Ys: The Ark of Napishtim

"They don't make games like this anymore"

Ys: Ark of Napishtim is an action RPG, old school style. No massive and complicated Ability system which takes 2 hours to completely explain, no epic and completely confusing storyline which no average gamer will get, and no stupid AI companions who don't do what they are told. No just a good old action RPG experience like the old days of the NES and SNES.

Story

Following the continuing adventures of Adol Christin as he and his traveling companion Dogi are, while escaping from the ruthless Romun Empire (Yes, that is ROMUN, it is in EUROPA, which is just north of AFROCA, not very creative with names are they), they land on a pirate ship captained by a man name La Doc and his daughter Terra who Adol meet in one of his previous adventures. La Doc is on his way to discover a grand treasure; the catch is that it is in the middle of the Great Vortex which no ship has cross. Then out of nowhere, Romun ships start attacking and suddenly Adol is thrown overboard. But this is the beginning of the game and Adol can't die, he is discovered on a beach on an island in the middle of the Great Vortex by a Rehda priestess Olha and her sister Isha (Rehda being the indigenous people of the island with long elf-like ears and tails who hold very Native American values). After a lukewarm welcoming to the island Adol starts a new adventure searching for a way off the island and (being the nice guy he is) help with the Rehda's problems.

Gameplay

As I said earlier Ys: Ark of Napsihtim is an action RPG like the old day. Now if you've played Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, or Terranigma then you know just was to expect from the gameplay. You run through fields and dungeons Hacking and Slashing with three elemental swords. Now your three swords each have a different element (Wind, Fire, and Lightning) each has its own special skill and magic that you can upgrade by finding crystals that are dropped by enemies. There is very little depth to the gameplay but it is completely engaging and you will have a hard time putting the controller down.

Graphics

Now if you want to see massive attention-to-detail and life like characters go play Final Fantasy X. Here the models for the character are a little like the models for the character for Final Fantasy VII (expect for the big block-like hands) but the camera is fixed at a high angle like in the old school RPGs of the SNES era so you don't need a will detailed model. And the environments are usually on a flat plain but still well done. But the 2D graphics are beautiful the Portraits of the character when they are talking are very well done and are a nice extra and the Backdrops give you the “wow” effect. Now the CGI opening is again well done but just does not fit. Overall it looks great.

Sound

Now first of all, yes, every single line of dialog is voiced and I do mean EVERY LINE, even when you are talking to NPC townspeople they each have there own voice. In fact the only person who isn't voiced is Adol (but that is because he is the silent protagonist) even when he “explains what has happened” he isn't voiced. And the music is great; I look forward to boss battles because I really enjoy the music. Overall it sounds great.

Pros
-Old school gameplay at it's finest
-Challenging, but won't slaughter you mercilessly
Cons
-Shorter than I'd like
-Can't open menu in boss battles

Verdict

They don't make games like this anymore, so if you are a fan of the old-school like me you should get this game, if you are not, play it you might like.

Final Score: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/02/05