Review | Ys X: Nordics - An Adventure Worthy Of The High Seas
I make little secret about my love of Ys. What's truly special about this series is the wonderful sense of adventure each game brings, best exemplified by the returning protagonist, Adol Christin. His heroic exploits deliver an infectious charm that's hard not to love while remaining distinctly different from Nihon Falcom's other RPG juggernaut, Trails. As a landmark entry in this series, I'm pleased that Ys X: Nordics delivers a welcome evolution.
Like many Ys games, this story begins on the ocean with a ship voyage. This time, Adol's working with the Balta Seaforce to rid the Obelia Gulf of an undead force simply known as the Griegr, who've taken many local villagers captive. While this occurs between Ys II and Memories of Celceta, Ys X: Nordics follows its predecessors' example and can be easily enjoyed as a standalone adventure.
As someone who's beaten almost every Ys game, I remain impressed by the worldbuilding in Nordics. The European influences have never been subtle - need I say more when major nations include the Romun Empire, Ispani, or Britai? This is the first time we've seen anything so overtly referencing Nordic cultures. It's a welcome change of pace compared to the Prison City seen in Ys IX, and Nihon Falcom delivers a strong world with the Obelia Gulf.
It's immediately apparent that Ys X isn't just rehashing the old gameplay systems and that goes beyond Nihon Falcom using a new engine. What's particularly interesting is how Ys X forgoes the traditional party system seen in recent entries. There are only two playable characters, and they don't have specified damage types like we've previously seen. Adol's latest companion, Karja, is a natural fit for the series. She's well-written, her voice acting is solid, and she undergoes interesting character development across this adventure.
Ys X: Nordics makes a welcome introduction to sailing, giving you command of an upgradeable ship called the Sandras that slowly assembles a hefty crew. Rather than use one central location as your hideout like Castaway Village in Ys VIII, the Sandras is your mobile base. Different services gradually unlock as you find missing villagers, and there's great character in this new crew.
Much like before, there's an affinity system with each crewmate that can be gradually maxed out through side quests, story progression, or gift-giving. Some quests are only available for a limited time, so it's best to just get on with them. It's a good approach that ensures everyone gets their moment to shine, even if only briefly, and delivers another strong cast who I largely connected with.
Exploring soon leads to finding the Griegr and combat feels familiar to past entries, and it's relatively straightforward for an action RPG. You can attack, parry, dodge, and similar to before, Adol and Karja have a nice range of special abilities that cost SP. Abilities can also be mastered to unlock more powerful attacks. Ys X: Nordics doesn't just use dual protagonists for show and that's reflected in combat's 'Cross Action' system with pleasingly powerful duo abilities. I also like the 'revenge gauge' mechanic, which rewards defensive players with a higher damage multiplier after successfully blocking attacks.
Exploring islands often feels like dungeon crawling segments, and that's fine; it's just nothing wildly different from what we've seen before. That said, both Adol and Karja can utilise 'Mana' to open up exploration, gradually adding new abilities like swinging across branches to overcome gaps or pulling objects. Hidden rewards like treasure chests and buried items also encourage you to visit previously explored areas.
Combat's most prominent change is easily naval warfare, though you won't find ships lying in wait while exploring unless you actively seek it out. Combat zones highlighted clearly by markers in the water are easy to avoid if you'd rather explore. Reminiscent of the beast raids in Ys VIII, these add some enjoyable island raids where you must destroy a Griegr base's barrier generators before invading through a dungeon crawl. This does become slightly repetitive with its formulaic structure, but these don't happen often enough for it to be a major concern.
I appreciate how much customisation Ys X offers with the Sandras, and that goes beyond cosmetic designs. Gradually building up the Sandras improves basic capabilities like attack or defensive power, and you'll always have basic cannon fire available. That said, being able to choose your other weapons that have perks like armour-piercing rounds or inflicting status effects like freeze is highly welcome.
Ys has never looked better, either. While location models for different islands look somewhat plain while exploring the high seas, and some environments have minor but noticeable visual pop-ups, the otherwise high-quality presentation is unsurprisingly similar to Trails Through Daybreak. Character designs are sharp and well-detailed, there are some stunning oceanic environments to explore, and locations feel like a non-primaeval version of Ys VIII's Isle of Seiren. That's all complemented by strong audio design, and the Falcom Sound Team delivers yet another strong soundtrack with motivating battle music and fitting yet catchy themes.
Nihon Falcom's latest entry offers a thrilling adventure that feels even better than its predecessors. The Cross Action system ensures combat feels like a notable improvement with its dual abilities, there's a captivating story, and that's all tied together through a compelling sailing system that rewards exploration. Ys X: Nordics is a remarkable entry in a series that continues making welcome evolutions, and I can't recommend it enough.
