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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Following the surprise announcement of Ys X: Proud Nordics, a new version of Ys X planned to be released in Japan next year, Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo shared some comments in the latest issue of the weekly Famitsu magazine.

The reliable Famitsu leaker ryokutya shared some of these statements in their online blog, and they’re pretty standout.

Development Insights​

Firstly, Kondo said that development for Ys X: Proud Nordics was initiated due to fan requests for more adventures with Adol and Karja.

This sounds about expected, but what is somewhat shocking is how this title is meant to be treated as a new game instead of an expansion. Complementing this approach is how the balance of Ys X has been reworked from the ground up for Ys X: Proud Nordics.

Established Precedents and Comparisons​

Based on these comments, Ys X: Proud Nordics sounds similar to a Kingdom Hearts Final Mix release. For those unaware, the original Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts II, and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep all had definitive releases shortly after their original versions that enhanced the base game significantly and added extra content.

This also isn’t the first time Falcom has done a release like this, with two of the most prominent examples being Ys VIII and Tokyo Xanadu moving from PlayStation Vita to PlayStation 4. These updated releases added major new playable segments, and it made sense, given how drastic the jump was from the handheld form of the Vita.

Admittedly, Ys X: Proud Nordics currently feels like an outlier since, even if it is planned for the Switch successor, it has been confirmed to be backward compatible, at least to an extent. Regardless, we simply have to wait for more information.

New Additions and Features​

Fans can look forward to several enhancements in Ys X: Proud Nordics, including:

1. New Setting: Aland Island
   • Located north of Obelia Gulf, this region introduces:
     • New ruins and obstacles for Adol and Karja to overcome.
     • Encounters with another Mana user, furthering the story.
2. Enhanced Gameplay Mechanics
   • New Mana Actions: Additional skills and strategies tied to Mana abilities.
   • Expanded Exploration: Fresh areas to traverse and secrets to uncover.
3. New Bosses and Activities
   • Mana Ride Racing
   • Arena Battles

Ys X: Proud Nordics Reportedly Being Treated As A New Game, Balancing Has Been Reworked From The Ground Up

Explore Ys X: Proud Nordics, a reimagined version of Ys X, featuring new Mana abilities, expanded exploration, and thrilling additions like Mana Ride Racing. Coming next year!

noisypixel.net

 

[Mister Wolf]

I didn't like the game enough to play it again.

Y's 9 > Y's 8 > Y's 10

 

[Thief1987]

This features list looks like your standard 10-20$ DLC, nowhere near new release tier

 

[Mr Hyde]

What's even the point anymore of buying games on release when publishers pull stupid fucking shit like this? This is why waiting is a virtue. Fuck Falcom for this shit move. Never supporting them day 1 ever again.

 

[mèx]

I'm gonna skip this one, even if an upgrade path were available.

I enjoyed my time with Ys X, no need to revisit it so soon. Too many new games to play nowadays.

 

[adamsapple]

Unless there's significant story content added, not sure if I'm interested again.

 

[Bojji]

Didn't they kill sales of western X release with this announcement?

They need to speed up western releases or don't announce enhanced editions this soon. Stupid.

 

[LectureMaster]

Man, they are going the Atlus route aren't they?

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Fuck this shit and fuck the JRPG audience for enabling it.

If EA or Microsoft tried something like this they’d be absolutely savaged by the entire gaming community.

But JRPG fans still have this “us vs the world” “we gotta buy every JRPG and show our support otherwise they’ll stop making them” mentality.

 

[Arsic]

Well no need to play the original now

 

[IAmRei]

this makes some people will be confused later on :/

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Didn't they kill sales of western X release with this announcement?

They need to speed up western releases or don't announce enhanced editions this soon. Stupid.

It released 2 months ago in the west. Realistically most of the full priced sales have already happened by now.

Definitely a slap in the face to announce this so soon after the western release though.

 

[ssringo]

All this tells me is to not bother buying the next Ys game until well after it's western release so I don't waste my time or money.

 

[RobRSG]

I once got Ys Origin, which was very cheap once on Xbox, and it was a fantastic game all around - but it is one of the low budget ones clearly, and was released originally only in Japanese for PC.

I did not buy their biggest releases, not because I’m not interested, but they never get cheap enough on any platform for me to try them out. Also now that I see they are trying to pull off an Atlus here, it is another reason to keep me away from their games.

 

[Lionel Richie]

I didn't like the game enough to play it again.

Y's 9 > Y's 8 > Y's 10

Preferring IX over VIII is totally something someone who doesn’t know how the series is spelled would do.

 

[cash_longfellow]

I didn't like the game enough to play it again.

