PSP 25-in-25: Ys Seven
We close out our PSP 25-in-25 series with one of the crowing jewels of RPGs. The name may sound weird, but the game is incredibly awesome.
Ys Seven
Players: 1 Offline Player
Publisher: XSEED Games
Genres: Action, RPG
Publisher: XSEED Games
Genres: Action, RPG
Release Date: August 17, 2010
Developer: Nihon Falcom
MSRP: $19.99
Developer: Nihon Falcom
MSRP: $19.99
Adol and Dogi are on their largest adventure ever in the land of Altago! Discover the many mysteries that await as they battle the five Great Dragons to save the world from destruction. Ys Seven is the latest iteration in the Ys series, specificially designed for the PSP.
PSP 25-in-25: Ys Seven
Posted By Taylor H. about 3 months ago
Ladies and gentleman, today we present to you our final 25-in-25 recommendation for the PSP. We’ll have one last article discussing the future of the PS Vita, as well as a few honorable mentions. We hope you’ve enjoyed this series and found a few games you may not have heard of before. Today’s installment focuses on (in my opinion) the best action RPG the PSP has to offer, Ys Seven. What differs this title from the others in the series is that it was a brand new title designed specifically for the PSP, not a remake of any kind.
Ys Seven once again pits Adol Christin in the lead role trying to save the world. The story is pretty generic, but sets the stage for some neat levels. You’ll have to travel across the world to awaken the five great dragons. It sounds a lot like Lunar: Silver Star Story, I know, but the Dragon battles are seriously epic and fun. While the story is pretty “meh” the rest of the game is amazing.
The action is really where it’s at in Ys Seven. Combat is fluid, fast-paced, and fun. I’m not a big fan of grinding, but Ys Seven made me one because the combat is that good. You have a normal attack, a charge attack, and also magic. What keeps the combat fresh is the ability to swap party members on the fly. Some enemies require stronger attacks, while others are easier to deal with from a distance. Play the game for a few minutes and I promise you the battle system will have you hooked.
The game also has a few “Metroid-vania” aspects. The dungeons will often have inaccessible areas until you acquire a certain item. For example, we won’t be able to cross a pit of lava until you have the fire shoes. This encourages exploration, which is only enhanced by that fantastic combat I’ve been mentioning. The dungeons are all themed based around the dragon they house. Each one has unique mechanics and color schemes. My personal favorite was the water dragon. The use of water-based mechanics was actually quite fun and the dungeon simply look amazing.
I can’t talk about this game without mentioning the amazing music. The soundtrack for this game is hands-down my favorite for any PSP game. It’s a mix of typical RPG fare, with heavy rock battle themes. Youtube “Ys Seven OST” and be prepared to be amazed. If you are planing on buying the game I would highly recommend buying the premium edition that includes the soundtrack. You’ll thank me later.
I heard people constantly raving about this game. The name sounded weird and I was a bit hesitant to take a risk on it. After playing the game, I was absolutely sold. The Ys series is one of the best the PSP has to offer and Ys Seven is the crowning jewel. If you don’t own this game for your PSP, I highly recommend buying it as I have yet to hear anyone not like the game.
You can find more articles in our PSP 25-in-25 series over here, and stayed tuned tomorrow for our final article in the PSP 25-in-25 series!
Summer Daze: Ys Seven
If I were to line up all the PSP games I own and tried to pick my favorite, it would be a rather tough choice. Undoubtedly though, Ys Seven would certainly be in the mix.
PSP 25-in-25: Ys Seven
We close out our PSP 25-in-25 series with one of the crowing jewels of RPGs. The name may sound weird, but the game is incredibly awesome.
Summer Daze: Ys Seven
If I were to line up all the PSP games I own and tried to pick my favorite, it would be a rather tough choice. Undoubtedly though, Ys Seven would certainly be in the mix.
Summer Daze: Ys Seven
Posted By Taylor H. about 10 months ago
Summer Daze: Ys Seven
Tired of the summer drought cramping your gaming lifestyle? Looking for another excuse to avoid the sandy shores of the beach? Well, look no further as we go through the Summer Daze with a crop of memorable games for you to ponder over. Good, bad, or just downright ugly, we shall be reviewing past titles all summer long. Today’s addition is: Ys Seven!
While some may consider the PSP nothing more than a port machine, I’d beg to differ. There are plenty of wonderfully-unique titles that make the system worth owning. In my opinion, no single company better supports the system with these amazing games than XSEED. Today, you’re going to learn why Ys is the premiere gaming series for the PSP.
| PROS | Fast-paced & fun gameplay, amazing rock-themed soundtrack, and a beautiful, vibrant world. |
| CONS | The story is beyond cliché. |
| WTF?! | Why don’t more people know about this game? |
If I were to line up all the PSP games I own and tried to pick my favorite, it would be a rather tough choice. Undoubtedly though, Ys Seven would certainly be in the mix. It takes everything that makes video games fun and purposefully tailors it for the PSP. Of all the games I’ve been playing in my summer backlog, this was probably my favorite. What is Ys Seven all about? Allow me to enlighten you…
Like all other Ys games, you take the role of Adol Christin in search of adventure in the land of Altago. You’re asked to investigate some mysterious earthquakes at request of the King. What begins as a simple scouting mission turns into an epic adventure to save the world from five dragons and a great evil. The game’s plot is admittedly unoriginal, but still has charm and will keep you interested. It’s also a perfect excuse to explore various elemental-themed areas.
