Ys IV: Mask of the Sun -- Initial Impression.

I have started playing Ys IV: The Mask of the Sun. It's the ROM version of course. Newly translated and patched in English. This is the game for the Super Famicom created by Tonkin House for Falcom. Ys 4 begins with Adol back in Esteria after returning from the events in Felghana and Ys 3. Adol is standing on the docks when a bottle washes up with a note inside asking for help in the land of Celceta. That's all it takes and Adol is off on his journey to Promarock, from which one can reach Celceta.  In Promarock he learns of the Romun Empire and its meddling in local affairs.  He starts unraveling the mystery. He learns of the three treasures, the stone eyes. He sets about collecting them. As he goes he gets more of the complete picture. The story being told is great. It goes towards more of the history of Ys than anything else. It's very connected to themes further explored in Ys 6. Along the way Adol ends up returning to Esteria and the towns of Minea, Zepic, and Lance. Towns from Ys 1 and Ys 2. He runs into just about every major surviving character from those games.  It gives a very complete update on their lives sort of feeling. Judging by my lifebar, I'm about two-thirds through the game at just under five hours of play. This is going to be short and sweet. The play mechanics are classic Ys. Still running into enemies to attack. No sword swinging. The SNES allowed for them to have a magic button, and an item button. That's really all you get. A button for item, magic, confirmation, and back. You use select to access the menu. Start would actually pause the game.  Simple and effective. The graphics are mid SNES life span. Better than the RPGs of the launch years, and short of those of the final years. SNES level effects are used from time to time. Rain on the fields, stuff like that. The trees aren't animated. The backgrounds are all static.  None of the little details seen at the end of the system's life. It's all very straightforward. Musically, it's standard SNES stuff. Nothing special about it. The composition features some cool arrangements of previous themes mixed with new tracks. The new tracks are just sort of there. When you want Ys 4 music, you'll be thinking of the PCE version's redbook audio anyway. The game seems rather easy. The easiest of the games I've played thus far.  Even with the experience limitation system in the game, you just level too easily. The bosses still present somewhat of a mild challenge, but they're the only thing that does. The puzzle element is also rather simplified in that everything is automatic. You don't have to use whatever you find as the game does it for you. No more wandering around trying to use the pickax on the dozens of columns on the outside of Darm Tower trying to find the correct one. Now the game will just do it when you walk by close enough. The dungeon design is also the easiest out of the games I've played.  It's all very much one path. Where there is a split, the one way takes you to a treasure, and the other way is the way out or the correct progression for the story. There aren't tons of dead ends and wandering about lost as all hell. I need to play Ys 4: The Dawn of Ys on the PCE to compare how they handled those aspects of the game. I have a feeling the Super Famicom version of the game was softened up by comparison.