Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana

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Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
Ys VIII cover art.jpg
Developer(s)Nihon Falcom[a]
Publisher(s)NIS America[b]
  • JP: Nihon Falcom
Director(s)Takayuki Kusano
Producer(s)Toshihiro Kondo
Programmer(s)
  • Hideyuki Yamashita
  • Noriyuki Chiyoda
  • Atsushi Oosaki
Artist(s)
  • Ayumu Ookusa
  • Yuu Toukairin
Writer(s)
  • Toshihiro Kondo
  • Yoshihiro Konda
  • Syunsei Shikata
  • Yuuta Miyazaki
Composer(s)
  • Hayato Sonoda
  • Takahiro Unisuga
  • Yukihiro Jindo
  • Mitsuo Singa
SeriesYs
Platform(s)
Release
July 21, 2016
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana[c] is an action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom and published and localized (in French and English) in North America and Europe by NIS America.[1] A part of the Ys series, it was first released in Japan by Falcom for the PlayStation Vita in July 2016, with later worldwide releases for PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch. An abridged version for Android and iOS is also under development. The game had sold over 500,000 copies by the end of 2018.

Plot[]

Adol is on a passenger ship called the Lombardia that is headed from Xandria to the continent of Eresia, but the ship is attacked in the archipelagos of the Gaete Sea by a giant creature and is sunk, and when Adol wakes up, he realizes he landed on the shore of a cursed island known as the Isle of Seiren. On his search for other survivors, he teams up with the noblewoman Laxia von Roswell and fisherman Sahad Nautilus to help his fellow castaways to survive and find a way to get off the island. At the same time, he wants to find out what lies behind his dreams about Dana Iclucia, a mysterious girl from a prehistoric era who seemingly has a connection to the Isle of Seiren and Adol's fate.[2]

Adol's party is soon expanded to include Hummel Trabaldo, a transporter who was a passenger on the Lombardia, and Ricotta Beldine, a resident of the Isle of Seiren. While exploring the island for additional castaways, Laxia notes the creatures on the island are unlike anything known to the outside world. Citing her father's academic research, she concludes that the monsters are an extinct group of animals known as Primordials. Further exploration in the north of the island leads the group to the ruins of an ancient civilization known as Eternia, whose residents possessed a power known as Essence. It is here where the party discovers Dana, waking from a deep slumber, telling the group she is the last of the Eternians but does not know why, nor why she is alive in the current era, as she is suffering from amnesia.

The castaways begin to build a ship to escape the island; Adol's party continues to explore the island from clues on what sank the Lombardia. After research into the matter, it is discovered that a Primordial known as the Oceanus was responsible for the sinking of their ship, as it has historically attacked ships since before Dana's era. The castaways band together and defeat the Oceanus, allowing for safe travel in the surrounding sea. However, questions surrounding the Primordials and Dana's situation lead the group to continue to explore the island. By doing this, Dana begins to slowly regain her memories. She discovers that multiple meteorites crashed into Eternia long ago, killing many people and triggering events akin to a nuclear winter which led to the extinction of Eternians. This event was brought forth by a process called the Lacrimosa, which triggers an extinction event after the primary species on earth has run its course. During each Lacrimosa, one member of the species is chosen to survive and become an immortal Warden of Evolution, one who watches over the Lacrimosa and ensures the process is successfully carried out. Dana was chosen to be the protector representing Eternians; she resisted and put herself into a deep sleep until the next Lacrimosa would occur. Dana awoke in the present because the current Lacrimosa was beginning: the extinction of humans, to be accomplished through the revival of Primordials as the primary species. Consequently, Adol is selected to be the next Warden of Evolution, representing the human species.

With Dana's help, Adol's crew becomes the first group to resist the Lacrimosa, ending the process and ensuring the continued survival of the human race. Stopping the Lacrimosa does not go as planned, and the world begins to collapse. Dana uses her essence to disrupt the end of the world, but dies in the process. Shortly thereafter, while mourning the loss of Dana, the goddess of the world, Maia, makes an appearance, telling the group that Dana's sacrifice has led her to become the Goddess of Evolution, tasked with watching over the world. Dana and the other protectors appear; Dana wishes goodbye to Adol's group, while the other Protectors inform Adol the Lacrimosa may still need to be used in the future to prevent the world from collapsing. After the Protectors and Goddess' disappear, the castaways finish construction of their ship and sail home, parting ways and returning to their normal lives.

