Ys Series: Best Games To Play Before 2024’s Nordics

The Ys series, developed by Nihon Falcom, has a long history of great games. With so much history and the next entry on the horizon, it can sometimes be daunting to figure out which games to play before playing the newest title. This is especially true in a series like Zelda or Ys, where the release timeline isn't the same as the chronological timeline of game stories. Before playing Ys 10: Nordics next month, here are the games you should play to refresh your memory on the Ys series.

The Start of the Series

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Ys 1: Ancient Ys Vanished and Ys 2: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter were the first games of the Ys series. They show Adol as a 17-year-old going on his first adventure, first to the cursed island nation of Esteria and then to the eponymous floating island of Ys. Originally, Ys 1 and Ys 2 were meant to be one game. However, due to hardware and storage limitations, it was ultimately split into two separate games. This makes the pair of games a rarity in the Ys series, where the story of Ys 2 directly follows from the story of Ys 1.

The backstory of Ys 1 before Adol arrives in Esteria is given in its manual. It details Adol journeying from his home to a city called Promalock, where he learns about Esteria and its curse. After working for a sailor from Promalock, Adol is eventually given his own sailboat so he can go to Esteria. As a first in the Ys series, this sailboat is destroyed by the Stormwall that surrounds Esteria, leaving Adol stranded on an Esterian beach. Thus begins his first adventure.

What Comes Next

Directly after the events of Nordics in the Ys series timeline is Ys 4: Memories of Celceta. Memories of Celceta is another interesting title in the Ys series' history, as it's a canon remake of two older versions of Ys 4. In one of many 1993 interviews for the Ys 4 strategy guide, Falcom's founder Masayuki Kato said that Falcom was having difficulties with forming a plan for Ys 4. He noted that Hudson Soft was one of the companies that approached Falcom to ask about working together on an Ys title.

As the story goes, Falcom wrote a game design document for the setting and story of Ys 4, and gave that document to two companies: Hudson Soft, and Tonkin House. Both of the companies went on to make their own version of Ys 4. Hudson Soft developed The Dawn of Ys, while Tonkin House developed Mask of the Sun. For a time, Dawn of Ys was considered the canonical version of the 4th game. With the release of Ys 6: Ark of Napishtim, Mask of the Sun became the canonical version. Finally, in 2012, Falcom released their own version of the game - Memories of Celceta. Memories of Celceta is now the canonical version of the game.

The story of Memories of Celceta sees Adol exploring the eponymous region of Celceta, while regaining his memories from a mysterious case of amnesia. Adol's best friend and adventuring partner Dogi is nowhere to be seen in Memories of Celceta, after being introduced in Ys 1. Memories of Celceta is also the game that shows Adol begin to call himself an adventurer. With Nordics taking place before Memories of Celceta, this is a version of Adol who has already saved the world before but has not yet begun to call himself an adventurer. Is it possible that he has a different name for himself during this time period?

A Quick Refresher

From everything NISA has shown of Nordics' mechanics, Ys 9: Monstrum Nox is a good mechanics refresher before playing the upcoming title. While its story and soundtrack aren't as strong as Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana's, its mechanics are a considerable improvement over the already amazing systems in Lacrimosa of Dana. Some of the abilities that will be available in Nordics are also reminiscent of abilities in Monstrum Nox, such as the similarities between Mana String and Crimson Line. It also brings back the Boost mechanic from Ys Origin.

Monstrum Nox takes place in the prison city of Balduq, which is northeast of Ys 1's Esteria. Many characters from Ys 1, including its final boss Dark Fact, make cameo appearances in Monstrum Nox. Some of these characters also made cameo appearances in Lacrimosa of Dana as DLC plush accessories that would cling to the arm of the character they were equipped to.

Monstrum Nox experiments with a more open-world-esque system, where the player is able to access large regions of Balduq once they've been unlocked. These regions are larger than those seen in Lacrimosa of Dana, with secrets to find and characters to interact with around almost every corner. The story is still linear, leading the player to new sections of the city as the plot advances, but with a lot more player freedom when it comes to exploration. Another notable change is with the level design, as Monstrum Nox's level design has much more verticality to it than previous games.

The Best Seller

The story of Monstrum Nox makes use of Lacrimosa of Dana's story, so it's also recommended to play Lacrimosa of Dana. Where Ys 2 must be played after Ys 1, Lacrimosa of Dana can be played after Monstrum Nox or vice versa. Lacrimosa of Dana is also the highest-rated game in the Ys series, with a score of 85 on Metacritic. This acclaim is well-earned, as Lacrimosa of Dana has one of the best stories in the series and some of the best-written characters, as well as one of the best soundtracks.

Much like Ys 1, Lacrimosa of Dana takes place on a supposedly cursed island, though this time it's the Isle of Seiren. Rather than a wall of storms, it's a sea monster that destroys any ships that come close, including the ship that Adol is on in the game's prologue. From there, Adol finds himself stranded on Seiren alongside the other passengers and crew of the wrecked ship. The survivors, who come to call themselves castaways, band together to survive on the mysterious island until they can escape.

Nordics seems to have something else in common with Lacrimosa of Dana: having dual protagonists, and finding memories from the past. Where the dual protagonists of Lacrimosa of Dana are Adol and the eponymous Dana, the dual protagonists of Nordics will be Adol and Karja. Dana's weapons of choice were twin blades, while Karja's are an axe and shield. Adol and Karja will also be able to recover memories from the past, which is similar to a mechanic in the second half of Lacrimosa of Dana.

Final Thoughts

With the Ys series, there are a lot of quality games to choose from. This list of games was chosen to help players refresh their memory on the games' timeline and on the mechanics that Nordics will have, but the other games in the series are also great options. Whichever way you decide to prepare for Nordics' release next month, it looks to be another high-quality entry in a wonderful series of games.

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The article was originally written by Meagan Denton