REVIEW

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa Of Dana Review

by Rob Pritchard, September 9th, 2017

While it may be as well known in the western world as Final Fantasy and Persona, the YS series has been going from strength to strength since it was originally conceived back in 1987. After many sequels and spin-offs, the adventures of its protagonist Adol Christin and his many companions have now been brought to the PS4 and PlayStation Vita with YS VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana. As the eighth mainline entry in the series, it proves to be an entertaining and capable RPG, with a set of entertaining characters and an intriguing storyline.

Whilst on a journey to the continent of Eresia, Adol and his loyal friend Dogi are thrown overboard from a sailing vessel, and are washed up on a cursed location known as Seiren Island. After joining up with a reluctant noble named Laxia, and a dependable socially awkward fisherman by the name of Sahad, the group must work together to find a way off the forbidden island and recover all the passengers that were shipwrecked along with them. The storyline remains consistently interesting throughout the game, especially with the characters reaction to new party members joining their ranks. One of the particular highlights was the introduction of Sahad, and Laxia’s reluctance to accept him, due to her apparent personal prejudice to anyone from the male race.

The gameplay of YS VIII takes place from a third person perspective, and combines the field and battle gameplay into a seamless experience, similar to the approach taken in the Kingdom Hearts series. Like many RPG’s of this nature, it is possible to change your playable character at the press of a button, which is especially useful when you are fighting against a powerful enemy and need to substitute to one of your healthier party members. As you gain more experience, your party members will level up, and earn skills such as Adol’s Sonic Slide and Laxia’s Dagger Fling, which can be assigned to a shortcut by the in game menu.

As you defeat enemies and explore Seiren Island, you will pick up a vast amount of raw materials and items, which can be mixed together to create more powerful potions and weapons for your characters to utilise. This system works especially well as the objects necessary for the mixes to take place are never in short supply, which makes the mechanic feel like a natural part of the series rather than a shoe horned inclusion. The game’s additional rewards for exploring the world map are definitely welcome, as they encourage the player to explore beyond their comfort zone to achieve a worthwhile reward.

Lacrimosa of Dana’s graphical style uses a mixture of realistic environments and soft shaded character and enemy models, along with anime style portraits for the user interface and menus. Although these styles might seem incompatible, they were quite well together in this case to make a distinct visually appealing experience. Thanks to the power of the PS4 Pro, the frame rate remains at a constant 60 frames a second with lightning quick loading times between areas. If you do not have the premium model, there are only minor drops during the most intense battle scenes, and a short increase in the amount of time you’ll have to wait for the game to load.

The soundtrack of YS VIII is a vast range of orchestral pieces, ranging from the strong melodies that play at the title screen, to the softer more emotional pieces that take place during the games many cut scenes. Fans of international and native dubbing will be pleased to learn that English and Japanese dub tracks have been included, and that both of the casts provide excellent performances each of their roles, with the English voice actor for Sahad being one of my personal highlights.

Overall, YS VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is an enjoyable RPG with a distinct graphical style and a well constructed storyline. The fast paced battle system, along with the item mixing mechanic and excellent voice acting ensures that this latest entry in the YS series will not be soon forgotten. Whether you are looking for something slightly different, or have followed the series since its inception, Lacrimosa of Dana is one island holiday that you will never want to depart from.