Gameplay[]

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is an action role-playing game played from a third-person perspective. It builds on the gameplay foundation of Ys Seven and Ys: Memories of Celceta, where players control multiple main characters that can be switched between on-the-fly, each with their own play styles and unique skills. The player collects a variety of materials by defeating local wildlife and opening chests. These materials can be crafted into items that the player can use on their journey, such as healing items and stronger weapons. Various fellow shipwrecked passengers can be rescued and brought to the village where they will provide valuable services.[3]

There are three damage types, determined by a character's weapon: Slash, Strike, and Pierce. Enemies will take more damage from a damage type they are vulnerable against.[4] Skills can be assigned to a corresponding button and using skills requires SP, which can be refilled mainly by landing a fully-charged attack against an enemy. Each character has a powerful move called an EXTRA Skill that can only be used when the EXTRA Gauge is filled.[4]

Furthermore, players can attempt to parry attacks or evade them shortly before the attack lands. Successfully parrying an attack will activate Flash Guard for a very short period of time, where all damage from enemies is nullified and all your attacks will deliver critical damage. Similarly, successfully evading an attack by performing a dodge roll will activate Flash Move for a very short period of time, where everything but the player will move in slow motion.[4]

As the story progresses, the game continuously switches perspectives between its two protagonists—Adol and Dana. Adol's exploration of the Isle of Seiren can be affected by Dana's actions in her world, such as opening a new path or altering the landscape.[5]

On January 2020, an experimental co-op multiplayer mode was added to the PC version of Ys VIII.[6]

Development[]

Ys VIII was announced in August 2014 for PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4. It was released in Japan on July 21, 2016.[7][8] It is the first game in the Ys series to release for PlayStation 4[9] as well as the first time that Falcom worked on a PlayStation 4 game.[10] First-print copies and pre-orders for the game included an art book.[11]

Initially to be released in 2017, NIS America delayed the Microsoft Windows version to a later date to improve gameplay and translation quality (in French and English), where it was released on April 16, 2018.[12][13][14] The game was released for the Nintendo Switch worldwide in June 2018.[15][16] It came in both standard edition and a limited edition with several collectibles.[17][18]

The game's animated opening was produced by Studio 3Hz,[19][20] and was directed by Masayuki Sakoi.[20] The CGI in the opening was produced by animation studio Orange.[20] A port for Android and iOS, developed by Linekong Entertainment, was announced in April 2019 with a release date originally set for 2020.[21][22][23] Known as Ys VIII Mobile, it will feature a new party member named Rucol, and reimagined locations.[22][23]

Reception[]

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[24][25][26] Famitsu scored the game a 34/40.[28] They stated the story is better than predecessors, and liked the pace of battle.[31][32]

In October 2017, Takuro Yamashita, the president and CEO of NIS America, issued a statement personally apologizing for the substandard condition of the game's English localization and announced an update for the game to fix it. Voiced dialogue was also updated to reflect these changes.[33] An update addressing these concerns was released on January 30, 2018.[34] The game's release on Windows was met with a large amount of criticism due to its poor technical performance.[35] A patch addressing the issues was released in January 2020.[6]

The game won the award for "Best Action Combat System" at Game Informer's 2017 RPG of the Year Awards.[36] Polygon ranked the game 31st on their list of the 50 best games of 2017.[37]

Sales[]

On its first week of release in Japan, the PS Vita version of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana reached second place in game sales charts with 43,753 units sold.[38] The PS4 version sold 27,741 units in its first week, dethroning Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.[39] In a Noisy Pixel interview, Falcom's President Toshihiro Kondo stated that the Nintendo Switch version met sales expectations in the West, but struggled in Japan.[40]

By October 2018, total sales of the game topped over 500,000 copies worldwide, becoming the fastest selling game in the Ys series.[41]

References[]

