If you aren’t already familiar with the Ys series, you’ve been missing out. Ys is arguably the defining franchise for Falcom, a Japanese game development company known for their defining franchises. These are the same guys behind the Legend of Heroes games. They made Xanadu for MSX and later Tokyo Xanadu for PS4. They made Brandish, Zwei, Popful Mail, and are one of the defining companies of the JRPG and Action/RPG genres. In short, Falcom is amazing and Ys is possibly their best franchise, spawning 15 games so far with the 16th on its way in Japan this fall, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. There’s even an anime available that you can watch here which is fairly decent, though long out of print.
That being said, the Ys series follows the ongoing exploits of one Adol Christin, a red-haired adventurer who flits from continent to continent, unearthing ruins, discovering and defeating the supernatural, and generally being awesome. Many of the entries in the series clock in at 50-100 hours and tell fairly complex stories in addition to their well-choreographed combat systems and enjoyable 80s style rock music, mostly produced by Falcom’s Team JDK, and later often performed on CDs and in concert by the JDK Band.
But as of now, there’s a semi-new entry into the franchise! XSeed Games has partnered with Falcom to release Ys: Memories of Celceta on the PS4, remastered in full HD! This is the first home console release of Ys: Memories of Celceta, which was originally released as a Playstation Vita exclusive in 2012. Ys Memories of Celceta is a remake of Ys IV: Dawn of Ys, the only game that Falcom shopped out to a third party developer and also the only one that was never previously translated into English. As such, Memories of Celceta takes the place of Ys IV in the franchise, even though it isn’t designated as Ys IV.
Ys: Memories of Celceta opens with Adol having lost his memory after being the only person to have returned from a trip to the mysterious forest of Celceta and regaining it is one of the key parts of the game. As with other games in the Ys series, you can jump in without fear of spoilers and the plot is easy to follow. Celceta wastes no time, throwing you into your first dungeon within a few minutes if you don’t dally about the town too much, and it’s a snapshot of things to come. The Ys games are notably focused on combat and exploration, and mapping dungeons and killing monsters is what Adol does best. Celceta gives a fuller feel to Adol’s character and enough background into his history in snippets throughout the game that you will understand his character much more fully by the end of the roughly 30 hours of this massive game. He’s not just a blank character defined by his hair like Cloud Strife of Final Fantasy VII, but more of an actual person, even if he doesn’t have a lot to say. Over the course of Ys: Memories of Celceta, you’ll experience a large amount of Ys lore and information, lovingly crafted into the tale to fully immerse you into the Ys world, and this is definitely a can’t miss chapter in the Ys saga! Don’t let that drive you away if you’re new to the series though, because Ys is designed specifically for anyone that’s completely new to the franchise to pick up any game in the series and be able to start playing. They can be played in any order too!
Combat is straightforward in Ys: Memories of Celceta. Simply use the attack button to hit, use the dodge button to dodge, and the guard button to block. The game features special moves, learned through combat as you play and level up and they are easy to pull off. Simply map them to a face button in the menu, and then hold the R1 button and press the corresponding face button to execute the moves. Regular attacks build up SP which you can then expend to use the more powerful special moves. After a while, your combat prowess also fills a yellow Extra meter in the lower right hand corner and you can hit L1 and R1 simultaneously to pull off a vicious Extra move, expending that energy and trashing your foes! Controls are mappable too, which is a godsend since it’s incredibly easy to hit R2 instead of R1 and pop up a map mid-combat in the default configuration. The regular map below is opened with the center button on the PS4 though.
While combat is easy to understand, that doesn’t mean it’s simple. You can play any of three active characters at a time (once you find them) and each one has different strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. Duren, for example, has the ability to pick locks and open up the locked chests you find around the forest, something that you definitely don’t want to forget even though you don’t use it that often. Karna can hurl knives and cut down environmental hazards, and so on. There are a total of six playable characters in Ys: Memories of Celceta, and each has their strengths and weaknesses, but all are necessary at one point or another through the course of the game.
