There is no shortage of games of the role-playing persuasion on the PSP, from the classics to the downright bizarre. Fans of the genre will undoubtedly recognize this one though, Ys Seven — a newly localized member of the Nihon Falcom series’ family, which is all grown up now, having been around since 1987. Those familiar with the Ys series will recognize Adol, the protagonist of most games, caught up again in the politics of the kingdom of Altago and the nail-biting scenario of ancient evils and world-threatening malevolence. Of course Adol must save the day, with a host of friends to help him along the way.
Clichéd narratives aside, Ys Seven caters to longtime fans and new players alike, requiring no prior knowledge of the series to enjoy, but offering subtle hints to past adventures. The friends that join Adol along his path serve as an exciting new way to mix combat up a little, each providing a different type of weapon, which are effective against different enemy types. Up to two party members can join Adol at any time, and by the end of the story there will be many characters to choose from, giving you a little feeling of control in a game with no main character customization.
Despite the party mechanic, this isn’t a turn-based affair. Once you approach an enemy the combat begins, making it flow very nicely — especially in boss battles when fast-paced action is a plus. Apart from the basic “press-X-repeatedly-to-attack,” the Ys Seven characters have upgradable skills, including an Extra Skill unique to each character and only usable when their meter is charged. Swapping through these characters in your party is as easy as a press of the Square button. This allows quick access to whichever type of damage is effective against an enemy, minimizing downtime and allowing you to concentrate on the tactics of the fight against tougher monsters. In fact, the only situation where you will really have to stop taking on monsters is when your health gets a little low, as your power increases with each attack until you finally unleash it in one powerful move. Even health can be quickly regained with potions, with are plentiful or can be created through Synthesis.
The Synthesis System is also the main way to strengthen your skills and allows you to use the materials and resources you find around the world to make weapons — which might be stronger than your own, or just save you some money instead of purchasing them from town stores. There are bountiful sites to find these resources, but you can also pick them up from chests or receive them as quest rewards. Resources can also be handed in to other NPCs as part of quests, which can bump up your bank balance or give you rare items. This is nothing new or innovative, but makes for some good solid RPG fun.
The towns that you visit throughout the land are each unique as they represent an element — to which you can find a temple dedicated somewhere nearby. Apart from the towns, however, the landscapes look very similar and provide little in the way of landmarks, leaving you checking your mini-map often to confirm where you are. Some paths are also blocked by obstacles, which require quest items that you can generally pick up in the same area, such as Diamond Encrusted Boots which allow you to walk over spiky terrain. The game is also pretty linear beyond some few and far between side quests that you can pick up along the way, should you happen to talk to the right people.
Ys Seven seems to make it its business to try and keep the player happy, combining challenging battles with the ability to warp anywhere in the kingdom that you have visited before. Although you lose and have to rebuild this ability late in the game, it’s satisfying to use this handy service some of the time, at least. You can’t help but love the ridiculous amounts of loot that each enemy drops too. The only problem is actually collecting it all — your party members can help of course, but often prefer to wander around aimlessly instead.
Their less-than-helpful AI could be forgiven if it wasn’t for their shallow personalities, which aren’t helped by the simplistic story. It would be possible to complete the game without any regard to the story whatsoever, which is nothing new for the Ys series, but perhaps it could have been fleshed out a little in this generation, where attempts to innovate the RPG genre are abundant. A huge portion of the game is spent backtracking through places you have already been, and once your warp ability is taken away this seems much more of a hassle in comparison with the rest of the game. There are new monsters to fight and slight differences to be found the second time you traverse the land, but I couldn’t help but feel it was a cheap way to lengthen the 20-30 hour storyline.
For those looking for a simple RPG adventure to keep them entertained, Ys Seven is a safe bet. Despite the clichés (this game is full of them), the fast-paced fun action and tactical boss fights ensure it stays challenging without the annoyance of save points or long pointless journeys. Stepping in the shoes of Adol once again is exciting, even if it is just to save those pesky civilians from worldwide destruction all over again.
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Things We Liked: Challenging tactical boss fights. Synthesis System. Awesome soundtrack. Addictive combat. Simple pick-up-and-play storyline. Well balanced combat and party systems. Graphically great throwback RPG. Lengthy playtime. The POW noise when punching monsters with Dogi.
Things We Disliked: No character customization. Jerky animation. The sneaky backtracking over locations. The loss of the warp system (it’s too damn useful!). AI that leaves something to be desired. The last boss (only because it took me too long to kill him, he’s tough…).
Target Audience: Classic RPG fans. Fans of the Ys series. People who don’t like the whole turn-based combat deal — hack and slash works really well in this one! Fans of a kick-ass soundtracks — I can personally vouch that this game is awesome on long train journeys with a decent set of headphones!
(Ys Seven – Developer: Nihon Falcom Corporation. Publisher: XSEED Games. Available for PlayStation Portable. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes. Unfamiliar with CFD!’s review system? Read our newly revised explanation here.)
