First Look – Ys Seven

Game Profile

Ys Seven

Developer: Falcom
Publisher: XSeed Games

Release Date: 2010

ESRB: RP

Genre: rpg
Setting: fantasy

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For those “in the know,” Falcom is a very well-known publisher. It has created a series that is still popular in Japan. It is a company that could be considered to have “fathered” the Japanese role-playing genre. XSeed Games is excited to introduce the seventh installment in that series: Ys Seven for the PSP.

If you do not already know, the Ys series follows a young, red-headed swordsman known as Adol Cristin. In each game, Adol usually ends up unconscious in his desired destination without any of the high-powered equipment of his last. Apparently, the game is aware of these clichés and has some fun with them.

Gameplay seems to be in the vein of the traditional hack-and-slash variety. Fans of the series have the right to be concerned as it has always been about Adol ramming into monsters. This hasn’t changed. It’s just more interactive. Screen4

This time around, Adol will have two allies at his side. It is easy to switch from character to character by pressing a button. Unlike other games with artificial intelligence, XSeed and Falcom have worked hard to make certain that they are there for support. They won’t do anything you wouldn’t do yourself. Their goal is to stay alive until they are needed.

Furthermore, your party relies on weapons to use skills. However, once they have powered up the weapon enough, it becomes a permanent part of that character’s repertoire. Each character can only have four skills ready at any time, though they can be switched around on the menu screen. Dodging can also be completed by a simple press of a button as well.

Each dungeon also has its own gimmick. The dungeon I saw took place in what looked like a wind temple. Various blasting of wind surrounded the platforms. Certain parts of the dungeon could sweep the party upwards or have them float off the ground. There was a giant bladed gear to impede progress. What other traps await Adol and his friends are yet to be seen. Screen3

While it sounds like would only work in hypothesis land, in practice, it seems to work well. Adol and his party were able to destroy monsters within seconds, retaining the feel of the games of yore. It looks a natural evolution of the series. It looks great and plays smoothly. This could be something to stay in anyone’s PSP for a long time. Is it wrong that I’m excited about it?

Ys Seven is slated for a late August/early September release. For more information, visit xseedgames.com.

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About the Author, Evan Csir (A.K.A Psychphan)

Hi, my name is Evan. I’m an RPGaholic and hard core gamer. I graduated from college in 2007 with a BA in English (Gasp!) and psychology. I’ve been playing video games since the age of three. My first game, ever, was Super Mario Bros. So yeah, I’m pretty darn good at this video game stuff. And persistant. I like RPGs the best because I can look at it as literature. This is especially true for the Shin Megami Tensei games and The Digital Devil Saga. I enjoy horror games due to their psychological nature, like Silent Hill 3. I don’t like FPS or anything that relies too much on the first-person perspective; they make me dizzy and nauseous. Ironically, I love Metroid Prime and Half-Life 2. Hmm... Where’s Alanis Morissette when you need her? I really like it when games are creative and technically pull everything off. In this case, my favorite game is Ico. I loved it due to the presentation and the way the characters interacted with each other. Yorda and Ico didn’t speak the same language, so they had to rely on gestures and other forms of communication. I also occasionally enjoy bouts of Mario Kart: Double Dash and Smash Bros. Melee. Overall, I’m rather boring. I stay home, read my homework, occasionally write, fool around on the computer, eat, and sleep. Except for those days that I travel to school. I sometimes am inspired to write poetry (if you really want to read it, just ask). I play piano from time to time. And my favorite book genres are psychology books, occasionally poetry, and most of all, mysteries. And I’m “addicted” to herbal teas and Starbucks coffee.