Ys X: Nordics is the latest adventure of Adol we get to experience, and one of the earliest adventures Adol experienced, and I must say I very much enjoyed every bit of this game MUCH more than I thought I would.

As the credits rolled I was left with that mixed feeling of sadness and emptiness that one would get after experiencing a wonderful work of fiction, and I am glad I chose to pick up this game out of some of the "possible" banger games that have come out recently near the end of 2024.

Getting my issues out of the way, personally my only issue with this game was the controls and only at the beginning. It took some getting used to both on the field and the ship, but after a little bit of adjustment, everything felt fluid to me (I even changed a few keybinds because I was so used to certain actions on the gamepad from other games). Everything else is all love from here!

The Ys series never fails to provide me with satisfaction in terms of action combat and exploration, that's a given, and for Ys X, it only got better with each chapter. Music was on point as well, which is nothing new from Nihon Falcom in general. I really enjoyed the simplicity of the Cross Action system and I do like the more balanced approach of combat and narrative to drive the story and game. The seamless weaving between solo and duo mode and the feeling and impact behind each skill was absolutely fun to play with, especially as you gain access to later skills.

What really made this a wonderful and satisfying ride though, was the dynamic between Adol and Karja. From unlikely comrades to having complete trust with each other on and off the field, their development and bond was one of the best things I enjoyed in this game, and quite refreshing given the sibling-like relationship. This also extends to the crew on the Sandras. Each character has their own character story and fair share of struggles throughout the game, though not as deep invested as Adol and Karja's.

Adol and Karja's importance to the story and the themes it presented really gave the game a strong finale and conclusion to Adol's adventures on the Obelia Gulf. The post-game title screens really tugs at you further!

"No matter how much time goes by, we'll still be Shield Brother and Shield Sister."

It is Ys entries like this that make me wish sometimes that Adol wasn't a "silent" protagonist, as I tend to get really emotionally invested in some of the characters that Adol meets throughout his adventures, but regardless, Ys X: Nordics is a new favourite of mine and I wholeheartedly recommend this to series new comers to veterans alike.