Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
2019
Audio: Japanese, English · Subtitles: Korean, Chinese, Japanese
- role-playing (rpg)
- adventure
- action
- fantasy
- single player
- multiplayer
- co-operative
The story
While imprisoned in Balduq, Adol is cursed and becomes a Monstrum. With his newfound powers, he must stop the Grimwald Nox from consuming the city.
What it’s like
Bright anime-styled character portraits sit against a dim, grimy city of stone alleys, scaffolded towers and sewer-green water, and the palette swings between the murk of the streets and the saturated glow of combat. Music is a driving mix of rock guitar and synth-tinged orchestral pieces that rises hard during fights and settles into quieter themes when you wander the city. Real-time action combat is fast and chunky, with flashy special moves and a high tempo of dodges and hits, and the enemies you can see on the map make every corridor feel like a choice. Its vibe is gritty, kinetic and dark-fantasy, the kind of game suited to a long evening with a controller, or to a stretch of hunting side quests when you want momentum without a lot of downtime. Violence is frequent and stylised: monsters are slashed and blasted in a steady stream, with some blood and a grim, oppressive tone, though it stays on the cartoonish side rather than graphic. Fear is mostly tension rather than scares. The story carries a morally heavy undercurrent, with a lonely protagonist caught between his own curse and the people he is trying to protect. It is for players who want an action-heavy JRPG with exploration, open-ended side hunting and a darker edge than the series' usual warmth.
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