Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA

WARNING this game has the most terrible map layout I've ever seen. I love the game for the most part, but the map and chapter 2's story really urk me. I almost always get a headache trying to find where to go sometimes because the outer map and the inner one are so drastically different and then the mini map is also insanely different idk what was going on when they made it, but this frustrates me to no end.

great music. slick gameplay. great story. there is so much game in this game. 10/10 would recommend.

It COULD be a great game. Three things utterly ruin it.

(1)This need to warp you back to the main village every single time something happens ending your exploration. It's needless and frustrating as hell since the damn map is so convoluted it's hard to tell where you are or were.

(2) The CONSTANT interruptions. Literally every 30 seconds the game is stopping you, taking control, and playing some idiotic dialog scene that is completely unnecessary. I have never seen a game not want you to actually play it like this one. The gameplay is so good too and just when you start really getting into a flow it will stop you. Over and over and over and over and over. The worst part is it gets worse and worse the further you get in the game. This game would be 10 hours shorter without it.

(3)The map and travel system is ATROCIOUS. It's very hard sometimes to figure out where you are and where to go even when there is a map marker. It's just lazy development.

Got on sale for $13. Great deal at that price, lots of fun. $40 is a bit steep unless you love this kind of game. It is very relaxing to play.

I was under the initial impression that Ys is basically just Trails but without a strong focus on narrative, and more about the gameplay. While It's true that the gameplay is the core of this game, I was actually pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the story & characters, particularly in the latter parts of the game.

Will definitely be trying some of the other titles out, and would certainly recommend this game to anybody. Solid combat, story, writing and characters. Considering the entire game takes place on a deserted island, it never bored me once.

P.S - Little Paro best bird

Favorite Ys game so far, having played them in order. Combat is really fun, the story is entertaining, bosses are really nice. Doesn't really require any grinding to get through it.

An absolutely amazing action JRPG. This was my first Ys game and I now fully appreciate why so many people recommend it as your first Ys game. I love that it's a simple game that's not bogged down by multiple system mechanics and a slew of different stats to consider. The action is fast and responsive and the music get's you hyped to continue to jump into battles. I could go on and on, but I'll just say this: Buy this game and start your Ys journey.

Damn, what a story! I found this game randomly on Steam and decided to give it a chance... Truly an awesome game with a dynamic combat system, great exploration, an amazing story, and compelling side quests. I’m now eager to learn more about the Ys series, this was my first one, and it was breathtaking!

This is literally the best game made. You should feel shame if you haven't played it yet

Many say this is the best Ys game. It certainly takes a step up in terms of scale. At the time of release this was the biggest/longest Ys game, more than twice as long as the previous title.

The game uses a lot of the same exploratory systems of the previous game and adds some more, like fishing and having roadblocks all over the map which require you to have rescued x number of castaways to be able to clear the rubble for you to pass through.

I did have a lot of fun exploring the island, though as always with Ys games, the gameplay is constantly interrupted by its story. Even though it was told pretty nicely, I would have liked to be left alone and to explore. This Ys game isn't quit open enough that I would call it an open world game, but it has certainly edged closer to that.

I still prefer the single character, different weapon combat system of the Napishtim era of games, but the party combat here was pretty fun (albeit button spammy) on Normal difficulty. I used to play these games on a harder setting and enjoyed the added challenge, but I'm just less excited to persevere or grind when its with this party system that I don't enjoy quite as much.

There is a bug that sometimes occurs during combo's when in slow-down mode, where you will hit an enemy many times in a second, melting bosses from 100% to zero hp instantly. I honestly didn't mind this because again, I'm less hooked on this system.

This might be the best Ys game, it at least makes a good case with its extra features and grander scale. There were times where my enjoyment was lukewarm and I wondered if I was going to drop the game, moreso than previous Ys games, but I warmed to everything more in the latter half of the game.

