Ys Origin Review (PlayStation 4)

"The prequel to them all!"

Title: Ys Origin

Genre: Action-JRPG / Hack n' Slash   

Developer: Falcom

Publisher: DotEmju

Price: $19.99 (US.Digital)

PlayStation Network Page: US

Release Date: March 6, 2017

The prequel to a series, the beginning of a saga; Ys Origin, Origin marks the beginning of the immortalized series of hack-and-slash video games. Due to its linear plotline and an assortment of difficulty levels, Origin can be one of the foremost candidate for speedruns and nerve-wrecking ordeals. With it is a strong sense of enjoyment as well as challenges.

The Ys series had been established as the paragon and throne-bearer of the hack-and-slash genre and Ys Origin bears the ensemble as a whole due to its selective play-style that imparts brevity of experience to the player. Though it does not feature our stalwart redhead as the main character, Origin offers us a new set of characters that has varying play styles, either play safe and char enemies from a distance or obliterate your them close-up with melee... or both ^_-.

Visually, what's new to the PlayStation 4 port will surely improve the already-privileged experience. One of the best enhancement includes enhanced HUD, for instead of buff multipliers being displayed as a text, diamond shaped indicators now replaces the monotonous display of old. In general, a selective few of the latter topic haven't changed from its PC version, making a playthrough a closely related experience as that of its PC version. Downsides also exist as not every scene is portrayed at 16:9 aspect ratio, instead the game presents the scene on 4:3 along with black bars on both sides of the screen which makes it a bit disappointing to see.

In comparison to other hack-and-slash games, the Ys series had been known to be at the top of the tier in terms of its soundtrack. The in-house band of Falcom, Falcom JDK, transforms the apparent vicinity to a savage-fest due to their pump-action and harmonious deliverance of background music, this coupled with tough-as-nails enemy’s makes every traversal in an immediate stage an adrenaline rush.

OVERVIEW:

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Verdict: Ys Origin for the PlayStation 4 doesn’t offer a haul of enhancements apart from the immediate aesthetics, and such attempts to enhance the game even sometimes makes matters worse. Overall, Origin features uniqueness and variation that sets it apart from any game in the series.	8.8 ◆◆◆◆◇ Overall Score

-REVIEW ACCESS WAS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER-