Ys II

Lore & Background

Ys II picks up immediately where Ys I left off. Adol Christin is transported to the floating island of Ys, where he meets a young woman named Lilia. She takes Adol to her home, Lance Village. It is here that he will begin his quest to unravel the secrets of Ys, and finally, rid it and Esteria of evil. The story opens with Adol being transported to the titular civilization, which is now a floating island in the heavens. There, Adol learns the truth behind the first game's events, being part of a larger conspiracy orchestrated by a greater evil, as well as the kingdom of Ys itself.

Reader's Guide

Ys II is significant as a direct sequel that expanded on its predecessor's gameplay with a new magic system, including spells such as a fire spell for attack and a time spell that can stop enemies. The bump combat system returns, but most bosses cannot be damaged by bumping into them and must be defeated with the fire spell. The game was ported to numerous platforms, including a notable enhanced compilation Ys I & II for the TurboGrafx-CD in 1989, which for many years was the only version with an official English release. A South Korean MS-DOS remake, Ys II Special, was released in 1994, featuring a mash-up with the OVA and more secrets than any other version. The Nintendo DS remake in 2008 was released in North America as Legacy of Ys: Books I & II. The soundtrack, composed by Yuzo Koshiro, Mieko Ishikawa, and Hideya Nagata, has been released on multiple CDs. Famitsu gave the Famicom version a score of 27 out of 40 and the TurboGrafx-CD version a score of 35 out of 40.

Did You Know?

• Ys II was adapted into an OVA series titled Ys II: Castle in the Heavens.
• The bump combat system can be used against many bosses, though some require the fire spell or other strategies.

Prequel Ambition and the Three-Route Narrative

Ys Origin positions itself roughly seven centuries before the events of Ys I and Ys II, during the twilight of the ancient kingdom. Rather than following the series' long-standing protagonist Adol Christin, the game introduces three distinct campaigns. The initial two follow Yunica Tovah, a trainee knight, and Hugo Fact, a sorcerer, while a third route starring Hugo's elder brother Toal unlocks after completing the first two. All three routes traverse the same broad tower setting, yet they diverge in combat mechanics, character relationships, specific events, and narrative revelations. Falcom and later retrospective coverage have identified Toal's route as the one that feeds directly into the continuity of Ys I and Ys II, making the three campaigns parallel versions of the story rather than simultaneous journeys. This structure marks a significant departure from the series' traditional single-protagonist format and recontextualizes the ancient kingdom's fall through multiple personal lenses.

The Architecture of Darm Tower

The entire adventure unfolds within a single vertical structure, Darm Tower, which was constructed by invading demons in an effort to reach the elevated sanctuary of Solomon Shrine. The tower is divided into themed regions containing enemies, traps, platforming sequences, puzzles, locked paths, and boss arenas. Progression is primarily upward, but goddess statues serve as both save points and teleportation nodes, allowing players to return to earlier floors once new items and abilities open previously inaccessible passages. Combat is entirely real-time, with defeated enemies yielding experience and SP that can be spent at those statues on permanent blessings such as increased defense or environmental resistance. Breakable objects and enemies also drop health restoratives and temporary bonuses, and maintaining a chain of kills amplifies those bonuses. Each protagonist can jump, perform ground and aerial attacks, evade, and deploy three artifact-based skills that serve both combat and exploration functions. A Boost gauge fills during combat, temporarily enhancing offense and defense, while later progression adds a Burst area attack usable while Boost is active.

Three Fighters, Three Philosophies

The game's most defining design choice is its trio of playable characters, each embodying a fundamentally different combat philosophy. Yunica Tovah fights at close range, wielding first an axe and later a greatsword, with rising and descending attacks and broad combinations that echo the melee action associated with Adol in earlier entries. Hugo Fact operates from a distance, using a staff alongside two floating magical devices called the Eyes of Fact that fire in tandem with him, and his artifact skills emphasize barriers, projectiles, and traps. Toal Fact, initially identified only as the Claw, favors short-range claw attacks built around speed, sustained combinations, and mobility, and can transform by releasing a demonic factor implanted within him. While all three traverse the same broad sequence of tower regions, their movement, reach, skills, boss tactics, dialogue, and encounters differ substantially. Some events in one route are replaced or reinterpreted in another, reinforcing the parallel-narrative structure rather than presenting a single unified storyline.

From Japanese PC to Global Multiplatform

Originally released for Microsoft Windows in Japan on December 21, 2006, Ys Origin did not reach an international audience for over five years. Xseed Games published an English-language Windows edition on May 31, 2012, adding true widescreen rendering and Steamworks integration. The game's multiplatform journey continued when Dotemu adapted it for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch between 2017 and 2020. Critics across these releases generally praised the combat system, boss design, soundtrack, and the distinctiveness of the three playable characters. Common criticisms centered on the repetition inherent in replaying the same tower structure three times and the dated visual presentation by the time the later ports arrived. A post-release expansion program further extended the game's lifespan by adding Very Easy and Nightmare difficulty levels, Arena Mode, enhanced character variants, a bonus shop, additional costumes, and two versions of Adol Christin drawn from Ys VI and The Oath in Felghana, though Adol is restricted to Arena and Time Attack rather than the story campaign.