Ys X: Proud Nordic’s | Switch 2 Review

The world of Ys is wide, filled with dark dungeons, terrifying monsters, and one optimistic  ginger who cannot be stopped. That ginger, Adol Christin, is your typical adventurer out for a good time, and if he saves the world along the way, so much the better. Good thing, because he’s done this ten times now and we wouldn’t want him getting rusty. World needs saving, after all.

If you’re not familiar with the Ys series, it’s that in a nutshell. Every game is a self-contained Adol adventure (except for the superb Ys: Origin, a prequel game that does not star Adol, yet is highly recommended). He’s always off galavanting somewhere, usually with his best bud Dogi, getting into trouble and somehow finding some grand conspiracy or ancient fiend about to resurrect or some sort of adventurer nonsense that will end the world if he doesn’t step in. Thankfully, Adol’s all too happy to insert himself into every world-ending crisis.

Plants…No…Vikings vs Zombies

This time around, it’s magic vikings vs. zombie pirates! On his way to yet another adventure, Adol’s ship is beset upon by vikings who demand tribute from the captain and, when failing to get said tribute, execute the captain and waylay everyone else aboard on a nearby island. Soon Adol finds a magic seashell that speaks to him (as you do) and he’s granted the power of Mana, an ability that can seal the regenerative powers of the local zombies and allow him to permanently put him down. In a related incident, he also becomes magically cuffed to Karja, the magic viking princess, and suddenly they’re forced together in an Odd Couple pairing as they seek to stop the zombie hordes from overrunning the local archipelago.

And of course, shenanigans ensue.

Relationship Drama

It’s actually Adol’s and Karja’s relationship that anchors (pun intended) the storyline. Karja, thankfully, trends more toward the loving big sister tropes than the tsun-tsun “b-b-b-baka” anime tropes that you might expect from someone who’s introduced as the tough-girl type. She’s initially off-put by the fact that she has to be magically tethered to Adol, less than enthused about his investigate-every-shiny-thing ADHD adventurer tendencies, yet nonetheless acts friendly, supportive, and caring. Adol, on the other hand, doesn’t really get much direct characterization beyond “adventure!” He’s your basic voiceless protagonist, though he does get voice lines in combat and a few other parts of the game. You choose dialogue options that Karja either agrees with or looks at you like you’re an idiot (those are funny). But otherwise Adol joins Crono and the Dragon Quest hero as the voiceless player insert hero character in this game.

Beat-em-up-and-down

The Ys games are, at their core, very action-oriented RPGs. Yes, you’ll get some story bits and dialogue (much more during the first few hours of Ys X than other titles in the series, it feels like) but most of it is running through environments and beating to death the local wildlife, leveling up, and toppling giant bosses. Both Adol and Karja (magic viking princess) get skills as they level up, allowing you to stun enemies, inflict status effects, and generally throw around flashy light particles as you slice and dice your way to glory.

This particular Ys title also introduces sailing, and in a big way. After all, it’s magic vikings vs zombie pirates, so of course you get a ship of your own and very early on. It’s an interesting addition to the game that doesn’t really pan out as much as it should: exploration isn’t terribly exciting, and combat is, for the most part, quite simple. You fire regular cannonballs at the enemy until they’re slowed, then you can come in close for a broadside, allowing you to sink all but the sturdiest of enemy ships. You do get special attacks like fire shots and bolos, but for most battles they’re just ways to end the fight sooner rather than anything that requires strategic depth. The sailing aspect isn’t bad, but it also isn’t anything to write home about.

The main course of the game is the on foot segments, between exploring each island and taking on the respective bosses. Combat flows quite well, as you can spam skills until you run out of SP, then switch from Adol to Karja and use her skills, then switch back and keep going with Adol. SP recovers faster for the character not being actively controlled, so if you can keep up a rhythm, you can deliver a consistent beatdown.

Bosses are typically towering, hulking affairs, and usually require you break their shield bar before you can damage their hit points, and they’ll regenerate that shield bar after hitting certain HP thresholds. Because Adol has higher strength and Karja higher break power, it’s a balancing act between focusing down boss shields and reducing their HP. All throughout this you have to keep an eye on enemy attacks and block at the correct moment, allowing you to deliver a counterattack. You don’t technically have to be precise; guarding eliminates damage, but doing a perfect guard gets you that sweet counterattack.

Not-so-Idyllic Island Vacation

The game’s biggest flaw is mostly in the enemy and environment variety. A lot of islands look pretty same-y, even if one has fog and one has more rocky outcroppings. The enemies, likewise, can be repetitive, as you’ll fight a lot of the same wolves, zombies, and rabid mushrooms across many different locales. It’s a shame, because this indirectly makes the game easier: enemies you’ve seen before and know the attack patterns of are no longer challenging, even if they have a reskin and hit harder.

By the same token, because the game’s guard mechanic allows you to completely nullify damage means if you’re not going 100% aggro on every enemy, you can avoid most damage and trivialize combat. Normally in the Ys games, a few levels’ difference between you and the enemy means you’re on the back foot. In this game, you can still win even if an enemy is tens of levels above you as long as you’re patient and can read their attacks enough to block in time. It’s an odd change given this is a series famous for even a few stat points being the difference between a losing battle and steamrolling the enemy.

Ys Very Good

At the end of the day, though, it’s still an Ys game, which means it’s right up there on the action RPG spectrum. Combat is fun even if the enemy variety isn’t great, and it still feels good traversing the world, especially when you get some of the later Mana powers. The Proud Nordics version of the game includes an expansive, brand new island, as well as various additions like a new mana power, races, and other additions aimed at fixing some of the criticisms players had of the original. Is it worth the $70 price tag if you already played the original Ys X? Probably not, there’s not enough new content to warrant a second purchase. Is it a good entry point for new Ys players? Definitely, since the Ys series isn’t strictly linear and each game tends to find Adol at a different point in his adventuring career. The game itself is fairly meaty, too, with a main story around the 35-40 hour range, far more if you try for 100% completion on side activities. That said, if you want a cheaper introduction to the series, Ys: Origin is also a great option, and somewhat shorter. Either way, Adol Christin’s adventures will continue!

To hear me talk more about Ys X: Proud Nordics, be sure to listen to the February 25th episode of The Gaming Outsider Podcast around the 1:29:48 time stamp.

This review is based on a Switch 2 copy of Ys X: Proud Nordic’s provided by Clever Communications for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation 5 and PC.