[PlayStation 5] Ys X: Nordics Review (2024)

Immerse yourself in the thrilling world of Ys X: Nordics, the latest action RPG from Nihon Falcom and NIS America. Join Adol Christin the adventurer as he embarks on an epic journey through unique landscapes, uncovering secrets and battling fierce enemies. Experience the dynamic gameplay that has defined the Ys franchise for decades in our Ys: Nordics review!

Following their tenuous encounter at sea, the young red-haired adventurer Adol Christin and the proud pirate Karja Balta find themselves bound by fate – and the mysterious power of Mana! As they search for a way to undo the mystical ties that bind them, they soon find themselves caught up in a conflict between two factions: the seafaring warriors known as the Normans and the enigmatic and seemingly immortal Griegr. In order to save the people of Obelia Gulf, Adol and Karja must navigate the depths of their unexpected bond and the power that it grants them.

Ys X: Nordics from NIS America and Nihon Falcom is the latest installment in the long-running Ys action RPG franchise. One of my favorite action RPGs of all time is Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana which was released in 2017. While Ys IX: Monstrum Nox was also great, I thought some of the things that made Lacrimosa of Dana unique and a must-play were missing like a mysterious world to explore and colorful environments. As you can imagine, I was quite excited to give the latest game a go for our Ys X: Nordics review, as it was supposed to follow the gameplay structure of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana. With that said, each Ys release is a standalone action RPG, so you don’t need to play previous releases to enjoy this new one, although there are some subtle references that you might enjoy if you did.

You’ll follow Adol and his lifelong friend Dogi as they make their way to the region of Celceta. Chronologically, this game takes place quite early in the Ys timeline, and before Ys: Memories of Celceta – which we reviewed a few years ago. As they travel through the Gulf of Obelia in Norman territory, their ship is attacked and seized by Norman pirates. Adol has the worst luck when traveling! Stranded in a small village in the Gulf of Obelia, Adol finds a mysterious seashell on the beach that not only speaks to him but also gives him the power of Mana, thus allowing him to use Mana skills. The pirate princess Karja also has a similar power, and shortly after, they’re stuck together, so she joins the party. Speaking of which, instead of a 6-character party like Lacrimosa of Dana or Monstrum Nox, Nordics has a two-person party (Adol and Karja), which definitely changes the dynamic.

The main enemies in this game are the Griegr, semi-magical enemies that can only be killed for good by Mana users, which limits who can take them on as there are only Adol, Karja, and a few other people who have this power. The gameplay felt more technical than in previous installments, as you can attack enemies with your weapon and use skills (as in previous installments), and now you also have duo skills that can be triggered by dynamically linking Adol and Karja together by holding down the R2 button so they attack the same enemy at the same time and launch powerful skills using both of their Mana reserves.

I thought the gameplay was more technical than the previous installments, and you’ll need a few hours in the game to get used to all the gameplay mechanics. Speaking of which, I’m all for games with minimal tutorials that give you the pleasure of discovering the gameplay mechanics on your own, but this time, there are constant tutorial screens for the first few hours, stopping the action in the middle of a fight, which didn’t help for the game’s overall flow. Another aspect I noticed is that the gameplay has moved away from flash evasion – which was a feature I liked – in favor of solo or duo fighting, depending on whether the R2 button is pressed.

The level up system has been revamped in favor of a “release line” system, where you have power-up nodes which can be set to one of three node types – basically Strength, Defense, and Mana – depending on your own tastes. Nodes can be upgraded to better ones by combining 3 of the same type, so you have a lot of freedom in how you want to upgrade your characters. You’ll also quickly gain control of a battered ship, allowing you to gradually explore the vast Obelian Gulf and its islands and inhabitants. At first, the ship is painfully slow – so much so that exploring the accessible area of the Obelian Gulf will be discouraging. You’ll be able to gradually improve its attack, defense, and speed, but keep in mind that it will remain slow until about 10 hours into the game or so.

The sea is not a calm place, and you’ll often encounter ships that need to be dealt with using your (upgradeable) cannons. There are purple spots that lead to siege battles where you have to get rid of all the Griegr in an arena. There are also islands that have been completely taken over, and you’ll have to take them back by destroying enemy ships and the island’s defenses. Returning from previous installments is the fishing mini-game. It was one of my many highlights in previous installments, and the gameplay is still fast-paced and rewarding.

To give you an idea of how huge the Obelian Gulf is, at around 15 hours of playing the game for this Ys XI: Nordics review, I had uncovered less than 20% of the Sea Chart – Discovery Rate! On the presentation side, Ys XI: Nordics has a beautiful and colorful game engine that runs at a steady 60 frames per second. I notice that the eyes of the characters, in particular, have been reworked from previous installments. There are also dynamic shadows that look a little blurry – which is to be expected since this game is available on both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles. There’s a bit of a pop-in if you’re paying attention, as distant objects aren’t drawn. I also liked that the loading times between zones (and once fast travel is unlocked) are minimal and are over within a couple of seconds.

There’s not much to complain about in Ys X: Nordics, but I did have a few areas that felt like they could be improved. I had a recurring issue with the camera, and while there are as many as 6 different settings to improve it. Unfortunately, it felt like no combination really made it perfect, and I ended up getting used to a compromise. I also mentioned how painfully slow the boat was for a good portion of the beginning of the game – which I understand is by design, but it was still very slow. Finally, the first few hours were riddled with tutorials for all the new game mechanics, and it felt a little too much.

Ys X: Nordics is a great game in which you’ll uncover the mysteries of the Obelian Gulf and understand how to use Mana – which is a skill only usable by Normans. You’ll explore the Obelian Gulf with an increasing number of allies and improve your ship one step at a time to be able to keep up. I loved discovering new regions, and this is a game that I definitively recommend to action RPG players or fans of the Ys franchise. Ys X: Nordics launches on PlayStation 5 on October 25.

Disclaimer
This Ys X: Nordics review is based on a PlayStation copy provided by NIS America.

Ceidz, Owner

Ceidz has lived as a gamer for as long as he can remember. His favorite game genres are JRPGs and platformers, he's been writing reviews since 2012 and is the co-owner of PS4Blog.net.