There are no restrains at all.
But as we age, we are bound by various forces.
Like a bird with its wings torn off, we are gradually deprived of our freedom.
And we long for a return to the days when we were free.
But the truth is, we could always go back to those days.”
Lost Paradise of the Northern People
Ys X: Nordics is the eleventh primary installment of the Ys franchise, developed and published by Falcom. It was released on September 28, 2023 in Japan for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, making the game Falcom's first multi-platform release. It is set for an English release in Fall 2024 by NIS America, along with a PC port.
Taking place a month after the events of Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter, the story follows 17-year old Adol Christin on his way to the Celceta region alongside his newfound adventuring partner/traveling companion Dogi and Dr. Flair Rall, a doctor from the ancient kingdom of Ys. Due to unforeseen circumstances with the passenger ship they are on, the three end up having their ship forcibly docked in Karnack, a port city in Obelia Gulf, located north of Ispani and west of Gllia - an archipelago of numerous islands whose waters are more-or-less ruled over by northern seafaring pirates called Normans. There, Adol receives the ability to use Mana from a mysterious woman named Lila, who tells him through a special seashell to find her within one of the islands in the bay. He is then later unwittingly magically handcuffed to Karja Balta, the Warrior Princess of a Norman pirate group called the Balta Navy, as the two have to learn to cooperate with each other while dealing with other Norman pirates, the Greigr — immortal beings that wreak havoc among the people of Obelia Gulf, the search for Lila, and the search for a way to remove their shackles.
Ys X features the biggest game-play departure since Ys SEVEN by doing away party-based combat and different damage types introduced in that game. Instead, battle is focused solely on Adol and Karja alone through the Cross Action system via Solo Mode, a more fast-paced style with the player controls one character while the AI controls the other, and Combination Mode, a more powerful, but slower style where the player controls both characters. The game also introduces Mana Actions where the usage of Mana (a power passed down by oceanic people) allows various actions to be performed, such as swinging on objects, gliding on a board, detecting enemies and objects through walls, among other abilities. Additionally, Ys X marks the first time Adol gets to man a boat as it's used to recapture islands from peril.
Ys X provides examples of:
- Amazing Technicolor Population: The Greigrs are shown to have greyish-blue skin. This is in stark contrast to the Norman’s more normal skin tones.
- The Bus Came Back: A meta example; this game marks the appearance of Dr. Flair Rall, 35 years after his first canonical appearance in Ys IInote (excluding any re-releases).
- Chained Heat: The plot kicks off when Adol and Karja get magically handcuffed to each other and are forced to cooperate in order to get it off.
- Cool Boat: The player is able to pilot a ship throughout Obelia Gulf. It can be upgraded with various canonballs and will be used for rescuing islands from the Greigr.
- Epic Ship-on-Ship Action: For the first in the series, Adol gets to man a ship. This is used to battle enemy ships and reclaim islands from the Greigr.
- Fishing Minigame: The fishing game from Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana makes a return. Capturing various fishes will net the player rewards from the fisherman Joel.
- Healing Factor: One of the reasons why the Greigr are so hard to kill is because they can regenerate any and all damage done to them in almost an instant.
- Interquel: The game takes place in between Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter and Ys: Memories of Celceta.
- Mighty Glacier: Combination mode allows for stronger hits at the cost of slower character speed.
- Title Drop: The game does TWO in the title of the appropriately-numbered Chapter X: Adol's in-universe journal covering the events of the game "Lost Paradise of the Northern People" as its actual title, and "Ys Nordics" in said title's furigana. Said chapter begins with Adol and his friends arriving at the mysterious island that he's been visiting in his dreams for most of the game's runtime.