The music is great as always, though I don't recall hearing a guitar solo anywhere (something that's been less frequent with the series over the years). I'd be more disappointed about this if the soundtrack wasn't as good as it is.

It's obvious from looking at the screenshots, but the game looks great visually; the best looking Ys game thus far (IMO anyway).

Not sure what else to add. I was feeling very take it or leave it at times with the game but I did end up feeling very connected to the story, exploration and all the side tasks and it eventually won me over. I think I do prefer the games of the Napishtim era, albeit only slightly. Ys is a bit different now, but it's a good different.

Bought this after watching a random YouTube review on it while I was bored and it looked interesting. Turns out it is now my favorite game of 2024. It's fun, the combat is a blast, and I just love the characters - they're so charming. Especially Adol. I love him.

Unable to setup the Controller to play this game

There is a problem with the mouse every time i open the game my mouse is like freezing for 5 sec on the screen and then it will work for like 5-8 sec i don't know if the problem is on my computer or in the game.
I hope if the problem is on the game please fix it because i really wanna play this game
I will change it when the bug is fix

假如现实世界真的有陨涕日，那么这个故事就是抵抗超越人类智慧且无法违抗的命运的证明——我们并非神的道具，而是有生命有意志的存在

Good Action JRPG with a surprisingly hard-hitting story, fun characters, and a nice sense of exploration and discovery. I found the combat to be a little bit button mashy and repetitive (on hard difficulty at least), but it was still satisfying and controlled well, and the other good aspects of the game kept things interesting.

I often don't manage to finish JRPGs, so the fact that I completed this one with the true ending despite it taking me over 70 hours must say something!

Okay, yeah, this game is amazing. Easily my favorite Falcom game of all time and I don't think anything's topping it, and tied with Heart of the Woods as the best game I've played in 2024.

The gameplay was fun and satisfying. I had a ton of fun trying out everyone's different play styles, and I was actively encouraged to use everyone. Flash Moving and Flash Guarding took a while to master but it made the combat more fun once I got the hang of it. Also, keep in mind that I played through the game from start to finish on Nightmare difficulty, so I was sufficiently challenged throughout and it was so much fun.

And outside of combat, I loved the exploration aspect. The Isle of Seiren actively encouraged me to explore its every nook and cranny, and going back to previously inaccessible areas once I got the appropriate Adventuring Gear was always a treat.

The OST is an absolute banger. Probably in my top 3 Falcom OSTs of all time. When Sunshine Coastline first played, little did I know that it was only a preview to an absolutely banging soundtrack. Hope Alive in particular is my favorite Falcom boss theme now.

As for the setting, apart from what I already mentioned above about exploration I quite liked the feel of the island. As a Monster Hunter fan, the Isle of Seiren gave me a similar vibe to the Deserted Island/Moga Woods from Monster Hunter Tri, which added to my enjoyment. And I loved Castaway Village, and each castaway endeared me in their own ways. I actively searched for castaways to rescue and maxed out their approvals, I was that endeared to them.

The core party was also a joy to be with. Laxia, Sahad, Hummel, and Ricotta all were very fun and endearing characters in their own ways and I was attached to them all, and Adol, while a (largely) silent protagonist, was cool too.

But the real star of the show has to be Dana herself. She's such a well-written character, her struggles and suffering were heartwrenching to watch, and her unyielding determination despite the odds being stacked against her was downright inspiring to see, and give me a lot of inspiration and hope to carry on. Dana has become one of my absolute favorite characters in fiction, easily top 4 (only surpassed by Tohru Honda, the 12th Doctor, and Touko Nanami), and has officially surpassed Estelle as my favorite Falcom character.

So yeah. Ys VIII was great and I enjoyed my time with it quite a lot.

DANA FOREVER!!!

Didn't really know what to expect, as my first Ys game, but it's a great entry point with a cool story that kinda just keeps unravelling the more you play. Like, I was discovering new aspects of the story 3 hours before it ends, makes for a pretty gripping game if you can get past the slow and (imo) rocky start.

