A definitive yet divisive upgrade that refines combat, expands the story, and tests your patience.
The action RPG series Ys has been around for a long time and has always been good. It began in 1987 and was made by Nihon Falcom. The series is known for its fast-paced fights, upbeat music, and stand-alone adventures with Adol Christin, the wanderer with red hair.
Ys games don’t have a lot of episodes like many long-running JRPGs do. This makes it easy for new players to pick up where they left off. There is more of this way of thinking in Ys X: Proud Nordics, which is a bigger and better-looking 2023 remake of Ys X: Nordics.
Proud Nordics is the “definitive” version, offering better performance and more content.
However, it also brings up old arguments about re-releases and what games are worth today. When looking at Adol’s timeframe, Ys X comes early, happening soon after Ys I and II. This younger version of Adol is less experienced, more reckless, and still getting to know the world.
The story takes place in the cold Obelia Gulf, part of an archipelago inspired by Norse folklore and Viking culture. People from the area are split into two groups: the Normans, who live on the sea and are proud warriors who value strength and honor, and the people who live in the towns.
Adol and his longtime friend Dogi come as strangers, but they are quickly sucked into rising tensions involving unknown forces and threats to the sea. When Adol meets a power called Mana and becomes magically connected to Karja Balta.
A Norman fighter and the daughter of a powerful chieftain, the main plot point of the story starts. They are physically chained together by supernatural forces, which adds tension to the story and makes the mechanics more interesting.
Their reluctant relationship grows over time, going from mistrust to mutual respect.
Oland Island, an extra area with side stories, new characters, and combat challenges, adds new story material to Proud Nordics. This addition is important, but it’s not required, and it doesn’t really change the main dramatic points of the original story.
If you’re reading the story for the first time, it makes sense. If you are coming back, the improvements feel more like extras than big changes. The series’ best point is still its gameplay. The fighting in Ys has always been known for its fluidity and reliance on reflexes.
The Cross Action system in Ys X builds on that reputation. You don’t control the whole party as you did in Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana or Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. Instead, you only have control over Adol and Karja.
You can quickly switch between the characters in Solo Mode, using Adol’s speed and agility or Karja’s stronger, shield-focused moves. The difference isn’t just for looks; their play styles encourage you to change your strategy based on the type of enemy and how far apart they are.
When the method is in Duo Mode, it has more layers.
From this synchronized stance, Adol and Karja move as a pair. You can use a guard mechanic that is only used for guards if you give up free moving. If you get enough perfect blocks, your counterattacks will be much better. This is a good balance of risk and reward.
You should plan your defensive moves carefully, rather than just avoiding and hitting whenever you feel like it. It feels fast and satisfying when the fighting works. It stays true to the series’ signature pace while adding a defensive element that wasn’t really emphasized in earlier games.
The new Mana Hold ability in Proud Nordics makes it easier to connect with the environment in more ways. In the field, you can move things around and lift and throw things. It’s not as puzzle-heavy as systems in bigger sandbox games.
But it adds variety to exploration and a few small combat features. The puzzle parts are still pretty easy, though. Most environmental tasks are simple puzzles, like placing objects or navigating within a certain amount of time.
This fits with Ys’s style as an action-first RPG, but you might want more complicated dungeons.
There are typical paths that characters take as they grow. You get experience points when you kill monsters and finish tasks. It’s simple to level up because as you do, you deal more damage and take less harm.
There’s something about this that makes you want to keep playing side material. It’s also important to get better at what you do and the gear you use. Every time you use a skill, you get better at it. This makes the way you choose to fight stronger.
You can get better at Adol’s quick moves by dancing with them. For this method to work, you don’t have to grind too much. So the pace stays steady and is easy to understand when Proud Nordics is around. The flow of XP doesn’t change much.
Another thing that makes it special is its naval study. You are in charge of a ship that goes through the Obelia Gulf. You draw maps of islands, fight at sea, and make your ship better. Sailing is like reading fiction books because the winds change and there are new places to find.
When ships fight, on the other hand, people may be split up.
Battles with guns and moving around are good for strategy, but people who don’t like fighting in cars might not find these parts as fun as battles on foot. It takes less time to get around in Proud Nordics because it has wind currents.
This fixes one of the problems with the first game. The new way of life makes traveling easier without having to totally change how the ships work. Nordics are very proud of their Big Tech progress. The game can now run at 60 FPS or even 120 FPS.
Which is a big improvement over the Switch version that came out in the beginning, which could only handle 30 FPS. When you’re fighting quickly and need to dodge and block correctly, higher frame rates make the game much more responsive.
Some of the changes that make it look better are longer draw distances, denser vegetation, better shadows, and more atmospheric occlusion. Ys is still a middle-budget movie compared to AAA blockbusters, but the art direction looks much better now that the picture quality is better and the acting is stable.
The movie has bright coastal towns, icy waters, and stylized character models.
The character models have expressive anime-inspired looks, and the Nordic style blends rough seascapes with cozy town interiors. Better lighting in Proud Nordics brings the game together, especially by making the rim lighting and grounding shadows better.
Pop-in problems are much less common, which helps with concentration while exploring. The game doesn’t push the limits of graphics, but it makes the most of its artistic style. Sound design is still one of the best parts.
Falcom Sound Team JDK is Falcom’s in-house music team that makes fight themes with rock music and atmospheric exploration tracks. Combat music has a quick beat that keeps things moving during boss fights. When the story is quiet, softer orchestral tunes play in the background.
Voice acting does a good job of showing how characters change, especially how proud Karja is of herself and how she grows emotionally. Sound effects from the environment, like waves crashing and sails creaking, make military scenes feel more real. Even with these pros, the argument about Proud Nordics is about what it stands for.
Oland Island, new timed challenges, mana ride races, more sea combat encounters, and cosmetic DLC from the original release are all part of the expanded material. A full repeat is needed to get to a lot of this content, though.
There isn’t an easy way to move up from the base form.
You have to start the journey over if you already finished Ys X so that the new parts fit in naturally. Some people are glad to see that repeated. For some, especially at a higher price, it seems like too much. If you’ve never played Ys X before, Proud Nordics is without a doubt the best way to start.
The package looks better because it works better and has more information built in. If you already have the base form, it’s harder to decide what to do. There are real changes, mostly in the frame rate and how clear the images are.
The full-priced buy might not be worth it, though, unless you are really into the series because of the new stories. Ys X: Proud Nordics is still a great action RPG at the end of the day. The fighting system works well and is fun, the world is cute, and the game moves quickly.
The duo engine breathes new life into a series that has been around for a while, and new technology makes the experience even better. But the way the news is announced makes people less excited. There aren’t many big changes; it’s more of an improvement already made.