  1. ^ PC and Nintendo Switch versions ported by Nippon Ichi Software
  2. ^ Nintendo Switch version published by Nippon Ichi Software in Japan
  3. ^ Japanese: イース VIII -Lacrimosa of DANA-, Hepburn: Īsu Eito -Rakurimosa obu Dāna-
  1. ^ King, Chris (February 16, 2017). "NISA 2017 Press Event Wrap Up". NIS America, Inc. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  2. ^ Tieryas, Peter. "Ys VIII's Compelling Story Makes You Care About Every NPC". Kotaku. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  3. ^ "Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA - Official Site". Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA - Official Site. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA - Official Site". Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA - Official Site. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  5. ^ "Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA - Official Site". Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA - Official Site. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Chalk, Andy (January 17, 2020). "Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana update includes major enhancements and 'experimental' co-op mode". PC Gamer. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  7. ^ "『イース最新作（仮題）』はシリーズ初のプレイステーション4タイトル！". Famitsu. September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  8. ^ Romano, Sal (March 8, 2016). "Ys VIII for PS Vita launches July 21 in Japan, for PlayStation 4 in 2017 [Update]". Gematsu. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  9. ^ http://www.famitsu.com/news/201409/01060298.html
  10. ^ http://www.famitsu.com/news/201409/04060511.html
  11. ^ Sato (January 25, 2017). "Ys VIII's First-Print Copies On PS4 Come With A Neat Trails of Cold Steel III Art Book In Japan". Siliconera. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  12. ^ "RPGFan News - Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana PC Version Delayed to Indefinite Date". www.rpgfan.com. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  13. ^ Jenni. "Ys VIII: Lacrimosa Of Dana Debuts On PCs On January 30, 2018". Siliconera. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  14. ^ Jenni. "Ys VIII: Lacrimosa Of Dana Comes To PCs On April 16, 2018". Siliconera. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  15. ^ "Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana heads to Nintendo Switch this summer". Polygon. January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  16. ^ Knezevic, Kevin. "Nintendo Switch Gets Definitive Version Of Well-Received Action RPG Ys VIII This June". GameSpot. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  17. ^ "Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana coming to Switch this summer - Gematsu". Gematsu. January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  18. ^ "日本ファルコム 近藤社長×日本一ソフトウェア 新川社長 両社長が語る、Nintendo Switch版「イースVIII」への道 | 日本一ソフトウェア". 日本一ソフトウェア (in Japanese). Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  19. ^ "Studio 3Hz | スタジオ３Ｈｚ". Studio 3Hz | スタジオ３Ｈｚ (in Japanese). Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (2017) PlayStation 4 credits". MobyGames. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  21. ^ Romano, Sal (April 17, 2019). "Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana coming to smartphones worldwide". Gematsu. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b "Ys VIII Mobile launches in 2020, playable at TGS 2019". Gematsu. September 10, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b "Ys VIII Mobile TGS 2020 Online footage". Gematsu. September 27, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b "Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b "Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  26. ^ Jump up to: a b "Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  27. ^ Veron, Red (September 1, 2017). "Review: Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA". Destructoid. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1441". Gematsu. July 13, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  29. ^ Wallace, Kimberley (August 30, 2017). "An Adventurer's Delight - Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - PlayStation 4". Game Informer. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  30. ^ Kemps, Heidi (September 14, 2017). "Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA Review". GameSpot. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  31. ^ http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title_review&title_id=31283
  32. ^ Sato (July 12, 2016). "Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana Will Take About 40 Hours To Clear, Info On Day 1 Patch And DLC". Siliconera. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  33. ^ http://nisamerica.com/blog/important-notice-regarding-ys-viii
  34. ^ Romano, Sal (January 30, 2018). "Ys VIII relocalization update now available". gematsu. Retrieved February 24, 2018.
  35. ^ Glagowski, Peter. "NIS America has issued a statement on Ys VIII's poor PC port". Destructoid. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  36. ^ Wallace, Kimberley (January 7, 2018). "The 2017 RPG Of The Year Awards". Game Informer. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  37. ^ Polygon staff (December 18, 2017). "The Top 50 games of 2017". Polygon. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  38. ^ "Media Create Sales: 7/18/16 – 7/24/16". Gematsu. July 27, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  39. ^ "Media Create Sales: 5/22/17 – 5/28/17". Gematsu. May 31, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  40. ^ "Falcom Interview With President Toshihiro Kondo". Noisy Pixel. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  41. ^ Romano, Sal (October 24, 2018). "Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana sales top 500,000; 'Christmas Gift Package' edition announced for PS4 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved October 24, 2018.

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