Anime Ys series

[LESS T_T]

Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim - Localization Blog #1: http://xseedgames.tumblr.com/post/115437887590

This brought up two very important questions for us: What do we do about the translation (Do we attempt to acquire Konami’s? Do we try to work with our esteemed fan-translator again? Or do we re-translate from scratch?)… and what do we do to bring this 12-year-old game not just up to modern-day compatibility and presentational standards, but also up to the standards set by its already-available PC followups, Ys: The Oath in Felghana and Ys Origin?

In other words, how do we take the oldest game in the most beloved Ys trilogy, and give it the legs it needs to stand toe-to-toe with its big brothers?

The translation part was simple: After evaluating our options, we decided that re-translating the game was the way to go. Konami’s official translation, while excellent, features an entirely different tone and different nomenclature from what we at XSEED were looking to produce, and the fan-translation largely followed suit, so it only made sense to give this game a full-on “makeover” to bring it more in line with the rest of the series we’ve had on offer up to this point. To do this, we called in our ringer, Dan: the same Falcom fanatic who translated Ys: Memories of Celceta for us. And as expected, he did a fantastic job, making life much easier on Brittany during what was to become her second ever completed editing project (after Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven).

 

[Crooked Bee]

I assume Konami's official translation, "while excellent," was actually shit, given that they decided to retranslate the game from scratch?

 

[Valestein]

Ark of Naphistim is releasing on Steam and GOG the 28th of this month: http://www.worldofys.com/ysvi/

 

[Jack Dandy]

hypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehypehype

I fucking LOVE how Xseed does their websites :D

 

[Crooked Bee]

Localization blog: http://xseedgames.tumblr.com/post/116671009335/ys-vi-the-ark-of-napishtim-localization-blog-2

Hi, everyone!

This is Brittany, Production Coordinator at XSEED Games. I was the editor and graphic text monkey for the PC version of Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim. I normally also do Steam achievements for our games (and my early work was…something, let’s be real here), but the honor this time fell to our extremely dedicated in-house tester, Danielle.

I thought I’d take this time to talk about my relationship with Ys. My first real interaction with the series was shortly after I’d started at XSEED as a lowly prisoner intern with Ys: The Oath in Felghana. XSEED as a whole was new to Steam and, to be quite honest, I was not a PC gamer. I definitely wasn’t into high-speed action RPGs, either. I was asked to test the title after being given a brief run of what Ys was (“Red-haired guy goes on lots of adventures”). Everyone was excited.

Except for me.

I hated it! Oh, man, did I hate playing Oath in Felghana at first. Like said, I wasn’t into action RPGS—I was into turn-based battles or slow, methodical strategy games. I didn’t know enough about Ys to really enjoy the characters or world, I never was big on the whole “silent protagonist” thing, and I kept dying! Death, death, death! Death at every corner! My co-worker had added an actual achievement for dying because he kept telling me that was half the fun of Ys, but I was just getting frustrated instead.

It took a good, long while for me to get into the swing of things. QA forces you to test dozens of playthroughs sometimes, so I didn’t suck forever. I’d eventually gotten good enough to where I could beat the entire game with all the bells and whistles in a matter of a few hours. You might think that would make me even moresick of the game, but the funny thing is, it actually made me learn to love it.

Before you cry, “Yo, that’s some serious Stockholm syndrome,” I guess I should say this happens to me with a lot of games. The first playthrough, I’ll hate it; even if I absolutely love video games, getting the feel for a new world is always a bit daunting for me. It’s hard for me to absorb all the details while I’m concentrating on the things the game is making me focus on—and the details usually end up being my favorite parts—so I end up feeling like I missed out on something. My second playthrough, however, is when I feel like I can safely explore all the nooks and crannies of the world and absorb all of the foreshadowing and subtle references, and discover new details that just add to the world’s culture. It becomes comfortable, you know?

