Getting Into Ys

Spanning nearly 30 years and almost 20 released games, it can be hard to know exactly where to start with the Ys series. Is it like Final Fantasy, where no mainline game is connected with the rest? Or is it like another Falcom series, Trails, where it's imperative to start from the beginning?

The answer is... somewhere in the middle.

Much has been written about how to get into the Ys series, and no one has written more thoroughly on the topic than the folks over at Digital Emelas. In fact, if you *really* want to know about the whole Ys series, not just Ys I & II, there's no better resource out there for you to peruse.

Digital Emelas's "Story Path" recommendation
Over at Digital Emelas, you can get some incredibly in-depth explanations for which path you might choose to play the games, and why.

Instead of retreading the order of play, I'll offer two quick recommendations for starting the Ys series if you've never played one before:



Story Purist: Play Ys I (Chronicles) first. (Time to Beat: ~5 hours)

If you're confident that you're going to like the Ys series and you simply can't wait to dive in, there's no better place to start than Ys I. And if story matters more to you than gameplay, you'll dive right in with the archaic but charming Bump Combat system and a plot that leads you directly into Ys II.

Additionally, you get to meet series protagonist Adol Christin at the start of his journey, and be introduced to stalwart companion Dogi along the way. From here, simply follow DE's recommended story path and enjoy a complex and rewarding arc.



Gameplay Enthusiast: Play Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana first. (Time to Beat: ~40 hours)

However, if you don't care so much about the whole story side of things (or maybe you're just not sold on the series yet), I can't recommend Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana enough. It was the first Ys series game I played to completion, and I absolutely fell in love with the world and characters.

Even better, it's a mostly self-contained story that basically just asks you to know who Adol and Dogi are. There are a few callbacks, to be sure, but nothing that will prevent you from enjoying the story and gameplay to an immense degree. This also lets you decide if you like the modern stuff enough to try the old Bump Combat system, or if you'd just rather stick to the newer releases.


Either entrance is totally valid. And regardless of which one you pick, welcome to the World of Ys!