Ys Book I and II is by far the most captivating, awe-inspiring, involving video game that I have ever played. You can take Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy VII, and any other titles that have been considered to be among the elite epics in the video game industry, and they will all seem like bad comedy in the face of this masterpiece. An action-RPG that was never given the praise and attention that it truly deserved, Ys can pull you into its world to an extent that no other role-playing game has ever even come close to. The story behind Ys is compelling and intriguing - to say the least. Legend has it that a peaceful and prosperous land called Ys existed over eight hundred years ago. Two beautiful angel and six wise priests were admired, respected and worshipped by the people of Ys, as they led the kingdom and its people to an existence completely consisting of peace and serenity. At some point a strange, dark stone was discovered which was referred to as the 'Black Pearl'. The priests figured out that the stone contained great magical powers, and they managed to create a new valuable metal called 'Cleria' out of it. With the great powers of Cleria and the Black Pearl, the kingdom of Ys reached new, inspirational heights. It was a utopia if ever one existed. Then, Ys vanished. Why Ys disappeared all of a sudden is a mystery to everyone. It is known that the six priests kept their memoirs in six separate volumes, but the whereabouts of these books are unknown. What the people of the world do know is that buried samples of Cleria have been unearthed, and that evil is sweeping the land. It is also known that the vile Dark Fact, a descendant of one of the six great priests, has plans to take over the world. The peaceful citizens of the land are hopeful that by finding the six books they will uncover some answers concerning the re-emergence of Cleria, the monsters invading their world, and the fate of the kingdom of Ys. The hero of the game is a stout young red-headed lad named Adol Christin. As Adol, you will have to rediscover the six books - the last of which is guarded by Dark Fact. This game is divided into two main parts: finding the six books and uncovering the secrets they contain concerning the land of Ys are the objectives of Ys Book I. Book II will require that you return the six volumes to their proper place and destroy the ultimate evil that plagues your world. Ys is viewed from the same type of overhead perspective that is typical of many of the more prominent titles in the genre (such as The Legend of Zelda and Alundra). At the bottom of the screen, beneath the playfield, Adol's vital statistics are displayed (which include hit points, experience points, and gold). Menus can be brought up at any time, and they are extremely convenient and easy to use. Never has it been easier to select items or equip new weapons and armor. Also, you are allowed to save and load files whenever you want; Ys Book I and II is a very user-friendly game. The combat system in Ys is also quite simple - perhaps too simple for the tastes of some people. To engage an enemy in combat you simply need to make contact with it - some what similar to the way in which battles take place in Hydlide. However, there's more to fighting than simply bumping into enemies. It will be to your advantage to attack enemies from specific, vulnerable angles; should you attempt to stand toe-to-toe with a monster that you are simply not ready for, you'll be wiped out in no time. On the other hand, once you obtain some powerful equipment and raise your levels up to the point where you're a warrior to be reckoned with, you'll be able to easily hack and slash your way through most of the enemy's forces. Combat is hardly straining; it isn't necessary to press any buttons to attack or defend as in Hydlide. As a matter of fact, once you get used to this system of fighting, you'll probably prefer it to any other method that's used in RPGs. The pace of the game is rapid and continuous; you won't have to deal with endless random battles and boring combat menus. Later in the game, Adol will gain some magical powers that will make combat even faster and simpler. Perhaps the aspect of Ys Book I and II that gamers were most impressed by upon the title's initial release was the incredible animated cinemas that occur at certain points throughout the adventure. These cinemas remain absolutely mind-blowing even today - almost ten years after the game originally saw the light of day. One of these cinemas occurs as soon as you turn the game on. You'll immediately know that this is one special game when this sequence commences. You'll see some colorful, beautifully-drawn scenes which depict life in the ancient world of Ys, all while a narrator explains the story behind the game. This sequence leads directly into the title screen; upon beginning a new game, you will be greeted by yet another cinema. This one is far more explosive (and even more impressive) than the melancholy first sequence. You'll basically be presented with a montage of images which display many of the main characters in the game. While this segment will definitely blow you away with its amazingly well-drawn visuals and dynamic music, the images will likely mean very little to you until after you complete the game. Return to this cinema after you've uncovered the secrets of the land of Ys, and it will contain some entirely new meanings for you. You'll finally realize the incredible significance, for example, of the pretty young girl who sits outside in the rain, playing her harmonica. Ys Book I and II is a game that will be fully appreciated once you have completely experienced it. Another impressive cinema occurs at the conclusion of Book I. You will finally get a glimpse of the true evil that Adol is up against. Also, an incredibly dynamic sequence occurs which shows Adol being transported to an entirely different world. The music is fast-paced and explosive; the visuals are deep and colorful. While this sequence certainly is awe-inspiring, it doesn't even hold a candle to the final cinema that is shown at the end of the game. As a matter of fact, even the credits that roll at the conclusion of the adventure contain some incredibly entertaining surprises! The graphics outside of the cinemas may seem fairly uninspired upon first glance. With the possible exception of the boss creatures, the sprites in the game are pretty small and not very detailed. But further examination of your surroundings will reveal that much detail and effort was put into the game's visuals. Adol will traverse an amazingly diverse set of locales, including towers, shrines, fields, mines, caves, towns, ruins, and even a hall of mirrors! As you progress in the game you'll constantly be presented with fresh looking environments. This is quite a contrast to the repetitive surroundings that most role-playing games contain. As Adol makes his way through all of these places, he'll come across some very intriguing characters. The distinct, diverse personalities of all the characters that Adol encounters contribute to the unique experience that this game provides: each