Ys: Memories of Celceta
Falcom's own version of the Ys IV story.
Ys: Memories of Celceta is an action role-playing game from 2012, created by Nihon Falcom as part of the Ys series. It originally launched on the PlayStation Vita in Japan in September 2012. The game is Falcom's own take on the story that had been previously told in Ys IV: Mask of the Sun and Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys, both of which were made by other studios using Falcom's original outline. The plot follows series hero Adol Christin, who wakes up in the forest of Celceta with no memory of his past.
The combat system builds on the party-based fighting introduced in Ys Seven, adding a new dodge called Flash Move, along with character-specific field abilities, weapon upgrades, and a map-making exploration mechanic. Falcom later said these features laid the groundwork for Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and Ys IX: Monstrum Nox.
Xseed Games brought the Vita version to North America in November 2013, and NIS America handled the PAL release in February 2014. A Windows version came out worldwide in July 2018. An enhanced PlayStation 4 version, titled Ys: Memories of Celceta - Kai in Japan, arrived in 2019 and 2020. A Nintendo Switch remaster, Ys Memoire: Memories of Celceta, was announced for a 2025 release in Japan, though an international release date has not yet been confirmed. This version includes newly arranged soundtrack tracks that can be swapped in for the original music.
**Gameplay**
Players explore fields and dungeons in real time, controlling one of three party members while the others act on AI. The active character can be swapped during battle. Each character uses one of three attack types—slashing, striking, or piercing—and enemies may be weak to one type and resistant to others, encouraging frequent switches. Skills cost SP, and each character has a more powerful Extra Skill that charges from a separate gauge.
The Flash Guard from Ys Seven lets players block an attack just before it hits, restoring SP and making subsequent attacks critical. The new Flash Move works similarly: dodging at the last second slows enemies and grants temporary invulnerability. Weapons and armor can be reinforced using minerals and materials gathered from plants, animals, and defeated foes, altering stats like attack power, defense, status effects, and item drop rates.
Exploration revolves around filling in a map of Celceta’s forest. The map auto-completes as the player enters
- developer
- Nihon Falcom
- release_year
- 2012
- platform
- PlayStation Vita (original)
- genre
- Action role-playing game
- series
- Ys
- protagonist
- Adol Christin
Lore & Background
Ys: Memories of Celceta was originally released for the PlayStation Vita in Japan in September 2012. It is Falcom's reinterpretation of the story previously adapted in Ys IV: Mask of the Sun and Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys, which were developed by other companies from Falcom's original concept. The game takes place after Ys I & II and before Ys: The Oath in Felghana. The plot begins with series protagonist Adol Christin arriving in the town of Casnan with amnesia. He meets information dealer Duren, and Governor-General Griselda hires them to explore Celceta and draw a map. As Adol explores, he recovers memories and meets characters including Karna, Ozma, Calilica, and Frieda, while confronting antagonists Bami, Gadis, and Gruda. The story involves the Mask of the Sun, the god Eldeel, and the Akashic Records, culminating in the destruction of the mask at Mt. Vesuve.
Reader's Guide
Ys: Memories of Celceta is significant as Falcom's own version of the Ys IV narrative, which had previously been handled by other developers. Its gameplay expanded the party-based combat introduced in Ys Seven with the Flash Move system, character-specific field actions, weapon reinforcement, and an exploration system centered on creating a map of the forest. Falcom later identified these systems as foundations for Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. The game was released on multiple platforms: the original Vita version was published in North America by Xseed Games in November 2013 and in PAL regions by NIS America in February 2014. A Windows version was released internationally in July 2018. Enhanced PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions followed, with the Switch version titled Ys Memoire: Memories of Celceta in Japan and Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta internationally. The game's mapping system was designed to make the forest feel like an unknown and difficult-to-navigate region.
Did You Know?
- The game is Falcom's reinterpretation of the story previously adapted in Ys IV: Mask of the Sun and Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys.
- The Flash Move system, introduced in this game, was later identified as a foundation for Ys VIII and Ys IX.
- The Nintendo Switch remaster was released in Japan in May 2025 and internationally on April 28, 2026.
- The Switch version includes newly arranged versions of the soundtrack that can be selected in place of the original music.
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