Super Famicom Cover

Ys V Artwork

Ys V

The land of Kefin was a mysterious city in the desert which vanished over 500 years ago. However, it's on the verge of reappearing - right on top of several other towns that have since inhabited its territory. Adol happens to be visiting the realm of Afroca (the Ys parallel to Africa, naturally), just in time to investigate this ancient kingdom and save the day. At first glance, you can tell this doesn't look like Ys. The thing about the series is that it always did an excellent job - with the technology it had - in transporting you into another land. In Ys V, it merely seems like Adol wandered into some other generic Super Famicom RPG. The graphics are clearly aiming to get away from the super deformed look of the other games - it's not bad, but it's weird to see Adol with realistic proportions - but ends up looking comparatively dull. Even the menu system looks generic. On the plus side, the playing field has been expanded, seeing that the usual picture frame as been ditched. The music has taken a great departure by offering mostly orchestral fare, as opposed to the traditional synth rock. It's quite good for what it is - while much of it is forgettable, the better themes rival Square's better soundtracks. In spite of all of the changes, Ys V still has all of the story and character that have the previous games so enjoyable, even if though there's a noticeable lack of cutscenes and portraits. Niena Niena is a shopkeeper you rescue early on, who supports you throughout the game. I shouldn't even need to tell you at this point that she gets kidnapped and you have to save her. Terra A scurrilous little scamp from a group of outlaws in the forest, she first tries to scam you by pretending she's a maiden in distress. She and her friends continually cause mischief for you throughout the game. Her and her tribe become allies later though. Rije Constantly scheming with her partner Dorman. Rije actually ends up becoming one of your primary opponents throughout the game. Stoker A spirit from 500 years in the past, Stoker might seem sinister, but there's more to him than it initially seems. He longs deeply for his fiancee, Foresta. And it's not just the aesthetic qualities, but the major difference lies in the gameplay too. Gone is the "ram into your baddies" battle system, replaces with a more standard "swing your sword with an attack button" method. Which would be acceptable, except that it feels very stiff and unrefined. Adol can also jump and use his shield to defend, which adds some platforming elements and a bit more flavor to the combat system, though not much. There is a much deeper magical system, where you can mix the power of three different elemental stones to create new spells. The dungeons occasionally have some minor puzzles in them, which at least breaks the monotony of the usual mazes, but that's about the only vaguely positive part of the gameplay. The problem with the game as a whole is that it's so separated from its forebearers. Ys V is practically an entirely different game, and while it certainly isn't terrible, the gameplay overall is somewhat lacking. The initial release was considered too easy by many, so Ys V Expert edition was released a few months later that was - you guess it - more difficult. There's also a time attack mode, but otherwise, it's the same game. This version was published by Koei, who had also been involved with the Super Famicom installments of Brandish. MP3s Lost Kingdom Digest Field of Gale Niena

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Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand - Playstation 2 (2006)

Super Famicom Cover

Ys V (PS2)

Ys V (PS2)

Taito's remake of Ys V is probably the best of the bunch, if only because it actually improves on the source material, even if only slightly. It uses the same low-budget engine as the Ys IV PS2 remake did, and although it's been tweaked to make it less frustrating, there are still number of quirks. The three strengths of sword attacks are gone, although the combat is still slow and unwieldy. However, you can whip out your shield to defend yourself, which adds a small layer of strategy. You now have a jump button, but there's barely any reason to use it outside of some new attacks. The level design still consists of huge, flat, open spaces, making them feel one dimensional even in comparison to the SFC game. In many areas, it's difficult to tell one section from the next, and there's still no map. Thankfully, you can now quick-save where ever you want, so it's not quite as annoying as its predecessor. The magic system has been changed, as you now equip various stones on your sword, which in turn affects the spell you'll cast. They slowly regenerate after time, but they're extremely difficult to aim. The storyline has been altered quite a bit from the original - although it still revolves around Adol's adventures on the Afroca continent, most of the events have been rearranged to make it feel fresh even for veterans (you don't meet Niena until you save her in the Nead Cave, whereas you met her in the first few minutes in the SFC version.) Even though the graphics are still pretty underwhelming, the look and feel is closer to the rest of the Ys games, and there are plenty of nice character portraits for all of the characters. The music is comprised of pretty standard MIDI orchestrations, but they hold up favorably compared to the original version. (It also benefits at not having Ryo Yonemitsu CD audio arrangement to compare it, which is where the previous PS2 incarnations came up dry.) There's plenty of voice acting, and some of it is pretty annoying. While the game overall still feels amateurish, it's definitely refined enough to be enjoyable, even though it's still not really up to par with the rest of the series. MP3s Digest Field of Gale

Ys V (PS2) Ys V (PS2)

Character Screenshots