izigame.me

8/10
This is one of the best RPG's I have ever played. What sets it apart is the game mechanics and quality of life aspects of the UI. Here are some of the most significant things that this game does right, that so many others get wrong:
Pro:
- Playability of action aspects: This game is claimed to be an action RPG, and it is. There is lots of jumping, flying, climbing, etc. What makes it work is that you can still play it even if you suck at action games, which I do!
-- Most important, the more difficult action scenarios are restricted to optional aspects of the game (e.g. treasure). Only easier actions are required in the main story line.
-- There are options to make the action elements easier.
-- There are also things you can get that make some action aspects easier. This becomes significant for optional items later in the game.
- Combat difficulty is adjustable between battles, from very easy to very hard. I suck at combat also, so I played on the easiest setting, and died rarely, against even the hardest bosses. That left me free to enjoy the story. I never tried anything harder than Normal (where I died a lot more), but I'd be willing to bet that harder settings should satisfy even die-hard gamers.
- You can save almost anywhere, and there are lots of save slots, so it's easy to retry things you get wrong,
- There are lots of fast travel points, which you can use as soon as you can discover them. You can even leave dungeons to do crafting or whatever else you want, and then go back to the nearest fast travel point in the same area. While I rarely got physically stuck, the few times I did were made tolerable by this fast travel. There are only a few situations in which fast travel is disabled, and they don't last long.
- Crafting and inventory management are not perfect, but much better than the vast majority of RPG's. Most ingredients and components can be acquired in a variety of ways (including purchase one the appropriate vendors are discovered). The list of these is not overly long, and they have some intuitive relevance to what you craft. Most importantly, although crafting is entirely optional, the stuff you make is worthwhile.
- Both tips and conversations, which often tend to go by very quickly, are available to be re-read after the fact.
- Almost nothing is permanently missable, until the very end of the game. As long as you explore reasonably thoroughly, you will encounter everything. There is a fairly detailed in-game record of how much you have found, and hints as to what remains, so if you are a completist, you have a reasonable chance of discovering everything.
- It's always clear, at least generally, what you have to do next to proceed. I only used a walkthrough for a few optional elements, and even then I felt foolish for not figuring it out for myself.
- Demands on the graphics card are modest, even during real time combat with multiple allies and enemies. Despite this, the 3D graphics are good enough to create a decent sense of immersion.
- The game plays well in a 10-foot living room + controller setup, and even the smallest text is readable. (It's astonishing to me how many games are still being created today that fail this.)
Neutral:
- Character development is tied to the fantasy story line, which makes them a bit cartoonish, but still interesting.
- The world is limited in size to one small city and its immediate environs, but still open and complex enough to keep you engaged.
- The game never crashed or hung, and the graphics never stuttered or glitched. My only complaint is that the Steam UI does not always get control on game exit - you have to Alt-Tab to another window and back to fix this, which is awkward with a controller.
- Control button assignments seem a bit arbitrary, but I was able to get used to them.
The result of all of this is a game that should appeal to the full range of RPG players out there, short of those looking for a very dark story, or those who demand highly realistic graphics. The playability of the Ys series has come a long way since the bad early days of Ys 1 and 2, and continues to improve. Let's hope it keeps going!