When it comes to Ys, I’m always willing to give a potentially new entry a look. With Ys Memorie: Revelations in Celceta, it’s no different. Even though it’s the re-re-release of 2012’s PSP-only title Ys: Memories of Celceta that was ported to (then) more modern machines with very little to speak of in terms of improvements outside of a slightly higher resolution cap, it’s hard to really blame NIS America for dipping again on its bucket.
Taking place right after the events of the newest entry in the series Ys X: Nordics (or Ys X: Proud Nordics if you’ve played the “improved” port we talked about a little while back), Ys Memorie: Revelations in Celceta has series hero Adol and his pal Dogie make their way to Celceta, a land said to be steeped with riches. Unfortunately for our red-haired friend, he wouldn’t know it, since he starts the game with amnesia.
A common trope in RPGs, it gives our favorite hack ‘n slasher a chance to begin anew yet again in this new land, and that he does throughout the game, as he quickly gets embroiled in the local matters when the local mine starts attracting the attention of monsters, requiring every able-bodied warrior in town to dive in and help. It doesn’t take long before our boy settles into a friendship with a local sellsword and the both of them turn into a duo, and later on, with a bow-wielding gal, the core basis for Ys Memorie: Revelations in Celceta’s combat system.
As with the usual Ys flavor, you get two (and then three) somewhat distinct styles here, one focused on bladed weapons, with the others being more blunt and ranged. Enemies are susceptible to either of these types, requiring you to switch between the two on the fly, which the game does a good job at allowing you to do with the touch of a button. If you’ve played any of the newer titles in the series, you’ll feel at home here as this game was basically the genesis of this system, later carried into and made more complex later on.
Other than that, it’s business as usual for a dungeon crawler fan. Outside of having to worry about weaknesses and whatnot, you’ll be doing plenty of button mashing in order to get through encounters, chipping in a special attack or three in between for good measure. The difficulty isn’t what you’d call demanding, but it’s a good idea to throw in a dodge every now and then, even if the hit detection or tells aren’t as dialed in as more action-heavy games.
In regards to content, there’s plenty to be had for an adventurer with no memories. Side quests are galore and help give you much needed cash in order to procure new equipment, which comes in handy for the increasingly more damage sponge-y enemies you’ll face. Story missions help move the narrative along and introduce you to the more involved fights you’ll face throughout Ys Memorie: Revelations in Celceta, as per usual.
When it comes to improvements, I felt it was necessary to play this game with the previous Steam version side-by-side, and for the life of me I couldn’t see much of a change between them. Outside of minute presentational tweaks when it comes to the interface, now a bit sharper than before, and the added resolution bump to the graphics, my eyes didn’t catch anything meaningfully new in the Memorie flavor of Celceta.
Then again, the biggest thing going on for this is giving a slightly bigger audience a chance to enjoy the game on more systems, which in the case of the Switch 2 is somewhat of a great thing, as it runs Ys Memorie: Revelations in Celceta flawlessly regardless of it being in portable or table mode. The game’s relatively simpler character models pop on the screen when playing on the go and there are no drops in performance to speak of.
For what it is, Ys Memorie: Revelations in Celceta is an unnecessary upgrade in the grand scheme of things. It’s not like the first re-release has gone out of print or off digital store shelves, and the very little that it adds doesn’t make for an obligatory upgrade for those who already own the 2018 version. Still, not taking into account the meaning of its existence, it remains an enjoyable romp and worthwhile entry in the series, which for fans of Ys is always a good sign knowing that it hasn’t been left to the wayside. Hoping to hear about Ys XI eventually!
