As our lives tick forward towards that inevitable fate that awaits us all, we often find ourselves with less free time. Because of this it’s almost impossible to play all the games you might want to, especially when it comes to chunky RPGs. This was the reason it took me so long to try the Ys series, despite the fact I knew I’d probably love them. Thankfully I rectified that starting with Ys IX, and have continued my crusade through the series ever since. I actually find myself enjoying the older Ys titles just as much as the new ones too, which is lucky since Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta is now here on the Switch family of consoles.
The original Ys: Memories of Celceta release was for the PlayStation Vita back in 2012, and is apparently the fourth canonical game in the series. It of course follows that red haired adventurer Adol Christin, who has as usual found himself in a sticky situation. At the start of the game Adol doesn’t even know his own name, as he limps back from the forest of Celceta and collapses in Casnan. Here he meets Duren who remembers our hero, and ends up agreeing to map out the forest to help the locals and make a few bucks. This tale to regain memories and do some mapping is simple enough, but is a fine framework for the action.
Whereas modern Ys games have more tactical options to the combat and a plethora of different skills, Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta feels much more arcadey by comparison. Adol and his allies move at a lightning pace, and launch attacks at breakneck speed. This ensures exploring every little nook of the map never gets boring, and the combat evolves a nice amount as you progress.
Fighting foes in Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta is rarely a thoughtful affair, but you do have a few different combat options. You’ll unlock different skills you can use to slice through beasts and baddies, and there’s the mandatory special attack which deals massive damage once you fill that meter. With different characters dealing slash, strike and pierce damage you can take advantage of this to take down monsters more effectively, but no matter how clever you get you’ll still spend most of your time flying around like Sonic rushing to grab a chilli dog.
Although there may not be a whole lot of complexity in scraps, that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Games in 2012 weren’t as kind to us as their modern ancestors, and bosses will gladly knock seven shades of sugar out of you if given the chance. You’ve got plenty of defensive options to utilise though, with a block and dodge that will parry attacks or even slow down time if your button pressing is perfectly timed. It’s so satisfying to weave between attacks and be rewarded accordingly, and this meant I pretty much entirely refused to skip fights throughout the whole experience.
While combat is king in Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta, there’s also a whole lot of exploration to be done. This makes sense when your main quest is drawing a map (which is thankfully done automatically by walking about) and with rewards for hitting percentages of map completion it’s worth being thorough. There are plenty of different routes to check out which are blocked too, which various abilities you’ll gather will help you access. These little Metroidvania hooks never cease to work on me, and they’re just another thing about this older Ys game that impressed me.
Despite having lots of lovely elements from other video game genres, Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta is still an RPG at heart. Levelling up will make you stronger and give you new moves to try, gear can be equipped to boost stats further, and there are a whole load of side quests to complete as you go. The quests all involve helping locals, be it by milking a rare cow or killing a tough monster, and the cash and materials they reward make them worth ticking off. The additional layers like this ensure this Ys game is more than just flash, and worth playing even by modern standards.
I really appreciated the opportunity to fill in the blanks in my Ys knowledge thanks to Ys Memoire, but the game does have some small issues. Mapping locations can be a bit fiddly, with small percentages easy to miss unless you scrape against walls. There are also some frustrating mazes to contend with where you’ll teleport to unexpected screens, and they usually made me a bit sad too. Not everyone will appreciate the visuals either, which are clearly rather dated and less timeless than the banging soundtrack.
Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta is an enjoyable action RPG romp from a simpler age, and I’m glad I got to experience it for the first time. Some slight issues did prevent it from making its way to the top of my Ys list, but ultimately it’s just a fun game to play thanks to the sensational and well paced combat. Whether you’re a seasoned Ys veteran or someone intrigued by the series, Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta will likely delight you despite its age.
