Ys: The Vanished Omens (Master System) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
511A playthrough of Sega's 1988 action-RPG for the Sega Master System, Ys: The Vanished Omens.
Ys: The Vanished Omens is a port of Falcom's original 1988 PC-88 action-RPG classic, and the first port to ever see an official English release. The game was rereleased a year later in the US for Dos and the Apple IIGS, and the most well-known of the English versions, Ys I & II for the TurboGrafx CD, wouldn't be released until 1990, shortly following after the launch of the system. The game has seen a number of ports and remakes released over the past twenty years, but for the earliest of series fans, this was the only way to play Ys in English for awhile.
If you've only played the Turbo version or the later computer versions, you'll probably notice quite a few differences made for this Sega port.
In the Master System game, you control Aron, the famed red-headed swordsman, as he helps local people, finds the ancient books of Ys, and takes down the ultimate evil, Dulk Dekt. The translation is a bit odd, certainly, but remember that this was its first translation, so Adol and Dark Fact hadn't been established yet as the official names. Besides the painfully unpolished faux-"olde English" (think Dragon Warrior but with many more grammatical errors), the translation is solid and generally makes sense, and all of the original characters and dialogues are here. It even has a few surprises if you've only played the later ones... for example, Sara's fate is far more grim here than it was in later releases.
The game was well known for its odd Hydlide-like battle system, wherein there is no action button - you dispatch your enemies merely by running into them. The damage done relied on the weapon equipped, the level of your character, and the angle and direction that you hit from - a head-on attack will usually hurt you more than them, so the best option is from behind or off to the side to give a glancing blow. It takes some getting used to, but it works quite well. The Master System version, however, is far touchier and less-forgiving than the Turbo port. Adol - ahem, Aron, I mean - can be pinballed around and slaughtered almost instantly if you aren't super vigilant. But still, once you get to grips with it, it's a novel and fun take on an action-based RPG battle system.
The maps have also been altered a bit, and I believe this is the only version that didn't make use of the original layouts. They're similar, but certain elements have been swapped around and reordered. It's actually pretty cool to play if you know the other versions, because this one feels more like a "remix" in that regard. My only issue here is that the max level is set at 10, and you have to be at level ten to do any damage to the boss in the mines. That means that there's no real incentive to fight anything from that point forward.
The graphics and sound are right about what you would expect of a PC-88 port, or of a console game from 1988. It's colorful and everything is clearly defined, so no real complaints there. The soundtrack is... well, it's a valiant attempt, but even Yuzo Koshiro's work struggles against the SMS's pathetic sound capabilities. The compositions are fantastic, but the system's sound chip renders them (like just about everything) in piercing, high-pitched beep fests. But again, if you're a Master System/Game Gear fan, this won't be a surprise. The Japanese release did support the FM-synth add-on, and it a huge step-up from the SMS PSG music.
If you only ever play one version of Ys, I'd have to recommend the TurboGrafx CD version. It was a massive upgrade. But, if you're a fan of the game or series and haven't tried this version before, I'd recommend it. It's a fun way to explore the roots of a series of games that now span over thirty years worth of releases.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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