| Ys has never been what you would call popular - at least, not here in England. In Japan, there are games, anime series and so on, so at least it gets the attention it deserves somewhere. It plays somewhat like Zelda - in most of the games, it is a top-down adventure, with the typical hack and slash that goes with it. However, there is much more of a roleplaying element, as Adol, the main character, gains experience and levels, and gradually gets stronger. He can even find and equip various equipment: |
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| These three items shown are a sword, suit of armour and a shield. There are five levels of strength of each, and these are the most powerful from "Ys 3 - Wanderers from Ys", namely the Fire Sword, Battle Armour and Battle Shield. The first few items are usually purchasable from the local shop, but the rest need to be found, and are happily located in certain dungeons. |
| Other important items include either Wands or Rings, depending on the game, and there are also five of those, although each with different (and very helpful) effects, such as casting fireballs, slowing time, increasing your attack or defense, and so on. Healing herbs are also available, along with other special items. One of the most convincing enemies in the series is an evil Elf called Dark Fact, who is a servant of the wizard, Dalles. |
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| This is Dark Fact, and a somehwat less artiistic version of the Hero, Adol. For more information, a good site to visit is the Kingdom of Ys, which is wel worth the visit. |
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| An incomplete guide is now up!! It only gets as far as near the end of Solomon Shrine (which is near the end anyway), but there's a list of most of the items, equipment, monsters etc... so have fun 8) |
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