is a Japanese Action RPG

Action role-playing game

Action role-playing games form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video games that incorporate elements of action or action-adventure games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu-based combat...

 developed and published by the Nihon Falcom Corporation and the sixth installment in the Ys video game series. It was first released in 2003 for Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

-based personal computer

Personal computer

A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...

s. Not counting the Eternal/Complete remakes of Ys I & II, it was the first new Ys game released by Falcom in eight years.

Ys was ported to the PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

 in 2005 and to the PlayStation Portable

PlayStation Portable

The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...

 in 2006 by Konami

Konami

is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...

 for worldwide release. It was notable for being the first English release of the series since Ys III: Wanderers from Ys

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys

is an action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom Corporation. It is the third game in the Ys series.Ys III was initially released for the NEC PC-8801 and NEC PC-9801 in 1989, and versions for the MSX 2 and Sharp X68000 soon followed. In 1991, a number of console ports were produced:...

.

Gameplay

Ys VI expands on the mechanics introduced in Ys III and V in that players are given much more control over Adol including the ability to jump and control his attacks (in Ys I, II and IV, enemies were attacked simply by walking into them). Unlike previous attempts, the pacing is faster and control over Adol's actions are more tight and responsive. Other than these improvements to the action, the gameplay is structured similarly to past Ys games and other console RPGs. The same formula would later be used for subsequent Ys games.

Graphically, the gameplay takes place in areas presented in 3D graphics. Character, monster and minor bosses are presented using pre-rendered 3D sprites

Sprite (computer graphics)

In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...

. Larger bosses are presented using full 3D models.

Plot

The story begins after Adol's ship is attacked by a fleet of Romun ships. Forced to sail into a unknown area, they encounter a large storm. Adol is swept off the vessel while trying to rescue a fellow sailor and washed ashore by the vortex that surrounds the Canaan Islands. He is found, unconscious, by the daughters of the chieftain of the nearby Rehda village, Olha and Isha. The girls take him to their village and lay him to rest in their father's house. Adol hears them talking about him and wakes up briefly, afterwards going back to sleep because of his exhaustion. His adventure then begins.

PC

The initial release of the game was the "Limited Edition". After this sold out, Falcom released a standard edition of the game with some new features. Two new difficulties and a Time Attack mini-game where you fight through all the game's bosses were added. However, there was never a patch or upgrade released to initial buyers, so players wanting these new features had to buy the game again. Years later, Falcom would similarly add features to Ys Origin

Ys Origin

is a Japanese Action RPG released in 2006 for Microsoft Windows by Nihon Falcom. It is the seventh game in the Ys series but as a prequel, it is the first in terms of chronology...

, this time, however, initial buyers were offered an upgrade disc for the cost of shipping. The "PC Vista version" is the same as the Standard Edition with support for Windows Vista

Windows Vista

Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...

.

PlayStation 2

Konami made several additions and changes when porting the game to the PlayStation 2. The most notable were the inclusion of both English and Japanese voice acting to all characters (including NPCs) and several new optional areas referred to as "Alma's Trials." While the Japanese voice acting could be selected in the NTSC-U version, the PAL version had all Japanese voice acting removed. Konami also added new FMV sequences, though the original animated sequences could still be selected through a code. Blood and gore effects were removed due to console games requiring a rating. Lastly, they changed the character and monster graphics from pre-rendered 3D sprites to fully polygonal 3D models. While this allowed for much better animation it also changed Adol's appearance based on his equipment.

PlayStation Portable

The PlayStation Portable port does not include any of the changes of the PS2 port except for the removal of blood and gore effects. However, the European and North American versions came with a new set of bonuses including some extra fetch-quests that unlock a few mini-games and an image/media gallery. These were later included in a "Special Edition" re-release in Japan. However, the game is noted for having particularly long and frequent load times. Voice-acting was never included in this version.

Music

Soundtrack releases for The Ark of Napishtim include:

• Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim Original Sound Track (2003): The complete soundtrack to Ys VI.
• The Songs of Zemeth - Ys VI Vocal Collection (2005): A small collection of vocal arrangements of Ys VI tracks. Included is a second disc which contains vocal-free versions of these arrangements.

External links

• GameTab reviews