LogFAQs > #947075563

I need to get back to writing reviews. I have them done up to about 30, but I haven't written any in a week.

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55. Ys: The Oath in Felghana
Genre ARPG

Gameplay: 3
Rest of Game: 5
Engagement: 3
New to Me: 4
Playtime: 2

Total score: 18/40

The music community on this board has a well-understood love of two game companies, Gust and Falcom. And although the Trails games tend to be the banner-carrier for Falcom, Ys has always been their other series, which has left me a little curious. I played Ys 1 & 2 before, and although it was (they were) surprisingly good for an ancient ARPG designed on the Turbografx-CD in 1989, I wouldnt say that the mechanics and presentation hold up well for audiences 30 years later, despite several remakes to keep the graphics and music fresh.

But Oath was a little different, since it wasnt the original Ys 3. At some point Falcom replaced Wanderers from Ys with this game, so I had no idea what to expect, but I decided I wanted to continue with the series, just to see what became of it down the pike, and the general consensus I got from #falcom is that I maybe should have skipped ahead a bit to when the series starting getting an actual budget.

Oath does feel a lot like Ys Chronicles. The battle mechanics are overhauled, (theres no bump system,) but the rest of the design is similar. Plus, you can jump now! However, theres one thing that was consistent with the older games that was even more blatant in Oath: Boss battles SUCK!

I dont mean theyre poorly designed. Im sure if you wanted to beat your head on a wall for three hours straight until you finally (a) learned the mechanics, (b) practiced enough to develop muscle memory to combat the bosss moves, and (c) executed well enough to complete a battle that takes about five times longer than it has a right to with perfect execution, then the battles are perfectly tuned for you. However, the reality is this is an RPG, and the clearing of everything leading up to the bosses is borderline trivial by comparison. Even Mega Man games dont take this sort of extreme, and those dont have leveling mechanics.

Beyond that, it was also sometimes difficult to decide where to go. Either, you went where you thought you should go, and it was gated as the next place you go after your current objective, or youre in the right place but theres some little nuance to how you clear the current area that you had to discover, until I finally gave up and played with a guide. And that was before I hit the next boss and decided, you know what? Ive got better things to do.

Should you play it?: If my boss disclaimer applies to you, sure, knock yourself out. Otherwise, no. Watch a lets play.

Next: I blame lefty.

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Video Game Music Contest 14 champion: Idola Phantasy Star Saga - Endeavour