Esteria is a land falling into shadow. The land of Ys has long risen into the sky and the two goddesses who protect the world have vanished with it. But evil is spreading, monsters walk the land, beasts are going mad and attacking people. From local stores, items made from the magical metal of Cleria have been stolen. In Darm Tower, the evil Dark Fact is growing in power, his plans for domination falling into place...
And so begins the story of Ys, with the hero Adol Christin arriving in the port town of Minea. Viewed from an overhead viewpoint, Ys follows many of the standards of role-playing games, such as killing for money and experience points, buying weapons, items and armour and so on. But the battle system is fairly unique. Instead of slashing with your sword, you bump into enemies to attack them. Positioning is important - if you bump head on, there is more chance of a parry or counter attack, whereas if you make contact from the side, or slightly offset, you stand more chance of a successful hit. As you progress, the grand story takes you to mines and temples, and crosses seamlessly over into Ys II, where magic items are introduced that allow abilities such as shooting fireballs or transforming yourself into a monster to avoid attention. All this draws to a dramatic conclusion where you must face the ultimate evil and destroy it.
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Other games in the series