Review for Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. Game for PlayStation 4, PC and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 05/02/2021
In September of 2019 Ys IX: Monstrum Nox debuted on PlayStation 4 in the motherland. As usual, the location was made to wait, but in the meantime the versions for PC and Nintendo Switch (which has already hosted Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and, much more recently, Ys Origin) have also been announced by Engine Software and PH3 Games, which should be ready in the round a few months.
The events narrated in Ys IX currently occupy the last place in the timeline of the series, which had stopped at Ys Seven (Lacrimosa of Dana even ranks before The Ark of Napishtim). The game is enjoyable as a stand alone since the story is autonomous, however, references to previous adventures are becoming more and more numerous, from chapter to chapter.
Adol and his old friend Dogi - present in almost all the games of the saga - go to the city of Balduq (which corresponds to Lutetia conquered by Caesar in 52 BC), located in northern Gllia, a region under the control of the Romun Empire. which has recently ceased hostilities with Altago (Carthage). Here our hero is arrested on generic charges (they rightly point out that in recent years they always find him at the center of some catastrophe - Ed.) and imprisoned, but he manages to escape thanks to the help of a mysterious girl, who, however, casts a curse on him, transforming him into a Monstrum, a warrior with supernatural powers. The purpose of the Monstrums - and the only way to break the curse - is to defeat the demons of the dark dimension known as Grimwald Nox, which the Monstrums can access through an invocation or a breach.
The storyline, which until The Ark of Napishtim was a secondary element in the economy of the series, has gained more and more weight starting from the successor, as evidenced by the duration of Adol's adventures, tripled from Ys VI (a dozen hours) to Ys VIII (almost forty). From this point of view, Ys IX remains on the level of its predecessor, proving too verbose in the opinion of the writer: in a certain sense, it can be said that Ys is becoming the action version of The Legend of Heroes, another glorious series of Nihon Falcom. Of course, the pace is not always the right one, and some might prefer the more “dry” style of fifteen years ago, but the lore and characterization of the characters have benefited from it. A simple bonding system has also been implemented, adding optional conversations that enrich the background of allies.
Furthermore, the events are completely functional to the gameplay. The curse prevents the Monstrums from leaving the city, which is in fact the main setting of the game. It will not be explorable in its entirety from the start, but it will have to be "unlocked" piece by piece, acquiring NOX points to travel to the Grimwald Nox and defeat the creatures that threaten Balduq. Furthermore, with the unfolding of the plot, sections in the city and others in prison will alternate (according to a narrative expedient on which we absolutely cannot dwell on - Ed), characterized by a slightly different gameplay, which winks at Brandish, another ancient Nihon series Falcom.
The adventure is divided into nine chapters, which unfold according to a simple dynamic: you accumulate NOX points by killing monsters and completing subquests - many of which have important implications - and then you take a trip to the Grimwald Nox to unlock some new areas and / or to continue the affair. Each new area of the city contains shops, treasures and collectibles of various kinds, and must be explored with great attention using all the special powers of the Monstrums: these powers, called Gift, add a pleasant exploratory vein of the platform mold, allowing our heroes to walk on walls, glide, see secret passages and so on.
It all works, but it blames over time a certain repetition, also and above all in the Grimwald Nox, which hosts only two types of challenges: in the first, taking weight from Lacrimosa of Dana, you have to defend an object called Sphene from hordes of monsters, which end with a boss; in the second you have to destroy objects called Lacrimae within a certain time limit.
The combat system of Ys IX, true flagship of the series, it is basically the same as Lacrimosa of Dana, which in turn is an evolution of that of Ys Seven, which introduced the party of three warriors (switchable on the fly with the Circle key) and the diversification of the shots in Strike, Pierce and Slash. Boost Mode returns, introduced by The Oath in Felghana and Origins and evolved in later games with EXTRA attacks. Everything works as usual, even if, pad in hand, it does not return the same agility that was appreciated until Memories of Celceta.
Before closing, a mention on the technical sector to point out that, net of an interesting and coherent artistic direction with the series, the graphics are really backward: even at the time of PlayStation 3 it could not have been considered satisfactory. This has never been a problem and never will be as long as Ys is as fun as it always has been, but let's not hide the fact that an upgrade would be welcome, especially if Nihon Falcom's will is to develop increasingly ambitious games, as it seemed to us. this Ys, with its entire city to explore.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is an excellent Action JRPG and a valid exponent of its series, but it does not touch the peaks of excellence reached by some of its iconic predecessors, suffering due to a fluctuating rhythm and a certain underlying repetition, perhaps a symptom of a main quest too "stretched" to reach today's longevity standards.
► Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is a JRPG-Action type game developed by Nihon Falcom Corporation and published by NIS America for PlayStation 4, PC and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 05/02/2021
