Ys (イース, Īsu, [iːsɯ]) /s/ is a Japanese role-playing video game series and one of Nihon Falcom's flagship franchises.[1] The series started on the PC-8801 in 1987. The games take place in a fictional world with some geographical resemblance to Earth, and chronicle the adventures of Adol Christin, a red-haired swordsman, and his companions. Two separate OVA anime series of Ys have also been released, as well as many soundtracks featuring the game's music.

The Ys logo

Video games

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Main series

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Title Original release date

Japan

North America

PAL region

Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished June 21, 1987[2][3] 1988 (Master System) 1988 (Master System)
Notes:
Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter June 24, 1988[4] none none
Notes:
Ys III: Wanderers from Ys July 28, 1989[5] 1991 (TurboGrafx-CD) none
Notes:
Ys IV: Mask of the Sun November 19, 1993[6][7] none none
Notes:
Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand December 29, 1995[8][9] none none
Notes:
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim September 27, 2003[10] February 22, 2005 (PlayStation 2) September 16, 2005 (PlayStation 2)
Notes:
Ys Origin December 21, 2006[11] May 31, 2012 May 31, 2012
Notes:
Ys Seven September 16, 2009[12] August 17, 2010 December 29, 2010
Notes:
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana July 21, 2016 September 12, 2017 September 15, 2017
Notes:
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox September 26, 2019 February 2, 2021 February 5, 2021
Notes:
Ys X: Nordics September 28, 2023 October 25, 2024 October 25, 2024
Notes:
  • Released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Windows

Spin-offs

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Title Original release date

Japan

North America

PAL region

Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys December 22, 1993[13] none none
Notes:
Ys Strategy March 23, 2006[14] none December 7, 2006
Notes:
Ys Online: The Call of Solum December 25, 2009[15] none 2009
Notes:
  • Released on Windows
  • Online MMORPG developed by Falcom and released by CJ Internet in 2007 in Korea and was in open-beta in Japan; takes place a couple centuries after Ys: The Ark of Napishtim.
  • An English version was available in Europe in January 2009 for beta-testing, before being shut down in November the same year. The servers were shut down in China and Korea in 2010, in Japan in October 2011, and in Taiwan in October 2012.
Ys vs. Trails in the Sky July 29, 2010[16] none none
Notes:
Ys Online: The Ark of Napishtim July 20, 2021[17] August 30, 2022 August 30, 2022
Notes:

Remakes

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Title Original release date

Japan

North America

PAL region

Ys I & II December 21, 1989[18] 1990 February 23, 2011 (PlayStation Portable)
Notes:
  • Released on TurboGrafx-CD
  • Developed by Alfa System
  • Also available on TurboDuo (1992), Windows (1997),[19] PlayStation 2 (2003),[20] Nintendo DS (2008),[21] PlayStation Portable (2009),[22] Android (2015), iOS (2015), X68000 (2021)
  • PC remakes known as Ys Eternal and later Ys I Complete. Japan-only Nintendo DS remake known as Ys: The Vanished Omen.[23]
  • Pack-in game for TTi's TurboDuo console was a re-pressing of the TurboGrafx-CD version, but with new silk-screening on the CD-ROM (i.e. the TG-CD logo was replaced by the new "TurboDuo" logo, among other changes).
  • The PC Complete version was re-released as "Cheap Edition" in 2005.
  • A PlayStation 2 "Limited Edition" was also released.
  • The Nintendo DS version was a North American exclusive compilation, as it was released as separate games in Japan.[24][25]
  • The PlayStation Portable version is based on the first remake for the 2001 Windows version[26]
Ys: The Oath in Felghana July 4, 2005[27] November 2, 2010 (PlayStation Portable) January 27, 2011 (PlayStation Portable)
Notes:
  • Released on Windows
  • Developed by Nihon Falcom
  • Also available on Mobile (2005), PlayStation Portable (2010)
  • Ys: The Oath in Felghana is a "re-imagined" remake of Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, intended largely to make the game's events fit in better with the overarching plot threads introduced in later games.
Ys: Memories of Celceta September 27, 2012[28] November 26, 2013 February 21, 2014
Notes:
  • Released on PlayStation Vita
  • Developed by Nihon Falcom
  • Also available on Windows (2015), PlayStation 4 (2020)
  • Ys: Memories of Celceta, released in Japan as Ys: Foliage Ocean in Celceta, is a "re-imagined" remake of Ys IV, intended largely to make the game's events fit in better with the overarching plot threads introduced in later games.

Other media

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Title Details

1989–1991 – anime
Notes:

1992–1993 – anime
Notes:
Ys: Age of Heroes

October 1, 2024 – tabletop game[29]
Notes:
  • Designed by Promethium Books

References

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  1. ^ Official Ys T-shirt with information on the series and the typographical error Archived 2009-01-14 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Mobygames Ys 1 Release Information". Mobygames. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
  3. ^ "Legacy of Ys: Books I and II Official Website". Atlus. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
  4. ^ "Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished - The Final Chapter". RPGamer. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  5. ^ "Ys III: Wanderers from Ys". RPGamer. Retrieved 2009-02-07.
  6. ^ "Ys IV: Mask of the Sun". RPGamer. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  7. ^ "Ys IV: Mask of the Sun - A New Theory Release Information". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  8. ^ "Ys V: Sand City Kefin". RPGamer. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  9. ^ "Ys V Release Information". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  10. ^ "Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim". RPGamer. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  11. ^ "Ys Origin Release Information". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  12. ^ "News For Gamers". N4G. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
  13. ^ "Ys IV: Dawn of Ys". RPGamer. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  14. ^ "Ys Strategy Release Information". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  15. ^ "Ys Online's Official Website". CJ Internet. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  16. ^ "falcom.com".
  17. ^ Mr. Qoo (20 July 2021). "[Qoo News] Ys VI Online: The Ark of Napishtim Online RPG Launches Today". news.qoo-app.com. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Ys Book I & II Release Information for Turbo CD". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  19. ^ "Ys I & II Complete". RPGamer. Archived from the original on 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  20. ^ "Ys I & II: Eternal Story". RPGamer. Archived from the original on 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  21. ^ Sines, Shawn. "Legacy of Ys: Books I & II Coming to the U.S." IGN. Retrieved 2009-01-06.[permanent dead link]
  22. ^ "Ys I & II Chronicles for PSP - GameFAQs".
  23. ^ "Ys: The Vanished Omen". RPGamer. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  24. ^ "Ys: The Vanished Omen". RPGamer. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  25. ^ "Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished DS". RPGamer. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  26. ^ "Falcom Reveals Ys Chronicles, Ys Seven - PSP News". Archived from the original on 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  27. ^ "Ys: The Oath In Felghana Release Information". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  28. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (2012). "PlayStation Vita Ys Dated". Andriasang. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
  29. ^ White, Scott. "The Ys Tabletop RPG - Ys: Age of Heroes - releases October 1". RPG Site. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
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