Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana ~ The Verdict (PS4)

Nihon Falcom's Ys VIII is a grand adventure involving the capsized crew of a seafaring passenger vessel known as the Lombardia, and the mysterious island residents of Seiren that they run into. Through the joint tales of Adol Cristin, his comrade Dogi, and his lively duo of accompanying combatants Laxia & Sahad the story unfolds in true adventure fashion. You'll become the hunter, gatherer, and cartographer as Adol while the rest of the discovered crew either joins you, or stays at the base of operations offering goods, and services for your party. You'll map your progress, fight epic bosses, and loot Seiren for all it's worth. At your disposal is the gear, weaponry, and skills learned and earned through your continued combat efforts. Though the task before you is a tedious chore the adventure at hand is never dull, or too overbearing. All you have to be concerned with is helping Adol, and his shipmates deal with their shipwreck circumstances as they delve deeper into a lore that transitions from one man's dreams to reality on a fantastical island lost to time.

From the gameplay to the plot, and even the soundtrack you will find in place one of the year's best JRPG experiences. An experience that is made better by NISA's continued localization correction efforts. Though the game had a somewhat rocky start due to localization issues I'm glad to say that the game is, at it's current price, very much worth adding to your collection. I loved the traditionally applied RPG elements, the series specific mechanics, and the story being told. It felt like a 'Legend of Zelda" game, but with a more Japanese feel. If that makes sense? It's got an oldschool RPG vibe about it, and an art style that goes back to such an era of gaming. Even the soundtrack has a sort of classical JRPG sound that impressively accents what is going on in the game.

For those of you worried about features the game is filled with a robust offering of activities, and engrossing story related character conversations. It is your standard yet not so standard fare JRPG experience with plenty of hours to invest in it, explore the world around you, and advance the plot at your own pace. As I said before you'll be hunting creatures, mapping the island, and gathering materials to use in the various base services. Things like crafting armor/outfits, blacksmithing, cooking, and fishing are there to help you make the most of your journey from the beginning to the end. Traveling from point "A" to point "B" in gated fashion allows you to see various beautiful in-game locales fitting of such a fantasy adventure. Between combative travel, and lucrative searches you'll get to gaze into Adol's dreams about the mysterious Tree Maiden, Dana, and eventually meet up with her to further the plight, and the fight for survival.

In closing, the Inferno gladly adds this game to it's prestigious listing of "Must Have!" video games. Fans of the series, and even those new to it will find a truly welcoming action adventure of the most wonderful kind. I hope to see Nihon Falcom continue working with NISA in the future as they've expressed they wanted to. I can see the studio doing great things for the Western audience in the future.