We’ve finally reached the point that even remakes are being remastered. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana isn’t just a remaster of a 2010 PSP game being given new life on modern consoles, because even that was a localised port of a 2005 PC remake of Ys III: Wanderers from Ys back in 1989! Despite, or perhaps because of, all those steps of separation from the original release, the result is one of the most refreshing and immediately engaging entries in this decades-old franchise.
Even though recent original entries in the series, like last year’s Ys X: Nordics, are chasing higher fidelity and expanded gameplay sub-systems, when you look at the gaming landscape at large it’s clear that more and more people yearn for artistically driven and lower fidelity games that wear retro charm on their sleeve. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana in 2005 was a complete reimagining of Ys III, stepping back from the side-scrolling spin-off from the original series formula to better match the action of Ys IV, but twenty years on from that, it doesn’t try to shoot for the increasingly unobtainable fidelity-focused goals of modern gaming. This release instead celebrates its roots at every opportunity.
In that sense, Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana feels like an incredibly timely release – on PlayStation 5 the game certainly runs at a higher resolution than ever and a consistent framerate, but the character models and textures look just like they did on PSP and PC, and you have a choice between original and refined graphics for the dialogue character art. Of the three available soundtrack options, one of them is the original Wanderers from Ys PC-88 soundtrack and the other is the only slightly-less-old-school X68000 soundtrack from the 2005 PC release.
One of the major charming elements of the Ys franchise is that the combat and gameplay was so ahead of it’s time. A groundbreaking, lightning-fast action game from like this from 20 years ago isn’t any less fun or exciting today. You’ll barely be able to see your protagonist Adol Christin on the screen at some points with how fast you’re moving, spinning your blades at waves of enemies and constantly unlocking new attacks and abilities that expand your arsenal. The depth of gameplay and customization here isn’t as deep as more recent Ys entries that give you access to multiple party members or more dynamic sub-systems of character growth, but it never feels like any of that is needed. What’s lost in character-building growth is made up for twice-fold in the increasing amounts of strategy and quick-thinking that bosses will require of you as you progress through the game.
While the narrative of Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana isn’t a major highlight of the experience, it never drags on or over-explains to the point of getting in your way like a few more recent Ys entries do. You’ve got engaging stakes and likeable characters, and they always serve the purpose of propelling you towards your next exciting gameplay moment, and never holding you back from them. Sure, the result means you shouldn’t be expecting some kind of meta-textual brain-melting story experience from this game, but I’m happy to have my brain unmelted when the trade-off is face-meltingly fast and exciting boss battles – even faster if you engage Turbo mode.
Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana has aged flawlessly, and is the perfect sort of simple, fast-paced action game that anyone can hop into and enjoy. With how expansive and varied the Ys series has become over the years, it’s also an exciting window into the origins of the franchise, and a reminder of why this series has been heralded as Nihon Falcom’s flagship franchise for so long.