Ys X: Proud Nordics Review – A Vastly Improved Action JRPG

Ys X: Proud Nordics Review

Ys X: Nordics came out in North America near the end of 2024, one year after it released in Japan. It was an excellent game, but it didn’t reach the heights of the Ys series’ best games. It was missing something that made it extra special. Soon after Ys X’s North American release, there were rumblings of an upgraded version coming out in Japan called Ys X: Proud Nordics. On the one hand, Ys fans were excited that an upgraded version of Ys X could be what the game needed to reach the level of Ys VIII. On the other hand, a double dip so soon after the game’s release would be an expensive pill to swallow. For better or for worse, Ys X: Proud Nordics has finally released in North America. Read-on to find out if it’s worth the upgrade.

The Ys games are about the adventures of red-headed hero Adol Christin. The games do not take place in chronological order. They all have self-contained plots. There are some recurring characters, and the world and lore are the same. But any Ys game makes a great series starting point. This is helpful because some games haven’t been officially released in North America, and some aren’t available on modern consoles. Ys X takes place between the events of Ys I & II and Ys IV.

A Viking Tale

Ys X: Proud Nordics’ story is a seafaring, Viking-themed tale. Adol and Dogi end up in Obelia Gulf, home to the Norman people. They’re being attacked by monsters called the Griegr. Adol finds himself magically handcuffed to a Norman warrior named Karja. Together they travel Obelia Gulf, unlocking new regions, trying to battle the Griegr, and find out the motives of their mysterious lieutenants. There are several other mysteries, such as why Adol can wield Mana power and why Adol and Karja are bound by Mana cuffs. Adol also occasionally travels to a metaphysical, misty island with a mysterious old man. It’s a gripping narrative that also functions as a great vehicle for Ys X’s gameplay.

Ys X: Proud Nordics is an action JRPG. Its combat involves melee attacking, dodging, and parrying attacks. Players can fight with Adol and Karja, swapping them on the fly. Both characters have the same controls, but feel distinct. Karja wields a hammer, and Adol uses a faster sword. Each character has a separate health bar, and there is great strategy in switching characters when one is low on health. Each character has several attack skills that can be used by holding a shoulder button and pressing a different face button. Both characters have loads of skills, which can be levelled up, so the player is constantly trying out and levelling up different attacks.

Seafaring Adventures

The other major gameplay hook of Ys X: Proud Nordics is its ship sections. Obelia Gulf has a world map with tons of islands to explore. There are also real time naval battles amidst exploration. The ship has stats that can be levelled up, different kinds of attacks that can be unlocked. The ship mechanics are the main gameplay element that sets Ys X apart from other games in the series. They are wholly unique to this game, and are a welcome addition to the series.

Those are the basics of Ys X: Nordics. COGconnected has an original review that goes over the vanilla version in more depth (although I enjoyed it a lot more than our other reviewer). This review is going to go over the changes made for Proud Nordics. And maybe the most important change is that the entire game has been gone over with a fine-toothed comb and has been rebalanced. Every aspect of the game, from pacing, to boss fight challenge, to ship speed, has been looked at and tweaked. Every complaint I ever heard about the vanilla version has been improved.

Öland Island

Ys X: Proud Nordics has a ton of new content in the form of a new area called Öland Island. This area easily has as much content as an entire game chapter. It has multiple island areas within it, and an entire new narrative. The story is about Karja’s cousin Canute, and a vendor named Astrid. This side plot actually has some major Ys series story implications, despite being removed from the game’s main narrative.

Öland Island also comes with a new Mana ability called Mana Hold. This allows Adol to lift certain objects and throw them, like he has psychokinetic powers. The ability’s physics feel great, and the new gameplay sections help to break up action sections. There’s also a racing minigame on Öland Island that uses the Mana hoverboard mechanics.

Muspelheim

Ys X: Proud Nordics also has brand new New Game + material. A new area called Muspelheim is a roguelite dungeon that rewards players with items that can be used to great effect on harder difficulties. The player gathers crystals that can be spent to modify game restrictions. Ceaseless Sea is a brand new endless ship battle mode for those who love naval combat.

The only negatives about Ys X: Proud Nordics are its timing and pricing. There’s no way to upgrade to Ys X: Proud Nordics from Ys X: Nordics. It’s a full $90 game. There was also no way for me to use my completed Ys X: Nordics save data to immediately unlock New Game + content in Ys X: Proud Nordics. Maybe these pricing and upgrade problems wouldn’t hurt as much if Ys X was an older game, but it hasn’t even been out for two years. I know fans of Ys and Nihon Falcom want to support the company, but it’s hard to not feel like Ys X: Proud Nordics is ripping people off, and losing Nihon Falcom some good will. But, it is great news that Nihon Falcom wanted to improve Ys X. And it’s great news that Proud Nordics didn’t remain in Japan.

A Proud Upgrade

Ys X: Proud Nordics feels like a greedy, poorly timed release. But it’s a vastly improved version of an already excellent game. Ys X: Nordics was one of the lesser Ys games, but the changes in Proud Nordics have now put it in the upper echelon of Ys games. There’s tons of new content, and the entire game has been carefully tweaked and rebalanced. If Ys X: Proud Nordics is a cash grab, it isn’t a lazy one. Ys X: Proud Nordics is one of the best action JRPGs ever, and a must-play for Ys fans.

***PS5 code provided by the publisher***