Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
Eighth Ys installment with settlement building and dual-era gameplay.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is a 2016 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom. The eighth numbered installment in the Ys series, it follows adventurer Adol Christin after a shipwreck on the Isle of Seiren, where he searches for survivors, builds a settlement, and investigates visions of a woman from an ancient civilization. The game is noted for its party-based combat, exploration, and settlement-building mechanics, and received generally favorable reviews.
- Developer
- Nihon Falcom
- Initial Release Date
- July 2016 (Japan, PlayStation Vita)
- Platforms
- PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, Windows, Nintendo Switch, Amazon Luna, Google Stadia, PlayStation 5
- Genre
- Action role-playing
- Publisher (International)
- NIS America
- Worldwide Sales (as of August 2019)
- Over 600,000 copies
Quick Facts
- Title
- Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
- Developer
- Nihon FalcomPC and Nintendo Switch versions ported by Nippon Ichi Software.
- Publisher
- NIS AmericaNintendo Switch version published by Nippon Ichi Software in Japan.JP · Nihon Falcom
- Director
- Takayuki Kusano
- Producer
- Toshihiro Kondo
- Programmer
- Hideyuki Yamashita · Noriyuki Chiyoda · Atsushi Oosaki
- Writer
- Toshihiro Kondo · Yoshihiro Konda · Syunsei Shikata · Yuuta Miyazaki
- Composer
- Hayato Sonoda · Takahiro Unisuga · Yukihiro Jindo · Mitsuo Singa
- Series
- Ys
- Platforms
- PlayStation Vita · PlayStation 4 · Windows · Nintendo Switch · Stadia · PlayStation 5 · Android · iOS
- Genre
- Action role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game begins with Adol Christin aboard the passenger ship Lombardia, which is attacked by a giant creature and sinks near the Isle of Seiren. Adol awakens on the island and teams up with other survivors, including noblewoman Laxia von Roswell and fisherman Sahad Nautilus, to find castaways and escape. He also experiences visions of Dana Iclucia, a woman from the ancient civilization of Eternia. The party discovers that the island's monsters are extinct creatures called Primordials, and that a Primordial named Oceanus sank the Lombardia. After defeating Oceanus, the group learns that the Lacrimosa—a recurring extinction event—is beginning, targeting humans. Dana, chosen as an immortal Warden of Evolution for the Eternians, had resisted and slept until the present. Adol is selected as the human Warden, but with Dana's help, the group resists the Lacrimosa. Dana sacrifices herself to stop the world's collapse, becoming the Goddess of the Maia (the spirit of the planet's evolution), and the castaways build a ship and return home.
Reader's Guide
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is significant as the eighth numbered entry in the long-running Ys series, expanding the party-based action system from Ys Seven and Ys: Memories of Celceta with a greater emphasis on exploration, settlement development, and castaway recruitment. The game alternates between Adol's present-day exploration and Dana's sections in the ancient civilization of Eternia, with changes in Dana's era affecting the modern island. The PlayStation 4 and later versions added additional story sequences, dungeons, enemies, and playable Dana sections. The game received generally favorable reviews for its combat, exploration, soundtrack, and castaway-settlement structure, though the Windows version faced criticism for technical problems. The English localization was extensively revised after criticism of its translation and voice direction. By August 2019, worldwide sales exceeded 600,000 copies. An official novelization by Anna Kashina was released in 2023.
Did You Know?
- The game was first released in Japan for the PlayStation Vita in July 2016.
- The English localization was extensively revised after criticism of its translation and voice direction.
- An experimental local cooperative mode was added to the Windows version in January 2020.
- The game's plot involves a recurring extinction event called the Lacrimosa.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana?
It is the eighth mainline entry in the Ys action RPG series, developed by Nihon Falcom and first released in July 2016. The title sets itself apart by pairing traditional party combat and exploration with a settlement-building system on a tropical island.
Who is the protagonist of Ys VIII?
Adol Christin, the series' long-time adventurer, takes the lead role. After his vessel runs aground on the Isle of Seiren, he rescues survivors, constructs a new community, and investigates haunting visions of a woman linked to a lost ancient civilization.
How does the settlement-building mechanic work in Ys VIII?
Players collect resources and recruit shipwrecked survivors to grow a beachside camp into a functioning village. You decide which buildings to construct and assign party members to different roles, and this progression runs in parallel to the main adventure.
What is the story of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana about?
Adol is stranded on the Isle of Seiren and must rebuild a settlement while uncovering the truth behind recurring visions of a woman tied to a vanished civilization. The narrative alternates between the present-day survival arc and flashbacks into that ancient era, ultimately revealing the island's connection to a powerful artifact known as the Lacrimosa.
What platforms is Ys VIII available on?
The game debuted on PlayStation Vita in Japan in 2016 and has since been ported to PlayStation 4, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Amazon Luna, and Google Stadia. NIS America handles the international publishing for all non-Japanese releases.
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