Ys: The Ark of Napishtim

"One for the Weekend"

I have never played any of the games in the Ys series before renting Napishtim, so when I plucked it from the rental shelf, I didn't know what to expect. From the previews I had seen it looked like a pretty cool action RPG and over the few days I played it, I can say that it kept me pretty engaged.

Despite the fact that the lead character's name sounds like a pill you'd take for a head ache and the ho-hum story, Napishtim turned out to be a nice little game. You are Adol, a well known red-haired swordsman/adventurer who travels the land with his lovable oaf of a sidekick, kicking ass and taking names. Pay no mind to the fact that Adol is a level one ninny when he starts his quest in Canaan; he is indeed both respected and feared by all who have yet to reach level one.

Moving along, said adventurer begins his quest after being chased into a giant sea vortex and washing up in the land of Canaan. He is rescued by Olha a priestess of the Rehdan tribe. The Rehdan are a race of beings that seem to be the product of failed cat/elf transmutation experiments and prefer to live hippie lives in the woods. After leaving the Rehdan camp, Adol scurries hither and fro solving problems, talking to people, mercilessly slaughtering hordes of purple squirrels, and becoming entangled in a series of events that will ultimately determine the fate of the land of Canaan and its struggle to be free from the impending forces of evil intent of vanquishing all that is good and wholesome. Pretty standard really.

The graphics are top notch because they capture the old school action RPG vibe and inject it with smooth animation, lush colors, and special effects that make you realize you're playing a PS2 game and not an SNES one. The characters animate well, the bosses are monstrous, and voice acting is surprisingly decent (with the exception of Terra, man alive that chick CANNOT act).

Gameplay-wise, this game was total gaming crack for me. Not only do you level up Adol, but you level up his swords as well. I am a sucker for this simple gameplay mechanic and enjoy spending time just leveling up. A warning though, you will get your ass handed to you if you choose not to spend some time leveling up. Even then, the game will let you know if you're someplace you aren't supposed to be yet when you take a swing at an enemy only to hear your sword tink off its armor moments before it snuffs your pathetic life in one swoop. My only gripes are that I wish the camera could be rotated to avoid certain irritating jumping sections and I wish there were more places to visit.

Overall, I enjoyed the game very much. Its mix of Zelda and Secret of Mana-ish role-playing was the gaming equivalent of a light lunch. Although not as filling as those two previously mentioned (it's a little on the short side) it is a worthy weekend rental.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 04/25/05