Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished Review: An action RPG revolutionary or just mid?

Ys is a revolutionary series that really helped define the action RPG genre and form it into what it has become. As such, my brother roped me into stopping my Mario binge (which I only started because of its 40th anniversary) and starting this series. So, what do I think of it? That's what I'll be delving into in today's review.

Story - 3

The story in this game is quite odd to rate because there isn't too much story displayed unless you really take notes during NPC conversations and read the whole lengthy story segment in the game's manual. The story was definitely better than many others of the time. Still, it wasn't unique or particularly memorable in any way, so... unfortunately, I'll have to give this category a relatively low score.

Battle System - 5

Ys introduced a unique combat system in the genre: the Bump System. I actually found the execution of the concept far more engaging and entertaining than I expected. The problem I have with the system lies in the fact that there are no extra skills on top, because the foundation isn't bad at all. As much as I thoroughly enjoy the game's skill-focused combat, and the bosses are pretty fun, I can't really say the battles here are special when they're so one-note.

Customization System - 2.5

On top of the overly simple combat, the customization is far too simple here as well. The variety is small, with only a few obvious equipment upgrades and a couple of rings that change things up (and these rings don't even affect boss battles). These rings can do the following: double your strength, double your defense, halve the speed of enemies, and gradually heal yourself. While these choices are better than nothing, they aren't all that strategic, and switching between them all the time brings the action to a halt. So, in the end, I can't give this category any higher of a score.

Locations - 4

There are very few locations in this game, but they are pretty dang solid. The towns are very fleshed out with tons of named NPCs, and the few dungeons that are here are my favorite type: long, difficult (at least in Nightmare mode), and full of bosses that require a lot of skill to take down. While I think the game should've spent more time building out the pre-Tower gameplay, what is here is decent. However, when you think of all the other RPGs out there, even from the same era, there's so much less variety and memorable locations here. I think of the first Final Fantasy or Legend of Zelda game, and I'm reminded that Ys' locations are rather weak, even in the context of the era.

Characters - 2.5

While I'm pleased with the amount of named NPCs there are in this game, NPCs are really supposed to be the icing on the cake that builds out the world and believability of a game; they're not the crux on which a game should rest on. The main character and the most important NPCs here still don't have all that much to do or say, and the characters just move along far too passively in their world. Unfortunately, I can't put the character score any higher.

Art & Graphics - 6

At least the version I played of this game looked alright. I mean, it's not artistically distinct in any meaningful way for me, but it's passable. The UI looks pretty terrible, but if that's the worst thing the game does stylistically, it really isn't that bad. The game's slightly above-average pixel art and the couple of great cutscenes do just enough to give it a score of six.

Music - 8

There aren't a ton of songs in this game, but the music in Ys is pretty dang revolutionary. After all, the sound design and instrumentation continuously push the envelope, and it's ridiculous how much better it sounds compared to its contemporaries in other series. While series like Final Fantasy have more memorable tunes, nothing beats Ys in early video game instrumentation.

Sidequests - 2

This game's only real side content is finding artifacts in chests and turning them into a lousy dude in an attempt to procure more cash and buy the equipment necessary to progress. A couple of pieces of gold is enough to elevate the score past 0 or 1; it certainly ain't sufficient for anything higher.

Quality of Life - 5.5

While this issue is much less noticeable on lower difficulties, the game's balancing and level scaling are supremely flawed. First of all, to beat pretty much any boss, you have to be at the max level of 10, begging the question of why this game even contains a level system outside of it being the obligatory requirement to consider this game an RPG. Secondly, it's ridiculous how the difficulty jumps between bosses. Look at the ranking below of how difficult the bosses are (with first place being the strongest), and remember to consider that you'll likely be at the max level for the majority of these fights.

7th: Boss 2
6th: Boss 6
5th: Boss 7
4th: Boss 1
3rd: Boss 4
2nd: Final Boss
1st: Boss 3

And this is why this game is so sillily unbalanced and why I can't give the game any higher of a score... this is what the game deserves.

The Verdict

Fun Factor - 6.5
Overall Score - 45%
Letter Rating - D

While I'd still say I had fun playing the first Ys game, I can't say it's much more than a below-average RPG experience. Yet, this game is far more memorable than most below-average experiences due to its unique combat, high-skill ceiling in Nightmare mode, its wacky difficulty scaling, and its extreme obsession with the length of the final dungeon. I still highly recommend checking out this title and later titles in the series, because they are truly quite special games.

Primary Version: Ys I & II (Steam)