Episode 594: Ys Books I – II – III
Ysa-me, Adol!
As someone who was there when console RPGs slowly took off in the United States, I can tell you that Ys made the least amount of sense to me. Right from the title, it offered nothing. Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest Warrior, Phantasy Star…none of these names necessarily clue you in as to their specific content, but at least a kid scanning a store shelf could look at the cover and pronounce the words written there.
It’s too bad that it took me decades to actually play an Ys game, because I think the series has a lot to offer. Host Jeremy Parish agrees, so he’s joined by Hardcore Gaming 101’s Kurt Kalata and Retronauts patron Scott Rothman for a look back at the first three Ys games—also known as “books.”
By the way, this recording predates the recent release of the original PC version of Ys on Egg Console and the announcement that Ys X will be localized and released outside Japan this September. It’s a good year for the Y-curious!
Description: Jeremy Parish, Kurt Kalata, and patron Scott Rothman wash ashore and dive into the daily bump-and-grind as they recount the origins of Nihon Falcom’s Ys series.
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Artwork for this episode by Nick Wanserski and editing thanks go to Greg Leahy.
