The CGMagazine has reviewed the Action RPG Ys Seven:

Ys SEVEN (PC) Review – SEVENth Time’s The Charm

The presence of the Ys series seems to ebb and flow like the tide; its most recent incarnation, Ys: Memories of Celceta, graced North American shores nearly four years ago, and yet now we have two Ys titles slated to drop within a month of one another. Before we can take a step forward to Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, however, we’d be remiss not to revisit Ys SEVEN, a former PSP exclusive resurrected for the PC eight years after its initial release. Ever a paragon of lightning-quick action RPG combat, Ys SEVEN retains a timeless appeal, however feature-bereft its new port may be.

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The PC port of Ys SEVEN may not bring much to the table in the way of renovation, but it accomplishes the essential task of making the game playable on modern hardware. Having easier access to one of the best RPGs to ever grace the now-defunct PSP is well worth its meagre price of admission.

Score: 8/10

RPGFan has reviewed the PC version of Ys Seven:

Ys SEVEN

OK, confession time. When Ys SEVEN first dropped in 2010, I wasn't as thrilled with it as I expected to be. My initial joy of finally being able to play as Dogi was soon undercut by a feeling that Ys had changed irrevocably. Loot gathering, weapon crafting, and party mechanics weren't why I came to the series; my mood not helped by the then-recent English release of Ys: The Oath in Felghana, which, in my eyes, was pitch perfect.

Now, seven (!) years and a PC re-release later, I realize I was too preoccupied with what Ys SEVEN isn't to see it for what it truly is: a sublime action RPG and a worthy evolution of Ys' thirty year legacy.

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Undoubtedly, Ys SEVEN was one of the PSP's finest action RPGs, yet I can't help but feel it shines much brighter here. The original release was just as speedy as this port, but the PSP's analog nub was a nightmare to use. Opting to play on Vita eliminated this issue, though the chaotic action could get a little cramped on the handheld's small screen. This PC port's higher resolution makes it easier to keep track of everything happening on screen, while playing with a gamepad just feels great. The trade-off, aside from lack of portability, is that many of the game's muddy textures were never meant to be seen in HD. That said, it's not a bad looking game by any means, and the low-detail yet brightly colored character models evoke a certain nostalgic charm.

I was happy to have the chance to revisit Ys SEVEN with fresh eyes. Falcom and XSEED have pulled off an excellent port that runs like a dream even on my (far-)below spec laptop. As far as Ys titles available on PC, we're spoiled for choice, and this is an especially fine one to revisit.

Score: 85%

The J-RPG Ys Seven has been released today:

Ys SEVEN - Launch Trailer

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Experience the first “modern-era” Ys game, now off the small screen for its worldwide PC debut! Features a full party system, dozens of unique combat skills, and a massive overworld to explore. Uncover the secret of the Five Great Dragons, and help Adol Christin save the day once again!

The Action J-RPG Ys Seven will be released in two weeks:

Ys Seven

Originally released as a PSP exclusive, Ys SEVEN was the first fully 3D Ys title, the first Ys title to include a party-based battle system allowing players to swap control of characters in real-time, and the most story-heavy Ys game of its time.

This original PC port presents the game in full upscaled HD with a wide variety of resolution options, smooth 60 fps gameplay, full Steamworks integration featuring a variety of new achievements, and even a revised localization to ensure players receive the most immersive gaming experience possible.

Join redheaded adventurer Adol Christin and his loyal companion, Dogi, as they make good use of their pirate connections from adventures past to weigh anchor in the bustling port city of Altago – a former world trading capital that was cut off from foreign visitation for far too long by an all-too-recently ended war with the Romun empire.

The people of Altago are still distrustful of foreigners, and the land is crawling with monstrous creatures who are invulnerable to standard steel, rendering Adol’s tried and true arsenal of weapons from games past ineffective. Forced to rearm and retrain from scratch – and to prove his worth to this new country’s somewhat xenophobic populace – Adol takes up a king’s quest to explore a nearby set of ruins, only to find himself embroiled in a high-stakes game of appeasing ancient dragons and saving the world… yet again.

