Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana

[heyadol]

Switch is getting an HD remaster of Oath in Felghana, which is itself a 3D update to Ys III: Wanderers from Ys. The article below mentions it was originally released on PSP, so this may be a remaster of that version and not the subsequent PC releases. It will be fully voiced, and have 3 selectable soundtracks (Oath in Felghana, Wanderers fromYs PC-98 version, and Wanderers from Ys X68000 version; no PCE/TG16 version though). Spring 2023 release for Japan, really hope we get an English release of this.

Ys X was also announced today, but I expect it will get more visibility in the PS forum.

https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1463849.html

[Diesel]

Going to assume a late 2023 or early 2024 English release. Interesting that it is a Switch exclusive after being a PSP game.

[Diesel]

Confirmed to be a 60FPS game. Which even for remakes/remasters of older games is never a given on Switch these days.

[heyadol]

International/English language version coming early 2025.

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana brings the RPG classic to modern platforms with improved visuals while retaining the action RPG’s core gameplay and charm.

Learn more: http://worldofys.com/felghana/

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana follows thrill-seeking protagonist Adol and his blue-haired companion Dogi as they return to Dogi’s homeland of Felghana. The eight years they’ve been away have not been kind to the lands which are now filled with roaming monsters, a newly active volcano, and a greedy new overlord extorting the suffering residents. While Dogi seeks help from his former master, Adol remains to help the locals, only to find himself embroiled in a world of conspiracies and ancient legacies.

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 Oath in Felghana the definitive edition of the acclaimed masterpiece.

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana - Announcement Trailer - YouTube

There are preorder links for Switch and PS5 physical editions but they are not active at the moment. Info on the digital release for Switch and PS4/5 coming soon.

https://worldofys.com/felghana

[Diesel]

Well this took longer than expected.

Going to be shocked if this isn’t also coming to Switch 2 and they just can’t say yet. Getting games like this is one of the things I am looking forward to on Switch 2 most. For some reason to me certain games don’t “feel” like a Playstation game but the Switch versions are just such a significantly lower resolution/frame rate it makes it a non starter for me. Switch 2 should go a very long way to rectifying that.

[Akibiyori]

Originally Posted by Diesel

For some reason to me certain games don’t “feel” like a Playstation game but the Switch versions are just such a significantly lower resolution/frame rate it makes it a non starter for me. Switch 2 should go a very long way to rectifying that.

But is that really a problem for a game like this? Ys Origin is the same engine and that looks and performs great on the Switch.

Great to know this is coming soon. Hopefully they do The Ark of Napishtim next, I made another attempt ordering the PS2 version - pristine disc - with no more luck than the first time (my PS2 really doesn’t like this particular game; it still plays other discs but this? No chance.)

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Akibiyori

But is that really a problem for a game like this? Ys Origin is the same engine and that looks and performs great on the Switch.

Great to know this is coming soon. Hopefully they do The Ark of Napishtim next, I made another attempt ordering the PS2 version - pristine disc - with no more luck than the first time (my PS2 really doesn’t like this particular game; it still plays other discs but this? No chance.)

I’d say its not quite as big of a deal as compared to something like Ys VIII/IX where the visual and performance difference from Switch to PS5 is MASSIVE but its still a noticeable visual difference when playing on an my 85”. I’d use the HD-2D games like Octopath Traveller 2 as a good comparison being 4K60 on PS5 but 720p30 on Switch. If Switch 2 is getting that up to something like 1440p60 then I’d definitely buy more of them there and stick with PS5 for the bigger titles.

[Diesel]

Best Buy has Switch and PS5 orders live, Amazon Switch only so far.

[armand77]

I had bought the jpn version wonder if it will auto update with English soon?

[Akibiyori]

Started playing this. Doing it on Hard and it is certainly noticeable, even compared to Ys Origin on Hard, but I think the boss design of Origin is better than Oath…at least so far, I just finished Illburn Ruins/Lava Zone. The concluding boss doesn’t give you a clear indication of where the panels are going to pop up, so that fight took a long time to get through (maybe it does have a tell to people with better eyes but I didn’t think anything was distinctive, especially in the heat of battle.)

Nice to play through an intense lava area on a night like last - it’s damn cold out right now.

Yeah, yeah, the music is good but I wouldn’t place it above the TG16-CD version and I’d take my favorites from Ys IX and X over these arrangements of Ys III’s music (that’s for all of the deranged Falcom superfans.)

For anyone wondering about how the Switch version performs compared to the PS5 version, the Switch runs at a constant 60 FPS (refreshing after suffering the PC-88 Popful Mail!)

[Akibiyori]

Finished Oath on Hard. This is indeed the hardest Ys I’ve played (only VI, which I own but can’t currently play because my PS2 hates it, and VII are left - fresh console ports please!)

This is the opposite of my recent experience with fellow Falcom title Popful Mail a la PC-88. That frustrated me very much at the end because of some seriously lacking design compounded by hardware limitations. Oath in Felghana also got my blood boiling but in the best way - Galbalan is damn hard but I’m gonna figure him out and take him down! And you do! You’re going to get slaughtered fast going into that fight at first but inch by inch you’ll realize it is possible to dodge those red orbs, the opportunities to attack will become clearer and clearer, you’ll get better at dodging the sheer unadulterated hell that comes at you in the second phase, and you’ll eventually smash that magic ping pong ball in his face!

But all of that took a good hour of dying to do! The bosses in Oath do have a knack for falling back on cycles that make it impossible for you to do anything to them. The boss in the second visit to the mine is a good example. I had it down relatively quickly but at the end it simply wouldn’t give me the literal opening I needed to finish the fight until it just finally did, numerous tries later (and I think I only got hit once on that try…just how it goes!) I’d really like to know how the hell anyone could possibly do a no hit fight with the game’s penultimate boss - how do you keep track of all of that crap?

I believe I did everything you can possibly do - every item acquired, every monster catalogued. I reached the end at level 50 and the only grinding I felt I did was right then to finish upgrading the final sword, which was less than 600 raval ore, but I was so close to leveling up afterward I just bumped myself up to 51 (there was probably a very brief money grind on Elderm too.)

I played without the much advertised new voice acting - seeing some of it, it seemed completely unnecessary and obtrusive for a game of this shape and scale. Don’t have much use for the unlocked “beautiful” opening and ending cinematics as they’re pretty ugly, in and of themselves but the upscaling also seems a bit off (in any case, only Ys VIII has any real animation, the other games are largely digital puppet motion comics and CGI.)

Good music indeed, indeed but…still going with the classic Turbo CD Ys III versions. That new theme that plays in town before Adol takes off for the island is awesome, though, and feels more a part of Ys III’s era - very circa 1990 - than the game’s arrangement of its music does.

It is better than Ys III for sure, fuller progression, improved characterization and plot, better gameplay, etc., though I still have a fondness for that game, be it the PC-88, Turbo CD, or Genesis version, no matter how imprecise or sloppy it may feel (God, I am going to wind up playing the SNES version too, aren’t I?) I still think I like Ys Origin more from this era of Ys just because it’s its own thing and it offers some quite different play options but this is a fine game. Love Ys!

[umafav]

Felghana was the very first Ys game I ever played. Blind buy of the Limited Edition at a GameStop one day because I liked the artwork. Best decision ever. It's one of my favorite series!