I am just into the mines in the Famicom version of Ys. I have played through Ys 1 on the SMS and the Turbo Duo version. The differences between the SMS and TD versions are minimal. The in-game graphics are slightly improved in the TD version. It also contains FMV and voice and better quality music because of the CD format. There are minor translation differences between the TD and SMS versions. The games have different difficulty balances. The TD version stays true to the Japanese versions and is considerably easier. The creatures are easier to kill and they offer more EXP resulting in you becoming stronger sooner. The SMS version was made much tougher by SEGA of America. The creatures are much tougher to kill. Especially the bosses. You gain far less EXP and the EXP needed to gain the next level has been extended. It takes well into Darm Tower to max out your level, and you will need to be at max level without question. The actual events between the games are pretty much identical as is the story being told. Just the most minimal of differences. That brings us to the Famicom version and its list of differences. As far as graphics and sound go, the Famicom is the weakest. Graphically it has the weakest sprites and the sparsest background detail. There is also lesser animation in this version. The music is tiny sounding compared to the SMS version. One major change is the music for Zepik Village is entirely new. I have no idea why they replaced The Syonin used in all other versions of the game. The game starts out the same and I'm building up and I'm gaining levels exceedingly fast. I'm like three levels away from max just into the mines, which is the second of the game's three dungeons. As far as EXP and combat goes, this is like the TD version and rather easy. The layout of the map and dungeons has been altered from the standard used in all the other versions. You have two entrances to the mines. The path to the palace is entirely different. The palace itself has a different layout. Chests in different locations containing different items found elsewhere in the other versions. The boss of the palace doesn't come off the wall at the start of the battle. He's just there in the room to begin with. Characters normally found in the palace aren't there at all. The Roda Tree is now on an island unto itself. You access it by warp statues now in Minea Fields. To get in the mines you now have to find a fairy at a lake who tells you of her missing staff. Once you find the staff and return it you're rewarded with an item. Said item gets you past a tree that actually gets out of your way and the path takes you to another tree that powers up the item. The now powered up item causes a lake to dry up so you can cross to the mines. Inside the mines you'll now find a carving on the wall that gives clues to an incredibly obscure puzzle. Once that's solved back in Minea, you end up on the parapet seen in the Ys anime where a disembodied voice speaks to you and then opens the mines proper. It's a huge WTF to someone used to the other versions without any additions. I can't say I like them. There doesn't seem to be any point to them beyond being different for the sake of being different. I will be playing on and will comment on any further changes...
In all likelihood Ys will run into the next must play day-one title and I'll be commenting on them congruently.
No comments:
Post a Comment