Adol from the Ys series seems to have what I like to call the “Detective Conan curse”—wherever he goes, adventure (and trouble) always follow. He’s also notorious for being shipwrecked more than a few times. That’s why I was especially intrigued to see that Ys X: Nordics, the latest game in the series, introduces ship combat and sailing as key features.
Game Name: Ys X: Nordics
Platform(s): PS4, PS5 (Reviewed), Nintendo Switch, PC
Developer(s): Nihon Falcom
Publisher(s): NIS America
Release Date: October 25th, 2024
Price: $59.99
Ys X: Nordics takes place right after the second numbered entry in the Ys series, giving us a younger Adol Christin than we’re used to seeing in recent games. Adol, along with his friend Dogi and a doctor, embarks on a journey to a special spot in the ocean to gather ingredients for medicine. Unfortunately, this part of the ocean is controlled by the Balta Seaforce. Before reaching their destination, their ship is attacked by the Balta Seaforce, as the captain had failed to pay the necessary dues to enter the territory. As a result, the passengers, including Adol and his companions, are stranded in the nearby town of Carnac.
While in Carnac, Adol finds a mysterious seashell that communicates with him, asking for help and instructing him to find someone named Lila. After receiving this message, Adol discovers he has the ability to use a special magic called Mana, which draws the attention of Karja, the princess of the Balta Seaforce.
After a sparring match, Adol and Karja realize they are bound together by Mana through a magical set of handcuffs, preventing them from leaving each other’s side. As if that weren’t enough, a new threat emerges in the form of the Griegr—immortal beings that begin to raid and devastate the town of Carnac. The only way to defeat the Griegr is with the use of Mana, and the only individuals capable of wielding it are Adol, Karja, and her father, Grimson. Together, they must learn more about this mysterious enemy and find a way to stop it. Sorry, Adol—your Detective Conan curse of trouble following you is still alive and well.
Exploring The Obelia Gulf
Ys X: Nordics combat feels fluid and fast, delivering an engaging experience. There is a single attack button for normal attacks, which can be seamlessly combined with skills or Mana abilities. You can also guard or dash to dodge enemy attacks. If you time your guard perfectly, you perform a parry that stuns the enemy, giving you an opening to land a combo.
A new feature introduced in Ys X is Duo Mode. In Duo Mode, guarding also provides a “revenge multiplier.” When you use a duo skill, the damage is amplified based on the revenge multiplier, encouraging you to save SP (Skill Points) for maximum damage. All skills use SP, and the more powerful the skill, the more SP it consumes.
You can swap between characters on the fly, with the inactive character remaining on the battlefield and regenerating HP while the enemies focus on you. The character not under your control will continue to perform basic attacks, making it wise to switch frequently to manage HP and conserve healing items. Early in the game, Adol specializes in HP and attack damage, while Karja excels in defense and break damage. Break damage is crucial for dealing with enemies that have armor. You need to deplete their armor gauge before you can damage their health. For bosses, it’s often effective to start with Karja to break their armor and then switch to Adol for dealing damage. If the boss regenerates their armor, you can swap back to Karja to handle it.
Once you unlock the release lines, you can further customize your characters’ stats. You gain sigils, which can be placed within the release lines to increase your base stats. Stacking sigils of the same color grants you passive abilities associated with that color. Initially, you have red, blue, and yellow sigils, and later in the story, you unlock purple and rainbow sigils for even more customization.
One of the standout new features in Ys X: Nordics is the introduction of Mana abilities. These are a variety of traversal skills that players can use to navigate the environment and solve puzzles. With Mana, you can swing to cliff sides, surf across wide gaps, and even briefly stop time, allowing you to move unnoticed by enemies. Additionally, Mana lets you latch onto foes, closing the distance quickly to keep your combos going.
Another fresh mechanic in Ys X: Nordics is ship combat. Adol and Karja sail aboard the Sandras, a ship initially believed to be too old and worn to sail. Early in the game, the Sandras feels weak—its damage output is low, and its maneuverability is sluggish, almost like controlling a tank. However, as you recruit more crew members and enhance the ship’s damage, weapons, handling, and structure, it evolves into a formidable force on the seas.
The ship is equipped with two main armaments: a basic attack with unlimited ammo and a large attack, also with unlimited ammo. Both can be customized by choosing different types of cannonballs. Additionally, you can equip up to four special armaments, which are unlocked by discovering blueprints and crafting them on your ship or by handing them to a shipwright you meet during your journey.
Sailing The Blue Seas
While combat is the main focus of Ys X: Nordics, the game offers much more beyond its battles. You can sail the Sandras, go fishing, or gather ingredients and basic materials like lumber. Additionally, you can recruit new crewmates for the Sandras by rescuing people captured by the Griegr forces. After saving them, these individuals can join your crew, granting you passive abilities and improving your ship’s stats.
The game also features exciting traversal sections that bring an extra layer of flair to Ys X: Nordics. One example is the use of Mana rails, where you navigate through waterfalls and cliffs in fast-paced sequences. Some of these moments evoke memories of levels from the Sonic Adventure series. Whether controlling Adol or Karja, movement feels smooth and satisfying.
Whale Watching With Adol
Nihon Falcom has put Ys into a new game engine that was initially made for Legend of Heroes Trails Through Daybreak. Thanks to that, the animations and the cutscenes look amazing. The fight choreography is the best the series has had for the in-game scenes. They have put a lot of effort into making this an exemplary showcase of how good Ys can look with this new engine.
I played the game on PS5 and it was a perfect 4K 60 FPS experience. Having smooth gameplay is great for a game so reliant on its action and speed.
Though I do have some nitpicks on the game and my experience with it. The first third of the game moves at a snail’s pace with not a lot of skills that utilize the extra mechanics of the game. The ship in the first half of the game, before you get the Mana sail, does not control well at all. It moves slowly and you have to get more speed eventually before it starts to feel like sailing the boat isn’t a chore. The post-game of Ys X: Nordics feels great with all the traversal options.
Adol Is Better Than Ever
There are a lot of good moments in Ys X: Nordics and it feels great to play when you aren’t on the ship. I do appreciate the added feature and the depth it adds to the game, it just stinks that it takes as long as it does to have fun sailing the boat. This is another solid entry in the Ys series and it is great that we get more about the world it takes place in. If you are someone who loves the Ys series and wants to experience more of the life of Adol, then this is a game for you. If you want an introduction to the series, this is also a pretty good one to get introduced into the series.
Ys X: Nordics releases October 25th, 2024 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Review Disclosure Statement: Ys X: Nordics was provided to us by NIS America for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy.
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Summary
Ys X: Nordics showcases the impressive capabilities of the new engine developed by Nihon Falcom. Adol controls exceptionally well, and Karja adds depth to the roster of characters he encounters. Although the game starts off slowly, once you acquire all the necessary tools, it plays like a dream.
Pros
- New engine makes the visuals fantastic.
- The Mana abilities add a lot of fun elements to the action formula.
- Karja has a great character arc.
Cons
- Boat is a hassle to drive especially in the early parts of the game.
- Locales on the island are pretty bland.
