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Easy does it: Talking Ys
- Thread starter Yimothy
- Start date
I figured there was a way to translate it just based on the text - before I realized you could actually "understand" them in Origin, I thought their text would be a nice treat for people who want to spend the time translating what they say.
Having looked them up, there's a few lore tidbits in there, but they're mostly jokes, which is fine. Still kicking myself I didn't think of the solution to "understanding" them, though lol
EDIT: Hey, I'm no where near it yet, but what's the best way to play VI? I don't have the PS2 version (though I could probably emulate it), but I do own it on PC and have an iso of the PSP version, which I heard was bad... is the PC version good?
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Regulus
Sir Knightbot
The PC version is probably the best version, though it's missing some of the content (Alma's Trials) that Konami added to the PS2 version. On the other hand, it has its own new features, like "Catastrophe Mode" which tunes the game to be more in line with Oath & Origin (no stockable healing items) and the ability to fast travel to save monoliths using an item.
Fast travel probably sold me on the PC version alone - but are the Alma's Trials substantial and/or good? Or is it just like the Arena mode from Origin, which I could care less about?
You're already decided but as a bonus the the PC version looks nicer (and more in line with Oath/Ys Origin)
If you're curious about a more in-depth breakdown of the different versions (though I know you've already decided)...
The PC original is, in my own opinion, pretty much the definitive version, and would negate all others if it added in Alma's trials (for completeness's sake more than anything). All characters are 2D sprites on a 3D background, in the same vein as Felghana, though I think the details on the sprites are a little less well-defined than in either of the later games made in this mold. Which only makes sense, really, since Napishtim came first, and Felghana and Origin evolved from there. The Steam version (and I'm assuming the GOG.com version as well) offers options to play in widescreen, but the game wasn't originally built for it. There are one or two places where you get a big, sweeping view of the environment (the tower in the human town comes to mind), and the skybox just... stops in one corner of the screen, because it didn't need to render that far for the 4:3 aspect ratio the game was originally built for. For the same reason, I've occasionally seen enemies pop in at the edges of the screen -- which would be off-screen in 4:3, causing them to appear in a more natural way. Neither of these things is a deal-breaker for me, and if they seem like they'd be an issue to you, then of course you can always play it at a 4:3 resolution.
The PS2 version is fine, but makes a few changes. For starters, it uses polygonal models for all characters. A good amount of detail gets lost this way, but considering that the PS2 version is meant to be played on a standard-definition TV with probably some distance between the player and the screen, it's detail that would've been lost anyway. A nice benefit to this change, though, is that Adol's appearance actually changes whenever you put on a different suit of armor. It also, as mentioned above, adds in Alma's Trials. These are a set of minor puzzle dungeons (I think there are three?); completing each one earns you a reward in the form of a lump sum of either experience, money, or emelas (a mineral used for upgrading weapons, which randomly drops from defeated enemies just like money and other items). There are also, as Regulus mentioned, some minor bits of lore attached, but nothing vital. The PS2 version also features fully voiced dialogue for everyone. The U.S. version goes the extra mile and has a complete English voice track, which is... not great, actually. It also replaces the anime-styled intro with a CG cutscene. While the cutscene does actually explain how and why Adol arrived in the setting (something the anime intro doesn't do), it's kind of ugly in my opinion, and again, not very well acted. There's a cheat code you can enter to get the Japanese voice track and anime opening instead, but it's irritating that it isn't just a simple option to select at the main menu.
The PSP version isn't bad, it just feels a little compromised technically. It uses 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds, same as the PC version, but uses lower-polygon models with blurrier textures. The character sprites also take a hit in resolution and detail, if I remember correctly. I don't believe it includes Alma's Trials, which, again, is no great loss. It does give you the opportunity to listen to the soundtrack, if memory serves, but you have to do it in the game with the PSP, which is... not really convenient.
Really, any version of the game is better than having no version of it available, but your decision to go with the PC version is definitely for the best.
