I’ve been cautious of new Ys announcements ever since Ys VIII: The Lacrimosa of Dana. That game was critically acclaimed by everyone, every which way. Well, mostly everyone. I’m one of very few outliers that didn’t care for it. It felt like Falcom was trying to pour more of its Trail series into Ys. As a result, Ys started feeling more bloated; more extra. The action and music remained fun, but it was hard to appreciate it. Surprisingly, I had a lot of fun with Ys IX: Monstrum Nox despite it having similar attributes. So, where does that place Ys X: Nordics? The answer is somewhere in the middle.
From a chronological standpoint, Ys X takes place after the events of Ys II, but you can jump into Ys X without any knowledge of previous adventures. Adol Christin, his best friend Dogi, and Dr. Flair are on a ship to Celceta to assist Dr. Flair in finding some powerful medicine. The ship gets attacked by the Balta Sea Force, which is lead by the pirate princess Karja Balta. Karja and her crew inform Adol and his friends that the ship’s captain owes them some compensation for providing safe passage. Think Robin Hood, but on the sea. The ship harbors in Carnac, where Adol and Karja have a duel on the beach. They also happen upon a seashell that houses a mysterious voice asking for help. Suddenly, the two are bound together by a string of magic called Mana. Literally and figuratively bound, Adol and Karja have to work together to undo these magical handcuffs, learn more about the voice behind the shell, and destroy undead enemies called Griegr from taking over the Obelia Gulf.
The bond Adol and Karja formed was unique and refreshing. Both characters remained true to themselves but still grew as individuals. Adol’s adventure addiction was in full force, which amused Karja. The red headed hero continued to not say much, but Karja and the folks around him did enough talking. Sometimes, too much talking. Early in the game, the two acquired a ship called the Sandras. With any ship comes a crew. The Sandras crew were a chatty bunch. Everyone just had to chime in on the goings-on. While they grew in their own way, it tended to pull focus from Adol, Karja and their adventure. Furthermore, their adventure often felt lost at sea. I was going from point A to point B because the game told me to, not because it felt like there was an actual story beat. Things came together near the end with a twist I didn’t see coming. It was enjoyable, but ultimately the narrative was unfulfilling.
The powers of Mana played a critical role in the story. That importance trickled into most aspects of the gameplay. Ys X was packed with things to do. All this stuff gradually unlocked through the game’s ten chapters. I’ll try to be brief yet thorough. There’s shopping for gear and upgrading said gear with raw materials. There’s cooking with your crew to increase the Sandras’ capabilities. There’s hidden treasure on land and on sea. There’s documenting marine life. There’s making medicine and potions. Of course, there were also tons of side-quests. All this and more could be done on/off your ship as crewmates were gathered. On land, Adol and Karja could use Mana powers to grapple to hard-to-reach areas, find hidden objects, and…surf. Yes, surf. It didn’t take long to unlock a Mana “board” that can be ridden at high speed across land and water. Silly? Yes. Fun? Absolutely.
What wasn’t fun, was having to get to these places on land via boat. If you have any familiarity with Suikoden IV, then chances are you’re familiar with one of the game’s worst offenders: sailing. Well, Ys X had sailing. Lots of sailing. To be fair, it wasn’t as bad as it was in Suikoden IV but that bar was set at the nadir. Obviously, I’m trying to say that sailing from one place to the next (for a first time – you’re giving the ability to THANKFULLY quick jump to places you’ve previously discovered) was a chore. Sure, the Sandras could be upgraded to help with maneuvering and speed but it took a while. Naturally, there were enemies in their own big-boats that wanted to sink the Sandras. Initially, these naval battles were miserable. Not to mention, some of the required naval battles had excellent rewards locked behind them; so not only did I have to deal with these, but I had to do so efficiently to receive the best score/rewards. As more weapon and armament upgrades got unlocked, I’ll be the first to admit that sailing became more fun. It just took too long to get to that point.
The high-speed combat on land was much better than the maritime features despite a tougher learning curve. If you’ve been following the series since Ys 7, then you should be able to hop into Ys X: Nordics without too much hassle. Adol and Karja were a dynamic duo that sliced and diced their way through hordes of beasts and Griegr. You could swap between them at any time. In fact, swapping was necessary because using skills depleted skill points (SP) quickly. Adol and Karja acquired a ton of neat, flashy skills throughout their journey. They also acquired duo skills that combined their SP pools into impressive displays of power. Within the first hour of the game, Adol was able to set his sword ablaze and Karja could freeze the ground with her axe. These added new levels to both combat and exploration. With all of this, as well as some impressive customization options in terms of accessories and a Sphere Grid inspired feature using magical stones called Mana Seeds, land combat in Ys X remained fun.
Sadly, there’s one irritating factor that I should talk about. Some enemies had a durability gauge that had to be depleted before they could be damaged proper. Karja’s breaking stat (BRK) stat was higher than Adol’s, but the best way to deplete those shields was to use the above-mentioned duo skills. To get the most out of these, you’d fill the Revenge Gauge. A higher gauge meant more power. Perfect Guards were the best way to fill it. The timing was forgiving for landing these, but keep in mind that Ys’ action is always moving at a rapid pace. Ys X was no exception. Nailing these perfect guards was tricky at first. (Perfect Dodging was another combat aspect but was very easy to pick up and master). There was a palpable rush of excitement when done, especially when a QTE followed with Adol and Karja performing a sleek, powered up finisher. It took a lot of trial and error and healing potions and patience to get to that point. And, what do you think had the sturdiest of durability meters? Yep, bosses. Bosses came with their own set of moves and patterns, and they had bigger durability meters that would get refilled after dealing enough damage. It turned what should have been the best part of combat into one of the most frustrating. Some bosses were fun, but I found most of them unpleasant.
You’ll be sailing, island hopping, and fighting recycled palettes of enemies/battleships a lot. Luckily, all this and more looked nice. While most of the islands had similar appearances, that doesn’t mean they didn’t look idyllic. There was some variety such as snow filled islands, a massive battleship, and quaint towns. Still, the set pieces made me think of one word: “samey”. Character graphics were a different story. Adol, Karja, and the Sandras crew looked and moved beautifully. I played on the PlayStation 5 and experienced smooth animations. The soundtrack was as epic as we’ve come to expect from the Falcom Sound Team. I don’t know how they do it; nearly every track hit for different reasons. It combined that intense, high-octane action the series has been known for with the Norse/Viking setting. The voice acting was as excellent as the music. Karja’s voice actress did a great job bringing her to life. Whenever she found herself in a pinch in combat, she would shout “skeeter!” These days, I find myself saying that in lieu of other words like “darn” or “shoot” when something goes wrong.
The Obelia Gulf was massive. Exploring all of it and doing everything took time me 50 hours. When I enjoyed it, I enjoyed it immensely. When I wasn’t having it, I was lamenting about how much the series changed. Like the ocean tides, Ys X: Nordics was an everchanging experience. There’s a robust New Game Plus available that lets you carry over a solid amount of stuff for future playthroughs. This is useful for those that want to play the game on higher difficulty levels. As for me, it’s a one and done game. The thought of replaying the game and putting up with more sailing was enough to turn me away. I recall a few gamers saying that once the combat systems “clicked” they started to have more fun. That’s fair, but even after that, there were some issues that couldn’t be overlooked. I think fans of Ys will find something to enjoy here. It’s just important to know what you’re diving into.
Overall, 6.5/10: Batten down your hatches because Ys X: Nordics is a mixed bag for the classic series. Adol and Karja have an adventure that does as many things right as it does wrong.