Ys: Memories of Celceta

The next game in the Ys series has arrived – the much awaited Ys: Memories of Celceta. And if you ask me, I’m all up for praising this game as much as I can. I do believe that it is indeed too early into the analysis to claim this but along the way I’ll be shedding light on some important and impressive features of the game that will surely get your attention for all the right reasons.

Plot (3/5)
For those who are no strangers to the series, the game has all the things that made us fall in love with Ys Seven. The quiet, red-haired explorer named Adol is again the protagonist and he’s on his way to an epic quest which involves discovering a huge map for many reasons like before. Like the previous installment, you’ve a team of friends that you need to look after along with your inventories and all the usual stuff (pardon my lack of emphasis but I find these details boring).


Gameplay (4/5)
The most important aspect though, is that much similar to Ys Seven, the series’ latest installment is keen on moving forward at a decent pace. In terms of combat, it’s all real-time and focused on button-mashing. Encounter an enemy, hit them, move forward; that’s all there is. In order to keep your characters moving you can keep tapping X and they’ll run, roll and jump as fast as possible, so you don’t have to sit for countless hours watching them move at the pace of a snail. Although there are occasional slowdowns for dialogue, but that’s as far as it goes. The side quests might require a bit of effort but you wouldn’t find any of it too difficult. The primary stuff you require can be acquired from defeating enemies. Further, there won’t be any hide and seek with objects that can be smashed to yield additional items as all of these objects will be clearly chalked out on your map.

Which brings us to the point – Ys’ has a phenomenal map! You don’t have to ponder and revisit places you’ve already been to; you don’t need to do that! All thanks to the percentage system which tells you exactly how much of the map you’ve discovered so far. This is a highly useful feature since the initial plot point of the game focuses around getting rewarded for mapping the entire forest.
And since we’re going on about usefulness, I think the game’s save system deserves some praises. Simply put, you can save the game anytime and anywhere (except for cutscenes). Yes, this is a dream come true.

Final Thoughts
Come to think of it, I wouldn’t mind saying that this game is a gift sent from the heavens above for PS Vita gamers who had been searching for some sign! Similar to its predecessor’s fame on the PSP, Ys: Memories of Celceta is definitely among the best of what Vita has to offer. The ability to switch characters in and out of the gameplay and possess their different weapons and skills, to see different effects on the game earns top recognition from my side. Easy, quick and exciting; there’s no reason as to why you wouldn’t like the game!