Y's 9 > Y's 8 > Y's 10

Ughh…Ys 9 is legitimately my least favorite game in the series. I don’t understand the love for it.

 

[Mister Wolf]

Ughh…Ys 9 is legitimately my least favorite game in the series. I don’t understand the love for it.

I prefer the cast, setting, abilities, visuals, and story. Just about everything is better to me than 8.

 

[CLW]

Forgive the ignorance but is the Ys series like Final Fantasy in that the stories are largely individualized so you don’t have to play 1 2 etc and can just pick up wherever?

 

[cash_longfellow]

I prefer the cast, setting, abilities, and story. Just about everything about it is better to me than 8.

Gotcha, I do like the verticality of it, but just feel like it missed bad on the story. Maybe I’ll revisit at some point.

 

[cash_longfellow]

Forgive the ignorance but is the Ys series like Final Fantasy in that the stories are largely individualized so you don’t have to play 1 2 etc and can just pick up wherever?

They are. Some of the characters are recurring, but for the most part each entry is a brand new story. The overarching idea is that Adol (the main character) travels and it’s a document of his travel and the stories he experiences on his travels, with each entry being a different travel.

 

[Thief1987]

Forgive the ignorance but is the Ys series like Final Fantasy in that the stories are largely individualized so you don’t have to play 1 2 etc and can just pick up wherever?

Well, same MC, but stories are separate and not connected with each other, in some of them there are mentions of another games's events or characters, but they are pretty insignificant.

 

[Lunnarre]

Ys X was my first intro to the series. I enjoyed the characters and world so much I'm now playing through them all chronologically. Currently on VIII and loved every game so far. From what I've gathered it seems like VI and maybe IX are gonna be pretty big lore wise, although, everyone says IX is piss easy to the point it's boring so that's kinda lame. Gonna play it on nightmare probably in that case. On topic this announcement was pretty annoying, but I had a great time with the now standard game, so not too upset about it. Wouldn't be going back to it any time soon anyway as I plan to play the Trails games next.

 

[BennyBlanco]

All this tells me is to not bother buying the next Ys game until well after it's western release so I don't waste my time or money.

Fatlus does this with every game. Metaphor probably getting this treatment next year. It’s crazy especially for 80 hour games.

 

[Traxtech]

Was just about to buy this too, guess I'll wait

 

[Seyken]

Bought Ys X day one, loved it, but this is a really shit move and makes me not want to buy their games day one anymore. Are they really trying to copy Atlus' worst trait?

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Again, I'll be a little shocked if this is a separate release in the West, given that the game just came out. I'd be annoyed, at the very least, even if I am a huge Falcom fan.

 

[Crystal Winters]

So, is this the same game with a new area like Dragons Dogma had Dark Arisen? Or is it a full-on sequel?

 

[JORMBO]

A new version of a game that just came out a month ago. I already beat it and enjoyed it, but it isn't really a game I have a strong desire to go back to.

 

[Doom_master1122]

Ughh…Ys 9 is legitimately my least favorite game in the series. I don’t understand the love for it.

Yeah its not my exact favorite either. I don't think it was bad by any means, but it felt very off compared to other Ys games.
Ys 8 was a much better game in terms of gameplay and story. At least for me.


As for Ys10. I just finished the game a few weeks ago. Its quite enjoyable I really do like it, but it took a lot of time to adjust to as the game pulled a Sekiro on me. A game that feels like the prior games, but can't be played the same way. Eventually learned it was a heavy parrying reliant combat system (in both case I suppose.) and found the game much more enjoyable. More of my opinion can be found here on the OT.

With that said, I can't same I'm actually liking the idea of having to play again for the new content or any other additions to the game. Sure I will eventually, but this soon after release, and this soon after me finishing it as well? Kind of not interested in the moment. Maybe if there's an upgrade patch I can buy to upgrade it, sure. However I hope we can just jump in and explore the new content right away without needing replaying. If that all happens, it'll be fine for me. Otherwise Proud Nordics might be a bit before I decide to buy.

 

[CosmicComet]

Ughh…Ys 9 is legitimately my least favorite game in the series. I don’t understand the love for it.

The only thing Ys 8 has over 9 is music for me.

I easily prefer the combat, setting, traversal, story stakes and even the party members over Ys 8, where no one felt like they were cool enough to hang with Adol. Hawk on the other hand was right up there with Adol.

 

[StereoVsn]

Man, they are going the Atlus route aren't they?

Seems that way. It’s annoying enough with Atlus but they at least take couple of years between releases.

This sort of shit should really be like a $30-40 expansion and not a $60-70 game.

Also, Falcom is not Atlus and I am not sure they can pull in double dips in same manner.

It released 2 months ago in the west. Realistically most of the full priced sales have already happened by now.

