One of Nihon Falcom’s flagship series, the Ys games are some of the very best action RPGs around, and the franchise has grown, evolved and changed with the times. And best of all, protagonist Adol still has many adventures ahead of him yet!
Developer: Nihon Falcom
Publisher: Various
Available on: Various
Cover Game Articles
Ys: Introduction and History - The Ys series is one of the longest running franchises in gaming — yet it’s not nearly as well known as the Final Fantasies and Zeldas of this world. This is a shame, because not only does Ys represent developer Falcom arguably at its finest, the series as a whole has also been key in the development of the action RPG as a subgenre. … Continue reading Ys: Introduction and History 
Ys: Evolution of an Action RPG - Alongside Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series, Falcom’s Ys was instrumental in helping to establish and refine the Japanese take on the action RPG genre. Both were designed with accessibility and ease of understanding in mind — Zelda through stripping out complicated RPG mechanics like statistics, experience levels and dice-based mechanics, and Ys through simple, straightforward implementation of these mechanics … Continue reading Ys: Evolution of an Action RPG 
Ys: Building a World, One Game at a Time - One of the things Ys developer Falcom is most consistently praised for is its ability to craft convincing, well-realised game worlds. It’s not just the Ys series where Falcom demonstrates this; its The Legend of Heroes series is also acclaimed for that, particularly in the more recent Trails subseries, each component of which deals with one part of a coherent whole. … Continue reading Ys: Building a World, One Game at a Time 
Ys: Sights and Sounds - Much like its gameplay, the overall aesthetic of the Ys series has evolved considerably over time. As technology has improved with each new generation of games consoles and computer hardware, the Ys series has adapted and changed. And with its longstanding nature — not to mention its numerous remakes over the years — it’s fascinating not only from the perspective of … Continue reading Ys: Sights and Sounds Other Articles about Ys
The MoeGamer GameCast: Episode 3 - In this episode, Midori, Yumi, Penelope and I talk about why so many modern JRPGs are flat-out ignored, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid and more. Midori also has a quiz for you if you want to try and prove you know more than your average Western games journalist about the JRPG genre in general. The original music, … Continue reading The MoeGamer GameCast: Episode 3 Gallery
