The Ys series got its start in Japan in 1987, for the PC-88. The Legend of Zelda, meanwhile, was released in Japan the year prior for the Famicom. Ys is a series of action JRPGs, while Zelda is a series of action-adventure games. Where Nintendo has an American office in Redmond, Washington, Nihon Falcom has no offices outside of Japan. While these two series have many differences, they also have much in common with each other. With Echoes of Wisdom released last month and Nordics coming next week, let’s look at the similarities between these two classic series.
Origins
Like many games from the 1980s, both series started as 2D top-down games that used pixel art. They also both featured a young male protagonist who isn’t shown to have any dialogue – Adol Christin in Ys, and Link in The Legend of Zelda. Both Adol and Link are also swordsmen who have saved their respective worlds on several occasions. Both series have also experimented with having their typically silent protagonist speak lines of dialogue, in addition to both heroes having short voice lines to punctuate sword swings and movement.
Gameplay
Despite coming from two separate genres, the combat in both series still has many traits in common. While older Ys games featured “bump combat,” the modern entries in the series feature more typical action combat. They also include skills and additional movement abilities, such as the Mana Line in Nordics, which feels very similar to shield surfing in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
Both Link and Adol have also had various companions across their adventures, from Navi in Ocarina of Time to Karja in Nordics. Though in the Zelda series Link is always the player character (with the exception of Echoes of Wisdom having Zelda herself as the primary player character), the modern entries in the Ys series allow the player to control other characters.
Soundtrack
Falcom and Nintendo are both well-loved amongst their fans for having gorgeous and engaging soundtracks. Though the hardware of the earlier entries in the respective series featured different methods of producing sound, the more modern entries have made use of MIDI and even orchestrated soundtracks. Both studios have also held concerts to perform arrangements of their games’ soundtracks, to celebrate the games and music that their fanbases love.
Experimenting With Formulas
Both Ys and Zelda have had games that changed drastically from previous games’ gameplay. Ys III: Wanderers From Ys was released in 1989 for the PC-8801. Rather than being a top-down action JRPG like the first two games, Wanderers From Ys was a sidescrolling platformer. In much the same way, The Adventure of Link included sections of sidescrolling platforming despite the first game having been a top-down action-adventure game.
The two series have also had modern games that iterated on and experimented with previous games’ systems. Breath of the Wild diverged from previous Zelda titles by being an open-world game rather than a linear narrative. Likewise, Monstrum Nox experimented with a pseudo-open-world map for the city of Balduq and larger area maps, while still featuring occasional level transitions.
Timelines
Though the Ys timeline isn’t quite as messy and convoluted as the Zelda timeline, it does still do a fair amount of jumping around. While the first game in the Zelda series is now much further along on the timeline, Ancient Ys Vanished is now only preceded by the series’ prequel, Origin.
Final Thoughts
Despite their differences, the Ys series and the Legend of Zelda series have quite a bit in common. It’s no surprise, then, that many fans of the former are often also fans of the latter. Between their engaging gameplay and their stellar soundtracks, there’s a lot to love about both series.
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