Definitely a slap in the face to announce this so soon after the western release though.

Yeah, that’s terrible timing, mostly do to Falcon’s insistence (till very recently) on not starting Western translations till after the game is finished. I think X came out in Japan a while back.

I prefer the cast, setting, abilities, visuals, and story. Just about everything is better to me than 8.

Wow, I am the opposite. I found IX to probably my least favorite of Ys games over last 10+ years. Didn’t like the setting, story or characters much. It wasn’t terrible, just mid for me.

 

[Power Pro]

I feel like people forget that this has been a thing with Japanese games for a while. Final fantasy or kingdom hearts final mix versions come to mind. It’s just back then localization took so long that sometimes that stuff would come out to be included in western releases, or just never came out in the west at all.

 

[Gambit2483]

So, is this the same game with a new area like Dragons Dogma had Dark Arisen? Or is it a full-on sequel?

Largely the same game but with New areas, characters, and story segments. Also new gameplay balancing and abilities.

Like the original post mentioned, Think Kingdom Hearts 2 vs Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix.

 

[Paltheos]

So, is this the same game with a new area like Dragons Dogma had Dark Arisen? Or is it a full-on sequel?

More like the former. New area, but also new encounters and abilities in the base game. Persona 5 Royal's the easiest popular comparison.

Falcom has developed enhanced versions of their games before, with additional content for another version of Ys VIII and of Tokyo Xanadu (retitled as Tokyo Xanadu eX+). The Ys X situation is a little different from the past insofar as, for those other two titles, NA releases occurred only after the enhanced versions had also come in Japan. That is, NA got the final versions first (unless you chose to buy the original Vita releases that also came to NA at the same time because Falcom didn't backport the new content).

This actually isn't out of character for Falcom, but I can understand why some people would feel burnt. Heck, I also bought Ys X and just kinda forgot that this was in the realm of possibility because Falcom doesn't do this for Trails games and they didn't do it for Ys IX.

Fatlus does this with every game. Metaphor probably getting this treatment next year. It’s crazy especially for 80 hour games.

There's been some big copium going around recently that Atlus won't be releasing second versions of their games anymore after the DLC pack that came out for Persona 3 Reload. This sentiment is undercut by the very obvious release of an enhanced version of Shin Megami Tensei V in the same year.

I expect another version of Metaphor to come out too and have just refused to touch it until at least two years have passed so I can know for sure I won't be bamboozled.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Was there anything wrong with the balance that would require them to completely redo it?

 

[mèx]

The only thing Ys 8 has over 9 is music for me.

I easily prefer the combat, setting, traversal, story stakes and even the party members over Ys 8, where no one felt like they were cool enough to hang with Adol. Hawk on the other hand was right up there with Adol.

I agree, Ys 8 has far better music for sure. I found Ys 9 to be better in every other aspect.

The best thing about Ys 9 is that everything feeds into the mystery and the lore of the current location. Because all characters you meet live in the same city, they always have something interesting to say about what's happened and what's happening: everything feels very cohesive thanks to that. The pacing at which the mystery unravels is pretty good too, much better than 8 or 10. The Monstrum powers are really fun, and the dungeons/bosses are way better than 8.

The combat is basically the same between Ys 8 and 9, so I'm not sure how you can like it more in 9. Ys 10 takes the cake when it comes to combat and bosses though. They really improved a lot in that regard.

Anyway all these games are good, and with how many there are everyone is bound to have a different favourite.

 

[Sentenza]

Didn't they kill sales of western X release with this announcement?

Then again their sales for the brand new main releases have rarely been hot shit here in the western market... And probably never will for as long as they'll insist on trying to sell what's essentially a 29-dollars-tier, low budget, indie-looking game for 60+bucks (for the BASIC edition) as if it was the most coveted triple A release.

And I say this as more or less a fan of the series... I rarely buy the new Ys at release before I get them on some heavy discount somewhere.

 

[Fbh]

See this makes me just not want to buy Falcom games anywhere near launch.
I wanted to get Trails in the Sky remake next year, but if they'll just release "Trails in the Sky Remake: enhanced, improved and extended" 1-2 years later than I'd rather wait for that.
Same reason I never get excited for Atlus games, I have zero interest in picking up Metaphor because I'll just wait for the actual complete edition.

 

[Red Scarlet]

Game looked really generic. Could've been released in 2004.

 

[Northeastmonk]

Picked up Y’s IX after reading this thread. I take my time getting to the Y’s games. Last one I played was Y’s VIII.

 

[Fluffytheterrible]

A swift hit to the balls for those who purchased the original version. Why even bother with the first editions anymore, if your purchase is invalidated so quickly

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

So glad I was busy with other games and didn't buy day one.