Satisfactory installment within the series, it's nice to see the franchise supported and continued
Game-play/Play-mechanics: Ys retains the play-control feel of earlier installments with a very traditional 2D top-down action RPG system. One change from most of the past games in the series is that Adol now freely swings his sword instead of making contact with enemies; another advancement is that Adol now can jump around. (Jumping was actually introduced in Ys V, but very few people outside of Japan have had the chance to play that installment so it feels new for most gamers) The jumping controls work very well in combat and for general exploration, however when encountering certain platforming challenges the jumping mechanics are a little stiff when used in conjunction with the standard analog stick, a minor issue but it should be addressed for future installments in the series. Adol also now will acquire three separate swords with different elemental powers that he can power up and switch freely between by using the top shoulder buttons, each of these swords feature a cool magic super attack as well as a special combat skill. The area to explore for Ys VI, known as the Canaan islands, further expands on the Ys universe, it is like a new story on its’ own, but also ties in nicely into the other parts of the Ys world as discovered in previous installments. In the traditional Ys fashion, the overworld is not large by comparison to most other RPG’s so it doesn’t take a long time to journey to travel back and forth between places of interest. The game keeps its’ focus on adventuring and has a very simple equipping, upgrading, and customization structure; Ys VI moves along at a nice pace with very little filler material to slow the game down. Dungeon areas are pretty cool, above-average in size, and some thought will be required to reach and identify some of the hidden areas and hard to reach treasures, and boss creatures provide decent challenge and require some minor strategies to emerge victorious. To summarize, the general game-play and progression is a real throwback to 16-bit RPG’s, which were not as long in duration, but progressed the players through important sequences with more frequency, while leaving out the busy-work that most modern RPG’s are saddled with. There are a couple of optional side-quests and bosses, but nothing that will distract too much from the main quest should the player take a completionist approach. There is even a boss-rush mode that becomes accessable upon completion of the main quest.
Visuals/Artwork: Ys has never been known for having the most cutting edge visual presentation, and that remains the case here. Ys has always put together modest but attractive graphics and the visuals for Ys VI are more than satisfactory, and feature nice enough artistic value, if a little underwhelming. The various locales are a good mix of environments as one would expect, although no areas stand out as visually breathtaking by any stretch of the imagination. Bosses are large and fully animated, and the common enemies fit into the Ys series appropriately. Adol’s special sword skills and magic attacks are nicely illustrated, and some little details like Adol’s changing appearance when equipped with different pieces of armor are nice touches. There are also a handful of cinematic cut-scenes which are brief in duration and standard fare for the genre.
Music/Sound: In my opinion, Ys 1 and 2 (Turbografx CD version) to this day still features the best soundtrack in any videogame, it was so exceptional that I would regularly play the game just to visit some of the areas and listen to the musical score. I don’t have expectations that high for any modern releases in the series, but the music for Ys VI is still well-composed. There is perhaps only one composition (Zemeth Isle) that approaches the quality of the best from Ys 1 and 2, yet the rest of the musical arrangements are still very catchy and enjoyable. The soundtrack also stays true to the style of previous games in the series, a nice mix of classical, new-age, and various styles of rock. The compositions for Zemeth Isle, the Mountain Zone, and the Underwater Cave are my personal favorites. As mentioned earlier, voice-acting is okay at times, funny at others, and a little lackluster for certain characters. I am satisfied with Ys: The Ark of Napishtim overall, it is not among the best of the series, but it stands as a worthwhile addition to the franchise, adds some cool advancements in game-play, and ultimately is essential for people who like the series.