Nov 23

Nov 23 Review | Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (PS5) - I'll Never Forget My Time Exploring The Isle of Seiren

Ys VIII was my introduction to Nihon Falcom’s long-running fantasy RPG series, and I remember it fondly. A close friend and I usually meet every few weeks, and chip away at a game together, going back and forth as we go. Tokyo Mirage Sessions was our first, which took us nearly three years, thanks to University studies. Pondering our next move, we chose a game I’d found by chance in a PlayStation sale: Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana on the PS4. We had a brilliant time, so the announcement of a PS5 version was welcome. While this latest port doesn’t feel entirely necessary, it’s the best way to experience this fantastic action RPG.

If you haven’t played any Ys games, don’t worry, each game tells a self-contained story that chronicles Adol’s adventures. This time, we find our red-headed protagonist shipwrecked on the Isle of Seiren, following an attack by a strange creature. Banding together with fellow survivors, we learn this island’s crawling with ancient monsters called Primordials. Taking refuge in Castaway Village, Adol soon finds his dreams frequented by Dana, a mysterious blue-haired girl from an ancient civilisation.

“Would you like to get into this series?”
“Ys, ys I would.”

A light-hearted and exciting tale of survival across this lost paradise follows. Ys VIII can be slightly predictable in places in a very traditional JRPG narrative sort of way, but it balances serious themes with a great sense of humour, and kept me invested until the end, even all these years later. Dana’s solo segments are equally exciting without spoiling anything and never feel drawn out. Adol’s new companions complement each other well, there’s meaningful depth to Seiren’s underlying mysteries, and Falcom gives every character a moment to shine. You find yourself rooting for everyone, and I didn’t want to say goodbye.

Ahhhhh, an island holiday sounds nice, right about now… Bar, maybe, the murderous monsters.

That’s partly because the Isle of Seiren’s a joy to explore, filled with bright and colourful scenery accompanied by an upbeat soundtrack. Taking a Metroidvania-esque approach, you can’t access every location immediately. Some areas require specific traversal gear, while others need a set number of found castaways for clearing obstacles. Don’t forget the Primordials, and battles occur in real-time. As an action RPG, Ys VIII uses hack-and-slash combat, swapping six playable characters between a party of three. Each character deals a specific damage type; slash, strike, or piercing. Because enemies hold different weaknesses, maintaining a varied party is sensible. Positioning and reflexes are essential, as a well-timed dodge can grant temporary invincibility during a tough fight.

You’ll gradually expand the services in Castaway Village upon finding survivors, each of whom has an approval rating for Adol. That’s increased with the right gift or specific side quests, and maxing these out gives you a nice conclusion to their character arcs. More importantly, this factors into Ys VIII's multiple endings. This isn’t a guide, so I won’t detail this fully, but to summarise, Adol’s exploits earn “reputation points,” which determines your potential ending. Because of this, I can’t recommend rushing through or doing side quests in half measures. Take your time, do everything Seiren offers and obtain the “true” ending. Every other ending leaves key plot points unresolved.

Thankfully, this never feels boring, except for Beast Raids. During your travels, Adol often receives word that Primordials are heading for Castaway Village, so your assistance is needed. Joined by fellow castaways, you must defeat multiple enemy waves, preparing beforehand by reinforcing defences and setting up additional firepower. Raids might provide rewards and reputation points, but they feel like little more than an excuse to return to Castaway Village. They aren’t that interesting and quickly get repetitive.

Despite this, Falcom’s action RPG remains in fine form on PS5, even if it looks a little dated against more recent RPGs. It’s never looked this good, and everything feels smooth; you can choose between 120 frames-per-second gameplay in 1080p resolution or 60fps at 4K. Just don’t expect anything new. There are no additional quests or even the PC port’s experimental co-op mode, which feels like a missed opportunity. However, it does include all the previous cosmetic DLC. In fairness, Falcom expanded VIII when porting it from Vita to PS4, so I didn’t expect much. But when backward compatibility exists on PS5, and there’s no upgrade path for those that own the PS4 version, the reasons for double dipping are few.

Still, I can’t recommend Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana enough, and I'm ecstatic to see it back. Whether you’re a new player looking for a fresh adventure or a returning player considering a second playthrough, don’t let a barebones port dissuade you. Thanks to its engaging gameplay and entertaining story, there’s still a wonderful action RPG here, and PS5 has become the definitive way to play. While I believe Ys IX is the better game, which is also coming to PS5 next year, Ys VIII remains a classic that any RPG fan should experience.