The PC original is, in my own opinion, pretty much the definitive version, and would negate all others if it added in Alma's trials (for completeness's sake more than anything). All characters are 2D sprites on a 3D background, in the same vein as Felghana, though I think the details on the sprites are a little less well-defined than in either of the later games made in this mold. Which only makes sense, really, since Napishtim came first, and Felghana and Origin evolved from there. The Steam version (and I'm assuming the GOG.com version as well) offers options to play in widescreen, but the game wasn't originally built for it. There are one or two places where you get a big, sweeping view of the environment (the tower in the human town comes to mind), and the skybox just... stops in one corner of the screen, because it didn't need to render that far for the 4:3 aspect ratio the game was originally built for. For the same reason, I've occasionally seen enemies pop in at the edges of the screen -- which would be off-screen in 4:3, causing them to appear in a more natural way. Neither of these things is a deal-breaker for me, and if they seem like they'd be an issue to you, then of course you can always play it at a 4:3 resolution.
The PS2 version is fine, but makes a few changes. For starters, it uses polygonal models for all characters. A good amount of detail gets lost this way, but considering that the PS2 version is meant to be played on a standard-definition TV with probably some distance between the player and the screen, it's detail that would've been lost anyway. A nice benefit to this change, though, is that Adol's appearance actually changes whenever you put on a different suit of armor. It also, as mentioned above, adds in Alma's Trials. These are a set of minor puzzle dungeons (I think there are three?); completing each one earns you a reward in the form of a lump sum of either experience, money, or emelas (a mineral used for upgrading weapons, which randomly drops from defeated enemies just like money and other items). There are also, as Regulus mentioned, some minor bits of lore attached, but nothing vital. The PS2 version also features fully voiced dialogue for everyone. The U.S. version goes the extra mile and has a complete English voice track, which is... not great, actually. It also replaces the anime-styled intro with a CG cutscene. While the cutscene does actually explain how and why Adol arrived in the setting (something the anime intro doesn't do), it's kind of ugly in my opinion, and again, not very well acted. There's a cheat code you can enter to get the Japanese voice track and anime opening instead, but it's irritating that it isn't just a simple option to select at the main menu.
The PSP version isn't bad, it just feels a little compromised technically. It uses 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds, same as the PC version, but uses lower-polygon models with blurrier textures. The character sprites also take a hit in resolution and detail, if I remember correctly. I don't believe it includes Alma's Trials, which, again, is no great loss. It does give you the opportunity to listen to the soundtrack, if memory serves, but you have to do it in the game with the PSP, which is... not really convenient.
Really, any version of the game is better than having no version of it available, but your decision to go with the PC version is definitely for the best.
I appreciate the detailed breakdown - makes me feel better about going with the PC version (which I own on Steam). Puzzle dungeons sound interesting to me, but a lot of the other changes don't, so I'm fine skipping the PS2/PSP versions, as much as I'd prefer to play the game portably.
I played and enjoyed the game on PSP, that version is fine if you prefer portability. The main issues I think are the lack of fast travel and some loading times (each level up is accompanied by a brief pause as it loads the jingle, for example). If you’re playing from memory card rather than disc then the loading might not be that bad.
Alright, Ys II finished. I had to use a FAQ for the last area - it's just too big and confusing to wander around so much. All I really used it for was to point me in the right direction - you could waste hours in those samey corridors trying to figure out just which door is where you need to go to next. Most of the puzzles I figured out on my own for the most part. The hardest boss was by far the bat boss, sheesh. Great game, Solomon Shrine makes slightly more sense than the outer parapets of Darm Tower, but it's still a bit too maze-y for my tastes.
Ys Origin/1/2 spoilers: Why was there an abandoned, decrepit Solomon Shrine in Ys I, anyway? Was that like, a broken bit of the one from Ys II, after it fell sometime after Origin? Or something? Will these questions be answered in Ys VI or whatever? Should I just not think about it? lol
Ys Origin/1/2 spoilers: Why was there an abandoned, decrepit Solomon Shrine in Ys I, anyway? Was that like, a broken bit of the one from Ys II, after it fell sometime after Origin? Or something? Will these questions be answered in Ys VI or whatever? Should I just not think about it? lol
IIRC the goddesses bring it down to earth with them? Could be wrong, it's been years like I said, but it's not a big deal.
