Review for Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana. Game for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, the video game was released on 21/07/2016 The version for PC came out on 17/04/2018 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 28/06/2018 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 25/05/2017
For many years now, the Jrpg genre has offered titles with modern mechanics and settings, moving away from the classic canons of the past. An understandable choice, but not always appreciated by everyone. And then comes Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, an action Jrpg that confirms the possibility of being able to realize an excellent title without moving away from the basics of the genre, considered by many to be antiquated and recycled. Those who know Ys already know what the mold of the series is, which sees as the protagonist Adol Christin, a young swordsman who boasts the title of adventurer. Busy between journeys in search of new mysteries to unravel, Adol always finds himself facing great threats and, this time, the adventurer will end up shipwrecked on the mysterious and dangerous Isle of Seiren.
An adventure spurred on by survival
Adol Christin is traveling by sea, aboard the mammoth Lombardy together with his partner present in other titles of the series, Dogi. The two were hired as sailors en route to the continent of Heresy. The route to the destination includes approaching, albeit for a few minutes, the island of Seiren, a dreaded place that rumors say is cursed. Adol remains intrigued by these rumors, but is nonetheless determined to come to Heresy for new adventures. It is at this point that a sea creature of frightening dimensions sinks Lombardy, endangering the lives of passengers. Alone, with some destroyed parts of Lombardy at his side, Adol thus finds himself shipwrecked on the island of Seiren, ready to roll up his sleeves to get out alive. The red-haired boy will not be the only castaway of the ship on the island: he will soon reunite with Dogi and make new acquaintances with him. Having established a small group of survivors, Castaway Village is born, a refuge for the unfortunate passengers aboard the sunken sailing ship. Part of the group will struggle to find resources and support themselves day after day, while devising the method of escape from the cursed island will be the priority. Adol will also befriend Laxia Von Roswell, a young German from a noble family, and Sahad Nautilus, a renowned Greek fisherman. This trio will explore the Isle of Seiren, in search of other victims of the assault suffered on Lombardy. Soon the trio will discover that the island is a place not only inhabited by fearsome creatures, but also full of mysteries and secrets that go far beyond the most imaginative expectations..
An island to explore, full of different settings and atmospheres
As the series teaches, exploration is one of the key points of Ys VIII. Adol will tour the island of Seiren far and wide, from the vast plains to the impassable peaks, passing through deserted coasts to dangerous dungeons. The search for materials useful for escape and for the other castaways in Lombardy will have priority, but Adol's adventurous spirit will lead the latter to the desire to reveal why the Isle of Seiren is considered a cursed and forgotten place. To make the mysteries on the island more intricate are the recurring dreams of our protagonist, in which he will often see the story of a girl named Dana, apparently a chosen one who lived on the island. The landscapes are well made and colorful, giving a pleasant experience to the player's eye, as well as the alternation of the settings will never make the explorations monotonous. To divert attention from these intervene Adol's recurring dreams about the mysterious Dana. While the adventurer sleeps, we'll take control of the blue-haired girl and get to know her better in order to investigate some strange happenings on the island of Seiren. All of this will happen in a bygone and more prosperous era, away from monsters and within a prosperous kingdom called Eternia.
A classic, yet dynamic and player-friendly gameplay
Much of this review will be based on the gameplay and the battle-system, as there is a lot to say, fortunately in positive terms. Falcom hit the mark by developing mechanics that make the experience of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana pleasant, quick and easy. Although the name "Isle of Seiren" may sound like a relatively small place, the map will never seem to end. The notable presence of secondary quests, as well as having to come and go from Castaway Village, would make the flow of the game heavy: for this reason Warp Points will be available to quickly teleport to every single area of the island, even inside the dungeons. themselves. The experience in terms of gameplay is made simple and smooth thanks to an immediate but effective interface, which allows you to access all the most used features of the game with a touch. You can fish, check Adol's diary - which contains all the information obtained through exploration and fighting - access the objects to use and control the map (and possibly use Warp mode) by pressing a simple directional button on the pad, without having to open the main menu. The latter, in fact, will be used by the player mostly for the purpose of saving the game, changing the party members and assigning them new techniques to use during the battles.
Speaking of fights, what about the impeccability with which Falcom creates action jrpgs with fast and never boring rhythms? Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is living proof that the company is able to bring out its style at its best without the technical limitations of a console like the PlayStation Vita. My experience on this title is based on the PlayStation 4 version, which gives a clean cut to the lag and slow frames during the clashes, giving a fluidity of movement without impediments, unlike what happened in other Falcom titles on PlayStation Vita. (like the recent Tokyo Xanadu). Not surprisingly, some gameplay modes are exclusive to the PlayStation 4 version, modes that would have been impossible to play on PlayStation Vita: Interception and Suppression.
These two modes focus on the territories to be protected and conquered. The castaways of Lombardy will settle in what will be called "Castaway Village", but the beasts that have dominated the place from time immemorial will not like it, and will try to attack the village. It will be up to Adol and his companions, warned by the inhabitants, to intervene in defense of the fort by fighting the enemies and strengthening the defenses of the village by supplying materials to Dogi. With the right equipment, Castaway Village will be equipped with catapults, barricades and traps designed to facilitate the repulsion of enemies. This mode, Interception, obviously allows you to gain experience and obtain rare materials obtained from monsters, as well as safeguard the village and the castaways. Continuing the game you will have the opportunity to conquer other territories, in order to decimate the population of aggressive monsters. Suppressions work in a very similar way to Interceptions, with the exception that Adol's team will attack enemies, destroying their nests and attempting to defeat the area boss, with the village members in the rear providing support. These two modes, in summary, are excellent ways to accumulate materials and gain trust from other castaways. In the video below we show you an Interception phase from the game. The video is intended to reveal the reasons why this mode is not present on PlayStation Vita, due to the requirements it requires. In addition, you can take advantage of it to get a taste of the Battle System.
