself looks beautiful with it’s living and breathing world, unique characters, interesting enemies, and grand vistas. The combat is incredibly satisfying, the bosses are fun to face, and completing the numerous side-missions felt exciting and rewarding rather than repetitive and dull. If you’ve never played the game, or only partially completed it on the Vita, you have no excuse to not pick up Ys: Memories of Celceta today (or on June 19th in EU and Australia).
Despite being a remaster of a VITA game, Ys: Memories of Celceta is another excellent addition to the Ys series that is now accessible to a larger fanbase where it may perhaps get the recognition it deserves.
Memories of Celceta is like a bite-size RPG for kids or for the millennial with time constraints who still wants to play RPGs, but can’t commit to 100-hour behemoths like Persona 5. It’s fun and doesn’t outstay its welcome. Combat is fast, but it also suffers from being simple and heavy on the button-mashing. The story takes you for a ride, but it’s also pedestrian and does nothing new – it’s like deja vu, in that it feels like an RPG story you’ve heard time and again.
For newcomers to the series, or those who just missed out on the Vita version, this new port is a fine way to enjoy Ys: Memories of Celceta, but for those who’ve played it before there’s not enough new content to justify a second purchase.
That said, Ys: Memories of Celceta *did* accomplish many of the things I was looking for within a new franchise; it is a series of games that I have not experienced before while scratching the action-RPG itch that I have had for some time. With clean, highly adjustable graphics, running along smoothly along at 60 FPS is a wonderful affair and after Nihon Falcom / XSEED pushed through a fix to address combat slowing down a bit at higher framerates, an extremely fast and engaging experience. When combining the delicious sound effects, voice acting, and snappy combat, Ys: Memories of Celceta is both a successful port and a fun little title; just try to reduce any expectation of it bringing something new and exciting to the table.