Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana Review: A Grand Adventure

When I first came across Nihon Falcom’s Ys series, I had absolutely no idea how to pronounce its name. Attach an VIII at the end, append Lacrimosa of Dana, and now the entire game looks even more intimidating. If you feel the same way as I did, don’t worry because it’s not so bad after all. Pronounced like “east” without the “t,” Ys is a long-running series of role-playing games that date back to 1987 on the PC-880! The eighth installment of the series, titled Lacrimosa of Dana, sees returning protagonist Adol Christin setting off on another adventure after being washed ashore the cursed Isle of Seiren. Even though Adol and a few other key characters are present in earlier titles, previous knowledge is not required as each game features a self-contained narrative. A mysterious blue girl named Dana starts appearing in Adol’s dreams after his arrival on the island and thus starts an intriguing story.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana was first released on PlayStation Vita back in 2016 but has since been ported to PlayStation 4, PC, and Nintendo Switch in the past few years. Nihon Falcom surprisingly reported that a native PlayStation 5 version of the game would be coming with all previously released downloadable content included. It was definitely an unexpected announcement that took many fans by surprise, but now that it’s finally here, how does it fare? Ys VIII continues to operate as an outstanding action role-playing game that builds upon the foundations laid by Ys Seven and Ys: Memories of Celceta, where you can play as multiple party members and switch between them on the fly.

Satisfying Combat Paired With An Amazing Soundtrack

Combat is a main focus of the overall gameplay loop, but there are light simulation elements as well. The basics of fighting are what you would expect: basic attacks, dodging, and jumping. Each party member has a set of unique skills they can use and an ultimate ability they can charge up. As previously mentioned, you can switch between characters at any time, as the game encourages you to do in order to exploit enemy weaknesses. The mini-map is well designed with markers for where you need to go and frequent checkpoint crystals that not only heal you, but auto-save the game as well! As you progress through the story, you start to build up a village of sorts on this remote island. You can recruit optional characters that set up various facilities, such as a blacksmith or industrial arts shop. Sprinkled into this simulation management are wave defense missions that pit you against waves of enemies that attack your village.

One major callout is the soundtrack and how beautiful it is. The sound team behind the music composition did an immaculate job at crafting songs that I find myself listening to long after the credits have rolled. From the deep melodic piano notes of the opening song to the bombastic electric guitar-heavy battle themes, the music never failed to keep me engaged and immersed into the gameplay experience. I’m a sucker for those sad and melancholy tunes, and there were quite a few tracks that had me shedding a tear or two. Music is an important part of games, and I always appreciate the effort put into it.

Nostalgic Reawakening

It’s quite obvious that Ys VIII shows its age with its outdated graphics, especially comparing it with recent JRPGs of this caliber. The cinematic sequences that play like a fleshed-out anime are quite nice, but the actual in-game visuals are more on the bland side. The character models and environments remind me of something that would come out of a PlayStation 2 or 3-era game like Dark Cloud or the old Tales of titles. There’s nothing inherently bad about this, as it bestows a feeling of nostalgia for more retro titles. If you think about it, it’s quite astounding to be able to play such a game ported natively on a next-gen console, instead of it being hastily put together like some other ports are.

The previous PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC ports were plagued with localization issues, including random quotations, typos, or extra spaces. Those were all solved after a series of patches post-launch but left a bitter taste in fans’ mouths. Fortunately, this new version of the game comes as a complete definitive package, with no such translation issues present. No bugs, crashes, or other weird issues were encountered other than a jarring sound during the startup of the game.

Improved Performance & All Costume DLC Included

What does the native PlayStation 5 version of Ys VIII bring over the previous versions? Visually speaking, there are some minor improvements, including better quality textures and an overhaul of the shadowing system. Overall, environments and designs are more detailed, but don’t expect too much, given this is a six-year-old game. Draw distance has been extended, so say goodbye to those annoying pop-ins during gameplay. The PlayStation 4 version already runs at a smooth 60 frames per second, with the resolution capping at 1080p. This upgraded port features two graphical modes, one that continues to run at 60 frames per second but scales the visuals up to 4K and one that boosts the frames up to 120 fps but caps the resolution at 1080p. It’s quite amazing to see how far this game has come from its original release back on the PlayStation Vita in 2016, which ran at a choppy 30 frames per second. Load times are significantly improved thanks to the PlayStation 5’s lightning-fast SSD. Launching the game from a fresh start takes only a few seconds before you get to jump right back into the action.

Interestingly enough, keyboard and mouse support has also been implemented, so fans have more freedom over their gameplay experience. Button controls can also be rebound, which is an excellent addition for those that prefer their own custom control scheme. I am definitely someone who prefers to have the dodge button mapped to the circle button and the jump button mapped to the x button, etc., so the ability to make that a reality was a huge plus! Lastly, this re-release of Ys 8 includes all previously released downloadable content, including ones that were exclusive to the Japanese launch. Unfortunately, there is no upgrade path or discount for previous owners of the title, so there’s little to offer returning fans aside from some cosmetic costumes and slightly better performance. The PlayStation 5 native version includes another set of trophies, so expect to work towards another platinum if you’re a completionist.

Conclusion

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is a fantastic action role-playing game that features an endearing narrative, an addictive yet sleek combat system, and a colorful cast of characters. Just because it doesn’t look as visually advanced as some games might nowadays doesn’t mean you should overlook this gem of a title. There’s little incentive for fans that already have a copy of another version to purchase the PlayStation 5 port again. But this is an absolute must-play for anyone seeking an adventure. It’s wonderful to see so many players across different platforms being able to enjoy Nihon Falcom’s magnum opus.  

Final Verdict: 4.5/5

Available on: PC, PS Vita, PS4, PS5 (Reviewed), Switch; Publisher: NIS America; Developer: Nihon Falcom; Players: 1; Released: Nov 15, 2022; ESRB: T; MSRP: $39.99 USD

Full disclosure: This review is based on a copy of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana provided by the publisher.