The Oath in Felghana Is Refreshing

In this crazy pastime of ours, the word “remake” is used in a variety of ways, but Ys: The Oath in Felghana would likely be among its most extreme usages. In essence, it is a brand-new game that adheres to the storyline and world layout of Ys III: Wanderers.

Wanderers from Ys broke with the prior two games by switching to a side-scrolling format when it was first launched on the NEC PC-8801 in July 1989. Even though the game was favorably regarded at the time, it would turn out to be the sole instance of that gameplay style in the Ys series.

The series endured some really difficult years after Ys’s Wanderers was released and series creators Masaya Hashimoto and Tomoyoshi Miyazaki left. Nihon Falcom did not create either of the two essentially different versions of Ys IV. Although Ys V brought the series back in-house, it had little effect. The fact that it was a 1995 Super Famicom release may not have been the game’s sole fault. The first two games were remade for Windows when Nihon Falcom returned to the series a few years later, regardless of the reason.

With the 2003 release of Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim on Windows PCs, things resumed their normal course. It had the good fortune to be chosen by none other than Konami for a worldwide release on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, and it had a slick new engine.

Another remake, this time of Wanderers from Ys, was made using the work done on this game. With the title Ys: The Oath in Felghana, it was first made available on Windows PCs in Japan in 2005 and on PSPs worldwide in 2010. A worldwide PC release is scheduled for 2012. The gameplay was more consistent with the rest of the Wanderers series, even though it shared the same plot and much of the same places sequel, and nearly every element of the original was developed further.

But that was a long time ago. Of course, that PC version is still in use. That’s how PC games are nice. Otherwise, playing Felghana has required you to pull out a PSP or Vita, which becomes increasingly inconvenient over time. Thankfully, Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana, a significantly improved version of the game, has been transferred by Nihon Falcom to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4/5. It seems to be based on the PlayStation Portable version of the game, which makes some sense. After all, it was the most recent version to date. Visually, things have been slightly updated, and some little new features have been included.

However, the fact that the game itself is now accessible on these systems is the true highlight of this situation. Sure, Adol now awkwardly fills in the gaps in conversations. You can switch between the original photos and a few new ones, and you can select the soundtrack that you like most. If not, the content is identical to that of the PlayStation Portable release. That’s not a bad thing, but you won’t find many new additions here if that’s your thing. This isn’t a remake of a remake.

Having said that, Ys: The Oath in Felghana is a fantastic action-RPG, and this new edition is no different from the originals. This age of Ys, at least to this author, strikes a balance between the multi-character, somewhat drawn-out modern games and the somewhat thin early entries. Although Felghana’s plot and characters are somewhat simple, they are there and contribute to the world’s illusion of grandeur. Trouble is brewing when Adol and Dogi return to Dogi’s hometown. While Dogi is likely off smashing through walls like the Kool-Aid Man, it is up to our red-haired hero to save the day.

Your starting point for this trip is the town of Redmont, from which you can follow several roads that lead to various points of interest on its outskirts. Since unlocking these locations typically depends on a story trigger or an ability you’ll acquire in a previous spoke, you’ll be working through them in a more or less sequential succession. The tale will sometimes send you back to certain places to open a new path, and you can use your new powers to return to previously visited spots to get some further improvements. The world isn’t particularly large, yet the regions are sufficiently large to warrant exploring without becoming overpowering.

Since you’ll be going back to Redmont a lot, you can use its stores to get upgrades for your equipment and other helpful stuff. Maintaining your equipment will cost a significant amount of money and ore, which occasionally will motivate some grinding. Gold in particular can get rare as the game progresses, but not quite as much as the original Wanderers from Ys. Although Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana relies more on your reflexes and skills than on having the best equipment and a high level, leveling up can still aid with challenging areas. Even in the Normal setting, the player must exert some effort, but the easier difficulty levels provide a more comfortable ride. For any fan of action games, the harder difficulty settings are a true test.

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana has a stressful, fast-paced gameplay. Your foes will frequently crowd you, and as you dance around those adversary forces, there are several risks and environmental elements to consider. The boss fights are exciting, with lots of entertaining patterns to pick up and an abundance of items that will quickly kill the player who isn’t paying attention. Once you have a grasp on things, Adol is like a spinning vortex of death, so it feels fantastic to master each confrontation. It’s quite easy to enter into a zone with this game because of its excellent soundtrack and fast movement pace. It is a sign of a high-quality Ys entry.

Some players may object because of the game’s quick tempo, which makes it easy to finish in ten to fifteen hours. With very little superfluous fluff, I believe it is as long as it needs to be. Along with an intriguing New Game+ function, it offers some gratifying incentives to replay on harder difficulty settings. You must truly push yourself to the edge if you want the full Tiny God impact because the game lets you choose several hacks using points that are gained dependent on the difficulty level you beat. great reward, great danger.

I played the game on the Nintendo Switch in order to write this review. Overall, it functions well on the platform in both docked and handheld modes. Although there have been some minor visual enhancements, the texture maps and geometry frequently show the fact that this is still primarily a mid-00s game. While this Switch version is much better in that sense, the framerate still occasionally drops when there are a lot of things going on. The PSP version’s framerate might get erratic during the game’s busier parts. Although I can’t verify it, one would think that the PlayStation version would smooth that out. Although it’s a little disheartening, I don’t think most people will find it revolutionary.

The fact that Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana brings this incredibly entertaining action-RPG to more contemporary platforms is its greatest feature. Not much has been added for this iteration, and the port is sturdy but not perfect. However, I would contend that The Oath in Felghana doesn’t require any further information beyond what has already been presented in earlier iterations. It’s a classic that I always like to have on hand because it’s so easy and fulfilling to play, but I’m not sure whether a series like Ys could get away with a game this lean and mean today as a brand-new installment. An excellent game both then and now.

On January 7, 2025, Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana will be made available on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

This beloved game, which was originally intended to be a recreation of the 16-bit console classic Ys III: Wanderers From Ys, is back with a new remaster called Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana. Longtime fans can anticipate a number of enhancements and additions, including a brand-new voiceover for the iconic heroine, Adol Christin, some 15 years after the original release. The epic adventure has never looked or sounded better thanks to enhanced high-definition images and soundtrack. Review of the Nintendo Switch version. Examine the copy that XSEED sent for testing.