There is not much to say instead about the growth and development system of the party members: the formula is one of the most classic, which sees the simple level up as a system to make the character stronger, as well as to make him learn new techniques, provided the character in question is active in battle. Fortunately, the six characters that will be available in the party have very different movement speeds and fighting styles, allowing the player to indulge themselves. If Adol is a fairly balanced character from all points of view, the strong fisherman Sahad compensates for his poor movement speed with devastating physical strength and powerful short-range techniques. On the other hand, there are also characters like the marksman Hummel, quick and able to strike from a distance with his firearm, at the expense of a weak defense. The characters are divided into 3 categories: Slash, Pierce and Strike. Each type of attack is effective on certain enemies and weak on others.
Castaway Village opens its doors!
If there is one thing that will truly captivate you in Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, it is the birth and development of Castaway Village. Adol, together with Dogi, the captain of Lombardy Barbaros and the first survivors will found this village, which will support its inhabitants during their stay on the island of Seiren. Initially born as a temporary refuge, Castaway Village will become the vital hub for party improvement and stocking up for exploration. As Adol rescues other castaways lost in the various corners of the island, they will join the group and provide assistance according to their vocations. You could save a doctor, who will provide you with potions and medical herbs in exchange for materials, or a trader who will open a real market based on bartering (since money, under the circumstances, has no value). Every single castaway that we are going to save will contribute to make the stay on the cursed island better, but not only. Some obstacles present in the various maps will not be removable with only party members available. Having more inhabitants in Castaway Village will expand the horizons of this exploration, as thanks to them it will be possible to remove huge boulders that block new paths, or to build a bridge to connect two peaks.
With the passage of time on the island all the inhabitants will open up to each other, revealing their origins and their classes of belonging. For one reason or another, Lombardy's passengers come from different regions, and some of these interesting characters are nobles, others warriors, still others criminals. However, these differences will be overlooked in view of the only common goal: to escape from the island of Seiren. Each castaway will also provide support during Interceptions and Suppressions, activating an ability that will grant bonuses to the party: Licht, who is a doctor by profession, will be able to regenerate the party's HP during these fights, while characters like Dogi will directly attack the enemies. Basically, expanding the village as much as possible will provide various profits, such as being able to craft various types of equipment, start a farm to make ingredients and improve the mood of the survivors. Finally, at the village there will be a notice board, where it is possible to accept secondary quests, aimed both at improving the livelihood of the village and to satisfy the requests of a particular character. Fulfilling the requests of the inhabitants will cause the esteem and trust in Adol to rise and this will lead to greater group compactness, allowing the inhabitants to open up with Adol (as well as being one of the necessary conditions to witness the positive ending). To conclude, the Castaway Village is a real operations center where the player will spend several hours of play in order to strengthen and improve relations within the village, also having to manage its progress.
The tiny flaws of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
Even Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, has small flaws scattered here and there, fortunately not substantial enough to compromise the experience for those who want to enjoy this title. However, you might be slightly disappointed with the graphics and dubbing. Let me be clear, the models of the characters conceived in the Falcom house certainly never stood out for originality, so we also forget the fact that some characters of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana are very similar to some of the previous titles. The main problem is found in the lack of expressiveness in certain phases of the game. The amount of animated cutscenes is meager, if we exclude those of introduction and those towards the last stages of the game. While not a particularly bad note, certain moments would certainly have had more impact when accompanied by a cutscene, especially if we include the fact that the animations of the characters' faces aren't always as expressive as they should. A small discord, which stands out especially when compared with the magnificent settings mentioned above.
From the point of view of the sound sector, a decent job has been done, with soundtracks capable of giving the perfect adrenaline rush during explorations and fights. The melodies that will keep the player company while at Castaway Village are also very evocative, whose purpose is to convey lightheartedness and serenity in that corner of paradise within the cursed Isle of Seiren. What is left to be desired a little is instead a non-optimal English dubbing, accompanied by a difference in sound level that will almost force the player to have to decrease the volume of the effects and music to be able to hear the voices of some characters like Hummel. As said initially, fortunately, these small smudges are not able to compromise, if not in a minimal way, the long hours of play that will be spent with Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana.
Falcom finally tries to break the chains that limited its titles, thanks to the choice to also use the PlayStation 4 as a platform, and demonstrates this with small gameplay exclusives such as Interceptions and Suppressions, impossible to manage (and in fact not present) on the now dated PlayStation Vita. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is undoubtedly one of the best Action Jrpg of this year. A niche and classic title, able to fully satisfy the type of audience it is intended for, with its simple, dynamic and effective gameplay and twists in a rich adventure dropped into the right atmosphere. Spend your hours on Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and you will feel that unconscious desire (unlike Adol) not to want to leave the Isle of Seiren anymore.
► Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is an Action-JRPG type game developed by Nihon Falcom Corporation and published by NIS America for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, the video game was released on 21/07/2016 The version for PC came out on 17/04/2018 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 28/06/2018 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 25/05/2017
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