Ys Ix: Monstrum Nox Pact Edition - PlayStation 4 (PS4)

Never played any of the previous titles, and now 20 hours in.Started on hard difficulty, moved it up to nightmare after recruiting my first companion and moved it back to hard as stabbing the same boss in the face for 10+ minutes is not my idea of fun. There's another 2 harder difficulty levels after nightmare, but even on nightmare my experience is your dodges/blocks need to be spot on every time the enemy attacks you (at least in early game, combat does get more interesting later on). Definitely a refreshing change from the likes of Dragon Quest and Ni No Kuni, that are just too easy no matter what.If you die it does give you the option to weaken enemies and try again, or just retry. Doesn't seem to have any rewards linked to difficulty other than achievements, and for some of the more boring puzzle sections, you have the option to skip them entirely.The story is surprisingly good, a nice little mystery to what's going on and why, nothing too obvious to guess at. Side stories have all been unmemorable, and you can just ignore them if you want to, though you'd have to buy any missed rewards seperately.Conversation choices are between nice guy and slightly antagonistic, but the outcome is still the same. I'm enjoying finding all the collectables in the city, but overall I wouldn't say the map is really that big. Character models are reused a lot, like a guy who died in a side quest but I've seen the same model in 2 other quests so far, with entirely different names. For fifty quid you should expect a bit more.Music is fitting, sounds are fine, overall a surprisingly enjoyable game, make sure you save in different slots often as you can fail side quests if you progress the storyPlaying on PS5 so no idea what loading times or performance is like on PS4, but it's hardly a demanding title

If you're at all interested in action-JRPGs (like the Tales series or Star Ocean), and have never played a Ys game, I'd say stop right here and go pick up YS VIII instead. The whole Lost-style 'mysterious deserted island that we need to escape' vibe just lends it a way more compelling plot and interesting location to explore ever nook and cranny of. It's almost universally considered by Ys fans to be the best in the series, and because of it's more standalone nature compared to IX (which has a lot more callbacks and references to previous games), it's the perfect one to try for beginners.If you've already played Ys VIII and loved it (because how couldn't you?), read on.So, luckily Ys IX is still good fun! The combat is as fast and addictive as always, and the new cast of characters are just as charming as the old. The story is much more of a slow burn this time, and 'find out why we can't leave this city' just doesn't have the same drive as 'escape the island' did. It does get a lot better, but unfortunately ends in a real anti-climax.The new 'monstrum' gifts are a great addition, though. They let you explore and traverse the city in all kinds of different ways, where you can grapple, run up walls, and glide through the air. The game sort of feels like a superhero game like 'Spider-Man' or Infamous as a result.However, my main gripe is with the setting. 80% of the game is set in the same city, which is only opened up to you a section at a time. It still has chests and stuff to find, but exploring the same dour grey city just isn't as fun as exploring VIII's Seiren Island or Celceta Forest from Memories of Celceta. The dungeons are well-designed, and take into account your new gifts so they have a better sense of verticality, but so many of them end up being underground passageways back to the same prison. You do eventually get let out of the city, but only to explore around 3 or 4 field type areas. The drive to discover what around the next corner isn't there.So, I'd still recommend this game, especially if you're an Ys fan! Both Ys VIII and Memories of Celeceta are better, but if you've finished them both and are looking for your next Ys fix, then you'll enjoy this one too.

Brilliant game, just what i was after. Very well packaged

If you liked ys 8, you will also like ys 9, not as fast paced as 8 but makes up for it with other aspects and features given