PLATFORM: SWITCH | RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 1ST
The Ys games have been around for over thirty years but have never made too must impact in the West. The original came out back in 1987 on multiple platforms, but only on the Master System in Europe. Seven more games followed, with the ninth due out here next year. Ys Origin, as it sounds, is a prequel to the original. You don’t have to be familiar with the series to enjoy it, but those that are will notice lots of little tie-ins and references.
Origin is an isometric hack and slash-style RPG, like the old 2D Zelda games in some ways. You begin by selecting one of two characters, each with their own story lasting roughly eight hours. Each character has a different playstyle; one melee and the other a ranged spell-caster. Once the game has been completed, a third, much better, character is unlocked which fleshes out the story.
This game originally came out back in 2004, and it shows. Graphics are dated, but not in a fun retro way; environments are bland and repetitive. The gameplay, however, is spot on. The controls feel tight, and attacks, dodges and jumps are all satisfying. It can get a bit grindy on the harder difficulties as you need to level up to be able to defeat some of the bosses but, as the action is good fun, this isn’t too bad. The game runs fine on the Switch and does feel at home when playing on the small screen. However, if playing on a large TV, some areas look a bit blurry.
Ys Origin is a fun game that looks like what it is – a port of a 16-year-old game. If you don’t let that put you off, though, there’s a good time to be had here.
