Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga
Last updated: 2025-10-12
- Excellent remaster quality with improved visuals and performance
- Enjoyable, deep gameplay with rich Falcom crossover content
- Competent Ys-style action combat system
- Extensive character roster and high replayability
- Dated combat and grindy progression system
- Lack of co-op and social features
Emotions
Players are satisfied with the overall quality of the remaster, including improved resolution, FPS, and new features. The smooth online play, excellent netcode, crossplay, and depth of customization also contribute significantly to player satisfaction.
Frustration stems primarily from the extensive grind required to unlock characters, skills, and level up characters. Players also encountered a critical visual settings bug that caused annoyance.
Players express disappointment over the perceived lack of content, particularly the absence of co-op play in story or arcade modes. The small number of playable characters and the game's simple combat system also contribute to this feeling.
Enjoyment is derived from the fun, fast-paced, and easy-to-pick-up gameplay, especially when playing online with friends. The satisfying combat and unique character interactions also enhance the overall enjoyment.
Nostalgia is a strong emotion for players who remember the game as a PSP exclusive from 15 years ago. The remaster brings back fond memories, and references to past Falcom games and music further evoke this feeling.
Verdict
Mostly positive
Summary
Positive 89% Ā· Negative 11%. Score: 11 / 100
Positives:
- The remaster received high praise for its significant care and attention to detail, including improved graphics, sound, and textures. Players appreciated the impressive model touch-ups and the overall quality of the porting work.
- Players found the game to be very fun, especially when playing online with friends, noting its unexpected depth and high replay value. The overall experience was described as great and well-polished.
- The combat system, despite its age, was a pleasant surprise for many players, particularly those familiar with the Ys 7 engine. It was described as fun and surprisingly competent for a fighting game.
- The game was highly appreciated by Falcom fans for its successful crossover of two IPs, evoking nostalgia and allowing players to interact with beloved characters. The luxurious voice cast was also a highlight.
- The inclusion of an English voice cast, especially with returning voice actors, was a delightful and unexpected surprise for many players, adding significant value to the remaster.
Negatives:
- The combat system feels old-fashioned and overly simple, reminiscent of PSP-era games. Players are forced into a significant grind through single-player content to unlock essential characters, skills, and stages, which detracts from immediate fighting enjoyment and overall balance.
- A significant drawback is the absence of co-op play in story or arcade modes, which limits multiplayer engagement. Additionally, the game lacks an in-game chat feature, hindering social interaction among players.
- Fights tend to be repetitive, offering little variety in gameplay. Stages also lack interactable elements or hazards, contributing to the monotonous combat experience.
- The game feels primarily designed as a 'festival game' for existing Falcom fans, with many references that might be lost on players unfamiliar with the Ys or Trails in the Sky series. This limits its appeal to a broader audience.
- Players feel there are better arena fighting games available on the market, suggesting this title doesn't stand out in its genre. The combat system, particularly its similarity to Ys Seven, is seen as a negative.
Gameplay:
- This title is a crossover of Falcom's Ys and Trails series, featuring characters, world views, and BGM from a wide array of Falcom games, including lesser-known titles. It's a remaster of a 2010 PSP game.
- The game features an arena fighting system heavily inspired by Ys VII's combat, incorporating elements like support abilities, parrying, countering, and aerial attacks. Despite simple commands, it offers depth in combos.
- The game boasts a large and diverse cast of fully voiced characters from various Falcom IPs, each with unique attacks and playstyles. Many characters and stages are unlockable through story progression.
- Character leveling, skill upgrades, and unlocking content require significant grinding for in-game currency. This can be a chore for players wanting to quickly max out multiple characters or engage in competitive play.
- The game supports robust multiplayer options, including local battles for up to 4 players and online/LAN modes. Players can even take local friends into online matches.
Performance:
- The implementation of rollback netcode is highly praised, contributing to smooth online gameplay and making it enjoyable to play with friends, even with minor latency issues.
- Players appreciate the significant improvements in resolution and frame rate (60 FPS) in the remaster, noting a much cleaner and more pleasant visual experience compared to the original PSP version.
- The game offers full cross-play across all platforms, which is a significant positive for online battle modes and player connectivity.
- While the netcode is generally good, the game performs optimally with minimal lag when players are from the same geographical region.
- The ability to remap buttons is a welcome feature for players who prefer personalized control schemes.
Recommendations:
- The game's network mode has the potential to be a lively and engaging feature if enough players participate. Reviewers encouraged others to play online to enhance the experience.
- One reviewer noted that players should be cautious when adjusting PC settings, implying potential issues or specific configurations might be needed for optimal performance.
- A player expressed a desire for a physical copy of the game, suggesting a preference for tangible game ownership among some users.
Miscellaneous:
- Many players have been waiting years for this game, originally a Japan-exclusive PSP title, to be released in the West. The official English translation and dubbing are highly appreciated.
- The game features character interactions and plot points that can spoil the Trails in the Sky series, especially if players have not completed the second game. New players to the Trails series are advised to proceed with caution.
- The game's overall story is noted for being quite short and somewhat silly. It is considered a fun, small spinoff or 'filler' by studio standards.
- The game features upbeat, arcade-style music, which contributes to its overall atmosphere.
- A minor point of feedback indicates the absence of an in-game chat feature.
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