What you don’t know is that he rang the doorbell over an hour ago. And he’s still waiting…
Where the game catches its stride though is its gameplay. The Ys games are about fun, fast-paced action, and Ys Seven is no difference. It plays out like an action RPG; dodge rolls, regular attacks, special attacks and the like. The game mixes it up a bit though by allowing you swap between your other two party members on the fly. They’re all fairly unique as well and you have a good number to choose from.
I’ve heard some people not liking this feature, but I think it really helps keep the game fresh throughout. Certain enemies are weaker against certain ally attacks as well, so the game forces you to try out all the characters. I think this is brilliant game design because it gives you a feel for all the characters and helps you decide on what party you want to stick with. Because of how easy it is to do, swapping through your party members mid-battle is also just pure fun.
The boss battles are also back and are just as intense as ever. Facing menacing creatures after finishing a dungeon feels like a fitting climax that provides a solid challenge. They all have different attack patterns as well that are unique from one another. While some may simply need you to dodge their rush attack, others have you scaling their backs to dish out the damage. Your skills will no doubt be tested and pushed to their limits, but defeating a boss is extremely satisfying and gives you a nice sense of accomplishment. These boss battles are without question the highlight of the game.
9/10
- July 30, 2011 at 10:16am
I actually went to get Ys Seven but the store only had Oath of Falghana so I got that instead and it’s been an interesting game. I will be getting Seven after I am done with this one
- July 23, 2011 at 09:31pm
Hmm.. this was one of the series I always sorta ignored.. but with all the dual pack ports on the PSP.. maybe I could pick some up. I’m a sucker for any game that comes in a shiny box.
- July 23, 2011 at 02:38pm
If I remember correctly early on in the game after you beat the first boss and they find out that Adol is the chosen one Dogi says something like “But why Adol? (Why am I saying this. This happens all the time but still)” something like that personally I found it a great moment of self awareness. Yeah the story is cliche but it works for as a good set piece for all of the action in the game, at least there is a skip option BTW who was favorite boss in the game? (without spoilers)
- July 23, 2011 at 09:51am
I really love the Ys series for its constantly awesome music and great gameplay and story and I can’t wait for the next game to come out.
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PSP 25-in-25: Ys Seven
We close out our PSP 25-in-25 series with one of the crowing jewels of RPGs. The name may sound weird, but the game is incredibly awesome.
I’ve been in agreement with the list so far. Now, we needs us some Gitaroo Man!
A lot of action rpgs can learn a lot from this title it knows the best part of the game is the action an d with the combination of its fast paced boss themes it makes every fight memorable especially some of the last few bosses plus it can actually be a challenge on the harder difficulty levels. Even you are 100% prepared for a boss you still need some skill to know when to attack, dodge, and use flash guard. I highly recommend checking this game out if you are a fan of action games in general it is easy to pick up and play but hard to master which is good thing for any game.
Since you’ve recommended it, I’ll consider it, although props to the trailer, because it was very convincing. The battles look incredibly fun, and the music reminds me of Dark Cloud 2, which is a very good thing.
Since the story isn’t all that complicated, I take it this game is pretty accessible for newcomers to the series?
Well i haven’t finished Ys 7 as i bought my PSP in teh UK and moved back to Sweden a while after, so i can’t charge it and i’m too lazy/poor to buy a new charger or adapter, but to me i think while Ys 7 is good it’s not the best in the series. I think Oath in Felghana and Ark of Napishtim are way better. But that’s just me. I like the old school feel of those games, where Ys 7 feels a bit more modern.
Good to see something that isn’t a square game get some love though
As one who has played just about every Ys game that ever reached Western audiences, I can say that despite the series’ story being fairly generic by today’s standards(if you’ve played enough fantasy RPGs, you’re probably won’t be surprised), the presentation is outstanding.
I’ve sadly only got to play these as Y’s book I and II on TurboCD 16, I run through you to hit? and Y’s III on SNES (The first stage’s music is so epic it’s stayed with me to this very day). Y’s VII sounds like a lot of fun, big time fan of party switching mechanics (one of FFX’s saving graces and has been awesome since I first encountered it in Dragon Warrior IV with the caravan).
omg wait PSVita comes out tomorrow..? Well that happened fast. xD I totally forgot.
Anyways this game looks really fun! I really love action rpgs. I’ll have to see if I can find it.
Ahh yes, finally a Ys game. If you guys didn’t mention one of thees games I would have called shenanigans.
Sadly I don’t own this one. I have chronicles (I and II) and Felghana. But good to hear it’s a “crowing jewel” to the PSP Ys games. :3
what ever the Ps2 lost in the ps3 can only be recovered in some Psp titles