The dungeon in Ys I is just some temple. From looking around a little, it seems the Windows remake (Ys Eternal) is where it started being called Salmon/Solomon Shrine. Though it is right next to where Ys took off into the sky, the actual Solomon Shrine sits at the zenith of Ys, so it wouldn't be part of the same structure.
Maybe the people who stayed on the surface after the events of Origin decided to recreate a little piece of home, thinking the floating shrine would never fall, or something.
Odd that the name crept in during later remakes - I wonder why they made that decision?
Odd that the name crept in during later remakes - I wonder why they made that decision?
Eternal seems to have had some ideas of its own about the lore, some of which were later abandoned. The game's bosses are described the following way, implying they have some connection to the Priests of Ys themselves:
Not only is this connection never elucidated, but these names for the Priests are never used again (you'll notice immediately if you've played Origin), and these annotations were removed from later ports of Eternal.
Jenocres: Fenys Tovah's Redemption of Power
Nygtilger: Sems Hadal's Redemption of Earth
Vagullion: Gulba Dabby's Redemption of Light
Pictimos: Manal Messa's Redemption of Time
Khonsclard: Grack Gemma's Redemption of Wisdom
Yogleks & Omulgun: Amuda Fukt and Fad Fukt's Redemption of Mind
Dalk Fukt: Ruined "Ys Priest"
Nygtilger: Sems Hadal's Redemption of Earth
Vagullion: Gulba Dabby's Redemption of Light
Pictimos: Manal Messa's Redemption of Time
Khonsclard: Grack Gemma's Redemption of Wisdom
Yogleks & Omulgun: Amuda Fukt and Fad Fukt's Redemption of Mind
Dalk Fukt: Ruined "Ys Priest"
Weird, yeah - I certainly never met anyone named "Fukt," as I'd remember that because I'm a crass child.
I appreciate the details, though - I don't know why there being two Solomon Shrine's stuck with me so much - it clearly doesn't matter - but it did, so seeing there's been some weird lore choices over the years explains a lot.
I appreciate the details, though - I don't know why there being two Solomon Shrine's stuck with me so much - it clearly doesn't matter - but it did, so seeing there's been some weird lore choices over the years explains a lot.
"Fukt" is still around; it is consistently Falcom's own official Romanization of the family name ファクト. Localizations just uniformly insist on not using it for obvious reasons (generally following the TurboGrafx localization's lead with "Fact," although the Master System localization before that went with "Dekt").
Yeah, it's not bad, but the way they remade the story basically just makes it feel like more of a side-story than a full episode of Adol's journeys. You do get some fun bits of closure and links with 1-6, but ehhhhhh.
It does, and it's better than nothing, but it's weird - you can only fast travel to stones of the same color. Which means to get from the starting town to town 2 via warp, you have to:
1. Touch the stone outside town
2. Warp to the stone just outside the campsite
3. Walk through the campsite, meaning the screen fades to back and the game loads twice
4. Touch the next stone
5. Warp to the stone just outside town 2
6. Walk into town 2
Why can't I just warp right to the frickin' stone I want?
That's unfortunate to hear. I do want some links with 1 and 2, though, at least (and Origin, but I doubt there's much to reference there).
This bugged me too. As I remember it, about halfway through the game there’s a point where the plot needs you to not be able to warp freely. After that you get an item that lets you warp anywhere.
Ah, okay, good. I figured it was something like that - it'd be such a weird design choice otherwise.
Agree with pretty much all of this. I don't really think it's too long, but I also came into it wanting an rpg that i could invest some time in. The sheer insanity of the story is great, I think it works well with the stranded island concept. just letting everything play out as if it were a whole different world.
Though, the defense missions get pretty tedious. Get pretty long at points.