Ys it necessary?
Ys X: Proud Nordics is the definitive edition of the previous YS X: Nordics released in 2024, While Ys X: Proud Nordics retains much of the same story and gameplay elements as it did originally there is new content here albeit a bit on the small side.
Ys X: Proud Nordics begins with Adol siding with a pirate after the ship he is sailing on with alongside Dogi is attacked, the reasoning behind her actions if part of the balta seaforce as a whole who keep the laws and regulations of the sea in place, whom she is a part of, her appearance alone strikes fear into the residents of Carnac, a small coastal town where Adol and Dogi arrive soon at and all the residents refer to her as the Pirate Princess.
The game is set in Obelia Gulf, a widespan area filled with islands, Karja who is part of the Normans is one of the factions who he sides with in order to take down the Griegrs who soon become apparent they are a large threat to the world. As mysterious goings on happen in the town of Carnac Adol finds himself chained to Karja by a powerful invisible force known as Mana which is not only the central plot here, it also becomes an key part to the gameplay early on and then throughout. The plot here may sound like generic fantasy hero chosen one story but it actually does a good job of bringing two unlikely characters together, the bond they have to begin with seems at first awkward but Karja becomes a likeable character who seems to warm up to Adol after some time.
The game features returning gameplay such Naval Combat. Adol can steer a ship accessible early on through the ocean and explore new islands and engage in sea warfare. The ship itself can be upgraded further and can find spoils that are scattered in the ocean. Sea battles against Griegr ships are fought with cannons and rely on both player input and spacing between the players ship and the Griegr ship. There are also merchant ships where you can do trade with however some of these are disguised as Griegr ships and you wont know until they attack you so you must defeat them once it is apparent. There are more stronger ships which have durability attached to their ships and will stop moving once it is depleted. When this happens you can board the ship and then finish off the enemies in hand to hand combat. Once won you are free to take the spoils of the ship as your own. Ship combat is expanded even further where you are able to liberate islands that were captures by the Griegrs themselves. Here you will destroy enemy ships before landing on the island where you will raid the enemy base on foot again engaging in combat using Adol and Karja. A new element of ship battles in Ys X: Proud Nordics is yellow area ship battles which when won allow you to traverse the winds thus allowing you to explore the high seas and the world quicker.
Standard combat is fast paced and features both Adol and Karja working together and the key element of the story comes into play. While you can control either Adol and Karja, the other character will be played automatically.
There is a secondary mode of combat where Adol and Karja become tethered by the Mana which they are stuck together by. This mode of combat is a lot slower however it is as destructive as it satisfying. To make up for the shortfall, you can defend against enemy attacks and in by doing so rain down greater damage. By switching between Solo and the Combined mode simultaneously, it makes both Adol and Karja a force to be reckoned with.
Exploring the field and dungeons by foot is expanded by the Mana system and can allow you to use Mana string which allows you to use a rope in mana form to swing across pits and is expanded even further by allowing you to hit switches and pull objects that allow you to reach higher places. Another use of mana is a mana board which allows you to ride to higher elevations to otherwise not accessible places that can’t be reached on foot or by jumping.
The skill tree system returns and by unlocking the power of Mana, you can strengthen Adol and Karja’s unique battle skills, and by levelling up both characters receive Mana Points which can be used to unlock new nodes, you can unlock unique Mana abilities also by planting a Mana Seed of your choosing into these. The skill tree expands by levelling and unlocking new abilities. You can unlock new Mana Seeds by coming across Rune Stones. Rune Stones act as fast travel points and can recover health also. They can even allow the shackles that bind these unlikely heroes temporarily, this means that both characters will be at greater lengths from each other but will work together in overcoming an obstacle.
Ys X: Proud Nordics is the definitive version to Ys X: Nordics and while the game much remains the same there are elements of the game that are new and integrated within the story, during your adventure you have the option to go to Oland Island which is a high difficulty area and this becomes available within certain milestones of the game, the story elements here do not affect the main story at all but do provide two new character Canute and Astride and provides insight into new lore and how the Normans abandoned the islands of the north. The Island offers new resources used to upgrade skills and new puzzles to solve. The areas of Oland Island are gradually unlocked allowing Adol and Karja to progress further uncovering extra treasures and new bosses and new dungeons, there is even a colosseum that can be access to take on fights and mana ride courses to gain extra rewards. The game offers a few new tweaks also such as being able to toggle on the performance mode in favour of a slight graphical downgrade and vice versa.
A PlayStation 5 Review Code was provided by NIS America. This review is featured on OpenCritic.
