The online video game retailer GOG has added three titles from the Ys series to their library earlier today. The games, Ys I & II Chronicles+, Ys: The Oath of Felghana and Ys Origin, are all on sale at GOG for %25 off until Feb. 29. There is no word on whether GOG plans to release the other games in the series.
First introduced to North America in 1988 with the release of Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished – Omen on the Sega Master system, Ys is a series of games which focus on the swordsman Adol Christin as he fights evils and collects items in the land of Ys and its surrounding areas. While most games in the series are JRPGs, the play styles in the Ys series range from the 2D side scrolling in Ys III: Wanderers from Ys to fully 3D free-roaming in Ys Online.
The Ys games are only few of many GOG has been adding to their library recently. On Feb. 17th, GOG released seven games in one day.
Ys I & II Chronicles+ is an enhanced release of the first two games in the series, Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished – Omen and Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter, which were originally planned to be released as one game. Notable for being two of the first games released on CD-ROM, they were critically acclaimed upon release and often compared to The Legend of Zelda for their bird's-eye view and lack of turn-based combat.
Rather than releasing Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, GOG released the 2005 re-imagining of the third game, Ys: The Oath of Felghana, which follows Christin and his friend Dogi as they travel to Dogi's hometown and find there are monsters living on the town's outskirts and the town's leader has outlawed its citizens from mining "raval" - one of the town's most valuable resources. While mostly the same, the game's plot is mildly different from Ys III. Its gameplay is focused more on 3D action, while Ys III was a 2D sidescroll with an emphasis on items management.
The latest Ys game in GOG's library, Ys Origin from 2006, is a prequel which takes place 700 years before Ys I & II. The game follows an elite team of nights as they travel from Ys to The Devil's Tower in an attempt to rescue Ys' rulers, the Goddesses Reah and Feena. Its gameplay blends the RPG elements of Ys I & II Chronicles+ with the action elements of Ys: The Oath of Felghana.
Will you buy the Ys games from GOG? What do you think of the Ys series? Let us know in the comments section.