Ys X: Proud Nordics Review (Switch 2)

It feels like just yesterday that Ys X: Nordics slashed its way onto the Switch to deliver another one of the series’ action-packed adventures for the ages — and, really, that’s not too far off the mark. The 10th mainline entry in NIS’ seminal RPG franchise made its way westward back in late 2024, which is still plenty recent enough for it to remain fresh in the minds of players and established fans. However, that hasn’t stopped NIS from forging right ahead with the global launch of Ys X: Proud Nordics on Switch 2 just a year and change later.

As its title suggests, this is an expanded re-release of the original Ys X: Nordics with a bevvy of additional quality-of-life features, enhancements, and gameplay scenarios. I’ll cut to the chase: nearly every addition in this enhanced version is a win, all but eliminating common grievances from the base game and tossing in a bunch of new features that make it far and away the definitive way to experience Ys X.

That said, I’m not sure if anyone who recently dropped a bag of gold on the original will be swayed by what this release has in store.

Just like the base game, Proud Nordics focuses on two leads: recurring series protagonist and fanatical adventurer Adol Christin and Norman warrior princess Karja Balta. Mysterious forces (quite literally) bind this unlikely duo together before an unexpected catastrophe sends the pair scrambling across the Norse-inspired Obelia Gulf to defeat the undead forces of the Griegr.

Gameplay sees you controlling both Adol and Karja to explore the realm, engaging in real-time combat with an array of monsters, and even piloting your very own pirate ship across the sea.

Additions aside, Proud Nordics is as much of a blast to play as the original. The combat is great fun, maintaining a straightforward slash-block-and-dodge system while also letting you simultaneously control both protagonists on the fly to pull off devastating attacks via Duo Mode. The game’s RPG systems are all polished to a fine sheen, with a ton of different ways to customise your stats and movesets for both your protagonists and your ship.

Traversing Obelia Gulf brings me right back to the good old days of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, with oodles of treasures, side quests, and hidden lore drops littered across the map. The story bridging everything together is no slouch either — not groundbreaking by any means, but compelling in its own right with plenty of emotional beats further elevated by an excellent English voice dub.

When Mitch reviewed Ys X: Nordics on Switch 1, some of his key issues centred around the tedious nature of sailing, as well as the game’s performance and visual fidelity. I’m happy to report that this updated version takes pretty major strides in addressing both of these areas.

Obelia Gulf now features a vast swath of wind currents, which the Sandras can ride to quickly sail between locations. It’s not a perfect fix for those who were frustrated by bouts of sluggish sailing in the original game — many currents must first be unlocked via brief naval skirmishes and there are still plenty of points on the map where you can only rely on your ship’s innate abilities — but this change goes a long way in reducing downtime for map traversal.

Perhaps even more critical to the moment-to-moment gameplay experience, however, is the massive bump in performance and graphical quality that Proud Nordics offers over the original. Back on Switch, Ys X often struggled to hit its 30fps target and the resolution could get pretty fuzzy. The strain on the ageing hardware was obvious, but Proud Nordics on Switch 2 feels like the game has traded in tight working boots for a nice, roomy pair of slippers.

In addition to retouched graphics, it now features options for Quality and Performance modes. Quality Mode bumps up the resolution tremendously while keeping things running at a stable 60fps. However, Performance Mode is the real star of the show here, with a solid resolution of its own and a deliciously smooth 120fps target.

Action RPGs live and die by their game feel, and this refreshed version of Ys X brings a level of responsiveness that makes the simple act of picking up the controller and hitting a few buttons an amazing experience. The only remaining issues I noticed are strictly in the visuals department, as some textures in the game still look rather flat and enemies have an odd penchant for moving at a lower frame rate in handheld mode. All told, these are only minor problems that didn’t impact my overall enjoyment.

Enhancements and quality-of-life features are just half of what Proud Nordics brings to the table. The most substantial addition to the game itself is the newly explorable Öland Island, which brings with it an extra side story, a host of extra dungeons to explore, and a new Mana Action to add to your mystical arsenal.

This large landmass houses previously unrevealed truths about the history of the Norman people while also introducing two new characters, Canute and Astrid, a pair of Shield Brethren with a surprising connection to Karja’s past. The narrative, which sees the game’s heroes in a race with Canute to discover the island’s secrets, may not be a game-changer, but it does a great job of further fleshing out Karja in particular.

More parts of Öland Island become accessible as you progress through the main story, encouraging you to come back every so often. Progression also requires use of Mana Hold, a new Mana Action that allows you to pick up select objects and fling them forward for use as platforms or projectiles.

Considering how tactile and fun to use many of the base game’s Mana Actions are, I was disappointed by how finicky Mana Hold is by comparison. Aiming is far more complicated than it should be due to awkward camera angles, and the blocks you launch tend to spin arbitrarily or phase through the environment where you can no longer reach them. Couple these issues with the fact that Mana Hold is essentially locked to exclusive use on Öland Island, and it feels pretty underwhelming.

Beyond the new story scenario on Öland Island, there are a fair few other things to do. Astrid hosts the Coliseum, where you can rematch powerful foes for time-based rewards. Meanwhile, the new postgame dungeon Muspelheim challenges you to battle against ultra-strong enemies and avoid traps to reach the end within a strict time limit. Repeated runs net you rewards that allow you to lessen the dungeon’s difficulty in a variety of ways, injecting the core gameplay loop with a decidedly roguelite flavour.

On the breezier side of things, you can also now participate in a couple of new Gullinboard races for performance-based prizes — a major win for those who, like me, could not get enough of the breakneck land surfing action in the main game.

While all of Proud Nordics’ new experiences are certainly welcome additions to the overall Ys X experience and do a particularly effective job at expanding the postgame, I can’t help but feel that a lot of what’s exclusively on offer here feels just a tad superfluous. The new stuff is perfectly good, but Ys X was already crammed so full of things to do both on and off the beaten path that most of what’s added here feels like just another layer of icing on a delicious cake — it’s nice to have, but that bite is going to taste almost the exact same as before.

Anyone who already had their fill with the original Nordics may be too full to go back for seconds, and it leaves me wondering whether Proud Nordics would have been better suited as a Switch 2 enhancement patch and further DLC packs for the original game rather than a standalone release.