74. Ys Seven (PSP)
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Ys Seven follows the hero, Adol, and his friend, Dogi, as they venture to a new land. But being the hero he is, it doesn't take long before he gets involved in a struggle involving the different tribes and the revival of the Dragon Gods...

This is an action RPG. You go up to enemies and hit them with your sword. By attacking you can fill and refill the bar for performing character skills. By performing character skills you build up your bar to unleash the powerful special attacks. There are also different types of attacks that are effective against different enemies, and the player can switch between part members depending on the type of attack needed. There are 9 total playable characters, although some are temporary, and 3 are usable in battle at a time.


General impressions:
I'd played one Ys game before but it was a long time ago and I didn't remember it. But for Christmas from sharky I got the special edition of this game with a little art book and everything, so of course I had to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised. It was easy to get in to, it had a variety of playable characters, and an interesting story with an ending that made an impact. Overall it was a really fun game.

Story:
The story is actually very strong I find. It kept me interested the whole way through and the plot twists actually did surprise me and weren't very obvious. I liked seeing the internal conflict of the nation as an outside observer and I was always curious as to what would happen next. The ending was incredibly sad and touching, especially when you grow to care about the characters and what's happening to them. It's also got a good sense of humour, which I could appreciate.


Gameplay:
The game was pretty fun and straightforward and also not too difficult. The negatives I can think of are how often you get your party swapped around for the first half of the game, but that's a pretty minor complaint because it mostly fit the story. The other complain being that they give you the super useful teleport option and take it away shortly after. But other than that it was really fun, and even things like swapping party members was made very easy and fluid.


World:
This game has a vast world to explore with many different areas to provide different sights, which I'm a big fan of. Obviously some I liked more than others, but I did get excited to see where I would be going next and what the area would be like.


Characters:
The characters were a pretty strong point in the game and I can't think of one character I disliked. They were all well written and interesting and provided something unique for the party. Even the non-playable characters were some of the best written, and all of that led to a very touching and emotional ending segment. Even the silent hero managed to have some personality, which isn't always easy to pull off.

Favourite character: Cruxie 7rUzMu3.jpg
Honourable mention: Mishera 84t90m5.jpg

I like Cruxie for how strong of a person she is. Despite her illness she never gives up, she stands up for herself, and she keeps fighting. I think she might even be the strongest attacker of the playable characters. I just admire her strength so much. Mishera is just so refined and sophisticated and wise despite her handicap, which she actually uses to her advantage. She's a great source of wisdom for the party.

Overall it's really fun to play, easy to get in to, and it has a touching and interesting story and great, likeable characters.