Ys X: Nordics Review – One Day, Under Those Northern Lights

Introduction: A Young Adol in Uncharted Territory

If there’s one fictional hero who can’t resist the call of adventure, no matter the circumstance, it’s the red-haired legend, Adol Christin. Telling his story to future generations via his travelogues, we only know a fraction of Adol’s adventures, but each one is bursting with intrigue, usually involving halting a cataclysm of some variety. This same general pattern applies to the latest entry, Ys X: Nordics, a highly unorthodox and refreshing outing for numerous reasons, partially due to this being one of Adol’s earliest adventures to date.

Narrative: A Gripping Story with a Standout Cast

Occurring around a month after Adol’s quests in Esteria and the floating island of Ys in Ys I and Ys II, Ys X: Nordics is the new third chronological title in the series (not counting Ys Origin). At 17 years old, Adol is still a fresh-faced adventurer, and he’s on his way to the land of Celceta with his new companion, Dogi, as well as Dr. Flair from Lance Village in the kingdom of Ys. However, the trio becomes involved in a large-scale conflict in the setting of Obelia Gulf regarding two factions: Normans and Griegr.

One of the Normans, a group of intimidating seafaring warriors, is the “pirate princess” Karja Balta, and she becomes attached to Adol, quite literally. Strangely, a pair of magical cuffs ties the two together to the extent that they must stay close at all times. Meanwhile, the Griegr, seemingly immortal monsters led by humanoids, take Obelia Gulf by storm, leading to what is essentially a war. Still, Adol and Karja are two of the few who are even capable of putting a dent in their forces since they’re blessed with Mana, the only phenomenon that can negate the Griegr’s perpetuity. Then, after the initial starting town of Carnac is destroyed in a Griegr attack, its ragtag youths band together in a united effort to save the scattered townsfolk.

While the Ys series is rarely known for its narratives, Ys X: Nordics is easily among the best, being my favorite next to Ys IX’s story. Ys IX benefitted highly from knowing the previous games, having the best party in the franchise, and being provided with an intricate character study of Adol himself that felt transcendental. Ys X doesn’t quite match those heights, but it instead thrives with a compelling bond between the two leads, Adol and Karja. The duo has a naturally growing relationship tethered in siblinghood rather than overt romantic inclinations, being a refreshing pace change contrasting Adol’s usual tendency to attract the opposite sex unconsciously.

In fact, Karja is undoubtedly the best female lead in the franchise, thanks to her constant on-screen presence, which has built an appreciated endearment. While she begins as being rather insensitive toward Adol and company, her insecurities and backstory are gradually unveiled, ultimately resulting in one of the most multi-faceted characters in the series. The rest of the central cast exhibits similar strengths, albeit to lesser extents. They have rather trope-filled arcs, but they complement each other excellently, and the believable bonds between the youths of Carnac, in particular, are a shining point among the vast cast.

Ys X: Nordics’ narrative also thrives with its tone, as it eventually boasts a constant nerve-wracking tension that permeates the second half of Ys Seven and the entirety of Ys IX. Even when considering that Adol has begun unconsciously making a name for himself, such as Karja’s father being aware of his bringing down Esteria’s stormwall, he’s still a budding adventurer. The stakes imposed by the humanoid Griegr are quite severe, emphasized by Adol’s youth. And on a personal note, playing a new Ys release that takes place around the time of the first two games is such a bizarre yet jarringly welcome sensation that gives this time period appreciated limelight.

Combat Mechanics: The Cross Action System and Revenge Gauge

The villains of Ys X are probably the best the series has seen since the more personal struggle of Oath in Felghana. The Griegr leaders are each distinctive in their personalities despite their seemingly shared ambition, and every scene they are in is impressively memorable. Further, they all have more of a connection to Adol and Karja than I expected, making their eventual culminations worthwhile. I hope this step-up in antagonist quality is retained for future entries.

Another layer to Ys X’s story is Adol’s dreamlike scenarios. Seemingly out of nowhere, whether in the middle of a cutscene or after finding a key item, Adol’s consciousness drifts off to an entirely separate location, an eerily tranquil island. Here, he befriends an elderly and amnesiac man, and the two bond as Adol tries to aid him in regaining his memories. Perhaps somewhat ironically, though, is that Adol has an undefined and constantly fluctuating time limit on this land during each visit, and he doesn’t retain the memories of this place, including of the elderly man after he’s whisked back to his familiar reality.

