Ys X: Nordics

Ys X: Nordics is an action role-playing game from Nihon Falcom, released as the tenth mainline entry in the Ys series. It launched in Japan for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch in September 2023, with NIS America handling the international release across those platforms and Windows in October 2024. The story places a younger Adol Christin in the Obelia Gulf not long after the events of Ys II, where he becomes linked by a supernatural bond to Karja Balta, a warrior from the seafaring Norman people. Together, they explore the gulf on the sailing ship Sandras and investigate attacks from immortal creatures called the Griegr.

The game departs from the three-character party system used from Ys Seven through Ys IX, instead focusing on a two-character combat setup. Players can control either Adol or Karja independently in Solo Mode, which emphasizes speed and evasion, or switch to Combination Mode to command both characters together, trading movement speed for the ability to guard, use combined skills, and build power in the Revenge Gauge by blocking attacks. Certain powerful enemy moves require a special counter triggered by an on-screen prompt. Skills are learned individually by each character and consume skill points, with repeated use raising proficiency. The Release Line system lets players place Mana Seeds into a branching grid to boost stats, unlock passive abilities, and shape each character's strengths.

Supernatural Mana Actions aid exploration: the Mana String acts as a grappling line to pull the party or move objects, the Mana Ride creates a board for fast travel over land and water, Mana Burst releases elemental energy to interact with mechanisms, and Mana Sense reveals hidden items and paths. The Sandras serves as the player's base for island travel, allowing them to consult sea charts, discover uncharted locations, recover cargo, rescue other ships, and engage in naval combat. During ship battles, players fire conventional ammunition from the sides, use Mana-powered weapons, evade attacks, and board damaged enemy vessels. The ship can be upgraded with plans and materials to improve speed, durability, handling, and weapon performance. Liberation battles require weakening enemy-controlled regions through sea objectives before assaulting fortified islands or bases, with performance graded on time and damage for better rewards.

Falcom