While it’s not as chaotic as the Zelda timeline, the Ys timeline also isn’t perfectly straightforward. Going in release order, the series jumps back and forth along the timeline. There isn’t a “right” or “wrong” order to play the games in, but sometimes it’s nice to have an idea of which game’s events happened before the next. With Nordics releasing next month, let’s take a look at the timeline of Ys games.
In Ys’ Beginnings
The Ys timeline begins with Ys Origin, the prequel game, and a love letter to Ys 1 and Ys 2. It takes place 700 years before Ys 1, not long after the kingdom of Ys became a floating island. Instead of focusing on the adventures of Adol Christin, Origin focuses on three playable characters: Yunica Tovah, Hugo Fact, and Toal Fact. They are implied to be ancestors of some of the characters Adol meets in Ys 1 and Ys 2, with Toal’s story campaign being considered the canonical version of events.
This game sets up many of the things that happen in Ys 1 and Ys 2, such as the silver sword that Adol finds to defeat the final boss of Ys 1. It shares the same setting as Ys 1 and Ys 2 but is limited to only Darm Tower. The game also shows the creation of Ys 2’s final boss, in Toal’s story campaign.
The Start of Adol’s Adventures
The first of Adol’s adventures in the Ys timeline are Ys 1 and Ys 2 when Adol is 17 years old. They were originally planned to be one game, but due to hardware limitations, the story was instead split into two games. Ys 1 follows Adol as he explores the supposedly cursed island nation of Esteria, after having his first shipwreck of many. Where Origin was restricted to Darm Tower, these games allow Adol to journey elsewhere in Esteria and Ys. Ys 2 takes place almost immediately after the ending of Ys 1, with Adol exploring the titular floating island of Ys.
Next in the Ys timeline is the upcoming game Ys 10: Nordics. Adol is 17 in this game too. The game takes place somewhere north of Eresia, the continent that most of the games in the series take place in. It isn’t known exactly how much time passes between Ys 2 and Nordics, but for Adol to still be 17 it would have to be less than a year at maximum. Few other details about Nordics‘ story have come out yet, though it is likely the game will make references to the plot of Ys 1 and Ys 2, perhaps even setting up for the next game in the timeline.
Following Nordics is Ys 4: Memories of Celceta. In this title, Adol is 18 years old, which means that Nordics‘ story must not last longer than a year in-universe. This is also the game where Adol starts describing himself as an adventurer, something which carries forward into the rest of the timeline. He starts the game having an unexplained case of amnesia and spends the rest of it exploring the Celceta region while trying to regain his lost memories. Memories of Celceta is also the first game where Adol comes into contact with someone from the Romun Empire, though it is far from the last.
Adol the Adventurer
The next game in the Ys timeline is Ys 3: The Oath in Felghana. In this game, Adol is now 19 years old. He travels to his best friend Dogi‘s childhood home, only for the pair to realize that all isn’t well in Felghana. Adol does what he does best and steps in to help the people in need, gradually uncovering why everything is going wrong in Felghana while meeting several of the people Dogi knew before finding himself in Esteria.
Following The Oath in Felghana in the Ys timeline is a game that has not received any official English localizations, Ys 5: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand. Adol, now 20 years old, journeys to a region of Afroca called Xandria. While there, he learns about alchemy and uncovers the mystery of a kingdom said to have disappeared 500 years ago.
After the adventure in Xandria, a 21-year-old Adol finds himself shipwrecked on the cursed Isle of Seiren in the events of Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana. This makes the second time that one of Adol’s adventures began with a shipwreck unless Nordics also begins with one. In this game, Adol finds himself shipwrecked along with several of the cast and crew of the passenger ship The Lombardia. He is tasked with finding the survivors and bringing them to Castaway Village, where everyone is banding together to survive the strange monsters on the island. There’s a mystery surrounding the island, and the dreams Adol sometimes has at night seem to be part of it.
Mysteries all Over the World
Next in the Ys timeline is Ys 6: The Ark of Napishtim. Adol is 23 years old during the events of this game. Like Lacrimosa of Dana and Ys 1, this adventure also begins with a shipwreck. Unlike the other Ys games, The Ark of Napishtim doesn’t take place in Altago or Eresia. Instead, it takes place to the far west, on a chain of islands off the coast of the Atlas continent. The Ark of Napishtim is another adventure that shows Adol coming into conflict with the soldiers of the Romun Empire.
Adol is also 23 years old in Ys 7, his second adventure in the continent of Afroca. This time he goes to the kingdom of Altago, where his reputation as an adventurer gets him an audience with the king. The king asks him to investigate strange earthquakes around Altago, which leads Adol on an adventure to uncover more mysteries in Altago.
To date, Ys 9: Monstrum Nox is the latest game in the Ys timeline. In this game, Adol is 24 years old. The game opens with him being arrested by Romun soldiers, and during one of his many interrogations, he’s asked about his involvement with the events of The Ark of Napishtim. Monstrum Nox takes place in the prison city of Balduq, which became a Romun territory 8 years prior. There are a lot of suspicious things going on with Balduq’s prison, which Adol begins investigating after he escapes and becomes a Monstrum.
Final Thoughts
With Nordics’ placement in the Ys timeline already known, and Adol leaving hundreds of travelogues in his childhood home, there’s a lot of room for when in the timeline Ys 11 might take place. Will it take place after Monstrum Nox, or between two existing games? What version of Adol would be seen in such a game? Nihon Falcom has already implied they’re talking about the next Ys game, though it could easily be a port or remake rather than a brand-new game. No matter where on the timeline the next game in the series takes place, it’s sure to be another thrilling adventure with Adol involved.
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