Ys X: Nordics

 

Review by · October 14, 2024

I’ve had a very on/off relationship with the Ys series. While I enjoy the vast majority of the entries I’ve played, I would only describe myself a peripheral fan. My overall experience with it has never been bad, and occasionally it’s been great, but only Oath in Felghana struck a significant chord with me.

As such, I had tempered expectations going into Ys X: Nordics, and accordingly, I found a few parts of it wanting; the plot has some small contrivances, the level 99 bonus boss is a chore, and perhaps most disappointingly, most of the environments in this adventure are simple towns, plains, and ruins. That’s all before mentioning glitches like untranslated Japanese subtitles, random bumps to your maximum revenge multiplier, and a total inability to move your cursor in the Recapture menu to select which raid you want to redo.

I want to get the minor complaints out first because, though these flaws deserve mentioning, it would do Ys X a considerable disservice to follow up my high praise with any of these largely forgivable missteps. Nordics is an exceptional journey that boasts captivating characters, a lovingly crafted setting, and exhilarating combat that ranks at the top of its series and the greater genre.

Adol Christin smirks as Dogi's text box says "Who are you foolin'? I can see the giddiness written all over your face."
Pictured: Me finally getting to tell you how good this game is.

Nordics, like all Ys games, is framed as a retelling of one of the hundred journals that series protagonist Adol Christin wrote during his lifelong journey across a vast Europe-inspired fantasy world. In particular, it directly follows the Ys I and II duology, opening on a 17-year-old Adol and his wall-crushing partner Dogi on their way to the Celceta region. However, their plans are soon interrupted by an unexpected sojourn in the northern lands of the Obelia Gulf, home to the Norman tribe and their Viking-like army: the Balta Seaforce.

It’s not long before Adol acquires a mysterious power known as Mana, which earns him the attention of the violent Norman Princess, Karja Balta. Matters are complicated even further when Adol and Karja are inexplicably bound together by ethereal handcuffs and Carnac, their current stopover town, is attacked by an undead army known as the Grieger. With nowhere else to go and a literal unbreakable bond to their Princess, Adol petitions the Balta Seaforce for help and earns their cooperation after being sworn in as Karja’s “Shield Brother.”

Adol and Karja's ship, the Sandras, crashes into another boat during a raid to recapture an island.
Here’s hoping you’re a fan of boats.

From there, Adol and Karja set sail on a run-down ship called the Sandras, gradually amassing a crew led by Carnac’s youth to track down the villagers scattered across the Gulf and defeat the Grieger. The story starts fairly broad in scope, but it becomes much more personal and focused as it goes on. The stakes are high, but not apocalyptically so, and the central conflict hinges just as much on the relationships and beliefs of the cast as it does on the intricacies of the world’s lore and politics.

Thankfully, that cast is more than strong enough to carry this narrative weight, especially its two main characters. While Adol gets first billing as the series’ hero, it’s unfair to call Karja a secondary protagonist. The two share equal but distinct spaces in the limelight; Adol lends a wide-eyed, adventurous perspective that drives others’ development, and the battle-hardened Karja carries a more substantial character arc. This contrast gradually evolves into a compelling dynamic wherein they seamlessly go from comrades-in-arms to honorary siblings, propelling Karja’s growth with great thematic payoff. Granted, Ys X’s decision for Adol to remain a so-called silent protagonist is questionable given how expressive he is now. At the same time though, the clarity of his character despite these limitations is itself worthy of praise, and he’s an excellent audience surrogate all the same.

A figure with grey skin, pointed ears, and white, blue-highlighted hair labeled "Mysterious Man" says "Allow me to offer my thanks for that most entertaining spectacle you showed me."
The Grieger commanders make for some delightfully slimy villains to thrash.

Of course, Ys X can’t survive on just two good characters, and thankfully, the supporting cast also holds up. Most of them comprise your ship’s crew, giving them a much-appreciated sense of presence across the whole game compared to previous titles. The two-character playable party also means they get more time to shine in the main storyline. The Gundam-esque conceit of a group of civilians forced into maintaining a warship is compelling enough on its own, but they all have nuances and quirks that make every chance to interact with them meaningful. I couldn’t help but exhaust all of their optional dialogue whenever I got the chance, whether it was for a sidequest or not.

With the game following a younger Adol, Karja, who’s around his age, and a crew led by other adolescents, this results in a surprisingly rich narrative about how both culture and the controlling hand of older generations can stifle the aspirations of the young. It even goes so far as to show how even those who seek to remedy this state of affairs can wind up perpetuating it or throwing the younger generation under the bus to fix it.

