Most long-running series go one of two ways.
Either they tell a continuous tale that’s best appreciated from beginning to end,
or they’re composed of separate stories that have almost nothing to do with each other.
However, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox manages to walk the line between both extremes,
continuing the adventures of Adol Christin without requiring you to catch up on his past.
It’s a great entry point for curious newcomers to jump in.
Ys IX begins with a prison break.
Adol’s escapades have attracted unwanted attention from the authorities,
who promptly lock him up when he arrives at the gates of Balduq.
As he makes his escape through abandoned tunnels,
a mysterious woman intercepts him and transforms him into a monstrum –
essentially a cursed super hero.
He’s able to shift forms into a warrior with supernatural abilities,
but he’s also magically restricted from leaving town.
Together with the other monstrums recruited before him,
he’s tasked with protecting the city from creatures living
in a shadowy dimension just beyond the material world.
The story takes a while to get going and the ending similarly tarries,
but most of the 40 to 50 hour journey actually comes at a fairly quick pace.
It regularly introduces you to new characters
and unravels each piece of the puzzle
without taking too much time away from exploration and combat.
Plus, there are some tantalizing mysteries to keep pulling you forward.
At the same time, side quests don’t take too long, there aren’t too many of them,
and they often help to establish meaningful context and insight.
In fact, Ys IX does quite a good job of helping you get to know not only the characters, but
the history and politics of this world without getting dull or convoluted.
There are certainly moments when you have to turn your brain off and let some things pass,
like when Adol disguises himself simply by dying his hair,
but this is a lighthearted tale overall.
No matter what happens or how tragic someone’s backstory may be,
the game consistently reminds you that you’re just on a fun adventure,
as you joke and tease your comrades.
Ys IX progresses through a chapter-based structure that distinctly separates each episode of the story.
After getting an introduction to the next plot point,
you get the chance to explore new areas,
shop for new equipment,
and tackle new side quests posted on the bulletin board of The Dandelion –
a bar which doubles as a hideout for the monstrums and their collaborators.
While it’s certainly a bit rigid,
this setup gives you ample time to get to know each of the main characters,
a number of side characters, and even many of the minor players around town.
In each new chapter, people throughout the city update what they have to say
to fit current events, keeping Balduq feeling active and alive.
Most importantly, many of the chapters focus specifically on one of the monstrums,
as they properly join Adol’s party and lend you their unique gifts.
Adol himself can teleport to specific points.
White Cat allows you to run up walls.
Hawk’s power lets you glide, and so on.
Once you’ve gained one of these powers,
every party member adds it to their skill set,
and the speediness of traversal mixed with the platformer-like level design
makes grabbing chests and collectibles feel fun and worthwhile.
Later abilities aren’t quite as useful,
but these first few gifts transform how you explore the world.
Fast travel is also very handy
and lets you bounce around in a snap, particularly when paired with the PS5’s quick load times.
At almost any time, you can jump back home to upgrade or resupply,
then hop back to a fast travel point close to where you were.
Plus as your crew grows, a lot of tasks
can be handled directly at your bar.
For instance, while there are a lot of shops around town that change inventory between chapters,
you eventually gain an ally who consolidates many of these goods
so you don’t have to revisit every shop one by one.
And this is just one of many ways that Ys IX streamlines its systems
to save you time.
Combat in Ys IX is action-based, and speed is an asset here as well.
Basic attacks fill gauges that allow you to unleash skills and ultimates,
and as each character levels up,
you unlock new skills that you can map to the face buttons as you prefer.
Dodging at the right time initiates a “Flash Move” which puts the enemy into slow motion,
while performing a “Flash Guard” with similar timing boosts critical hits.
You can also break enemy shields by charging attacks,
once you get Raging Bull in your party.
Many creatures are weak to specific damage types, so it pays to switch party members.
However, if you prefer a certain character’s playstyle,
some accessories let you change their damage type, giving you more freedom in how to approach things.
While you do encounter a fair number of creatures in fields and dungeons,
the monstrums’ main task is to defend the city against the Grimwald Nox,
a shadowy dimension that spawns creatures born of human enmity.
Battling in the Grimwald Nox is a key part of the story,
but it’s also how you open the barriers that prevent you from accessing new sections of town.
In practice, these segments play out like a fast-paced horde mode.
All the monstrums fight alongside you, even before they join your party,
and you gain buffs from other allies as well as devices such as traps and decoys.
However, since you don’t have any control over how these things are placed,
there isn’t much strategy involved.
Most of the Nox challenges simply have you fend off waves of enemies,
protecting your crystal at the center,
but others have you smash pink gems scattered around the map
until you find and destroy them all.
In either case, once your mission is complete,
you’re ranked and rewarded based on performance,
and if you’re unsatisfied with the results,
you can chat with an associate to retry past challenges.
Fighting in the Nox comprises some of the game’s most frantic scenarios,
not because of raw difficulty, but simply due to the sheer number of enemies
that spawn at any given time and the desire to hit those coveted S-Ranks.
In general, Ys IX is pretty easy on the default setting.
You can quickly chew through most enemies and bosses on Normal,
but if you prefer a stiffer challenge,
there are four higher difficulty options
that do push you to use more healing items
and to pay closer attention to enemy attacks.
That said, even though the standard setting does little to push back until later chapters,
combat is still active and engaging,
and it feels appropriate for the lighthearted tone of the game overall.
Ys IX is clearly made on a lower budget
with textures and details that feel outdated for a PS4 title,
but it does perform well without frustrating hiccups, bugs, or other distracting anomalies.
From a less technical standpoint, the prison setting does result
in spending a lot of time in drab dungeons and caves that aren’t much to look at.
Not every line of dialogue is spoken, but there’s still a lot of voicework throughout,
bringing each of these personalities to life.
Meanwhile, the music does an excellent job of setting the tempo,
whether it’s one of several laid-back town themes that change between chapters
or the shredding guitars that augment combat.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox doesn’t amaze with branching storylines or groundbreaking visuals,
but so much of its design, from smart shortcuts
to platforming-based exploration, helps it to feel fast and light on its feet.
Getting to know this world serves as a strong invitation to go back to past games,
yet it doesn’t make you feel like a loser if you don’t.
It’s RPG comfort food that lets you relax and have fun, without getting in its own way.
Final score: 7.5 out of 10.
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