At dawn of the times
The first and immediately recognizable distinctive feature of Ys Origin is that, by heart, it is the first chapter of the long Falcom saga to not see Adol Christin in the shoes of the hero: this does not mean that the red adventurer is completely absent , but the protagonists, in this case, are others.
In this case, we refer to Yunica Tovah, a huge ax, and to Hugo Fact, a spell of great skill: the world in which these characters move is what we learned to know, but seventy hundred years before the ” Adol’s debut adventure, Ancient Ys Vanished, released on several systems including the unforgettable Sega Master System and DS (here in remake mode).
The spring that triggers events is represented by a tremendous invasion of demons and monsters, which dirty lands a peaceful and verdant time, and forces Ys residents to take refuge in specially fortified cities, generally built in elevated places.
As if it were not enough, the two twin goddesses who protected the kingdom were kidnapped and locked in a disturbing tower that rises in the heavens almost to defy the divine: Reah and Feena, these two gods names, must then be saved, because only with their abilities and eminence they can help purify the nation, corrupted by the demons and the blood that they have scattered.
Ys- style interweaving is just over a trace, a generic fantasy setting that gives the player an excuse to throw in the melee, but, in this prequel, the situation is further simplified, not just for the plots of the plot in itself but also because of the lack of an overworld to explore, with a certain monotony that inevitably materializes by climbing the tower.
The positive side, however, is that each character provides access to unpublished dialogues and footage, although the heart of the narrative remains unchanged, so that it can be used to play adventure at least twice so that it can see everything it has to offer.
Old but gold
Anyone who has played any of the titles that came out between PSP and PC over the last decade, from Oath in Felghana to YS Seven, will find a formula that is so familiar and compelling that it offers a role-playing game with strong venation action with visible enemies on-screen and face-to-face, using a series of moves and combo that is gradually expanding with the progress of the adventure.
The approach to combating the two characters initially selectable is radically different, allowing two different gaming styles to match the tastes of two seemingly irreconcilable audiences: in Yunica’s shoes, Ys Origin , in fact, adheres to the typical canons of the series, which will make hack’n’slash fans happy, while in Hugo’s games the game will now remember an isometric shooter now a twin stick shooter.
Yunica’s weapon is forced to approach the enemies, entering the range of the majority of their attacks and exposing them more to the damage; in return, especially in the second half of the adventure, the amount of damage the sacred fighter can inflict is far superior to his travel companion.
Hugo, on the other hand, can afford to keep distances, striking at the same time more enemies simultaneously, but can not count on an equally impressive output of damage.
Also the way the two characters are controlled is slightly different with Hugo’s bow that can cover larger distances than Yunica, which reinforces the impression that the two characters (a bit like Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine at the time of the first Resident Evil) are not only distinguished by its features, but also by a different level of difficulty, which in this case favors Hugo, making it the ideal choice for newcomers.
We have also noticed that, compared to the last episode played in time (Memories of Celceta on Life), the separation between common enemies and bosses has widened, whereas the first ones are seldom demanding slaughter meat, and the latter pose the player in the face of really challenging challenges, as it has always been for the titles belonging to the series.
Enormous insects, mutilated semidis, and rocky constructions are just some of the bosses that will block the road to the top of the tower, each with recognizable patterns but not easy to avoid and with generous energy bars: in these breaches, Soundtrack always on the piece, Ys Origin manages to give the best of itself, offering an adrenaline rate and a challenge of other times.
To deduct from the gaming experience, then, there is a shorter overall duration if you take into account the single run and, above all, the depletion of the exploratory mechanics that have become a distinctive mark of Adol Christin’s adventures: in Ys Origin , as anticipated, you will only have access to a single, huge location, unable to renew more than enough and to offer fun and fresh visual solutions.
We would also like to add some extra support to widescreen support, also considering that the PC version is slightly lower now, but the conversion work done by DotEmu’s kids is, overall, more than good.
