Ys Book I & II (TurboGrafx CD) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
402A playthrough of Hudson Soft's 1990 RPG for the TurboGrafx CD, Ys Book I & II.
Ys Book I & II (pronounced "ease"), developed by Alfa System and published by Hudson, compiled the first two games of Falcom's series for the TurboGrafx CD system. Because the games have been combined, Ys I has to be beaten before you can access its sequel. Book II begins at 2:03:27.
Ys I and II were both originally made for the NEC PC-8801 (in 1987 and 1988, respectively), and though the first game had already seen official English releases (including for the Master System), this Hudson release represents the only official English release of Ys 2 until, in 2009, a 3D remake was included as part of Legacy of Ys: Books I & II for the Nintendo DS.
The CD-ROM format was still brand new on the consumer market in 1990, and NEC led the charge on the console front in America, introducing the CD-ROM² system upgrade for the TurboGrafx-16 in 1989 for an eye-watering $399 at launch. That didn't include the required base TG16 hardware, which was an additional $199.
The first games released on CD did little to justify such extreme cost ($600 in 1989 equates to appx. $1250 in 2020 money), but then Ys I & II arrived and stunned both the media and gamers alike.
Hailed as the first work to truly leverage the seemingly limitless storage capacity of compact discs, Ys Book I & II was among the very first big budget titles to be developed specifically for the CD format
The disc was packed with about twenty minutes worth of cinematic cutscenes, another twenty or so of digitized speech voiced by some big name talent, and over 40 CD quality music tracks. This was all in service of enhancing two (!) of the most polished, progressive RPGs of its day, and for a dedicated games console, no less!
To call Ys Book I & II impressive in 1990 would be a gross understatement, a fact well illustrated by the number of perfect scores and GOTY awards it took that year. It was a true system seller, eventually becoming a pack-in title with the release of the TurboDuo.
These adventures are the story of wandering swordsman Adol Christin. He heads to Esteria after hearing reports of disturbances, and the people of Minea Town fill him in on the details: vicious monsters now roam the once safe countryside, people are being robbed, and an evil figure in a black cloak has been spotted in the area.
A psychic, Sara, tells Adol that she has been expecting him. She claims that he is the hero that will deliver them all from evil, and asks him to travel to a nearby temple to retrieve one of the six books of Ys, a historical record that will guide our fated hero. With that, Adol is left to arm himself and to vanquish the evil that plagues the land. All in a day's work, right?
Ys' gameplay doesn't fit the typical JRPG mold. Combat occurs in real-time, and there's no dedicated attack button. Adol must ram himself into his enemies, and the outcome depends on the angle of his approach, his equipment, and his level relative to that of his opponent. If done well, Adol dishes out heavy damage. If not, he's in for a world of hurt.
The system takes a bit of getting used to but is elegant in its simplicity. You can quickly be wiped out if you aren't careful, but there are special abilities, conferred by special MP-draining rings of power, to help balance things out. You can also save anywhere, anytime outside of boss battles.
Ys I is an intimate feeling game, featuring a small number of locations and NPCs, but its charm carries the story well, and it's an excellent way to set up the far larger, more elaborate world presented in Ys 2. The dungeon design is largely excellent - I loved the way the game forces you to invest in each new area, many of which you'll revisit several times, and the boss fights are some of the most satisfying I've had in an RPG.
Unfortunately, Ys II does end up slipping a bit here. The introduction of attack magic is a godsend and the diversity of the areas makes the game much more appealing to look at than Ys I, but the temple dungeon and its sewers.... argh!! That late-game dungeon is an unreasonably huge maze that requires constant backtracking, and even with hand drawn maps, I still find it painful to navigate: it's the one spot in the entire collection that makes me want to just give up everytime I play. Perseverance is rewarded well, though, as the best parts of Ys II soon follow after. It's just an unfortunate hurdle to encounter in such an otherwise fantastic experience.
For me, the best part of the whole game is the soundtrack. Ryo Yonemitsu's remixes are absolutely superb. They don't rock nearly as hard as his music in Ys III does, but they all perfectly compliment the tone of the game, and the 80s synths sound awesome.
There's no question that this was one of Turbo's most important defining games, and it deserves to be. It's an unforgettable experience.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.