Gameplay is really fluid and fun, with some stellar music.

It was a good and sad story. Really enjoyed it.

Super cool Action RPG with amazing soundtrack, cool history and sense of humor. I got completely surprised by how much I actually liked it.
Doing side quests were not a chore and they implemented a travel system that works really well.

Recommended!

One of the best Action RPGs ever made! The plot's really good, and the gameplay and combat is super TOP NOTCH.

One of the best games I've ever played, but damn that true ending final boss was a really frustrating kind of damage sponge.

Adol did you know the Isle of Seiren? . . . no?
actually you can see it in the distance from where we are right now~
also did you know its dangerous for Ships to go near it for mysterious reasons?
would be bad if some huge monster will attack our ship and sink it~ Haha!
[they got attacked]

--
the Party and its Attack Styles Mechanic, the combat, the perfect block/dodge improved a lot. way better than YS7 and YS Memories of Celceta. added for being hack n slash its more faster.
and they gave back our JUMP ability lmao
this game has a lot of content also
the money is gone but instead you get a crafting since youre stranded and currency is non existent.
everything needs materials.
they improved the map and the fog of war completion. since the Ys Memories of Celceta is unforgiving with it. they add percentage and even a checklist of where is missing. and you have 3 version of the map too.
the Island has a lot of discovering and its nice. its not empty space. a lot of roaming enemies to fight. the bosses are good.
and theres a unique mechanic for Adol and Dana which is a main plot device for the game.
they add Fishing in this game and Laxia is sucks at it.
we can cook too.
we can force a kid to work on vegetables~
we can spar with Huge Monkey.
we can beat up an old woman.

not that kind of beating but

ehem. anyway
i enjoyed it.
the game i mean. i enjoyed the game.

Glad I finished it. Totally should have done more side quests tho.

Honestly, I won't write a review this time. This game is so beautiful I want everyone who sees this review to go in blind.

Also, Ricotta is a perfect daughter

A whirlwind of flawless Action RPG fun from start to finish. I have nothing negative to say, except perhaps that I wish it were longer. I can already tell this'll be a title I'll revisit periodically for years to come.

Pura fantasía pulp. Como meter en una batidora media docena de novelas de fantasía aleatorias de los años 40 junto a varias convenciones actuales de los jrpg y que la mezcla salga bien.
¿Quieres islas desiertas? ¿Naufragios? ¿Dinosaurios? ¿Paradojas espaciotemporales? ¿Barcos fantasma? ¿Referencias ucrónicas a nuestra antigüedad? Todo eso y mucho más está aquí. Pero también acción frenética, exploración satisfactoria, una jugabilidad de hierro, una banda sonora inolvidable y una historia que, si bien arranca despacio y a veces parece que progresa de manera simplista, te agarra cuando menos te lo esperas y no te suelta hasta su precioso final.
Si sólo fueses a jugar un action-rpg... que sea este.

Fun gameplay
Enjoyable fast paced and skill based combat
Beautiful characters
Great music with many different, good tracks so that it doesn't become repetitive
Interesting island to explore
Funny character interactions
Cool anime intro cinematic
Good story (ending could have been a little better though)
Long play time with minimal amount of required bloat (with plenty of extra stuff to do for those so inclined)
Difficulty is selected by the player

This game is a winning formula and should be studied by modern game devs on how to make a good game. The only caution would be that this is a JRPG, so there will be dialogue boxes and scenes that take you out of the action somewhat regularly, but the dialogue and scenes are usually enjoyable. I also wish that my character could dodge at any time, but you are locked into attack animations. Maybe it would make the game too easy to dodge at any time, so it's not unforgivable.