The presentation helps all this along with some much-improved shading compared to prior entries and terrific animation in gameplay and fully-animated cinematics. Though the world is often visually repetitious, it is nice to look at and has some memorable locations toward the last third of the game. Most importantly, it contains spectacular depth in its history. The game pays great attention to establishing the customs of Obelia Gulf’s inhabitants, why non-Norman authorities permit the presence of the Balta Seaforce, and even the lives and personalities of the bit-part NPCs. In fact, those NPCs are so well-considered that you can actually pick up on a few relevant plot details hours before they surface in the main story by talking to them. Sidequests expand on this fascinating world further, wonderfully detailing both the cast and setting to the point they’re basically mandatory, which makes it a godsend that they’re all so well-telegraphed.

Karja confidently smirks while holding up a fish on a hook, described by the UI as a Blue Saddie.
I cannot stress this enough: do not neglect the fishing minigame.

The soundtrack supports all this in typical Ys fashion and starts blasting guitars at you the moment you get into a fight. Much like the environments, it could benefit from more variety, but it lends the series a unique auditory identity and it’s all still good music. On the topic of sound, voice acting is also strong across the board. Cherami Leigh as Karja, Alejandro Saab as Grenn, and especially Kieran Regan as LΗ«gr are notable highlights among a talented cast.

If you were worried that the combat wouldn’t match up to any of this, I’m happy to tell you how unfounded those worries are. Ys‘ combat has consistently been fast and frantic, and this aspect now shares space with a more slow-paced combat mode. You can dash around and switch characters in the more traditional solo mode, with Adol’s skills focusing on raw damage and Karja focusing on breaking enemy guards. However, there’s also a duo mode that hampers mobility in exchange for duo skills enhanced by well-timed guards. The bosses take amazing advantage of this system: all are distinct, demanding, and superbly designed to test your ability to switch between the two modes’ offense and defense. I found myself carefully customizing my skills, accessories, and the sphere-grid-esque Release Line system for each boss by the second half of the game, and it never ceased to delight me when that thought paid off. Even the Mana abilities used for navigation, like the tether grapple and Mana Ride, have combat applications, though exploration and movement are fairly straightforward both on land and at sea.

Adol and Karja teaming up in Duo Mode to fight a large, birdlike Grieger on Haze Island
There’s a commendable amount of variety in enemy types to boot.

There are a few more negligible caveats worth noting that are thankfully mitigated or addressed by the game. The difficulty plummets outside of bosses in its last third, even on higher difficulties. I’d anticipated this and chose “Hard” at the start, avoided healing items during bosses, and got a challenging-but-fair experience until about chapter six, where I bumped it up to “Nightmare” difficulty to maintain that challenge. While I can’t perfectly predict everyone’s preferences, this is what I’d recommend if you want a more demanding playthrough.

Furthermore, the ship combat isn’t as exciting or quick as the on-foot sections, but it still ultimately makes for a good enough diversion, especially in the raids. The satisfaction of upgrading the Sandras bolsters the sea portions and gives a great sense of progression even outside combat. Finally, while the button mapping could be better, you can modify it at will, so it never truly diminished my enjoyment. Nordics is the kind of game where what’s done wrong cannot even hope to compare to what’s done right.

In summary, Ys X: Nordics is a truly sensational adventure where the story, themes, characters, and combat are all individually strong and collectively transcendent. It is a worthy starting point and an excellent evolution for fans of modern Ys. It has singlehandedly reinvigorated my passion for both Ys and Falcom as a whole, and I regret having only so many words to recount all the reasons you should play it. 2024 is already packed with several more-than-worthwhile RPGs, but please do not let this one go unnoticed.


Pros

Charming characters, a compelling narrative and world, frenetic combat, and challenging boss battles.

Cons

Some annoying glitches, small narrative contrivances, and a relatively limited set of environmental aesthetics.

Bottom Line

Ys at its finest. A breathtaking action RPG featuring terrific combat and a rich narrative.

Graphics
86
Sound
82
Gameplay
97
Control
95
Story
97
Overall Score 93
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Sean Cabot

Sean Cabot

Sean is a reviewer for RPGFan. Not content to merely indulge in a genre known for obscene length, he decided to indulge in similarly long-winded subjects like tokusatsu and comics. Being stuck between all of these interests has left him with a truly terrifying backlog, but he still swears that someday he will finish 15% of it. For him, genre is no object, and it is absolutely vital to experience something new every day.