This structure is somewhat similar to the solo Dana segments in Ys VIII and Adol’s prison segments in Ys IX. In execution, as someone who preferred the prison sections of Ys IX due to the inherent shift in gameplay identity and tone that established well-communicated peril, Ys X’s solo segments stand in a middle ground between VII and IX. Besides the almost ethereal atmosphere entirely distinct from what the main game provides, Adol’s solo ventures simultaneously operate as tutorials for the exploration tools you acquire, which we’ll dive into later. I still prefer Ys IX’s general take on these individual outings, but Ys X’s iteration is at least less taxing than Ys VIII’s, which felt needlessly dragged on within its vast dungeon.

Exploration: Land, Sea, and the Call of Adventure

In the opening hours, you eventually gain access to your ship, the Sandras, which is slowly filled with various crewmates and citizens you save. The more permanent fixtures, comprised of townspeople from Carnac, receive a significant degree of focus, surpassing the strengths of the extended casts seen throughout Ys VIII and Ys IX. A notable drive towards these boons results from those same two games’ returning affinity event system. By giving gifts or completing particular gameplay milestones, you uncover previously shrouded veils of motivation and characterization that elucidate the cores of these characters.

Upgrades and Customization: The Deeply Satisfying Release Line

And speaking of returning systems, Ys X is a mix of old and new that manages to feel innately revitalizing after four games of similar structures. Firstly, the major change in Ys X: Nordics is the lack of a full party. Instead, only Adol and Karja are playable with the new Cross Action system. You can actively swap between two modes during combat: Duo and Solo. The former occurs while holding down R2 and has Adol and Karja perform attacks together at the expense of swing speed and agility while moving. On the other hand, Solo mode is comparable to previous titles, with you able to swap between controlling Adol and Karja on the fly. They both have their own individual array of learnable skills, as well as team attacks, and it’s all quite self-explanatory.

Interestingly, Ys X focuses far more on defensive maneuvers, with a guard that activates in tandem with the same button that unites Adol and Karja. This design choice leads directly to a new feature, the Revenge Gauge. This mechanic relies on you perfectly guarding incoming attacks, which builds up a multiplier. Then, activating a skill in Duo mode will deal multiplicative damage based on the acquired percentage from guarding. Generally speaking, your strategies against bosses will comprise building up that Revenge Gauge percentage and then unleashing it with a Duo skill.

Still, a few additional matters instill further depth into the overall combat loop. For one, your Revenge Gauge multiplier cap is actually an upgradeable component received similarly to collectibles and discoveries, intrinsically connecting various avenues of gameplay. Ultimately, the Revenge Gauge can let you deal up to five times the base damage for Duo skills. Not every attack can be guarded, though, as those with blue coloring can only be evaded by dashing into them, which is an ingrained factor you may have to battle internally.

Yet another crucial facet of Ys X’s combat progression is rooted in a new leveling structure dubbed the Release Line. While typical experience-based leveling is still in place, alongside learning new skills through maxing skill proficiencies and finding manuals, the Release Line is an altogether fresh concept for the series. Essentially, this menu consists of a vast grid with two sides for Adol and Karja that’s gradually increased in scope as they level up. This grid is connected through blank nodes you input items called mindgems inside of, and you can earn several passive boons depending on your slotted assortment.

There are multiple layers to the Release Line since different mindgem types are communicated by their color, and connecting multiples of the same color together will enhance their innate capabilities. As a few examples, red mindgems prioritize raw attack gain, while blue mindgems emphasize the efficacy of Mana skills. You also have rainbow mindgems that excel in all general areas, granting abilities of every type equally sans the dark attribute. Bluntly speaking, the Release Line is one of the most satisfying upgrade systems I’ve ever seen since so many builds can be pursued with little frustration, thanks to the ease at which you can remove and replace slots.

Further, some mindgems have a Strong-Arm variation, making the user’s regular attacks stronger yet slower. If equipped en masse, these heftier attacks are a game-changer, inherently altering your combat approach due to the sheer changes in speed. Moreover, when considering the degree of choice you have in what mindgems you desire based on what materials you have on hand for creation, this whole process is addictive and satisfying at practically all times. Plus, there is appreciated convenience in being able to access and customize your Release Line no matter where you are.

