Replaying Ys Seven/VII reminds me why I started this blog. I had forgotten so much about the game despite only playing it four years ago. And considering it's such a spectacular game, my memory lapse is embarrassing.
The penultimate chronological game in the Ys franchise is the basis for another new engine. And with that new game smell comes a multitude of new features. Most notable is the addition of multiple playable characters. Seven is the first game to let us play as someone other than Adol. And it's amazing! Everyone plays differently, even if you have the same damage type. Aisha's bow is fast but weaker than the slightly longer attacks of Mishera, which can lock on. Cruxie has more range at the cost of speed compared to Dogi. Elk has more range but less damage than Adol. I didn't play Geis too much. With a fitting seven characters to play as, it helps to ease the monotony that comes with an action game of this length. And it is a lengthy experience.
I talked about this above, but the damage types help create different tactics and team compositions. It's safe to have a character with ease type (slash, pierce, impact), but it can be more advantageous to double up on one. There are a few dungeons where piercing attacks aren't needed as much. Boss battles are the most obvious ones. I had a hard time again Keva Klava, but I'd bet bringing in both of my piercers instead of Dogi would have been helpful. I played on easy mode, so try a harder difficulty and let me know.
The only odd things I'd say about the new battle system is you can't switch combatants in the middle of a boss battle. So if you go in unprepared, you'll have to hard reload. And there's no way to skip cutscenes. They're not, usually, too long, so it's somewhat bearable, but holding the cancel button isn't fast enough. There are also too many weapons in the game. This is very nitpicky because most weapons offer a new skill, but they're thrown at you so often that I never got time to learn most of them or get a good feel for them. And the grind of learning them can get tedious. I ended up not bothering towards the end. I'm not giving any negative points for that, but I will because allies feel utterly useless sometimes. Their attacks are slower than yours, and they only move when you initiate. Even if you're getting attacked, they won't react. This can sometimes lead to you getting knocked down far away, and you can't counter in a timely fashion. This means your team will run towards you and let the boss just charge a massive laser. Unless you're farming. They love to attract monsters when you're working on synthesis collecting.
And the characters aren't just fancy NPCs. We finally get to adventure together with Adol's companion Dogi! And he's a riot! Aisha quickly became a favorite character of mine with all she goes through. I nearly cried over one of my teammates!
The story has me just as on edge. It's far more thought out than prior titles, but Seven is still based around the dungeons. The lengthy dungeons break up the deep and heartfelt plot, so there's something here for everyone. Twists and turns for all flavor of gamers. And everything is intrinsically tied to the world, which only Adol can describe.
"I arrived in Altago with my friend Dogi for a favor for a pirate. It didn't take long for me to fall in love with the country. Altago City is a bright and shining bastion in the desert. When I first visited, they were recovering from the long war with Romn. This excitement led to a fervor that resulted in increased commerce and adventure for anyone in the area. I ran into many would-be merchants and even more people curious about the country. Sadly, there was some major income inequality, with the old, sick, and poor living around an ancient temple in Old Altago, home to my favorite flower girl. But that excitement also led to some corrupt policing for a time. Because of that, Dogi and I spent a few hours in jail. Fortunately, the royal family was amazing. They even gave us our first job!
From there, we got to visit the towns and villages on the outskirts of Altago.
Shannoa, in the southeast, is home to a great forest filled with nimble warriors. Fishers, crafters, and medicine makers also make this town tucked in the woods a beautiful place to live. The most prominent point is the Ancient Tree. It's forbidden to outsiders, so I'll keep those secrets to myself.
To the southwest is the desert of Segram. The Eternal Flame atop the shrine is said to keep all matter of dirty air away from Altago. And that's not the only thing they keep at bay. Segram warriors are all giants who've honed their skills against the strongest creatures known to man: titanos! These ancient monsters roam the desert, rarely disrupting the daily lives of anyone in Altago, and you can thank the Segramnites for that. They jump into harm's way, shrouded by desert sands, to keep their home at peace.
Far to the west are the canyons of Kylos. The wise men of Altago are knowledgeable in history and tradition and observe all that goes on. They're also the energy basket of the nation. Their many wind and watermills do more than just create some beautiful sights. I've never felt more at peace than in Kylos.
There was also a secret village once. The Iskan people went into hiding 200 years ago, but they've shown themselves recently to aid their nation again. I'm not sure what's currently happening with them, though.
All five of these groups are very important to Altago. At least, if you're a history buff. They once represented a dragon god! Each dragon had a precise role in keeping Altago going. Without them, the fertile plains, abundant wood, beautiful canyons, and tough army would have perished long ago. And they would have without the appearance of a certain dragon warrior. But that's for another day.
But the Altago of today isn't the same as long ago. The five villages were once largely independent villages. But I hear the four elders are working more closely with Queen Aisha Edonas than before. The income inequality is being fixed, the policing is being righted, and the future of Altago is in capable and willing hands. And they always will be...
- Adol Christin"
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Plot: nearly perfect. Sadly, Adol hadn't quite become the active and charismatic character he'd become in Celceta. All we needed was one more point... But the amazing cast of allies and grounded (sorta) antagonists created a story that kept me going. And anything that makes me feel things I'm not comfortable with has to be top notch. 9/10
Gameplay: surface level perfection. Seven characters, all with different play styles, make a fun game. The dungeons are long but exciting and are much different than ones elsewhere. There's so much to do! 10/10
Art: potentially perfect. Mob assets get reused, but there are a ton of unique and seldom seen creatures throughout Altago. Everything, especially the Steam version, looks so nice! 10/10
Sound: perfect. No strings attached! Ys Seven might have kicked Final Fantasy XIII out of my top ten favorite OSTs list! 10/10
Charm: objectively perfect. The story revolves around the world, and the world knows it. The amazing NPCs guide the plot more than the characters, and I felt like I was fighting for them. It's got exploration, side sights, and the perfect length. The (new) It Factor is here! I didn't give Ys7 points towards replayability, but that's because I have no interest in harder difficulties. If you do, though, you might give my final score an additional point. 9/10
If the battle system had some QA testing or QoL adjustments, there would be no negatives. But it didn't, so there is a -2 penalty.
In total, Ys: Seven gets 46 points out of 50. I loved this game, and I didn't want to put it down. I want more stuff to do, and this is the only Ys game without additional content. No boss rush mode, time trial, or nightmare difficulty, though. But the characters, story, and primo ace soundtrack make the whole shebang a must play experience if you're into this stuff. It's a tiny bit rough around the edges, but those edges are well routed.
And so we've come to the final adventure of young Adol. I can't play Ys VIII, IX, or X, and I'm not feeling Ys I and II. I don't really want to replay the bump combat... But we're not quite finished with Ys. Adol and his books are done, but we should go back to the start. The "origin," if you will. I'm probably gonna make that a traditional blog post, though. But before that, and a (kinda) new game!
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