SCARLET NEXUS CRACKWATCH SERIES

However, the revolution's old guard isn't happy with the way the hot-headed young revolutionaries are conducting themselves. While the main story challenges you to uncover Balduq's strange secrets, the subquests focus more on a budding revolution within the nation against its Romun occupiers. Adol's new friends play key roles in many of Ys IX's subquests, which are refreshingly meaty despite being short, and are often tied into Ys IX's overarching plot. I particularly have soft spots for the sweet and shy White Cat and the sickly but determined Renegade. Mind, one of the characters, the Monstrum code-named Feral Hawk, is a bog-standard edgelord who just wants to swear and fight, but I enjoyed my time with the rest of the cast. “Ys games usually come with their fair share of fun characters and a compelling story, but I was surprised at how invested I was in Ys events and characters. (All the better to stab your eyes out, my dear.) Gifts are employed in battle, too: Crimson Line zips you directly into an enemy's face, for example. ('Hardcore Parkour!') These early gifts alone let Adol Batman the hell out of Balduq – yes, I'm using 'Batman' as a verb – and it became much easier to appreciate my time in the sprawling city. Crimson Line lets him grapple from rooftop to rooftop, Hunter's Descent lets him glide, and Heaven's Run lets him run straight up walls.

I was initially a little bored, but my outlook changed when Adol gained his earliest Monstrum 'Gifts' – and these new movement powers are where Ys IX begins to feel different from its predecessor. Hacking up foes across sprawling plains, ancient ruins, and lava-filled caverns to name a few is a good deal of satisfying fun, even if the environments outside of town are a bit visually bland.It's a while before you're allowed to see those locations, though, because a hefty chunk of Ys IX’s roughly 30 hours of story takes place within the city of Balduq.

SCARLET NEXUS CRACKWATCH SERIES

While Ys VIII added a whole new literal dimension to the series by bringing it into the 3D realm, IX doesn’t have the same level of novelty, but its familiarity isn't boring. “In that respect, Ys IX is an action RPG that – to reiterate a previous point – looks and plays similarly to the excellent Ys VIII.

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