This is what happened with Oath in Felghana. I started to see beyond the insane amount of deaths and started going, “Wow, actually, it’s really cool how all of these items I own have hidden uses that I have to really explore to figure out. I like how the game’s not holding my hand,” and, “You know, the story and the characters are really entertaining. I can’t believe how each NPC has a name and unique character design!” The dungeons were well thought-out and left plenty of surprises to make back-tracking enjoyable. Despite the story being simple, it didn’t have any holes, but instead wrapped itself up in an orderly, neat bow. I was even starting to see the value in Adol Christin being a silent protagonist. He was an adventurer, and he wasn’t meant to actively impress his viewpoints of the world—he just wanted to explore and be a part of the world that already existed.

What truly solidified my love for Ys, however, was the series’ prequel, Ys Origin. This story didn’t star our lovely Adol the Red and his best friend (boyfriend), Dogi, but instead starred the ancestors to many known figures introduced in Ys I&II. This time, I didn’t feel so lost; thanks to Oath in Felghana’s introduction to the world, Ys Origin felt more like I was expanding upon finely-documented lore. The story, once again, was simple, but its characters, flow, and gameplay (now that I’d finally gotten a handle of Ys in general) left me craving more. Barring Ys V, I’ve now happily played every single major title in the series.

I knew we were going to do The Ark of Napishtim eventually, so I’d intentionally held off playing it until we had received the rights and were able to proceed with the localization. Of course, I had no idea that I would be editing the game until a few days before I’d started—we had several editors in the office who have played Konami’s localization on PS2 before, and then we have our own resident Falcom fan, Tom Lipschultz. Why would I be chosen to edit? But it happened. Somehow.

Initially, all the character, item, and location names in the PC version were given localized names that were more or less the same as those in the Konami versions of the game, and while most are still the same (since they were perfectly fine, accurately-translated names to begin with), I did end up changing a few here and there. This is most apparent with NPC names—little Sia, for example, is called Shea in our localization, shopkeeper Cloa is Croix, and Romn-loving drunkard Calman is Carmine. There are several more, but I’ll save those for when the game has launched.

(This screen isn’t actually in the game, but a fun text bug. QA is great.)

This also ended up being my second project at XSEED as lead editor, so while I am proud of the end result, I’m still feeling out my “style,” admittedly. I hope what Tom and Jess (Trails in the Sky, Rune Factory Frontier/4) have beat into me taught me over the years reflects well with this project. Every editor has a distinct style, and every editor will also tell you they have an easier time with certain types of characters than others. As an example, one of our Story of Seasons editors, Nick, has always said he works best with older, more formal characters. I personally struggle with those types, which made The Ark of Napishtim a challenge since there’s an entire village full of characters on the formal side. I’m definitely not a fan of the old standby “formal = no contractions” rule, as even the most formal of people in real life say things like can’t/don’t over cannot/do not—I think abusing the no contractions thing comes off as stiff and unnatural—but still, I hope that the formal air of the Rehda wasn’t lost by choosing not to go that route. Just as well, I hope that my connection with the much more rowdy townspeople of Port Rimorge shows, too. And with Geis. I like Geis.

(I also wonder if it’s really a good idea to talk about struggles with editing like this in an official blog post. Ha ha.)

To me, the beauty of Ys is that even though the series has been around for decades, the developers have cleverly designed the series so that your starting point doesn’t matter. Adol Christin is a simple young man who started adventuring at 16 and didn’t stop until his death at 63 (yes, that’s canon, apparently!), and each game features one of his many expeditions which were dutifully recorded in his travelogue. All of this and more has been known from the very first game, so you’re simply filling in a few pre-established blanks with every new Ys title you play. Developer Nihon Falcom has had plenty of time to move from laying down the foundation to building a fantastic library of information that effortlessly intertwines with each new title—all without ever forcing the player to know Adol’s lengthy history as a prerequisite for enjoying any single one of his adventures. Looking back on it now, how on earth could I have hated these games?