Continuing with the combat, Adol and Karja have unique charged attacks with fire and ice elemental properties, respectively. Besides boasting a circular range, they are capable of inflicting the burn and freeze status ailments. Many purchasable and findable accessories encourage the utilization of these effects, giving the charged attacks multiple layers beyond their vicinities and efficacy at being clean combo finishers. Yet, the facets don’t cease there because the charged strikes also affect the environment. Clusters of wood-blocking paths can be burned with Adol’s charged attack, while frozen platforms can be made on water surfaces with Karja’s iteration.

Visuals and Performance: Beautiful Yet Smooth on Modern Consoles

Without exaggeration, Ys X has one of my favorite action combat systems ever conceived, bolstered by stellar boss design that comes close to matching the quality of Ys: The Oath in Felghana and Ys Origin. Alas, the difficulty is too lenient, chiefly the perfect guarding windows, preventing the title’s boss battles from reaching those games’ heights.

Despite stepping up from Memories of Celceta, Lacrimosa of Dana, and Monstrum Nox, Ys X: Nordics still feels too easy on its Nightmare and Inferno difficulties. I did two separate complete playthroughs on those two modes, and even though there were a few spikes, which is more than I can say for the past three games, the challenge never felt quite far enough.

Exploration, both on land and sea, feels more expansive and rewarding than ever in Adol Christin’s journey.

Still, I’m only considering this fault in hindsight since, in the moment, the weight and movement of the combat and the movement made every encounter indescribably thrilling. The lack of punishing difficulty never impeded my enjoyment. I immediately clicked with the sheer gameplay feel here, to an extent I can only compare to my history with the Kingdom Hearts games. I can’t speak for everyone on this point, but Ys X’s combat weight is so impressively intuitive that it only took a matter of minutes before everything became second nature. It was so immensely addictive that even two full playthroughs back to back weren’t enough for fulfillment, which led to experiencing the Time Attack and Boss Rush modes.

The other central avenue of Ys X’s gameplay revolves around exploration, and you can divide it between land and sea travel. Surpassing the likes of every previous Ys game in sheer scope, you have complete control over a ship, the Sandras, as you traverse every corner of the Obelia Gulf. Unfortunately, the marketing of Ys: X Nordics has not done an adequate job of highlighting the ship’s gameplay, and I expect the playable window of the demo to provide a similarly poor showcase.

The major fault with the ship implementation, and really the only real negative point I have on Ys X: Nordics, is how unnecessarily long it takes for the strengths of the ship systems to open up. At first, you can only slowly steer the ship on the open waters, with only a single boost of wind and literally nothing else. The frequently detectable mana streams on the ocean enhance sailing speed and the refill speed of the boost meter, but it’s all still too gradual. Eventually, you can upgrade various facets of the ship, including its boost capacity, damage output, and weapon types. Still, the most crucial aspect of player attachment, the speed, should have been boosted from the beginning. While the slow-burn growth of the ship’s capabilities clearly illustrates the feats of your action, a better middle ground should have been struck.

Regardless, the ship navigation is undeniably the most that this series has embraced adventure, and it has been implemented splendidly. The general feel of movement and combat is, at least personally, most comparable to the likes of the Caribbean world from Kingdom Hearts III, with you able to fire cannons and other weapon types with their own respective cooldown times. Further, you gain a barrier that can be turned on and off at will, and other functionalities become more enjoyable the later you progress. Ship battles are a genuine thrill, bolstered by the dynamic ability to board select ships mid-battle and defeat occupants in typical combat. Above all else, you must be patient for this vessel’s capabilities to open up.

Circling back to returning systems, Ys X features a similar implementation as the raids from Ys VIII and Ys IX, which are ship captures. Thankfully, whereas the initial execution of this concept, as seen in Ys VIII, was tedious and dull due to needless wait times, Ys X is fresh and brilliantly paced. These ship captures are divided into two halves; the first requires ridding barriers, with enemy ships patrolling the premises that you can also shoot down should you so desire.

Then, once every barrier has been eliminated, which should only take a few minutes at most, even if you shoot down enemy vessels, you land atop the island the barriers were protecting. From this point, you engage in several combat and even navigational trials. Plus, you can gain additional boons to aid you in this second half, depending on how well you performed in the ship segment of this process.

The Cross Action system and Revenge Gauge add a layer of strategic depth that sets Ys X apart from its predecessors.

Ultimately, the ranking system of these captures is not as strict as it should be since you can achieve S Ranks without accumulating many of those supplemental bonuses. However, you still need to be decently swift and defeat most, if not all, enemies in the land portion. Yet, what stands out the most with these raid replacements is how not only do they never overstay their welcome, but they’re also relatively sporadic, not being unnecessarily and overly frequent like in Ys VIII.

