Hello brave adventurer. You have arrived in the land of Felghana with your trusty companion. It was an unexpected arrival, but it was expected to be one of good tidings. However, upon your arrival, things do not appear to be as peaceful as you were informed about. From a plethora of monsters suddenly appearing, to a new ruler of Felghana, who mercilessly evilly runs things, it provides a sense of danger. However, you are Adol Christin, an adventurer. You are not frightened. This smells like a brand new adventure to you and your companion Dogi. Will Adol solve the mysteries and dangers of this land, or will they overtake everything? Let’s find out in our review of Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana.
Game: Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana
Developer: Falcom
Publisher: XSeed
Genres: Adventure, Action, RPG, Action RPG
Audio Languages: English, Japanese
Written Languages: English
Release Date: January 7th, 2025
Platforms: Playstation 4, Playstation 5 (reviewed), and Nintendo Switch
*Special thanks to XSeed PR for providing a review key*
Intro/Story:
From the official website:
When redheaded thrill-seeker Adol Christin and his eternal blue-haired companion Dogi make an unannounced visit to Dogi’s homeland of Felghana after an eight-year absence, it quickly becomes apparent that things have changed dramatically. Hordes of violent monsters roam the outskirts of town, a long-dormant volcano has suddenly sprung back to life and the new lord of the land has begun mercilessly and inexplicably extorting money from its long-suffering citizens. While Dogi seeks out his former combat master for answers, Adol tends to the townsfolk — and finds himself embroiled in a world of political conspiracies, ancient legacies and unthinkable taboos.
Originally conceived as a reimagining of the 16-bit console classic Ys III: Wanderers From Ys, this fan-favourite entry returns, newly remastered for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation as Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana. Nearly 15 years after its previous release, longtime fans can look forward to numerous improvements and upgrades, including an all-new voiceover for legendary protagonist, Adol Christin. With remastered high-definition visuals and music, the epic adventure has never looked or sounded better. Additional features include multiple versions of the sweeping soundtrack, accessibility options, and brand-new character illustrations, making Ys Memoire the definitive edition of the acclaimed masterpiece.
Note, this is my first time playing this YS game so it is my first exposure to The Oath of Felghana. From the start, players are pulled into action immediately and the story has the players locked in right from there. The narrative being delivered is done in a well-paced manner. The story, if you have played other YS games before, is good, but it runs the usual routes similar to the other YS games to some degree. While it is not a bad thing, it keeps everything going and told at a good pace.
Again, this is my first exposure to The Oath of Felghana, and I can understand when the game first came out it was incredible. However, it feels like another adventure for Adol that hits its usual notes. It is well done and does its job in terms of story delivery and keeping the players engaged. How about the gameplay? Has it aged well, or does it suffer? Let’s take a look at the gameplay section of the review.
Gameplay:
Gameplay for Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana seems to fall in line with every other YS game. There are the basic moves, special moves, and extra moves needed for exploration. Additionally, there are quests to do outside of the main storyline (which mostly consists of fetch quests), exploration, and discovery to be had. The newer games have enhanced this formula even further and refined it further. However, in Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana, players can see the basic foundations before the evolution of the gameplay takes place.
This is not a bad thing as it works well with this type of game. This is a back-to-basics game remastered for a new generation. It plays well and with the quality of life updates, such as turbo mode, Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is ready to tackle the new generation of gamers in what is considered one of the best titles of the YS Franchise.
Audio and Visual:
Visually, Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is quite the upgrade compared to the vanilla release of the game. The team at Falcom stepped up to update the visuals, not only to fit the setting but also to keep it feeling the same as the original release. The aesthetics of all the locations in the game are beautiful, and the brand-new character art is fantastic all around as well.
Audio-wise, the English voicework is well done, as I played the game with the English voices. Adol is voiced to the degrees he speaks. Dogi still has the same fantastic voice actor he has from the previous releases, and others who voice in the game do a fantastic job bringing Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana to life. Add this to a wonderful soundtrack, and audio mixed beautifully, and we have a keeper in this department as well.
Fun Factor:
Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is a fantastic game. It is one of the shorter, yet sweeter YS games out there. The run time to complete the main story is roughly 12 hours, which is the sweet spot for this game. I was immersed in each step of the game, from the adventuring to the battles, to the story, and much more as I progressed through the game. As my first exposure to The Oath of Felghana, this game was fun in every sense of the word.
Wrap-up/Conclusion:
Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is a title for fans who loved this entry when it was first released. Additionally, for players such as myself who had their first exposure to the game with this entry, it is a good game. While it does not have all the refinement in terms of gameplay as the newer titles, it does well to hold its own. I would say if you are a fan of the YS franchise, you owe it to yourself to play this game. If you have not played a YS game before, this would be a good entry spot for one of the games that is considered the best in the franchise.
- Until next time Mgs2master2 out!
Score: 8/10 – Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is a classic brought back to life. XSeed starts the year strong with this entry in their lineup. Players new and old will enjoy this game. While it does not have all of the refinement, in-depth narrative, and gameplay as the newer entries, Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana does well to be a remaster to hold its own among other titles.
*Special thanks to XSeed PR for providing a review Key*