Ys III (Wanderers from Ys) PC Engine CD Playthrough
0Having been decently impressed by the first two Ys games on PC Engine CD, and having played Ys III on SNES as a kid (oof), I wanted to see if that game perhaps fared better on PC Engine CD.
As with I & II, Ys III on PC Engine CD again benefits from CD audio for its OST and for voiced cutscenes. The OST is once again outstanding; the cutscenes, however, are a huge step down from Ys I & II. I was repeatedly floored by how high-quality the English voiceover work was when I played I & II; III, on the other hand, is far more on-par with what I'd expect of early 90s voice dubs. Chester seems particularly weak, which is a shame given how crucial his role is in the plot.
Speaking of the plot, that is something I was never able to get a good read on as a kid playing the SNES version, as I seem to recall that particular localization being pretty incomprehensible. Fortunately, all of the dialogue in the PC Engine CD version seems pretty competently translated, and what surprised me is just how much of the plot existed prior to The Oath in Felghana. When I'd first played Oath, I had assumed it added quite a bit to the plot, and while it certainly does add embellishments and even some twists, the core of the plot is in fact fully intact from the 90s versions. I have to figure that having played Oath certainly helped me understand the plot in this version; while the localization is competent enough, the breadcrumbs can be pretty barebones.
While I don't remember the SNES version too well, I get the impression this version is pretty similar in terms of items, progression, and layouts. Where I have to figure this version differs, though, is its boss fights. I distinctly remember at least 2 late-game bosses on SNES giving me a ton of trouble as a kid, to the point where I only finished the game with a debug code. I am fairly certain this version has an extremely-pared-down Galbalan fight compared to SNES, which is probably a ton more reasonable as a result.
I was very surprised at how quickly I blazed through this version - though that was delayed a couple of times in the final area due to returning to town for resources, and if this game is sorely lacking one thing, it's a teleport item.
This has left me very curious to play the Genesis version which I've always seen compared favorably directly against the SNES version, and maybe even put myself through replaying the SNES version to appreciate just how much more reasonable this version is.
00:00 - Intro
04:18 - Boot-up cutscenes
12:46 - Surprise cameo from my VGM covers channel
16:21 - Game start