

by
Evan Norris
, posted 1 day ago / 862 Views
If you're going into Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana straight from more recent Ys adventures, you might suffer a case of whiplash. While the game — a remaster of the PC/PSP title Ys: The Oath in Felghana, itself a remake of 1989's Ys III — features the same protagonist you've come to love and recognizable action-RPG gameplay, it's quite different in terms of size, scope, and mechanics. That's not necessarily a bad thing, however. Indeed, if you're looking for a shorter, more compact action-oriented role-playing game, Ys Memoire might be the ideal investment.
Like the original Oath in Felghana, Memoire follows the adventures of series mainstay Adol Christin and his faithful brother-in-arms Dogi. When the heroic duo decide to visit Dogi's hometown of Redmont in a European region known as Felghana, they find more than expected: swarming monsters and reports of a despotic ruler levying unjust taxes and closing the local quarry — the main source of income for Redmont. Always ready for adventure, Adol and Dogi decide to lend their strength to the citizens of Felghana.
The story in Memoire is quite good. It's not nearly as epic or sweeping as some other RPGs, but it's engrossing on its own terms. There are plenty of twists, turns, and revelations, and lots of opportunities for heroics and villainy. Perhaps the game's strongest narrative asset is its collection of characters. In Redmont, which acts as your home base and hub, there are several colorful townspeople: a kindly mayor, a dutiful guard; a perpetually-tipsy barfly; and many more. They bestow upon the game lots of personality. Also, and arguably more importantly, most characters are multi-dimensional. Some heroes have checkered pasts while some villains show a sympathetic side.
Another nice thing about the story: it doesn't overstay its welcome. In fact, almost nothing in Ys Memoire does. This is a very tight, focused action-RPG, trimmed of practically all fat. On the plus side, this means no filler. As Adol, you'll move through discrete biomes — a quarry, a mountain, a castle, etc. — fighting monsters, collecting loot, and facing off against one or more bosses. Then it's back to Redmont to spend your hard-earned coin and ore to upgrade your weapons and take on a new mission, which leads you to a new biome. There's really nothing to get in the way of the meat of the game. As a result, you can expect to see the credits roll after 12-14 hours.
On the minus side, the streamlined, compact nature of the game means there's a scarcity of optional side content — the sort of ancillary tasks, mini-games, and diversions that help fill in the gaps between story missions.
