Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA

Played on Vita. Played on Switch. Now playing on PC with cool graphics. Its a masterpiece. One of the best.

Best Ys? Not quite, but damn it's great. Falcom does it again.

It's a fun game, but the default ending is bad and the true ending basically requires you to 100% the game, which is disappointing. Had I known ahead of time I might have done it, but I had no way of knowing since I didn't use a guide.

I have played six Ys games (Ys 1, Ys V, Ys VI, Oath in Felghana, Ys VII and this game). Each has its own charm. This is the best in the series. Thanks to the co-op mode. It was super fun!
I highly recommend this game to all Ys fans out there.

Best game of the series (bar Nordics I haven't played yet). Dana has the best story of them all.

It's a great action adventure game. Based from other YS games I've played (Not all of them by the way. I only played the PSP titles.), it is definitely a much more polished game when it comes to the mechanics and exploration.
Extra events and items are not that hard to achieve. The item exchange instead of cash is cool as it perfectly fits the setting and also made the items feel more relevant as they can be converted to higher tiers leaving no waste. The combat is smooth and I like the flash guard/move system. The exploration is also fairly easy to complete. Best of all, it isn't too grindy. I like that a lot.
The story is overall great in my opinion but the start can be jarring as I believe it could be handled better thematically. I'm not sharing any details but there is one character that should be removed in the story as his/her presence does not contribute to the thematic narrative. Without him/her, the story would be perfect in my opinion. I rate this game 9.99/10. Please try it. It's great.

Gotta stop the Lacrimosa! this was super fun and exciting, totally different than other JRPGs but I could see some influence from other series in here (like Final Fantasy X with the plot). In terms of overall design though it is super unique even within the Ys franchise. I preferred this to Ys 6 and what I've played of Ys 10 so far (up to middle of Chater 3). Did a full play-through and still found fun things to do afterwards (like "New Game Plus", completing side quests, etc). It took a few hours for the story to really get interesting, so be patient and have fun!

Barely a recommendation, I mean the game is still fun but.. one heavy caveat

I don't like the survival/crafting game elements. Like I get that that was a new and hot genre when this was made, but not a fan of that genre.

At least there isn't a food meter.

"This is one of my favorite games ever."

Very few times I got myself thinking that halfway through a game. I think the last time it happened to me was with Suikoden 2 (which I played for the first time about 4 years ago).

Here, it happened when I reached Mt. Gendarme's summit. During the climb, I realized that, from a game design perspective, a significant portion of the isle had to be hidden behind this mountain. Hence, I was always trying to somehow get a look at the Northern part of the isle while climbing it. When I got to the summit, I stayed like 5 minutes looking at the view and thinking about the implications of all those new landmarks for the plot.

Btw, though I've read elsewhere that that the plot is pretty basic here, I must say that I absolutely LOVED IT. I'm still shook to my core by the last Eternia flashback. It is excruciatingly painful to see that thriving kingdom reduced to a few people, slowly starving and freezing to death in the corridor of the temple that was a place of so many happy memories for Dana and her friends.

I would be remiss if i did not highlight how much I loved Dana as a character/co-protagonist. Such a beautifully written character. She is clearly the highlight of the game for me, but I've loved the characters and their (mini) arcs in general. The cutscenes when you max their affinity are the icing on the cake.

The fact that a fair deal of sidequests end up adding something to your settlement also helps you to grow attached to the place. One of the best examples of this is Sahad's wishing tree sidequest. It's a fun, heartwarming moment that also gets you to know a little more about each and every castaway.

To sum it up, I will carry this game with me for a long time. The mix of adventure, wholesomeness and tragedy is incredible. Amazing ost and art direction, well-written characters and fun gameplay. I could rant a little about the map system, but i won't. It is not enough of an issue for me to taint my review on this game.

This was my first Falcom game, which I thoroughly recommend. I'm getting started on the Trails series, so hopefully i'll be able experience other masterpieces from the studio soon enough. Nevertheless, I'll still miss my adventures on the Isle of Seiren.

It's your quintessential action JRPG -- if you like the genre, you'll like Ys VIII, though if you like the genre you've probably already played it.

This is my second time through the game, the first of which occurred on Switch, and I must say it's nice to actually have some frames this time around -- the game occasionally resembled a slide show during combat on the Switch lol

Amazing game with a plot that keeps you interested all the way through. I haven't played or finished every Ys game but this one definitely tops.

