Ys Book I & II

In the end, Legacy of Ys made the transition to DS well, presenting an enjoyable experience even to those who have played the games to death.

If nothing else, Legacy of Ys proves that revisiting your roots (or exploring them for the first time...) is a trip well worth taking. It's hard to know where we are if we forget where we came from and how we got here.

Overall, Legacy of Ys: Books I & II is a great value and will offer many hours of gameplay, but its appeal is limited.

The inclusion of both Ys I & II along with multiplayer functionality gives players a good bit to wade through. Although, the simplistic action-RPG mechanics aren't compelling enough for a second playthrough, even though multiple difficulty levels are offered.

While Legacy of Ys is a solid remake of the 16-bit classics, that doesn't mean it holds up particularly well. The unique gameplay keeps the action fast and exciting, but the cliché story and silly cinemas leave a lot to be desired.

The only real downside here is the presentation – the updated art and menus are garish and much of the writing feels dashed off. Good thing Adol isn’t exactly the chatty type.

Legacy is a little too "classic" for its own good; it needs more than a facelift to appeal to the modern gamer. [Mar 2009, p.95]