GAME TITLE | : | Ys: Memories of Celceta |
PLATFORM | : | Vita |
DEVELOPER | : | Nihon Falcom |
TRANSLATION | : | XSEED Games |
PUBLISHER | : | XSEED Games |
ENGINE | : | SEVEN Engine |
RELEASE DATE | : | November 26, 2013 |
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By Jessie Cooper |
From the moment I started Ys: Memories of Celceta, I was stunned. This was my fourth game in the series following I, II and Origin, therefore I had only been exposed to the Bump System and Napishtim Engine. I could recognize it was Ys by the red haired hero and the familiar charm of Falcom's in-house music, but the visuals were completely different from what I had seen before. Just like that, I dove right in.
Celceta was the first Ys game released for the PlayStation Vita and uses many of its features. Pinching in or out on the rear touch pad instructs your party to act aggressively towards enemies or move defensively. The touch screen allows the player to zoom the camera, view monster information and adjust menu options. Players can tag other party members on the fly, making it the first game in the series to feature multiple playable characters and play styles. There is a full equipment and weapon system, dozens of materials to gather and craft, a massive map, monsters in all corners to fight, and for the first time ever... a trophy system to track it all. Celceta used the Ys Seven Engine and expanded its features such as the newly added Flash Move. A Flash Move works similar to a Flash Guard (from Ys Seven), but rather than guarding, the player would evade/roll the moment an enemy is about to strike. This would also negate any damage the attack would have caused, make the party invincible for a short time, and temporarily slow down enemy movements (think bullet time from The Matrix). I was determined to play the game multiple times to reach that Platinum Trophy, and I enjoyed every moment!
As a more contemporary game, Celceta has a lot more in common with modern JRPG, with features like team battles and an open world sandbox. I've always associated Ys with exploration and action-packed battles. I enjoy testing the limits of terrain, and Celceta delivered that in heaps and bounds. I cannot stress enough that the land of Celceta is massive. The NPCs play a much smaller role in Memories of Celceta compared to past Ys games, but that's because of the sheer size of the world. Towns and villages are filled with people and animals. Falcom once again astounded me with the atmosphere. Celceta is also a perfect testament that Ys games do not always start with Adol being shipwrecked on a beach.
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