I originally just wanted to pick a random jrpg game to play with a controller, but I didn’t expect the game to be this good. Especially the story and soundtrack, they’re incredible, the combat is also pretty good


and that damn bittersweet ending..
now I want to try other Ys games

little paro is the goat

The story is interesting enough. You are stranded on an island and roam through a set of connected areas while searching for survivors of a shipwreck. Every time you find one, you unlock a new area and some QOL feature. I feel like it is fine, but nothing really new. Far from the "materpiece" that reviews are raving about all the time.
Game came out in 2018. No idea why it has to have PS2 era graphics, especially given the price tag (though there always is the next deep sale right around the corner). They could have used some of the excess energy they put into modelling and animating Laxia's posterior to improve the rough polygons and textures of the environment as well as the rather cumbersome UI. Seriously, "Ys VIII: Laxia's Butt" would have been a more adequate title for the game - that thing gets more screen time than her face. I understand why they went with the actual title, though.

10/10

I was a little apprehensive before starting this game, but it really clicked with me after I gave it a shot - the music, the exploration, the blazing fast paced action rpg, the story, everything! The game has given me so much joy throughout my entire journey with it. I'd say it's now one of my favourite JRPGs of all time and this game turned me into a pretty crazy Ys fan.

Falcom is definitely NOT a high budget studio so you won't find any jaw-droppingly amazing looking graphics from this game or this series. Graphics wise they'll always feel "kinda last gen", but artistically everything is charming and easy to look at. Definitely get the free HQ texture pack DLC with this though! Makes everything look much cleaner.

Best. JRPG. EVER!

8.5/10 -- There were a couple of pretty bad crashes though

Excellent game. Right up there with Ys of Felghana as the best of Ys

Another great entry in Adol Chistin's travelogues.

I love video games

With over 40 hours logged and all side content completed, I can confidently say this game is worth every penny—especially since it’s currently on sale. You start your adventure as Adol and his best friend, Dogi, are aboard a ship headed to a destination when, suddenly, it’s attacked, causing the ship to sink. Adol washes up on a mysterious island, where it’s up to you to find the missing crew members and uncover the island’s secrets. The story is captivating, constantly motivating you to push forward. The characters you encounter develop beautifully over the course of the story, and it’s rewarding to see the village grow as you complete both main and side missions. Ultimately, if you’re a fan of JRPGs, this game should definitely be on your list!

Fun Game

Awesome game, really enjoyed this one. Much to explore and much to grind.

Приятная игра с линейным сюжетом.

Even with Y's X out...this one still is the GOAT

Dana <3

One of the most unique and best games ever made. Exploring Jurassic Park as an anime swordsman is an experience I reckon little else could replicate. Falcom really did a good job with this one.

As an Ys fan I am extremely disappointed. I also question why so many people put this game as if it's the best Ys ever.

It's just a mediocre, bloated, plain, generic, boring game. There are much better AND cheaper Ys games out there.

This game was more fun than I expected it to be.

This game is way too underrated. It deserves more audience.
I'm glad I didn't buy it during sale and I'm a bit sad I met this game too late.
Overall, the game is very polished. Extremely fun as an action game, as well as, fun as RPG.
Above all, the music is FANTASTIC! Fantastically charming and catchy since the beginning to the end.

What an Adventure

Boring as hell. There's a decent action RPG hidden in here but it's extremely basic and they keep interrupting you with bland cutscenes instead of building up on the combat while having a decent story.

Man, diving into my first Ys game and I'm just amazed with how much I enjoyed this game.

Definitely one of my personal top RPGs for sure.

Pros:
- Emotionally investing story, with side quests adding more to your party members, castaway helpers, and the world building overall.
- Characters having their own moments minus being in your party, with a variety of skillsets to choose from.
- Music is fantastic, from boss fights to cutscenes to make you feel what is appropriate for the moment.
- No romance options. This one is more of a personal thing of mine especially when its not well hashed and you're only limited to the usual options.
- Post game content (dungeons) to keep you playing once you're done with the main story just to test your skills further.

Cons:
- I wish there was variability on how you do your normal attacks/combos, but they made up with it with different skills for each character and allowing you to switch between them to extend your combos.

Adol vacations with friends on a (shock) island. Good stuff.

