When you’ve performed an Ys recreation earlier than, you already know that our red-haired hero Adol Christin is fairly keen on a ship. He is additionally keen on a shipwreck or three. Adol’s very first journey in Ys I begins off together with his boat being destroyed by a storm; Ark of Napishtim opens with Adol washed up on the seaside; and in Lacrimosa of Dana, his ship is attacked by a sea serpent.
Adol is hit by sea disasters so continuously that it is joked about each in-game and by the neighborhood; there is no method we’re getting on a ship with Adol, even when it is only a raft. However in Ys X: Nordics, that is precisely what it’s a must to do — not simply get on the boat with him, however improve it, management it, and crew it. How did Nihon Falcom handle to go 35 years with out giving us the helm of a ship?
NIS America did not have the reply to that query, however the writer did give us an opportunity to take a look at a gameplay showcase on-line. The eleventh entry within the Ys collection launched in Japan in September 2023 and sails onto Western shores this October. So, we considered this preview occasion as a dip within the ocean, and a taster for what’s to return from the excessive seas with Adol and his new companion, Karja Balta. (Don’t fret Ys followers, Dogi remains to be there.)
Narratively, Ys X takes place after Ys II and earlier than Ys: Memories of Celceta (which is Ys IV). Which may sound alarm bells, notably when you’re attempting to get into Falcom’s different long-running RPG collection Trails, however not like the Zemurian epic, Ys does not depend on an interconnected story. And sure, Nordics is completely one massive reference to the Normans and Normandy and the sport is even set in a Gulf impressed closely by the Bay of Biscay.
With that each one established, NIS America dropped us into the center of chapter 4, which we have been advised was the place exploration started to open up. However earlier than we might get crusing, we began off with a tour of the Sandras, the ship which additionally acts as your base of operations. It is not only a mode of transportation; you will get to dwell out a full RPG pirate’s dream on the Sandras by forming your individual crew, upgrading the boat, forging weapons, crafting potions, and cooking meals.
Recruiting shipmates is finished both via the story or by finishing sidequests, and so they have totally different makes use of. Some run retailers, whereas others simply supply enjoyable flavour textual content, however each single crew member can have an effect on your ship’s stats, which is essential in one of many recreation’s latest options: ship battles. That is mainly Skies of Arcadia, however for motion RPG followers.
Sticking with the crew for now, these characters may also have requests so that you can fulfill, a few of which is able to get you gadgets and rewards, whereas others will flesh out that character’s backstory, which is recorded in a journal. Regardless of Ys X narrowing down its playable solid to 2, Falcom is guaranteeing there are many memorable interactions and personalities on board your ship. Even when, early on, a lot of these sidequests appear to be fetch quests, it seems like they may be value doing.
When you actually wish to really feel like a pirate, then upgrading your ship might be one of the best ways to take action. Not solely are you able to customise the essential look of the vessel — from the color of the wooden to the sails — however you may as well improve parts to make it extra highly effective or resistant in fight. New cannons and totally different cannonballs will be outfitted, and different artillery similar to torpedoes will ultimately be unlocked as you progress.
That is extraordinarily vital when diving into ship fight, which is encountered in one among two methods. You may randomly sail previous an enemy ship and interact them in a combat, or you’ll be able to combat one in a scripted battle. With the latter, we noticed a combat which befell as a part of a Recapture mission, a two-stage expedition which sees you saving an island from the Griegr, undead creatures that plague the Obelia Gulf.
For the primary stage, you should defeat all enemy ships and destroy the barrier shielding off the island inside a time restrict. Cannonballs are a limiteless useful resource, which means you’ll be able to fireplace away a handful of heavy artillery at a time, look ahead to them to recharge, after which begin once more. Different ammunition is proscribed; torpedoes, for example, can solely be used a sure variety of instances per engagement.
Relying on who you will have in your crew, nonetheless, you may as well proc skills throughout ship fight that may heal your or buff your assaults, for instance. Plus, when you take the time to construct up the Mess Corridor and prepare dinner and eat meals there, you may as well present the boat with some momentary buffs that will help you in fight. It is all fairly easy, nevertheless it builds upon the adventurous sea-faring foundations that Ys X: Nordics is laying out.
When you’re frightened that that is beginning to sound quite not like a Ys recreation, then don’t be concerned — dungeons and exploration are nonetheless a part of the combo. Ys X’s customary fight marks a shift from what followers have dubbed the ‚Seven Model‘ — a party-based system carried out, in numerous methods, in Seven, Celceta, VIII, and IX. Now, as a substitute of a three-person get together, there’s solely Adol and Karja: Solo Mode helps you to management both character, with the flexibility to swap between every one at any level within the combat, whereas Duo Mode sees Adol and Karja fairly actually linking up for twin assaults.
This ‚hyperlink‘ (referred to as a Mana Hyperlink) is a giant a part of the story, and whereas we did not get an opportunity to dive into the narrative facet of issues, we did get to see Adol and Karja’s expertise be put to the check within the second a part of the Recapture mission. NIS America took us via a cave-like dungeon stuffed with monsters, and when you’re aware of the 3D Ys video games, you will immediately really feel proper at house. Adol is the sooner of the duo, dealing excessive harm in fast bursts, whereas Karja specialises in heavy, slower assaults that deal ‚break‘ harm, whittling away an enemy’s defend to make them weak.
Swapping between the pair is essential to victory, then, as each excel in numerous areas. Plus, with that fashionable motion fight, you’ll be able to chain collectively expertise — unlocked by levelling up — seamlessly, even when swapping. Duo Mode requires a bit extra planning, because it means you management each characters on the identical time, and so they transfer extremely slowly, however utilizing this implies you construct up the Revenge Gauge, which works like a counter gauge — guard to construct it up, and the upper the gauge, the extra harm you do together with your subsequent assault. All of it gels collectively extraordinarily nicely, although given our desire for sooner fight, we would battle to get used to Duo Mode.
The Mana Hyperlink does extra than simply give Adol some new fight strikes. Mana Actions, whereas offering expertise in fight, additionally provide you with some traversal choices inside dungeons. Mana Sense, for example, will allow you to see hidden gadgets outdoors of fight, however in fight you should use it to decelerate time. We noticed Adol mount a Mana-style surfboard to skate over massive gaps within the cave. These unlock by way of the story and look to differ up exploration loads whereas hopefully permitting you to revisit areas and discover new secrets and techniques.
The final function NIS America confirmed us was the Launch Line, which is a bit like a talent tree, however as a substitute is used to use everlasting buffs to your character’s stats. You will acquire Mana Seeds all through the sport, with every seed representing a distinct stat — protection, luck, assault, and so on. Every seed will be outfitted to the Launch Line: seeds on the left have an effect on Adol’s stats, whereas these on the suitable are for Karja. Equipping seeds of the identical color and stat in a line will multiply the passive stat enhance and results of these seeds, so it is vital to control what seeds you are accumulating and equipping. Happily, you’ll be able to respec at any level.
The Ys collection has regularly been getting greater and larger, and Ys X: Nordics would possibly simply be Falcom’s largest Ys journey but. Whereas we bought a style of chapter 4 of 10 in the course of the preview occasion, NIS emphasised that this wasn’t the 50% mark of the sport, which means there’s loads of non-obligatory stuff to get misplaced in. Plus, given the bigger events of Lacrimosa of Dana and Monstrum Nox, spending time with simply Adol and Karja feels refreshing.
Ys X: Nordics docks up on Nintendo Change on twenty fifth October 2024 in Europe and North America. Tell us beneath when you’re able to man the sails with Adol and crew.