I can’t stress enough how much of a privilege it is to have edited an Ys title. Newbie I may be, but I certainly poured my heart into The Ark of Napishtim. If you’re a returning Ys fan, enjoy yet another wonderful entry in the series. For those who are only just now stepping into the world of Ys, all I can say is: adventure awaits.

- Brittany

 

[Valestein]

The sad thing is that this'll be the last Ys game we'll get localized on PC, unless they localize the Chinese PC versions of Seven and Celceta(fingers crossed for that).

 

[Amn Nom]

ALL ABOARD THE HYPE TRAIN. Can't wait to get my hands on this.

The sad thing is that this'll be the last Ys game we'll get localized on PC, unless they localize the Chinese PC versions of Seven and Celceta(fingers crossed for that).

You don't want them. From what I understand, the company who did the Chinese ports riddles their games with some rather nasty DRM and made a half-assed effort. You would be much better off just grabbing a Vita for next to nothing and making it your Falcolm machine.

 

[Valestein]

ALL ABOARD THE HYPE TRAIN. Can't wait to get my hands on this.

The sad thing is that this'll be the last Ys game we'll get localized on PC, unless they localize the Chinese PC versions of Seven and Celceta(fingers crossed for that).

You don't want them. From what I understand, the company who did the Chinese ports riddles their games with some rather nasty DRM and made a half-assed effort. You would be much better off just grabbing a Vita for next to nothing and making it your Falcolm machine.

Oh, I already have Celceta(the limited edition to boot) and Seven on my Vita. I just wanted them on PC as well.

Would be nice if Xseed could remove the DRM and improve the port.

 

[Valestein]

Game's out today and on sale for 15% off until the 5th of May. Bought the steam version and what's interesting is that it comes with the "material collection", which is the game art.

 

[Jack Dandy]

Started Nightmare Catastrophe and I am dying and loving every moment.

And yeah, the materical collection is super cool! Shitloads of hi-res art.

 

[amdus]

DotEmu relased jewdroid version of Ys Chronicles 1 on jewgle play store for $4.99/4.99€
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dotemu.ys1x

 

[garren]

Ok someone sell me on these games. I tried a demo a while back and just ran around in similar looking rooms doing the same attack over and over again. What makes these games special?

 

[4249]

Simple but addictive fast-paced gameplay with great boss fights. Fun music too if you're into over-the-top cheesy metal.

At first the gameplay is just mashing the basic attacks. In addition to those you unlock 3 different abilities that use your energy. The gameplay mostly revolves around learning the movesets and weak spots of your enemies and timing your attacks correctly. Most of the fun, atleast for me, comes from the boss fights which are usually finely tuned to offer great challenge but still feel very fair.

 

[Valestein]

Ys is simply a manly game series.

 

[Amn Nom]

Ok someone sell me on these games. I tried a demo a while back and just ran around in similar looking rooms doing the same attack over and over again. What makes these games special?

Ys is the best at what it does. You have a game where you start off with next to nothing, and progression happens like any other game. What's different is Ys progression is at a break neck pace so as you gain levels to better handle challenges, all while being able to deal with them better. You start out a dungeon barely able to touch something and end it one shotting the trash. Then you get to a boss. The boss obliterates you if you don't pay attention. So its a frantic fight for your life while you try to learn the boss with amazing music blasting in the background. You down the boss and feel a strong sense of accomplishment at how you overcame the struggle. That my friend is the Ys experience.

Edit: This all assumes you crank the difficulty up. The game is meant to be played at Hard on minimum.

 

[Archibald]

My favourite thing about series is that it is rather simplistic (when compared to other action games), but gameplay ends up being superior to most of them. Perfect example that you don't need lots of complexity to create deep game.

 

[Shadenuat]

 

[Jack Dandy]

Isha is cute ! Cute ! ! Cute ! ! !

 

[Crooked Bee]

She looks like a Bioware companion.

 

[Shadenuat]

Goddesses now have ears and tails

Adol, INTRODUCE YOURSELF

 

[Valestein]

Ordered Udon's Ys artbook yesterday -> http://www.udonentertainment.com/blog/tag/ys-the-art-book/

I shall be getting 280 pages worth of the franchise's art since it's inception 25 years ago.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Finished Ys VI just some minutes ago. The game actually crashed on me during the final credits, possibly due to anime overload.