⠀

A breezy adventure with plenty of great mechanics between upgrading your camp, weapons, armor, and equipment, raid defence and attack missions, and plenty of side content to keep you busy. I actually preferred controlling one character to juggling 3, but there's plenty of depth if you want to explore varied movesets and characters. The combat itself shines most with its flash guard and flash move systems, which are a bit like perfect parries and dodges. It does result in those being more or less required at higher difficulties, and becoming massive win buttons at lower difficulties, but it's more interesting than just button mashing or spamming abilities without paying attention to enemy moves.

All around a fun action RPG

If you are looking for a strong rich story with lots of character development with hack and slash then this is the game for you. You end up on a deserted island and you must find a way to escape with many others trapped alongside. Through character development connections and deep exploration you traverse through the island finding methods to advance escaping the island. There are many collectibles, items, and foods that you craft or find along the way. You also discover many fascinating mysteries that intertwine your understanding about the island ranging from the islands past to the locations and wildlife that roam the island.

The combat is a fantastic edition to the game as you never get bored with the diverse cast of characters you are given to experiment with. Each character situates better in their own unique way so you don't find yourself spamming the same 1 or 2 characters for the whole game. Exploration feels engaging like you are trying to uncover a real unknown island in real life at every corner as you unfog the exploration map. Though graphics aren't a key highlight (graphics aren't bad, just tad lower than what you'd typically expect if you been playing a lot of triple A games) the music, character development, story, character development, exploration, and gameplay more than make up for what you are getting.

As for issues it's very minor. Only issues had with the game is it needs to be updated to modern system standards. You can hardly change the graphics settings around without a failure launch (if you get failure launches just keep spamming open) or lag while playing or streaming. Another minor bug is if you change ur application during any loading screen the whole game freezes and you need to reopen again to get it working. So don't alt+tab during loading screens.

*Side note as of this review if you use the free "HQ Quality Texture Pack" you need to download a unofficial patch to their HQ Texture Pack because it comes with a bug that messes up faces. It can be found on Nexus Mods called "Ys VIII HQ Texture Pack Fixes".

Overall Ys VIII is a 9/10 game, if the developers can fix those small things mentioned above then it would be easily a 10/10.

honestly i want to give this a thumbs down. the ending was complete ass. and i'm talking about the "true" ending, not even the bad one.

the first half of the story was fine. in the second half the game really starts to drag on with some tedious stuff and a lot of backtracking. the story also starts to go downhill.

at one point i would have said this game was an 8.5/10, but the final chapters were such complete ass that it really makes me want to call the game a 3/10.

i honestly feel like the story of this game kinda ruins the entire ys franchise for me... it's so trash at the end.

the more i thought about it, the more i hated the direction the story played out. changed my recommendation to NO

fun game

Played this almost exclusively in the experimental co-op via streaming it across my house hard-wired from PC to my Steam Link (the little physical box from 2015), using two DualSense controllers. Just has some issues with controller detection, so make sure no other controller or controller-like devices are plugged into the computer and it should be fine.

As far as the co-op goes, it was never intended for this game, and as a result there are times where it's a bit wonky, but I didn't care. This was a brilliant thing to have to be able to laugh at the silliness of the co-op at times, and to be able to have another person in the household more closely share in the experience so we could all enjoy this wonderful story together. I wish more single-player games enabled even a basic co-op feature like this. It was also not split-screen co-op which is really nice. I would just encourage using the Steam Overlay custom controller settings to disable the right-stick on the 2nd controller, so only player 1 controls the camera. Otherwise you'll frustrate each other. Also be cautious of too much lock-on, it's not great during co-op. But definitely play this co-op. It's such a great experience together. Also, it's a drop-in/drop-out co-op, so you can fortunately easily turn it off and continue, or have them hop in at any time.

Everyone should play the Ys games. They are possibly the most under-rated JRPG's out there. Ys VIII really builds on the good parts of what came before in Celceta and Seven. While I do feel some aspects of this game overstay their welcome (this is the longest Ys game so far), I think it's a good thing. A ton of it is optional, but personally I wouldn't skip anything. If anything, I'm disappointed the original Vita release didn't have some of the extra content this one has, since it adds in my opinion a lot more to the story that really rounds out a specific aspect of the story and helps you better feel for and understand the impact of that area of the story, which is really the reason I play these games. This truly feels like a definitive edition of this game. This is the best Ys story of them all so far, with well-developed characters, constantly changing circumstances and new directions it'll take you, surprises and twists, and by the end you will probably really feel for the characters and feel like you were actually a part of the adventure that happened here.

There's no need to have played any other Ys games to get into this. Most Ys games are largely standalone, but if you've played past games then you may get little bits of extra happiness and interesting things you'll notice tucked into everything going on.

