is the post game dungeon the one associated with achieving the true ending or is there something else?
You get the true ending by collecting 200+ reputation points throughout the game. The endgame dungeon is just another thing that was originally added on PS4.
Tropey, maybe, though you're jaded from oversaturation. I've never watched anime so it's not worn out on me. Good is still good, if the only thing that makes it not good is seeing to many similar things. It may be tropey, but that doesn't negate that each character was very distinct down to speaking pattern and nature..... That's good character writing. They're fleshed out, unique, recognizable individuals even with the tropes. (I'm not anti anime, i just never watched it.. Or really any tv these days)
Well, I wouldn't say "jaded." I just recognize the archetypes, and while the dialogue in Ys VIII is serviceable, I don't think any of the characters really broke the mold enough to be especially memorable. They're not bad, by any means, and I found their stories (especially Dana's) to be reasonably engaging, but, as usual, Falcom's forte doesn't seem to be developing deep, unforgettable characters.
I don't know about the nonsense plot. Well, barring the last dungeon and epilogue. The details of time travel are always broken, but the themes of loss and the theme of the place you belong having been lost is a poignant real world there in a variety of forms. There's a lot of depth in a lot of that.... Shame they kind of scrapped the meaning by the end but taken without the end...
I mean the broader metaphysics of it. It's pure JRPG fluff: Wardens of Evolution continually wiping out the dominant life form over and over, with humans, of course, being the species that breaks the cycle. You even fight the Origin of Life in the ending.
Pretentious references to mythology, religion, and/or science in an attempt to legitimize said conspiracy? Check.
Teenagers saving the world? Kind of check. They throw in an older guy to throw off the balance, but most of the main characters are children, so I'm counting it.
Killing God and/or some sort of stand-in for God? Check.
The gameplay is indeed great, though it takes a while to get into...i blame the monster Hunter style mapping for that curve. But it's not the gameplay that will make me think often of this world. It's the characters, world, and symbolism.
Fair enough. For me, it's the concept and expertly crafted nest of gameplay systems. It's basically designed to be constantly rewarding and expansionary, with activities constantly opening up other possible avenues of interaction with your increasingly large band of survivors and the environment in general. And I really like the wilderness survival theme of it. The 'digging into ancient secrets' thing isn't unusual, but it jives well with the vaguely Victorian setting and Adventure Novel set-up.
And The music. I need the soundtrack. The high nrg field music makes me want to run and whack things with something. But Dana's various themes are memorable, the town music.. and that darn Russian ballet title theme had been stuck looping endlessly in my head for the past week and a half. I've woken up at night with it in my head j though it was the waiting guitar field music last week...
I love JRPGs and their brilliant, often inappropriately extravagent use of music. While there are many different types of JRPG stories, I often think back to the platonic ideal of the genre, which, in my mind, was personified best by Lunar and Lunar 2 on the Sega CD/PS1: an epic journey filled with music and love where teenagers use the power of friendship to kill God/[insert entity of vast supernatural or magical power] and save the world.
Anyway, don't misconstrue my arguably flippant tone. I loved the game. Enough so that I'm continually tempted to repurchase the game on PS4 or Vita and 100% it again.
@Ralizah Huh...how do you access the "endgame dungeon?"
Bah, I still say jaded...these are definitely unforgettable characters. Not all of them, mind you, but in particular Sahad, Kiergaard, Laxia and Dana. And through Dana, Olga and Sarai, though individually unremarkable, their character was reflected through Dana's attachment to them. You're right, many others were superfluous and forgettable, but that's ok. They may be archetypes, but at this point, every character is going to be an archetype in all kinds of literature/media and the only way to escape that is to be intentionally avante garde which tends to just come across as snobbish arthouse....which instantly turns into a "Look at my brilliance. LOOK AT IT!!" affair.
LOL, you're right about the JRPG fluff in that regard (though to be fair, Adol, canonically is a long-since dead man in his 60's...and in IX he's supposedly older (I haven't looked into it since the preview stuff, but, supposedly)..... these are his discovered adventuring journals, so does that count as teenagers? ) I suppose that's the part of the story in every JRPG that goes off the rails and I just ignore it. The lasting part isn't the Wardens/tree/gods/destroying providence/humanity saves the day part. It's really the deeper part set in Eternia, and Dana's interaction with what remains of her own long lost world, and the inner conflicts, etc. At times I think I overthink these characters and settings. At other times I think everyone else underthinks them and I'm the only one viewing it the same way the authors did.
Certainly the well crafted gameplay is what kept me actively unending engaged for 70 hours. That can't be ignored. But after it's done, that was just a fun diversion. But the world and story and characters are what linger in your mind and keep inviting you back. I think what sets it apart from "ancient secrets" and the "lost world" trope, though, is It's not just an archaeological find, or a find that suddenly comes alive, etc....it's that it intimately involves you in that world, keeps presenting you with the contrast of before and after....they way it was presented where you hear about dana, but know nothing about what that's all about....then you live in Dana's world and familiarize with it in a happy way, living her real life.....and then you cross the summit and see what's left....it's very impactful. The back and forth of wandering the ruins (and that MUSIC) looking at the remains of an area that minutes ago you saw alive and thriving and Dana living her life in it took what was other was "exploring the ruins" and made it personal and emotional. You see it as Dana does, walking around in half disbelief thinking "this was my world....I was just here...." And then having to basically watch its demise in slow motion, knowing the end, and watching Dana struggle, and fail, to stop it all, knowing she already knew she'd fail. That's the genius of it. Not the overarching theme. We've done ruins endlessly. It's always interesting, but it's not particularly unique. But this made those ruins, and the story of it, and the story of Dana very first person in a way I haven ot seen done before, and it was aided by the very well developed, very complicated Dana. Trope or not, she's a complicated tragic character I can understand very well.
Darnit that music. I woke up in the middle of the night with Dana's theme looping in my head. I tried desperately to replace it and get back to sleep...what replaced it was that darn sweeping Russian ballet title music again.....no more sleep for me. And it's STILL looping in my head. Darnit, the last time this happened to me was TMS#FE.
I still want to try to get the true ending....and I might do NG+ and see what's there. Normally I think NG+ is stupid but in this case it's worth it. But trying to go back to 3 Houses after playing this feels, somehow...bland. Though partly because every time I pick it up I'm still stuck wandering the school trying to talk to everyone.
About 3 hours in. It's good so far. Nice combat and enemy variety. It kind of reminds me of trials of mana remake from this year( I know ToM was released after this so its more like ToM is like Ys VIII but still). Seems like the main objective so far is to just wander around rounding up more stragglers to build the community. Just got the sewing/crafting market up and running too which was nice to get some more accessories. Looking forward to the journey.
Hmm, well, Trials of Mana originally released a long time ago but I wouldn't say it's very similar ..... Let us know how you get on, though, @NintendoByNature
@BruceCM im saying the combat in ToM is just like Ys VIII imo. I should've clarified ( the remake is what I was referring to).. the stories are vastly different but the hack n slash style feels alike between the two.
Ah, that's OK, @NintendoByNature .... You should like Ys VIII, anyway! Do let us know how it goes or if you get stuck, I might remember where to go or what to do, if needed
I really enjoyed Ys VIII, I found the Dana sections a bit boring but other than that I really liked the game. The highlight for me was the metroid like progression, and finding the castaways. It reminded me of the pirate village you get to build in Skies of Arcadia.
I'm making my way through Ys IX now, and I've ordered the collectors edition of Ys Origins. Really happy that I discovered the series via Happy Console Gamer's videos. They've quickly become some of my favourite RPGs.
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Topic: Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA
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