Another return to Felghana in Ys Memoire.

Six. That’s the number of times I went through Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana. Yes, part of that had to with trophy requirements. But the more I played, the more I appreciated the swift, streamlined design. As a result, I’m able to finish the game in about the same amount of time it’d take me to finish something like Mega Man X. I was able to do this in a short amount of time and never stopped having fun. This is another remake of Ys III: Wanderers from Ys. This version is perfect for modern consoles and topped off with some new and appreciated features.

The first Ys III was on the Super Nintendo and had a style similar to the second Zelda adventure. While that version still looks serviceable today, it was completely remade in 2005 for PC with an all new look that combined 3D backgrounds and 2D sprites. That version transitioned perfectly contemporary platforms. I played Ys Memoire on the PlayStation 5 and the colorful, crisp sprites and detailed environments were absolutely lovely. Every character has an anime portrait accompanying their dialogue box. Players can swap between classic and modern. The soundtrack, which still hits like a bus in the best way possible, has three versions that can similarly be swapped at anytime. There’s a modern version, and some classic bit-tune versions.

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana takes place in Dogi’s home of Felghana. Adol Christin and Dogi have come for a visit and appropriately get greeted by monsters attacking Dogi’s childhood friend, Elena Stoddart. Adol swoops in for the rescue. Elena informs the warriors that Count McGuire’s tyrannical rule is getting out of control, monsters have been running amok all over the place, and that Elena’s brother, Chester, has been missing. Adol, the good man that he is, decides to help out. Of course, there’s a lot more going on beyond the surface with Count McGuire and Chester. Adol’s quest is cozy and confined, taking place entirely in Felghana. Redmont is the only town, but it has just enough to do and explore. It’s full of personalities. Some of them will offer Adol side-quests. Personally, I prefer my Ys games this way. I’m glad there’s space for the more modern titles that started with Ys 7, but something about games like Oath in Felghana just feels correct.

A lot of this has to do with how brisk and capable Adol is as as solo warrior. His sword swings are quick. He moves quickly. Eventually, he acquires a double-jump. He also acquires magical bracelets that let him shoot fire, create a whirlwind, and create tremors. The wind magic doubles as a jump boost. Fire magic is used to light torches and earth magic break walls. As you collect colored gems, your magic gets more powerful and deals more damage to the enemies. As Adol continues slashing foes, he’ll build up a meter. Once full, Adol can move and attack at quicker speed. Later, that gets upgraded to restore health.

Enemies come in a variety of sizes and forms. Monsters will drop money, but they will also drop recovery items that get used immediately. Some will increase Adol’s attack, defense, and MP recovery. Later enemies drop Raval Ore. This ore can also be found in treasure chests. It’s used to upgrade Adol’s equipment. Boss battles play out differently since they require more precise timing and less button mashing. If they get too tricky, you can lower the difficulty. The fast paced action never stops. Whether you’re performing a dangerous jump or finishing off a giant boss, Adol has his work cut out for him. Luckily, you’ll be having a blast controlling him every step of the way.

I played my first file doing everything (all treasures, all side-quests, all secret areas) on Normal difficulty. It took about 15 hours. Subsequent files took anywhere between 30 minutes to one hour. I attribute this mostly to the double-speed mode. There’s also a No Fall Option that you can turn on if jumping across pits becomes too tricky. Artwork and more extras are unlocked with each completed file. A new game plus option allows you to carry over all of your goods from previous files, which helps immensely in streamlining towards the end credits. Even after I got the platinum from finishing all difficulties and all time rushes, it took just over 20 hours. All that to say that to say, The Oath in Felghana is still a solid entry in the Ys series. It’s also one of the best games to start with if you’re new to the world of Ys.

Overall, 9/10: Reimagined and remastered once again, Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana moves the classic to the modern era with the same, excellent gameplay and new, modern touches.