of the main characters' personalities are developed and explored, and interestingly enough, they are all connected in a specific way. Among the interesting folks that Adol meets are Feena, a pretty young girl who can't seem to remember anything about her true identity; Lair, the aforementioned lady in the rain who treasures her silver harmonica; Lilia, a charismatic girl whose feelings for Adol grow after he does something very special for her; Tarf, a boy who somehow manages to get himself into one difficult situation after another; Keith, who despite his repulsive green exterior is actually a very decent beast; and Goban, a bandit who seems a bit rough on the edges but comes through for Adol when he needs him the most. There are also some intimidating evildoers to contend with in Ys. Dark Fact, as mentioned previously, has his sights set on conquering the world, and possesses immunity to all types of weapons except one. Dalles is a despicable, cunning sorcerer who, at one point, transforms Adol into a strange green monster just for fun. Darm is the ultimate evil in the game - and the origin of his powers is the final secret that will be uncovered in the entire adventure. As one might expect from a CD title, voices are included for all of the main characters in the game. Ys contains the greatest voice acting that I've ever heard in a video game. NEC went the extra mile by hiring professional voice actors for this project, and it really paid off: the sincerity and emotion expressed during the game's dialogue is absolutely unbelievable. Remember that popular old '80s cartoon, The Transformers? Well if you do, you'll probably recognize plenty of the voices from Ys, as the same folks who did Optimus Prime and the rest of those legendary animated robots are the ones who represent Adol and his pals (Of course, they've done far more work than just that one cartoon, but for some reason the voices in Ys reminded me of The Transformers; I checked up on my suspicions, and they proved to be correct). Say what you will about the Turbografx CD unit, but the fact is that it cranked out some of the best music ever heard from a home console, and at no point did it shine quite as brightly as it did with Ys. The music in this game is far and away the best music that has ever been contained in any video game - bar none. I can't even begin to describe how much the music contributes to the feel of the game. Possibly the best instance of this effect occurs as you enter Dark Fact's chamber at the end of Book I. As you approach the platform where Dark Fact awaits you, passing some strangely-placed statues of the six priests as you go, some brilliant, eerie violin tracks play in the background, making for a very grim and intense experience. When you reach Fact, the violins will reach an explosive, dynamic climax, and a close-up of Fact will be displayed as he reveals his plans for the world and boasts of the powers he possesses (this is among the coolest, most intense scenes in the entire game). Music during boss encounters begins with a great guitar riff which, after a few seconds, is joined by some extremely fast and powerful drum and bass lines. Words cannot describe the track that plays during Book II when you enter the rooms that contain the great statues of the six priests. As the secrets of Ys are revealed to you, a slow, ethereal track plays that actually really makes you feel as if you are discovering the truths about an ancient world that have been concealed for hundreds of years. Finally, never has a more explosive, intense track been contained in a video game than the tune that plays as Adol makes his way to the room where Darm awaits him at the very end of the game. There are plenty of riddles and puzzles to solve in Ys, but they're not of the 'block-pushing' variety that are so prevalent in action-RPGs. Ys won't make you sit in a room for hours on end trying to figure out the proper way to push a few blocks or flip some switches, but it will demand that you use some creativity in order to solve the various puzzles in the game. Figuring out how to sneak by enemy lines or listen in on distant conversations can be plenty of fun. Experimentation is a must in this game, and the ease with which you can navigate your item menus make it fun and easy to fool around with different possibilities. None of the riddles in the game are ridiculously difficult; use your head and you'll be able to figure them out. There are tons of little touches that the producers of the game added on to make Ys a very enjoyable title. For instance, later in the game Adol can use his magic powers to transform into a monster. In monster form, you can actually speak to every single enemy that you come across in the game! It's extremely amusing when the enemies actually talk to you about yourself, saying things such as, 'Keep an eye out for that red-headed kid!' It can be loads of fun just roaming around as a monster and talking to all of the enemy creatures (they're actually pretty funny once you get to know them). However, should you enter a town in this form, the citizens will be terrified of you. Ys is all about having fun, and as intense as it can be, it's good to know that the game does have a wonderful sense of humor and doesn't take itself all that seriously. I'm sure you're wondering whether or not there are any outstanding flaws in Ys, but to be completely honest, I can't think of any. It might be said that Adol is the one character in the game that is inadequately developed; there's only one instance in the whole game where he's even directly involved in any dialogue, and there isn't any voice-acting for his character. Still, let's consider that Ys is a game which draws the player in and makes us feel as if we really are part of a fantasy world, uncovering secrets and destroying evildoers. It makes perfect sense that we should be able to attribute whatever characteristics we want to Adol, as he basically represents ourselves in this imaginary land. Since Adol isn't a distinct or overbearing personality, there's room for us to place our own personalities into the game, thus increasing the effect of feeling like we're actually there while all of this is happening. However, I do have one complaint about the instruction book that comes packaged with the game. A major part of the game is having Adol discover what really happened to the land of Ys. Well, the story that the instruction manual presents basically gives away a great deal of what is contained within the six books, thus ruining what could have been some very intriguing surprises. If by chance you purchase the game after reading this review, allow me to suggest that you skip over the story provided by the instruction manual; the cinema at the beginning of the game will fill you in on what you need to know as you begin your quest. It truly is a shame that this game never received more attention or exposure, because it really is such a wonderful title. I only hope that many more players will eventually get to experience Ys. Maybe one day it will receive the respect that it truly deserves as the greatest video game ever created. Overall: 10 out of 10