Anyway, clichéd plot and characters aside*, I really enjoyed it. It isn't as good as Ys Origin - the most recent Ys game I played and the one I remember best. The fights are less interesting on average and I think the level design is at least a bit worse too, though thankfully there are some side quests to do and secrets to find. Trying to rush past a pretty much unkillable optional boss to get that one item, and finally succeeding on a 6th or 7th try, was pretty intense.

Steam says it took me 16 hours to do everything in the game (except killing the aforementioned optional boss since I couldn't even scratch him without grinding and I don't like grinding), but I think it's actually more like 12 or so hours of playtime, discounting the idle time. Importantly, during all these hours, I just had plain fun, and not only with boss fights; just running around hacking and slashing things, or avoiding things that were too dangerous and then coming back to kick their ass later, felt very satisfying. This is the thing with good Ys games - it's just pure ARPG fun, without (m)any additional bells and whistles. So if you enjoyed Origin or Oath, chances are you might enjoy Ys VI too.

* Rose is the best character in the game, by the way.

 

[Durandal]

Although the series is set up in such a way you can start from any game, I'd recommend you play the first two Ys games so you can learn to appreciate the references in the later game, definitely do it if you're going to play Ys Origin.
If you're going to play the Ark-Oath-Origin Trilogy (I have no idea what it is officially called), I'd recommend you start with Ark and move on to either Oath or Origin.
Ark of Napishtim was Falcom's first 3D Ys game, so compared to Oath and Origin the gameplay from Ark might seem a little outdated. Like how your normal combo is only 3 hits, how there is no Boost Mode, or how elemental magic in Ark does not have any use for platforming or exploration. I'd do it because you'll learn to appreciate the changes Falcom made over the games. I started with Origin and playing Ark didn't bug me that much, but I can't say the same for other people.
What Ark did better in comparison to Oath and Origin, was the sidequests. Exploration in Ark would net you alot of cool accessories which could do a whole bunch of stuff like leeching HP from kills or even increasing your max HP by 50%. You could even wear 5/6 accessories near the end of the game, while Oath and Origin only had 1 slot, with a smaller amount of accessories to choose from, most of which were purely situational, so you'd end up wearing the Spirit Cape most of the time. There were SOME sidequests, just not as much as in Ark.

 

[Crooked Bee]

I came to VI from Origin and I think it's fine. The controls are responsive and the action is fluid enough.

As for Ys I, I actually plan on playing it next. Never played it before.

elemental magic in Ark does not have any use for platforming or exploration

It does at least once - you can use the wind sword's magic to get to a certain ledge you can't just jump or dash-jump across because there's a stone block in your way. It's in the same dungeon that has hidden / invisible platforms; I forget the name.

There's not much of that though, I agree.

You could even wear 5/6 accessories near the end of the game

Actually, I think the maximum is four, unless there's something the FAQ I consulted failed to mention.

I do agree that being able to equip several accessories at once is fun, though it can also be pretty overpowered.

leeching HP from kills

Too bad it's just 5 (?) HP per kill, so its usefulness is highly situational. (There's an enemy that spits out a swarm of smaller creatures, making that accessory useful. But it's mostly a waste at higher levels.)

 

[Shadenuat]

I finished Waifu Ears Tails Cute VI too. Better than Felghana story- and character-wise, because of the references. Shame I know nothing about how Adol managed to get into a pirate crew. However, I think Felghana has better gameplay and bosses. Isha Cute VI certanly feels rougher compared to games where they advanced the system even more. The tracking attacks on some bosses is a real offender, and the multiple sword system is just not there yet as compared to Felghana & Origins.
I was hoping they would bring back journal like in White Dresses and Wings 1&2 and an option to turn into something and give everyone flowers.

Naturally Origins is the most polished, fun and cool Ys game so far.