Fantastic action RPG, really nails the stranded on a deserted island feel.
Great characters
Awesome soundtrack, as expected from Falcom.
Well told, exciting story. With a few twists.
Combat is fun (from a person that does NOT normally like ARPG's)
All in all, a wonderfully done ARPG, hats off to Falcom, they knocked it out the park with this one. 10/10

Oh & did I mention: Adol the Red is in it, so that automatically makes it even better :P

has some of the best feeling action combat ive ever played

My first Ys game, like it very much, million times better than Dragon Age Veilguard. Women look like women, not like Laura Kate Dale (thank godness)

One of the best action jrpg i ever played.

It's great. If you like action RPGs this is a must buy.

There ins't a single thing i can find to complain about this game. Story and combat are top-notch.

Incredible game, absolute cinema.

Lacrimosa of Dana evolves the Ys gameplay to another level, the gameplay is incredible, the story is also one of the best ones yet in the Ys franchise it feels rewarding all the way through. Highly recommended give it a try, a bit of a slow start but as soon as you have 3 characters the game just becomes a joy.

I never heard of this series. I just saw it on sale and thought " hey, this looks interesting. Let me try it" . Man that turned out to be a great decision. This game is so much fun. The gameplay feels nice and had me immediatly hooked even tho towards the end i started spamming 1 skill.

The story for me was interesting with some great characters. I really liked the mystery of the island and how more of the island you discovered the more of its mystery got unfolded.

Also a huge plus is the soundtrack. Something i will defenitly be adding to my playlist.


My only gripes with this game is that it does feel like a ps3 game with its graphics.
Also towards the end it felt like it dragged a bit to long maybe cutting like 5 hours would have made this the perfect length.

8 out of 10

Ys is a series of JRPG.

This one is from 2016 and it shows. The musics are pretty nice though, especially the one from the title.

Combat is real time but isn't very good. I didn't like the controls very much: it's way too easy to trigger a special attack by mistake.

The characters are your usual forgettable caricatures. Some of the NPCs are insufferable and you can't do anything about it. I already don't remember most of them.

I've never liked any Ys game but this one has the reputation to be the best of the series so I bought it during a sale.
It's true it's the best one: I've managed to go to the end, which is more that I can say for the others.
But what a disappointing waste of time it turned out to be.

The plot started nicely: a simple story that only asked to be developed a bit though the exploration of the cursed island and the search of other survivors. Finding the ruins from an ancient civilization was promising too.

And for a while it was interesting: about the first ten or so hours.
The next twenty hours were more of the same: explore, kill monsters, farm (so much farming), improve gear ...
... and bit by bit get more info about the mysteries of the past. I was already bored but there was more to explore so I kept playing.
And here is the second positive thing in this game: you can skip almost all scenes. I've thoroughly used that feature once I was to bored by the story to care if anybody lives or dies.

I've explored 100% of the island, I don't believe I've missed a quest, I've bought all gifts but apparently I've missed something because I've "only" managed to get 194 reputation. Too bad: 198 is required to get the "true" ending.

I've checked what it is and there is not much of a difference compared to the one I got, and it's certainly not worth wasting more time getting.

The story ends with a common trope, and not a very good one at that. Had I know, I would never have bothered to fight the last boss (or to play this game at all)

When I think this is the best Ys, I'm not about to by another one anytime soon.

Holy crap....

fun game, except for that one fish

One of the best gameplays I've ever tried, I loved every single second of it, AMAZING SOUNDTRACK, great characters and great story, I couldn't ask for anything else. I simply loved it. <3 <3 <3

12/10

Man did this game ever exceed every expectation I had. This game deserves much more recognition than it has. Combat is fun, strategic, and fast paced. Music is absolutely incredible with some all time greats of any RPG [Sunshine Coastline!!!!!!]. And that is saying something as Y's is known for its epic soundtracks. Story starts slow and builds through the course of the game. The cast of characters in the game are charming and you will grow to love the main characters, especially Dana and Adol. This is an absolute gem by Falcom

Do you want to know why I'm giving this a negative review?

