Ys I & II Chronicles - Ys II is Much Better

I just wrapped up Ys II, and I must say I enjoyed it quite a bit more than Ys I. I'll get into that in just a second - I have to tip my hat to XSeed for putting in a guide to Ys I in the manual of Ys I & II Chronicles - I hadn't noticed it until after I beat Ys I, but it sure would've helped to get through that obtuse mess.

Anyway, Ys II plays very similar to its predecessor in terms of mechanics - Adol still bumps into enemies at a slight angle to do damage to them. Ys II, however, adds quite a bit. The first magic item you get allows you to shoot fireballs with the X button - which is how you'll defeat most bosses, to be honest. You get a MP meter and - gasp! - can gain more than 10 levels! This makes the game quite a bit more balanced. You now gain levels at a roughly even pace throughout the game, so when you reach a new boss, you really don't need to grind or anything. Your enemies are a bit more interesting, too. Most of them have some sort of attack that triggers after they blink for a second or two, that you have to dodge or you'll take a lot of damage. This is nice because it means enemies can damage you in ways other than just running into you.

But my favorite thing about Ys II is how not obtuse it is. The game goes out of its way to give you hints as to where to go to next or who to talk to, and even gives you a warp spell pretty quickly. I only had to consult a FAQ twice, and one of those times, I didn't even need to - turns out I was getting lost in this one little area. The other time was because I needed to find some kid who wasn't in his hometown, and I had no idea where the hell he was. The game isn't completely straightforward, of course, as there are still a few puzzles here and there, but overall it is much better designed. The areas aren't quite as labyrinthine as in the first game, and there are no stupid warp puzzles! The music is also quite a bit better, too - my favorites are this track and this track.

Pretty much every complaint I had about Ys I was addressed in Ys II. The game is just much more forgiving and thus the difficulty is paced better throughout. The combat is better, the bosses are actually fun (imagine that!), and the game never felt tedious. I would even go as far as saying I wouldn't mind seeing another game in the vein of Ys II - combat and all. If I ever play a version of Ys I & II again, I won't be playing Ys I, I'll be sticking pretty much exclusively to Ys II.