Addictive-Old-School-Action-JRPG-Fun
Let me just get this out there before I start: I've never played any of the Ys games before this one. In fact, I didn't know anything at all about them other than that they were Japanese and looked like RPGs from the back of the boxes and the screenshots. I picked this one up on Steam, I guess, because the new Ys game on the Vita was getting some really good reviews, and I wanted to find out what all the hubbub was about. As you can see by the five-star review, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
Ys Origin is an action-RPG that feels like a cross between a top-down Zelda game and a more traditional leveling-up-style JRPG. At the beginning, you can choose between two different characters to play as. One is a naive but tough young lady that uses melee attacks, and the other is a cocky, emotionless lad who uses ranged magic attacks. My first play through was with the plucky young lady with a big axe.
The structure of the game is a basic dungeon-crawl. Your objective is to climb an evil tower to the top to rescue a couple of goddesses. The enemies get tougher as you go up and every few floors is a huge boss to fight. You also find and unlock new abilities and armor. The game is basically loot-less, and there are only five or six pieces of armor through out the game to find. Items and abilities work in a Zelda/Metroid kind of way in which you need to find a particular chest to get the item that allows you to proceed. Killed enemies drop crystals which you use to purchase ability and armor upgrades, they also give you experience points which make your character stronger and able to take more damage.
Now, this may all seem pretty standard and a bit boring for anyone that's ever played an RPG before. What makes the game worthy of your time is that what it lacks in innovation, it makes up for in execution. The action is fast and uncomplicated, but not so simple that you become bored. The character progression is also very quick. When you discover a new enemy or floor, you often must be very careful not to get in over your head, but ten or fifteen minutes later you are destroying hoards of the same monsters in a satisfying display of power. The loop of getting stronger to fight stronger enemies to get stronger and fight more enemies is balanced in such a way as to be extremely addictive, and the game often throws nice surprises in the form of tricky enemies or platforming puzzles.
The old-school look of the game is nice. The sprites, 3D backgrounds, and over-the-top effects look great in high-definition, and gave me the warm nostalgic vibe of nineties RPGs. The designers create some really nice effects with the backgrounds, particularly the curve of the outside of the tower, and changing sky.
The game is relatively short. It took me about twelve or thirteen hours to complete with my first character, but with unlockable characters, various difficulties, and a couple of bonus modes, the game begs to be replayed. I'm sure I'll go back to it after playing through Ys The Oath in Felghana.
If you're looking for a fast, fun action-RPG with a classic Japanese vibe, check it out.