In The Court Of The Crimson King
As far as JRPGs go, having delay between the Japanese and international versions of a game is fairly par for the course. The latest offering from Nihon Falcom, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, is no exception. The game was initially released in Japan back in 2019, and then came to our screens earlier this year. Now, Ys IX has finally been released on PC, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia (despite the Stadia’s troubles.).
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is the latest title in the almost 35-year-old Ys franchise. The first game, Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished, was a pioneer in the field of story-based RPGs, introducing the series’ now iconic ‘bump attack’ system wherein characters automatically trade blows with their enemies just by walking past them.
Since Ys I released back in 1987, there have been nine titles in the main Ys series, along with a slew of spinoffs and remakes (and, interestingly, two separate Ys IVs, released at the same time and following the same basic plot, but developed by different companies). Ys has managed to do something that few, if any, other JRPG series that last this long have: Follow a single character’s story the whole way through.
Like all other mainline Ys titles, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox follows the legendary adventurer Adol Christin as he wanders into the town of Balduq, where he is promptly arrested and imprisoned. In his captivity he discovers a dark secret that lurks in the heart of Balduq’s immense prison, and must work alongside the mysterious Monstrums in order to root out the truth. Of course, things aren’t all that simple: Adol himself has been turned into a Monstrum by a mysterious antagonist, and takes on the moniker ‘The Crimson King” until he can return to his own form.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is available now on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC and Stadia.