Quarter Circle Forward REVIEW: Ys I & II Chronicles

RPGs, more and more, are shifting away from the Japanese paradigms that have been the mainstay of the genre for decades. And, more and more the western school of RPG design and presentation has been progressively implemented as time inevitably lurches forward.

As such, I've noticed that, as opposed to the typical JRPG formula involving random battles and menus galore, modern RPGs are sticking to a strictly action-based approach. This said, for being a game that is actually 24 years old, Ys Chronicles: Book I & II for the Playstation Portable is both ancient and modern all at once, offering a hard core action RPG experience that is as streamlined as it is old-school.

Ys I & II Chronicles is the latest of five North American releases of the classic 1987 action RPG, which also saw release on the TurboGrafx CD,Wii Virtual Console (as an emulated port of the TGCD version), Nintendo DS and even the Sega Master System (though, the Master System version lacked Book II). It also rounds out a decidedly backwards trilogy of PSP Ys releases from publisher XSEED Games; Ys Seven and Ys: The Oath in Felghana were both released last year and could be described as two of the PSPs best games of 2010.

In Ys I & II Chronicles, you follow the adventures of Adol the Red as he liberates the land of evil by obtaining the sacred books of Ys and smiting demons threatening world peace. The story is fairly rudimentry but that's to be expected from a game that was originally released in 1987.

As mentioned before, the game play is super-streamlined; when it was originally released, there was not even an assigned attack button; you just rammed right into your enemies and damaged them based on your position relative to your enemies and your stats. This would become affectionately know as "Bump 'n' Slash" game play. Level and Gold grinding is key to progression, and there's a rather low level cap compared to most other RPGs that can be achieved fairly quickly. However, as simple as it is, it works marvellously well and keeps things moving at a brisk pace. Well, so long as you know where everything is. Ys Chronicles is the furthest thing from deep, but it remains entertaining.

The biggest change made to this particular version of Ys Book I & II is the presentation. It includes an extra story portion where Adol is shipwrecked and washes ashore in a small town where he is nursed back to health before his journey begins.

The visuals and sound are also completely overhauled and based on 2001's Japanese PC release, Ys Complete. However, Falcom has also included some stunning animated sequences and the character art has been redrawn specifically for this version of the game. However, if the player so chooses, they can also opt for the character art from the 2001 release in place of the new PSP visuals.

Additionally, the sound is nicely remixed as well, with awesome modern renditions of the original soundtrack. And, as with the visuals, the player has the ability to choose the PSP, 2001 Complete or even the original PC88 versions of the soundtrack! The only thing that perplexes me, as was the case in Ys Seven, is the lack of voice acting. 2010's Ys: The Oath in Felghana was rife with it, and it was damn fine voice work too. Even the TGCD version has 20 minutes of dialogue, so it feels quite missed.

Ys I & II Chronicles is kind of like a senior citizen who's had a recent facelift; it looks great with its modern polish, but it still has what made it special in 1987 on the inside, which sort of puts this game in an interesting spot; Sure, first timers to the series can see how this beloved series started out with beautifully detailed 2D backdrops and sprites and fantastic remixed music, but with many fairly vague objectives, wandering around looking for a certain event to happen might happen more often than not.

On the other hand, fans of the original game will breeze through Book I in just about five hours or so (I clocked in at four hours and fourty-seven minutes), and the second book is only really marginally longer.

Thankfully for players in either of these two camps, not only are there additional difficulty modes, but also a time attack mode to try to beat the game in as little time as possible, giving this decidedly simple, fleeting game some longevity.

As a fan of the Ys series (I personally have all but one North American release in the whole saga) I can say that for those who enjoyed the original games on the venerable TurboGrafx CD and for those who enjoy fast-paced action RPG game play with no mess or fuss, this game will scratch that old-school itch very nicely. But at  with so little actual content included with this particular release, how much you get out of Ys Chronicles will hinge on how long you personally will want to spend with the game and its various difficulties and game modes.

So, fans of the Ys series should take note; But for everyone else, Ys: The Oath in Felghana has you much better covered. Try before you buy.

Ys I & II Chronicles is available at retail with an included soundtrack CD for $29.99 and for download on the PSN Store for $24.99.