Switching between characters on the fly is key to defeating various enemy types as each is only vulnerable to certain types of damage. Jump to Adol to slash-damage one enemy, quickly to Duren to brutally pummel the next, then it’s off to Karna to use her vicious Napalm shot to blitz through and clean up! You’ll find yourself constantly cycling characters, which is a refreshing change from sticking with the same one all the time. On top of that, it’s important to make sure your equipment is up to date. Sure you can run past most of the enemies with dash, but if you do, you’ll end up too broke to upgrade your gear and unable to progress. Everything about Ys requires you to stay engaged to the story and keep interested. This is true of most of the modern versions of Ys and is especially true for Celceta. There’s even a small crafting system here, allowing you to utilize the items you find in the field to make your own accessories, powering up your characters even further as you play through the game. You’re also constantly reporting back to show the progress you’ve made in exploring, and performing side tasks for the townsfolk as well. There are plenty of layers here for the completionist as well as the casual gamer.
Visually, Ys: Memories of Celceta is fairly solid, but keep in mind that this is a game from 2012. Eight year old graphics are often a bit weak, but XSeed has managed to clean up Celceta admirably. Much in line with their releases of Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel and Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II for the PS4, Ys: Memories of Celceta is crisp and vibrant. While there is a noticeable lack of detail and subtlety to the graphics that would normally be expected in a new game, this is a game that’s almost a decade old, and it does look captivating for its age. One of the notable things about the visuals is the lack of camera control. Ys uses a fixed camera and you cannot manipulate it, leaving items just out of visual range until you get to the area the designers want you to see them in. It’s definitely a bit of a throwback but you get used to it quickly, and it does streamline gameplay as you aren’t gawking at random scenery or trying to keep your camera aligned. Every line of Ys is sharp and clean with no screen tearing or other issues, draw distance is solid, and the trademark Ys creativity in scenery, characters, and monsters is readily apparent in every aspect of Celceta. Having a fixed camera only accentuates that. You won’t get the same visuals you’d expect from a current title, but everything will definitely look fantastic and well-designed!
With those excellent graphics also comes a matching excellent soundtrack. Team JDK has done it again with another rocking soundtrack thumping along to the persistent exploration of Ys: Memories of Celceta. If you were wise enough to grab the Ys: Memories of Celceta Timeless Adventurer Edition, you’ll even get a physical soundtrack to go along with the game. Sure, most people don’t have CD players anymore, but it’s still cool as hell to get a physical soundtrack of some of the best gaming music around! The Timeless Adventurer Edition also comes in a foil outer box and is packed with art cards. It’s a fantastic package for only a few dollars more, unlike other pricey limited editions, and is well worth your time, unless you prefer digital!
It’s hard to explain the Ys experience if you’ve never played one before. As with other Ys games, Ys: Memories of Celceta is immersive in a way that’s rare these days. It’s not overly complex, the stories aren’t overly wordy, and yet you’re still sucked into the event s swirling about the Forest of Celceta to the point where it’s hard to put down the controller and go to bed. Ys is the quintessential adventure exploration series and Ys: Memories of Celceta is the result of decades of refinement of that recipe. This is a game that gets right to the heart of what gaming is all about, pure fun. On top of that, it’s got an excellent plot, interesting characters, and smooth, streamlined gameplay. Sure, it’s a little button mashy, but it’s also eight years old and still just as much fun as when it was originally released. There aren’t all that many titles out there that are that enduring, and even if you’ve played it before, it’s worth picking up to play on an HDTV in glorious high definition! Ys is a series for everyone, one that’s easy to learn, approachable, and most of all, enjoyable. It tugs at your emotional heartstrings, taking you through the ups and downs of the characters on a journey reminiscent of a more innocent time in gaming with no outrageous violence, no swearing, and no real sexual content, and yet it’s still utterly compelling.
Ys: Memories of Celceta is, to put it simply, utterly fantastic. This is a AAA title from the get go, and while it’s slightly dated visually and the controls take a bit of getting used to, this is one incredibly fun game! At only $30, you’re getting a fantastic studio release for a pittance, and for an extra $10, you can grab the physical with the soundtrack and artwork! This is a no brainer for any gamer that likes fantasy stories and well-designed action adventure games and absolutely a game that is not to be missed if it even remotely interests you! A multitude of elements coalesce in Ys: Memories of Celceta to create a game experience that is the perfect introduction to the Ys series for newcomers and a welcome return of an old friend for veterans of the series . Now go explore!
This review is based on a digital copy of Ys: Memories of Celceta for the PS4. It was played with a PS4 Pro on a Sony 1080p LED TV. Ys: Memories of Celceta is also still available digitally for the Playstation Vita and for Windows PCs on Steam. All screenshots are of actual gameplay. Screenshots purposely avoid major spoilers as much as possible.