When your first 15hrs ( 8hrs in game ) is just running around, saving people and no story progression ( i.e havent seen Dana yet ), its pretty f*cking boring. I can accept for the first 5 hrs or maybe 10 but w*f is this game? Go around, level up, kill mini bosses, protect base from raid, find people, open new path areas, repeat 10x + ? ( started out with 4 ppl, I got 12 so far, thats 8 people gathering so far ).

I know the game can be great, I know the game mechanics could be good later on but when you cant captivate people in the first 5hrs, thats bad and even worse, 10+ hrs later.

Negative review not because its a bad game but because it cant captivate anyone early on

I'm surprised this game doesn't have more recognition. It was overall a pretty enjoyable time.

I'd say the story and dialogues feel too long or predictable in some cases, especially the beggining, which was to me very slow and generic, but I have no complaints about anything else.

The plot is intriguing, the characters and their interactions are fun and diverse, the map is varied and doesn't get repetitive, the combat has many playable characters, isn't turn based and requires parries and good timing.

But the music was the best part. All over the course of the game, it has some of the best tracks I have ever listened to, with a really good mix of rock, violin, piano and synthesizer.

The game isn't very hard by default either and I didn't find myself lost much often, so I easily recommend this one to anyone slightly interested, you won't regret it. More so considering its studio has only around 50 people, and it holds up fairly well compared to similar games like Persona.

The game is an absolute masterpiece. The only thing I hate about this game is that it doesn't have a story sequel. I NEED YS VIII: LACRIMOSA OF DANA 2!

gameplay good, music good, story good
not much more to say

I now understand why the character Dana, as well as the Ys VIII in general, is so celebrated by the community. I can't really say whether the reputation that this is the best part of the series is true, because I've only played “IX: Monstrum Nox” for comparison, but IMO Ys VIII still blows its successor easily out of the water.

Of course, this game also has its weaknesses. You can tell from the graphics that it's not a AAA title. Technically, the Ys games are not necessarily up to date at the time of release and VIII is already 8 years old. The title also suffers from some well-known general JRPG issues with some sections of the game are simply stretched out far too much, both in the pacing of the story and through overlong sections where you only ever fight the same enemies. At least you don't have to grind in the game (on normal anyway) as long as you take most of the enemies along the way - because there are way too plenty of them. The trope of the overlong final dungeon, a popular criticism in many of my JRPG reviews, is once again fulfilled here too, which is simply a long gauntlet corridor with lots of mobs on the way, elite monsters/mini-bosses as gatekeepers at the end of each section and several bosses before the final fight.

That being said, it's a good thing that the combat system is a lot of fun and never gets boring during those many battles. Ys is an Action-RPG, you have to dodge and parry - which rewards you for good timing - and manage your skills with SP (which recharge with normal attacks). The island itself has larger, open areas from time to time, but is ultimately not an open world but really rather linear: further sections only open up when the story demands it, when you have collected the necessary number of camp members/broken ships to clear obstacles or when you get new Metroidvania-style items that, for example, allow you to run over mud, climb up hedges or breathe under water. Backtracking is part of the game, as the story and side-quests send you through the same areas several times.

At certain story points you are also called back to the camp, either to expand it and/or defend it against attacking hordes of monsters. You then have to defeat all the enemies running towards the gate in several waves. However, the camp also defends itself and you can invest collected items not only in your own weapon/armor-upgrades but also in barricades, traps and/or catapults to fend off the waves more effectively during those raids. On other times you can also plan your own raids against monster nests, which then run the other way round and you have to destroy a certain number of targets to win.

The strongest point, however, is the story and its characters. I have been told that the Ys series are not really known for their story, but part 8 can fortunately sing a different tune: The story is both touching and exciting, spinning a compelling construct across multiple timelines. The tragic figure of Dana is not an absolute community favorite for nothing, as mentioned at the beginning.

Now that my time on Ys VIII Island has come to an end, I will definitely miss that character deeply, along with the other members of the cast like the Tsundere Laxia or the simple but funny fisherman Sahad who made the camp always felt like home during my stay.

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.