Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter
Encyclopedia
is an action role-playing game
developed and published by the Nihon Falcom Corporation, and first released on June 24, 1988 for the NEC PC-8801
. It is the sequel to Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished
, and takes place immediately following the end of the first game.
, FM-77AV
, MSX 2, and Famicom
. It was also ported to the TurboGrafx-16
by Hudson Soft
as part of Ys I & II
; for many years this was the only version of Ys II that received an official English release.
An MS-DOS
enhanced remake called Ys II Special, developed by Mantra, was released exclusively for the South Korean market
in 1994. It was a mash-up of Ys II with the anime
Ys II: Castle in the Heavens
(1992) along with a large amount of new content, including more secrets than any other version of the game. The game was a success in Korea, despite competition from the Korean RPG
Astonishia Story
that same year.
Years later, it was remade for Microsoft Windows
-based PCs as Ys II Eternal, and later as Ys II Complete. Versions of the game have also been developed for mobile phone platforms.
Ys II was most recently remade for the Nintendo DS
. An English translation of this version was released by Atlus
in North America, along with the DS version of Ys I on a single card, as Legacy of Ys: Books I & II in 2009. The Japanese version had been released as a single game when it came out in 2008.
Also returning from the first game is the 'bump' combat system. The player attacks enemies by running into them, and the enemy takes damage according to Adol's Attack Power. A new addition to Ys II is the Magic system: Adol can acquire several different spells he can use throughout the course of play, such as a Fire spell for attack, and a Time spell which can stop enemies as long as it is active. The use of magic consumes Adol's MP stat.
, Mieko Ishikawa, and Hideya Nagata.
Several music CDs dedicated to the music of Ys II have been released by Falcom. They include:
#172 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.
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 first released on June 24, 1988 for the NEC PC-8801
NEC PC-8801
The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
. It is the sequel to Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished
Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished
is the first installment of Ys, an action role-playing video game series developed by Falcom in 1987...
, and takes place immediately following the end of the first game.
Versions
Like its predecessor, Ys II was ported to various other platforms following its first release, such as the NEC PC-9801, X1turboSharp X1
The X1 is a series of home computer released by Sharp Corporation from 1982 to 1988. It was based on a Z80 CPU.Despite the fact that the Computer Division of Sharp Corporation had released the MZ series, suddenly the Television Division released a new computer series called the X1...
, FM-77AV
FM-7
FM-7 is a home computer released in 1982 in Japan.The Fujitsu FM-7 was Fujitsu's first entry into the Japanese home computer market, and for their debut computer, they chose to come out with a 6809-based personal computer very similar to Radio Shack's Color Computer.-Hardware:*Two MC 68B09 CPUs @...
, MSX 2, and Famicom
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
. It was also ported to the TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
by Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
as part of Ys I & II
Ys I & II
is a Japanese computer role-playing game compilation consisting of enhanced remakes of the first two Ys games, released for the PC Engine CD-ROM by Nihon Falcom and Hudson Soft in 1989...
; for many years this was the only version of Ys II that received an official English release.
An MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
enhanced remake called Ys II Special, developed by Mantra, was released exclusively for the South Korean market
Video gaming in South Korea
This article is about video gaming in South Korea.Since 2006, the country has had its own video game rating board, the Game Rating Board, taking over from the Korea Media Rating Board following a controversy where they rated a gambling game as suitable for all ages following a bribe...
in 1994. It was a mash-up of Ys II with the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
Ys II: Castle in the Heavens
Ys (anime)
are two different anime series, both of which are based on the video game series Ys. The first series spans seven episodes and covers the general plotline of the first game of the series, Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished. The plot centers on Adol Christin as he journeys to the island of Esteria in search...
(1992) along with a large amount of new content, including more secrets than any other version of the game. The game was a success in Korea, despite competition from the Korean RPG
History of Eastern role-playing video games
Eastern role-playing video games are role-playing video games developed in East Asia, specifically Japan, and, to a lesser extent, South Korea and China...
Astonishia Story
Astonishia Story
Astonishia Story is a series of 2D RPGs created by the Korean video game developer Sonnori. The first game in the series was released as Astonishia Story for Microsoft Windows in South Korea in 1994. A sequel, also for Windows, was released in July 1994 in South Korea under the title Astonishia...
that same year.
Years later, it was remade 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 PCs as Ys II Eternal, and later as Ys II Complete. Versions of the game have also been developed for mobile phone platforms.
Ys II was most recently remade for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
. An English translation of this version was released by Atlus
Atlus
is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of...
in North America, along with the DS version of Ys I on a single card, as Legacy of Ys: Books I & II in 2009. The Japanese version had been released as a single game when it came out in 2008.
Plot
Ys II picks up immediately where Ys I left off. Adol Christin is transported to the floating island of Ys, where he meets a young girl named Lilia. She takes Adol to her home, Lance Village. It is here that he will begin his quest to unravel the secrets of Ys, and finally rid it and Esteria of evil.Gameplay
The player controls Adol as he battles his way across the land of Ys. As in the first game, Adol's strength is measured in a typical RPG fashion: He has numerical statistics such as HP, Attack Power, and Defense Power that determine his strength. These stats are increased by raising his experience level through battling.Also returning from the first game is the 'bump' combat system. The player attacks enemies by running into them, and the enemy takes damage according to Adol's Attack Power. A new addition to Ys II is the Magic system: Adol can acquire several different spells he can use throughout the course of play, such as a Fire spell for attack, and a Time spell which can stop enemies as long as it is active. The use of magic consumes Adol's MP stat.
Music
The soundtrack to Ys II was composed by Yuzo KoshiroYuzo Koshiro
is a Japanese video game music composer and audio programmer. He is regarded as one of the most influential innovators in chiptune music and video game sound design...
, Mieko Ishikawa, and Hideya Nagata.
Several music CDs dedicated to the music of Ys II have been released by Falcom. They include:
- Music from Ys II (1988): Contains the soundtrack to the original PC-8801 edition of Ys II, along with four Ys II tracks arranged by Hiroyuki NambaHiroyuki Nambais a Japanese musician. He has composed for and arranged songs from Japanese anime, OVA and video games. Notably, Hiroyuki Namba composed for Dallos, the first anime Original video animation. However, in the United States, he is known for composing the soundtrack to the Armitage III film...
and one vocal track. - Perfect Collection Ys II (1990): A two-CD set, the first of which is a complete arrangement of the Ys II soundtrack by Ryo Yonemitsu. The second disc contains assorted arrangements from Ys I, II and III.
- Music from Ys II Renewal (1995): The entire Ys II soundtrack, reproduced on more advanced synthesizer equipment.
- Ys & Ys II Eternal Original Sound Track (2001): This two-CD set contains the soundtrack to the Windows-PC remakes of Ys I and II.
Reception
The game was reviewed in 1991 in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#172 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.