Ys Origin (2020) [Switch]
6 min read
The secret to a good morning is to watch the sunrise with an open heart.
There’s something about long-running franchises that makes them a little intimidating to newcomers. If you’ve never seen Game of Thrones, for instance, then starting to watch at the beginning knowing you’ve got eight seasons of content to get through might feel like too much, especially if you consider that you’ve also got books and other content to get through if you want the full picture of things. Where do you even begin? At the start of the TV series? Do you read the books first?
Moreover, plenty of lengthier franchises initially didn’t have the same appeal that they might today. With Game of Thrones, what you see at the start isn’t too dissimilar from what you end up getting, though opinions on that might vary a bit. On the other hand, look at a game series like Ys. There’s a massive pile of titles to check out, but if you start with the first games, where our hero Adol fought enemies by bumping into them at just the right angle, then you might not really understand what all the fuss is about.
That’d be a shame, really, since the Ys games have become a pretty impressive set of action-RPGs over the course of decades. I’d argue that the new, more modern games, starting from around 2005’s Oath in Felghana, are some of the better examples of the genre out there. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a good starting point for Ys that wasn’t quite so…bumpy as the first games to be chronologically released?
Well, good news! Ys Origin is a thing! It’s definitely not just a bumping simulator!
As the name suggests, it’s a great place to start taking in the series’ plot! It’s also been around for a little bit, having been initially released in 2006, but we didn’t see it officially in the West until 2012 and it didn’t make its way to consoles until 2017. In 2020, Ys Origin has also been released on Switch, so we’ve got a handheld version…well, a handheld version that’s not on the Vita, but we’re going to pull a Sony and pretend that device didn’t happen. Anyway, if you ever wanted to check this game out, now’s the time.
Narrative: 8/10
As mentioned, this is the first game in the long-running Ys series. In the world of Ys, you’ve got two goddesses who maintain the balance of the world. When they go missing, they take their protection with them, which means that humanity is in dire straits as demons attack. It comes down to the servants of the Six Priests, the religious order following the goddesses, to go on an expedition into the Devil’s Tower where it’s believed the goddesses wound up. We follow Yunica, the granddaughter of one of the Six Priests, and Hugo, the younger brother of another Priest, as they enter the tower in search of the goddesses as part of an effort to save humanity. Many of these plot elements show up in later Ys games, of course, so it’s nice to see them introduced here.
Visuals: 8/10
Let’s give Origin some credit for being a game from the mid-2000s, of course, so this isn’t the most gorgeous example of video games as art out there, but these visuals get the job done. Characters and enemies tend to be 2D against 3D settings. That’s a less common art style these days, but it still looks pretty nice and lends Origin a nice retro appeal. Being a somewhat older game has its perks as well, since Origin’s performance is just about perfect at all times even on the Switch.
Audio: 9/10
Sound effects are nice and impactful, pushing you to keep that chain of defeated enemies going as you stomp around the dungeon crushing everything. More importantly, it’s Ys, so of course the music is fantastic. Newcomers might not be familiar with that fact, but longtime series veterans know that Ys is all about that soundtrack, and Origin does not disappoint.
Gameplay: 8/10
You’ll choose from one of two playable characters, with a third unlocking after you’ve finished the game once and series hero Adol available as a bonus character for use in non-story game modes. Initially, you’ve got a choice between Yunica, who uses melee weapons in a style similar to Adol’s from the other Ys games, and Hugo, a mage who’s great at spraying deadly lasers everywhere. The third unlockable character plays somewhat like a faster, more deadly version of Yunica.
Regardless of who you choose, Origin’s a very fast-paced action-RPG that encourages you to stay on the move. Even Yunica, with her huge two-handed melee weapons, is incredibly speedy. Outside of boss battles, you’re rewarded for taking out enemies by the truckload by gaining increased experience intake and healing. It’s refreshing compared to other, more sedate sorts of games and it makes grinding feel surprisingly enjoyable. Boss battles, meanwhile, are all about learning enemy patterns and striking at the right moment, assuming you’re at the appropriate level for the fight so your characters do decent damage.
Challenge: 6/10
The fact that the game is so quick and rewarding has the side effect of making things feel a little too easy. If you keep your characters’ levels up, very few foes are going to stand much of a chance against you. Likewise, if you ever have trouble with a boss, it’s probably because you haven’t leveled enough and the problem is more on the stats side of things rather than the boss actually being challenging. Souls this ain’t…
Accessibility: 8/10
…but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, huh? Ys Origin might feel a little too simple at times, but that makes for a pretty accessible game. Even action-RPG newcomers should be able to clear this one without too many issues. Combined with the fact that this is the ideal starting point for the Ys series, Origin lends the franchise itself some much-needed accessibility in terms of not feeling quite so monolithic.
Uniqueness: 6/10
It’s a hack-and-slash action-RPG. You run around beating up monsters to gain experience so you can defeat bosses and progress the plot. The odd puzzle here and there helps break things up a bit, but by and large you’re still grinding, fighting a boss, then grinding, then fighting a boss and so on. I don’t know that “unique” would be the right word to describe this kind of game, even back in 2006.
My Personal Grade: 8/10
Is a lack of uniqueness really that much of a problem if a game is able to nail the fundamentals, though? I’d rather have a solid game that does the basics well than something that tries to be different and fails to be fun any day. You’re getting that solid action-RPG in Ys Origin, with the great Ys series introduction as a bonus. That’s a pretty fair use of your twenty bucks. Ys Origin’s an easy recommendation.
Aggregated Score: 7.6
Cory G. believes the pen is mightier than the sword…well, depending on how sharp the pen and sword are. A child of the ’90s and a prolific writer, he strews his work about like Legos made of words, just waiting for your brain to step on them. He enjoys a devilish challenge, so when it comes to talking about some of the more difficult games out there, you might just run into the Infernal Accountant Mage. Some advice: hold on to your soul around this guy, and don’t sign anything. Read more at popzara.com.
