Ys - The Ark of Napishtim (PS2)

the main character, Adol, never says a word unfortunately. Normally, PS2 games allow the main character to give their views on things. This game does not. Not once does Adol say a word. You can kill him off purposely on a boss battle or something and hear him yell but other than that, he's as mute as...something incredibly mute.

The monsters have good AI. At the start area, they attack, but then flee, making them ample targets. Further on, you get enemies that attack continuously and must be fended off with a special skill from the sword.

That's another thing. The special skills are a big help. You need to use Emel to level up the swords, but once they reach Lv.11, you've got a beast of a weapon, good for taking down almost everything!

I loved this game and highly recommend it to any true RPG-lover. Sure, the graphics are dated, but its the quality of stroyline and gameplay that counts.


Top Notch Game   November 8, 2005
Mr. S. R. Clough (Bradford UK)
7 out of 10 found this review helpful

This has the be one of the best Ys game since the first one that came out on the master system and the nes.
If not some what easyer on the nomal mode, this games is great to get back to after spending days away from it.
You can easly get back in to the game and carry on from were you last left of.

Not only that it has a realy brillent easy to follow story line that well get you going with expsitement and owwws :)

And after completed the game you can unlock the nightmate defuclty mode and the boss battle time attacks.
Which will keep you at this game just that little bit longer after completing it.


Fancy an adventure?   September 23, 2005
C. O'Connor (Birmingham, UK)
26 out of 26 found this review helpful

I must admit, the first time i played this game, i wasn't impressed with it at all. In fact, i would have been inclined to give this 2/5, but after playing it for a week, i can safely say that this is another great RPG to add to your collection.

The game follows a young man named Adol, who being on a ship going to investigate the great vortex is suddenly attacked. He wakes on the Canaan Islands and is greeted by the Rhedians and the Eresians, two nations with tensions because the Rhedians are missing a very valuable item. Enter Adol, who must find out why this item has gone missing, track it down, and defeat all manner of enemies in the path.

Graphically, this game is NOT special. The opening sequence is nice, but after that, the graphics look a lot like something that should have been on the PS1. However, they are not without there charm. Environments are varied from temples, to forests, to villages and caves. The people are all interesting and unique, and after a while, you'll find you'll come to love this game despite the graphics.

This is an action based RPG (role play game) which sees you destroying enemies, gaining experience and leveling up. This means stronger and more varied attacks, the option to buy items, and armour, and even the option to level up your weapons. Missions typically mean going to an area, destroying all the enemies and completing objectives, however, there are loads of people to interact with and lots of places to go, special items to obtain and even some optional bosses you can face if you feel up to it. Putting it bluntly, there is plenty in this game to justify buying it.

The sound is one thing that i want to mention. Most games tend to now, not to have particulally impressive sound, but this game, although simplistic, is special. The tunes capture you with a charm which is unseen in games now. You'll find yourself whistling them to yourself after a week.

So, why 4 stars? Its long, but not as long as a standard RPG (about 25 hours max) and the graphics could have been better. Otherwise, this game has a solid story line, missions, and a huge ammount of people and places to go. A great game to buy.