The gameplay is phenomenal and the best thus far. For an action RPG, I don't think this can be beat. It's fast-paced, hectic, has options to make it painfully difficult if you want, and feels rewarding with the level of progress you make in developing your characters levels, gear, and skills. With this version of the game, there's also some additions that really extend the gameplay and give you far more to do if you're interested.

Ys games are slow moving at first. Give it a chance. Stick with it. The story and gameplay really pays off later on, but you have to stick around through the very long beginning of the game where it takes a while to really get moving and build the mysteries that the story winds up truly being about. Another tip, take the opportunity to talk with every character you can, when you can. Explore all areas you can before progressing the main story, go back for areas you might have missed, and remember to stop after story progression often and head back to the Village to check with people. It'll all really build up the story development for you if you do. This is one of those games that if you put it down and never finish it until a long time later, you'll be kicking yourself once you see what you missed out on.

If you beat the game, be sure to save your clear data, then reload it and instead of restarting a new game, choose the option to return to Chapter 6, and then go look for an interesting new quest in the center of the ruins marked on your map. Go do all of that, THEN beat the end of the game again and re-save the clear data. Now you'll have truly done everything. It was not obvious to me this was added in beyond the Vita version.

Finally, I also appreciate that this game has so many positive messages about teamwork, friendship, persistence, determination, and overcoming struggle and heartache. While it has a little bit of the usual RPG things, it's nowhere near what other JRPG's are. Every time you think there's going to be some kind of romance or something, there isn't. These are adventurers and friends, and they focus on that, and it really sends strong signals about having those healthy boundaries, unlike most other media that basically always goes there. In this game and this series, the boys and the girls can equally be powerful, and they can form intensely strong bonds that don't necessarily have to go those typical routes. For these reasons, I felt this game was a great one for teens or pre-teens since the positive messages were so well told and it displays lots of good ways to handle friendships with people.

Ys will always be one of my top 2 or 3 favorite series of all time. Now on to New Game+ which is so much fun in these. I'll be trying that out on Steam Deck.

Also, I got near 200 FPS with certain settings. If you're having FPS issues, try dropping Supersampling in Screen options and re-booting the game, and avoid the HBAO+ setting in Graphics and keep the shadows options to mid or low settings. Those seem to affect FPS the most depending on your hardware.

One more thing on the differences from the original PS Vita release. I am convinced they altered the experience gains in this game. I think you level up slightly faster in this version than in the original Vita version. By the time I was 100% completed in my first playthrough on PS Vita, I think I was around level 64. By the time I was 100% done on my first playthrough on this version, I was around level 85 before restarting at Chapter 6 for the final hidden dungeon, and then about level 96 after that dungeon. It's nuts how much you can level up by just thoroughly playing in the Steam version.

Anyways. Play Ys games, they're awesome, and give the co-op a whirl with someone.

It's childish and simple, with extreme lengths of dialog that borders on mental disability.

I kept playing it hoping to find some complexity in game mechanics, there's none to be found.

The Nintendo Pro Controller support is abysmal, the buttons are reversed no matter what you try to do in the control settings.

Fantastic. Play it!

quite a new & refreshing game concept to me, and quite unique among action rpg games.
battle system not feel comfortable, sometimes cannot target & lock-on enemy and can easily lost camera focus.
overall feeling 7/10

I played this on switch but it's better on steam. Specifically steam deck. Some of the best real time combat in an rpg ever. Plus you get a good story and basebuilding too. It does take a while to get going, the first hours are just setting up the base and kind of like a long tutorial for eveything. But once it gets going it's very addicting.

Highly recommend for rpg fans

Great addition to the franchise.

Really a gem of a game, they always have bittersweet endings though.

Ys VIII Lacrimosa Of Dana is another Masterpiece from Nihon Falcom, new adventure with our beloved Red Haired Adventurer Adol. YS VIII really up the gameplay from the previous installment with new and improved combat system and i do think Ys VIII is the best game from Ys Series that i've played.
Ys is simply, always been a JRPG Masterpiece. From the first game until now even in the future, i'll always think of each new Journals from the Red Haired Adventurer would be another masterpiece. Even if the newer installment of Ys isn't as good as Lacrimosa of Dana in term of gameplay or content wise, I would be as happy because what i want from Ys is Adol's stories.

I really enjoyed the story. The combat is okay, nothing mindblowing or anything.

Dana Forever.