Besides the ship captures, I was taken aback by just how much there is to do on the sea. As a few examples, aside from specific character questlines, you can discover wholly optional islands, instances of notable wildlife, treasure map goals, tuna fishing, merchant ships, and more. These activities and discoveries are not overly recurring, making ocean traversal a continually delightful affair that I was satisfied with by the journey’s end.

I also appreciated the crew conversations that are manually activated as you travel. The crew’s core, the youths of Carnac, receive a substantial degree of supplemental focus here that sells their shared histories and friendships magnificently. Various avenues of lore regarding the Obelia Gulf region and beyond are also imparted here, ensuring each trip is eventful. Going further beyond, the ship can be navigated on foot and has numerous facilities gradually unlocked as characters are recruited. Between ship upgrading and shops to cooking and reporting accolades, there’s always a task to complete, no matter what avenue of progress you achieve.

Land exploration is nothing to scoff at either, with a supremely compelling movement system rooted in the mana tools you acquire. For instance, my personal favorite is the Gullinboard. This device can be ridden upon whenever you desire, and it’s momentum-based, meaning that it moves much faster when going down hills and slowly when going up inclines. This sheer act alone is phenomenal because the speed you can gain feels transcendent, letting you soar past brief obstacles and platforms if timed correctly.

Ys X: Nordics blends nostalgia with innovative mechanics, delivering one of the most compelling entries in the series.

Other mana abilities include a hookshot-esque device that’s rather self-explanatory and a monocle that functions similarly to the Mask of Eyes from previous entries, letting you scan for enemies and critical areas of interest and even stopping time briefly. This tool is likely the one you’ll use the most alongside the Gullinboard since every explorable area has hidden treasure that can only be detected and picked up when the monocle is active. This continuous sense of discovery, doubled by the treasure maps you can sometimes find for exploring the sea, makes Ys X feel like the most adventurous outing yet.

Fishing has returned as well, and it works practically identically as in Ys VIII, with the only difference being that Karja or Adol will support you when a related gauge is full. Multiple bait types are available, too, and it’s just a generally pleasing pastime that has also been made relievingly convenient. At fishing spots, bait guaranteed to provide a new catch is outfitted with an exclamation point. So, if you’re only seeking new fish to fill out your records, you aren’t unnecessarily wasting time.

Moving on, Ys X is transparent with its sidequests, similar to the most recent entries, thanks to the deadline timeframes provided, which communicate their respective states of urgency. These tasks are usually diverse in application, such as requiring monster slaying or aiding townsfolk in precise ways. Above all else, their rewards are worthwhile, and a decent chunk helps sell the sense of compact community between the Normans, Carnac dwellers, and other villagers.

Soundtrack quality is always a controversial topic in dedicated Falcom fan circles, and Ys X will likely fuel that discussion. For reference, I’ve found the developer’s soundtrack quality to have dipped since post-Cold Steel II, but I’ve still mostly enjoyed the output since. Ys X doesn’t come close to reaching the caliber of what Lacrimosa of Dana, Origin, Felghana, or Seven brought to the table, but I’d say it’s at least above the standards of Ys IX, which I still enjoyed. Granted, there is still a noticeable lack of variety in the tracks’ tones.

In the realms of localization, Ys X is fairly proficient despite a handful of minor, detectable typos. Although there is a collective set of errors from NIS America where some of the brief choreographed cutscenes lack English subtitles; this was only present a handful of times. Performance on PlayStation 5 was buttery smooth, at least, with no complications whatsoever.

Conclusion: A Top-Tier Ys Adventure with Room for More

I can’t emphasize enough how much I fell in love with Ys X: Nordics. The captivating, tense narrative, stellar cast, and gripping new gameplay systems all coalesce to create an adventure that easily surpasses many of the series’ previous heights. Now standing as my third favorite entry in the franchise behind Ys Origin and Ys: The Oath in Felghana, Ys X: Nordics is a new modern Falcom classic and a testament to the series’ continued growth for the foreseeable future. Regardless of your history with Ys, this is simultaneously an ideal jumping-on-point for prospective new players and veteran fans, instilling a sense of scope the developer has never before explored.

When considering the secret, optional scene in the epilogue that only encourages theory-crafting, it’s anyone’s guess as to where the next entry will go. Still, I at least know for sure that I want to see the Cross Action system return and evolve.