Ys X: Nordics (Nintendo Switch) Review

Ys VIII (and its many re-releases) largely was a beloved entry when it came out, it was the first time the series hit a mainstream console, and was liked for its combat, story, and exploration. Ys IX took a darker tone, including city exploration instead of a huge island mountain. Ys X: Nordics entails sailing around islands, and unfortunately really feels like the series needs some serious innovation, because other than wearing out the formula, there are outright backward steps taken.

Right off the bat a named character getting killed that sets an unrealistic expectation for the rest of the plot. This is a criticism that often applies to JRPGs, but especially the modern Falcom games where often the player feels like 'nothing matters' in the story. From a plot point of view when someone dies it suggests a darker world, or if done especially well indicates an 'anyone can die' trope. This is not to say characters have to die to make a good story, but when a tale crosses into this realm, when the plot later pulls punches it comes off as weaker than if it had never gone there at all.

The problem with this narration style is that the main characters have bulletproof plot armour, and far too often entire towns get decimated but everyone is okay in the end. It leaves a bad whiplash or even disengagement from the player to go from feeling supposed to care for a character or think something serious will happen, then lo and behold no-one that important actually encounters harm. Any big destruction feels more like a weekend cartoon where all the enemies bail out of the tank right before it gets nuked to oblivion.

Like many of the recent Falcom games, Ys X: Nordics feels like previous Ys titles with a slightly different skin. The story is filled with a lot of quantity, but not a lot of quality. Every single side character has a long story, and NPCs are talk about how their day is. Some gamers are going to enjoy this formula, but the problem is it dilutes the main story which is already weak; focusing on two characters, one of whom doesn't talk beyond the meaningless narrative choice occasionally offered.

To further clarify this point, the story revolves around Adol and the pirate girl Karja. Their relationship borders on sibling-like with bickering, joking, and they are there for each other in moments of need. Karja is a cool character, but is hardly awesome enough to carry the whole plot which is what the game unfortunately places on her. Adol is largely the silent protagonist trope, and with the only other playable character being Karja means she has to do a lot of the talking. Contrast this with the large groups of previous entries this alone is a huge knock against the game. It is easy to get tired of both of them after only a few hours of gameplay.

Exploration is a weak point in Ys X. In Ys VIII each area had its own unique feel, and there was an awesome culmination of realizing that an entire mountain had been climbed while traversing these areas. Looking back at where they came from upon reaching the summit was a memorable moment. Nordics will be remembered for how annoying the sailing section is. This perhaps calls for a side discussion on how certain things that are enjoyable or meaningful in real life are just mundane in a game. Consider a nice stroll or hike through the woods, it gives someone time to think, reflect, and enjoy the atmosphere. In a game, however, there is a reason why characters run, and any walking sections can often evoke anger and impatient feelings. In real life sailing is an enjoyable experience of sensing the sea, the air, and seeing an island in the distance. In Ys X how slow the ship moves is an annoyance and just endless sailing of blue. Each separate island does nothing to tie together a larger narrative or experience like the huge mountain of the Ys VIII.

Combat is also yet another downgrade in Ys X. There are only two playable characters as mentioned, Adol the sword user and Karja who wields an axe. Neither of them are particularly deep personalities, which means the enjoyment of them burns out pretty quick. They introduce a new mode where the characters fight in unison, defending and attacking together. It looks stylish, but it is completely broken, rendering normal mode useless. It automatically blocks most attacks, and players will fall into a really repetitive cycle of block, unleash a guard break attack, then spam attacks and repeat.