Along the way, he’ll meet a variety of companions old and new who will join him in his quest via the newly introduced party system, wherein up to three characters may be controlled at any one time. Only by mastering the use of pierce, slash, and thrust attacks, as well as dozens of unique skills, quick dodging, “flash guarding,” and more can Adol and his team uncover the mystery of the Five Great Dragons, the five ancient tribes of Altago, and the recent string of earthquakes that threaten to tear apart this ancient and storied land.

Come take part in the first Ys adventure of the modern era, and the latest adventure in Adol Christin’s myriad chronicles. The frenetic challenges and massive bosses that made this historic series famous are back, and they’re bigger than ever.

Make SEVEN your lucky number!

Key Features:

• Fast, real-time combat with dozens of unique abilities, both physical and magical
• A brand new party system allowing for up to three playable characters at once, including Adol’s loyal sidekick Dogi and fan-favorite mercenary Geis from Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim
• Enormous screen-filling bosses set to quintessentially Ys rock music composed by the legendary Falcom Sound Team jdk
• One of the most complex and involving storylines of the entire series, spanning well over 20 hours’ worth of gameplay
• Upscaled HD graphics and consistent 60 fps framerate bring this former PSP-exclusive title up to modern PC standards
• Full Steamworks integration, including a bevy of new achievements

Thanks henriquejr!

TechRaptor reports that the J-RPG Ys Seven gets a PC release this year:

XSEED Games Announces Ys Seven for PC Coming This Summer

During last week’s “XSEED XSTREAM”, XSEED Games announced that they were bringing their previous PSP release Ys Seven to Windows PC this Summer. (Skip to 1:22:00 for the start of it).

XSEED previously released Ys I, Ys II, Ys: Oath in Felghana, Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim, and Ys: Origin on PC, while NIS America is releasing Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana on Steam later this year. XSEED has also released a variety of other Nihon Falcom titles on PC (the company that develops Ys), and previously announced that they would be bringing Zwei: The Illvard Insurrection, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel and Cold Steel II to PC later this year. The PC version will support Full HD resolutions, 60FPS gameplay, full controller compatibility, as well as the full host of Steamworks enhancements, as well as Achievement support on GOG Galaxy.

About the Game

Ys Seven is a Japanese action role-playing game developed and published by the Nihon Falcom Corporation and the seventh installment in the Ys video game series. It was released in Japan during 2009 for the Sony PlayStation Portable and was released by XSEED Games in North America on August 17, 2010 and in Europe (only on PlayStation Network) on December 29, 2010. The game was released for Microsoft Windows in China on June 20, 2012; a new Windows version of the game will be released in English in 2017.

Adol and Dogi reach the Capital of Altago in an attempt to find more adventure. While exploring the town, they get into trouble trying to save two sisters who were being harassed by the local Dragon Knights, which is the army force of Altago. They are thrown into the cells but thanks to their reputation as adventurers, they get a request from the king to help him investigate some strange earthquakes going on lately, as his men have not been able to find anything. On their way, they find out the Five Dragons are awakening once again to prevent a great catastrophe, lending their power to Adol to help stop it.

In previous Ys titles, players had to switch between elemental weapons to damage monsters and bosses. In this game, weapon types are used to determine whether damage is enhanced or minimized. Slashing weapons deal enhanced damage to soft enemies but fail against hard enemies. Striking weapons deal enhanced damage to hard and armored enemies but fail against soft enemies. Piercing weapons deal enhanced damage to flying enemies and other agile enemies but fail against armored enemies. A party can have up to three characters in it with the player controlling one of them. The two other members are controlled by the AI while in combat and it is possible to set how they attack. All playable characters except for Adol are able to use weapons that fit a damage type assigned to that character, while Adol uses swords that can be classified to any damage type. For example, Dogi can only use punching weapons which all deal striking damage. Hitting enemies with charged attacks fills a skill point meter that allows characters to perform skills. Skills are taught by using different weapons. Once a character uses a skill enough, he or she can use the skill with any weapon. Further use of a skill allows the user to enhance the skill. There is also an extra meter that when filled, allows the character the player controls to perform a super attack. Using skills is needed to fill the extra meter.

Players can also block attacks in order to reduce damage. If the attack is blocked at the same time an attack connects, that hit in the attack is nullified, the SP and extra meters are significantly filled, and the next attack will be a guaranteed critical hit. This is known as a flash guard. Getting the timing wrong in a flash guard attempt will result in the player taking more damage than if the player does not attempt to block.