Ys: The Ark of Napishtim

Adol Christin. For some that name brings just as many memories as Link, Cloud or other legendary characters from role-playing games. Adol has always been the main character in the Ys series which has it's roots dating back to the 8-bit (NES, Sega Master System) era. Even though Adol might be a new name to the majority of PSP owners, that doesn't diminish Adol's impact in gaming. Ys Book I & II for the Turbo Grafx CD system was a great game that shouldn't be overlooked by the true hard-core RPG fan. Living up to past greatness is a difficult task and the latest edition of Ys is still overshadowed by Adol's past adventures.

Ys: The Ark of Napishtim for the PSP is actually based on the PS2 version that was released in 2005. I need to comment now that I never played the PS2 version so my comments about the PSP version will be comparison free. For those that have played the PS2 version the PSP version contain modes exclusive to the PSP; a mini game mode, media player and a character database. If you played the PS2 version then your reasons to purchase the PSP version (I assume) would be that you enjoyed the PS2 version and want the new, exclusive, modes not found in the console version. Then you can skip the rest of the review because you already know everything else about the game. Go on, Adol, the Red awaits you and your PSP.

Ok, the rest of you that are still here, we can begin the proper review. The Ys series has always been an action-RPG game with some unique experiments in combat. For example, the first Ys game had fighting monsters by simply walking up to the monster in order to attack. There wasn't a button to press to attack, you just walked into a monster.  But it wasn't as easy as it sounds because if you weren't properly leveled up then the combat would have you starting over in a split second. It was all about gaining experience points, leveling up and then moving to different areas of the game with stronger monsters.

The Ark of Napishtim has grown only a little with this formula by adding an attack button. You control Adol with either the analog nub or the direction buttons and attack with your sword by pressing the square button. Adol has even added a jump move to his arsenal which can be performed by pressing the "X" button. But to bring Adol even further into the modern era of gaming you can perform special attacks such as attacking in the air and performing an downward strike after jumping. Other special moves include the ability to perform consecutive attacks, upward strikes and dash attacks. Some of you are probably wondering just what the big deal about these attacks are considering these have been common place in some action RPGs for several years. Well it's really not a big deal but it's what we have with this episode of Ys. The combat has grown tremendously since the first game but the implementation of the combat makes this game feel even farther out of tune with modern games.  

The game plays out via an over the top view and the combat is in real time. The action during combat feels disjointed and out of sync, with Adol's attacks often being out of place.  For example, while attacking one monster either Adol or the monster will continue to move while attacking which often results in additional monsters attacking. But with Adol moving while attacking I would frequently miss attacks because Adol would move past the monster. Or if I pressed the attack button three times in a row to execute a special attack I would miss the monster completely because Adol would move past the monster. Except for boss battles I never felt in complete control during combat because of Adol's movements and the constant barrage of monsters. You will always be fighting off hordes of monsters every time you move between areas. The same monsters will respawn for each location/area you explore.

The constant swarm of monsters is actually a necessity in Ys simply because the game is a level freak. If you're not strong enough for a particular area you find while wandering around (thanks for a useless, hard-to-read map) the monsters will quickly dispatch you, almost, instantly. But you will always find this out the hard way, which is after you die because you will barely have enough time to react and run for cover. In order to properly play a Ys game you have to spend time leveling your character. If you don't take the time to raise your experience points by spending hours upon hours in combat then the game will be constant lesson in frustration. I would call this the old-school RPG lesson plan. If you don't listen to what the teacher is telling you then you get whacked on the knuckles with the ruler and put in the corner. If you played a Ys game previously then this is old news but for those that haven't, you have been warned.

A few more items to mention regarding the combat are the swords and additional items. Adol will earn three different swords in the game that have their own unique abilities. But you will be able to increase the strength of your sword by collecting an item called "emel." When you increase the strength of your swords you also unlock special attacks that can be performed for each sword. The game includes a standard inventory system that allows you to use various items you collect during the game. Special items are always included in your inventory as well. The game allows you to select one item tool item that you can use at anytime during the game without accessing the inventory system.

The storyline of the game is a standard RPG story that will keep you entertained long enough to finish the game with a few surprises. Adol washes up on a beach and is rescued by two elvish looking girls. Adol is soon out on his adventure to find out the mysteries of the Great Vortex and the island he is stranded upon. The game includes references from previous Ys games that will be difficult to understand considering that not every Ys game was released in America.

The graphics of the game are good for a PSP title with vibrant colors and great-looking anime-style characters. The characters are 3D models in the game but have a 2D anime style avatar that pops up during conversations. Usually the avatars will display just the characters head but during important conversations the entire body of the character will be viewable. There were a couple of issues with the graphics. One being no option to change the camera angle or to move the camera. The camera angle is always stuck on a static view that follows Adol. Another issue was a slight blinking in certain parts of the screen while Adol was moving through a town. The blinking would usually happen to just one item on screen while I was moving Adol around. Once again I did not play the PS2 version so I cannot comment on any graphical differences between the two versions.

Now this review wouldn't be complete without me mentioning "Now Loading..." Be prepared to see those two words more than anything else in the game itself. No matter how small or large an area I explored the game was constantly having to load the next screen. The load times would take usually 30 seconds to a minute, which is about normal on the PSP (unfortunately). But when you take into consideration that I might only spend a few seconds in rooms I've already explored, then I spent more time looking at the Now Loading screen than I did playing the game. The game would even pause for a few seconds in the inventory screen when I would select items. I could hear the PSP reading data off of the UMD at all times which put a strain on the battery life. The game was ready for a recharge after about two and half hours of gameplay.

Ys: The Ark of Napishtim is a solid if underachieving game for the PSP system. If you're looking for an old-school style RPG and you don't mind long load times then you will probably enjoy Ys. Or if you've played any of the Ys games before and wanting to play the role of Adol Christin again, then look no further than your PSP. But with the advancement of the RPG game it's hard to take a step back no matter how charming our memories might be of a long forgotten loved one. 

Gameplay: 6.5
The quirky hack-and-slash combat feels incomplete at times. Having to constantly level up to move to the next area might be too frustrating for new gamers.

Graphics: 7.3
This isn't the best looking game on the PSP but the game does have some vibrant colors and great looking anime-inspired characters  and avatars. The monster character models don't match the same detail as Adol and the non-playable characters. The animation of the characters gets very choppy at times especially during combat.

Sound: 7.0
The game includes a mix of good orchestral tracks to set the tone of the game. The sound effects of the combat are adequate but standard fare heard in countless other games. Thankfully no voice acting was included in the game because I'm sure the load times would have increased even more.

Difficulty: Medium
The game is only as hard as you make it out to be. If you spend hours leveling up Adol then you might find the game a piece of cake. But if you want to actually play the game, then the challenge will be knowing when to take the time to level up (hint..don't wait until you reach a new area).

Concept: 6.3
This version of Ys is very similar to the old versions released years ago. Even with the addition of the new combat system there really isn't much different in how the game plays compared to the older games in the series. The exclusive PSP features are a nice bonus but nothing that makes the game stand out.

Overall: 6.8
Some series age great as time goes on by innovating with new ideas or tweaking just the right elements to make an old idea seem fresh. Ys: The Ark of Napishtim falls short in innovating or creating something fresh from an old idea. But if you love Adol and the Ys series then you already know what to expect. I should add that if it wasn't for the questionable load times then the game would have been more enjoyable. Maybe we could get a DS version that eliminates the load times? Konami, Falcom, anyone?