When I first got my hands on a PS Vita, I was a bit late to the Ys party. But after playing through Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana for the first time, I knew I needed more. That’s when I discovered Ys: The Oath in Felghana and was introduced to the more classic style of the franchise. After playing through the PSP version as quickly as I could in pursuit of every Ys game, I quickly fell in love. While the remastered Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana isn’t as impressive as it could be, it’s easily the best way to play the classic action RPG.
‘Ys: Memoire’ Wears Its Age on Its Sleeves, for Better and for Worse
There’s a reason why so many people have fond memories of Ys: The Oath in Felghana. Its fast, smooth action is paired with a brisk pace that allows players of all skill levels to pick it up. While visually charming in many ways, it is slightly jarring to see the lower-resolution character sprites paired with the crisp and clean 4K backgrounds. Visually, it’s a bit of a mixed bag throughout, especially for a remaster.
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As someone who played the original PSP version, however, it’s a massive upgrade through and through. The refined character portraits are the biggest change, modernizing the character designs and helping polish some of the rougher edges of the originals. I do wish that Marvelous/Falcom would have done the same for the character models.
However, this is the perfect time to get into the ‘gameplay over graphics’ argument and mention that Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana plays like a dream come true. A constant 60FPS helps it feel better than ever before, and the remastered/remixed soundtrack sounds great across the board. Plus, Adol finally has a voice this time around to match with the fully-voiced cutscenes from the PSP original.
It’s Easily The Definitive Way to Play ‘YS: The Oath in Felghana’ Without a Doubt
While Ys Memoire may not have all of the bells and whistles that other remasters have to offer, the timeless feel of the game more than makes up for it. It’s the perfect type of game to throw on ‘Easy’ and give to someone who has never experienced the ARPG genre before. The world feels big enough to get lost in but compact enough to make exploration quick and easy.
Pair this with the addition of a “Turbo” mode, which allowed me to bump up the speed two times to zoom through familiar territory, and you’ve got a game that feels great to jump into for just minutes or for hours. It’s comfort food in a gaming sense in the most pure form. But, since this is based on the PSP version, there are a few things to note for those that abhor the idea of “censorship”.
The original 2005 release of The Oath of Felghana did feature a surprising amount of blood, especially for a game that looks as cutesy as this one does. The PSP version did remove a fair amount of that, and there is no option to tweak the “gore” filter here, either. Beyond that, however? It’s a noticeable step up from all of the other versions in every conceivable way.
More of a Definitive Edition Than a Remaster, but I’ll Never Scoff at More ‘Ys’ Goodness
Calling Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana a proper Remaster is a bit of a stretch. The backgrounds are sharp, but the texture work is still PSP quality. The character models are a little low-resolution against the rest of the world. That being said, Ys: The Oath in Felghana is a classic. It still stands up incredibly well. Even in a crowded genre filled with imitators and games inspired by the Ys franchise.
I would consider Ys Memoire to be more of a Definitive Edition than anything. It’s an excuse for physical collectors to get a chance to add this to their growing collections. It’s a great preservation of a game that isn’t available on other forms of modern hardware. And most importantly, it’s a cost-effective way to jump into a great series.
There could have been more done to make the game visually shine. But an enhanced soundtrack, solid 60FPS, and great combat and controls make this worth your time and effort. It’s roughly 12 hours of fun and begs to be replayed as often as you’d like. And many other ARPGs can’t boast the same claim to fame that The Oath in Felghana does.
Verdict: Recommended
Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation Portal.
