Info about Ys Origin:

Official game description:
700 years before the events of Ys I & II, the land of Ys was on the brink of destruction. Demons came in droves and forced the twin Goddesses who ruled the land to whisk their subjects away from the surface, into the safe embrace of the clouds. The demons were persistent, however, erecting a massive tower in pursuit. The battle that raged upon the ground had begun ascending for a second round up above.  
One day, amidst this turmoil, the Goddesses stole away into the night, vanishing from Ys altogether. And there's only one place they could have gone: the Devil's Tower.  
A search party of knights and sorcerers was hastily formed and dispatched to the surface in hopes of retrieving these runaway deities. Among its members were apprentice knight Yunica Tovah and troubled sorcerer Hugo Fact.  
This is their story. Or at least, it's how each of them remembers it.  
Expanding upon the gameplay elements introduced in Ys: The Ark of Napishtim and further developed in Ys: The Oath in Felghana, Ys Origin perfects the formula by adding different styles of play and new features never before seen in the Ys universe. Best described as an arcade-like platformer RPG with Metroidvania elements and a complex, multi-faceted narrative, Ys Origin is the perfect mix of action, exploration and story. Screen-filling bosses with complex AI, unique platforming elements, innovative puzzles and a deeply involving mystery await within the wildly varied confines of this classic Ys dungeon.  
Come see how long you can last in the Devil's Tower...
Key Features:
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*   Officially available in English for the very first time.  
*   Three unique playable characters in story mode, with additional variations (and characters?) unlockable through other modes.  
*   Five difficulty levels ranging from "Very Easy" for casual players to "Nightmare" for true Ys masters.  
*   Unlockable "Time Attack" and "Boss Rush" modes for anyone looking to show off his/her boss-taming abilities.  
*   Unlockable Arena Mode pits players against massive hordes of enemies for unique gameplay rewards.  
*   Over 40 unique Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud support and hundreds of highly competitive leaderboards.  
*   Minutely configurable high-resolution graphics with true widescreen support.  
*   Fully adjustable controls supporting virtually any USB gamepad, as well as a standard keyboard and mouse setup.

Release date: May 31, 2012

Categories: Action RPG, Dungeon Crawler, 3D Platformer, Exploration, Multiple Playable Characters, Boss Rush

Feature scans:
- Wiki: score 50; verdict: Student - Instructional Aid Required; summary: User feedback reveals a strong reliance on external guides and wikis due to obscure puzzles, mazes, and missing in-game context for the series timeline. Players depend on walkthroughs and lore resources to progress and understand the plot.
- Proton/Linux: score 25; verdict: Works well with minor Proton tweaks; summary: User reviews indicate the game runs well on Linux and Steam Deck, with a minor requirement to use GE Proton for cutscenes. No major compatibility issues or anti-cheat blockers are reported.
- Steam Deck: score 75; verdict: Crashes at ending; summary: Ys Origin is a well-regarded action RPG with significant stability issues, including a near-universal crash at the ending, and additional controller/display problems. While the core experience is praised, technical flaws hinder full enjoyment.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $15.00 - $25.00
  - Reasoning: Multiple reviews explicitly state the game is worth its full price, with some expressing regret for buying on sale and willingness to pay full price. This consensus indicates the current full price is considered fair by the community. While no specific dollar amount is mentioned, the sentiment suggests a typical full price range for a quality ARPG of this type, estimated around $15–25.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 30.0h
  - Story completion: 20.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: For storyCompletion, the quote about 'throw away ~10 hours' indicates that a first playthrough takes ~10 hours, and the canon story is only accessible on a second playthrough, implying ~20 hours total to experience the full narrative. This aligns with other quotes stating 7-10 hours per campaign. For gameCompletion, the '3 campaigns about 10 hours each' directly suggests 30 hours to finish all three character routes, which is the complete game. No evidence supports session length or endgame playtime, so those are null.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Ys Origin initially frustrates with a steep difficulty curve, grinding, and repetitive early floors, but enjoyment clicks after players overcome tough bosses, unlock new powers, and reach higher floors where enemy variety and music improve.
  - Stance: Clicks after
  - Anchor: Overcoming the early difficulty spike by beating a challenging boss (e.g., mantid)
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: steep learning curve; need to grind for levels and upgrades; repetitive early combat and areas; tedious shared dialogue across character routes; clunky keyboard controls (suggest using controller); same puzzles solved identically in each playthrough
  - Unlock drivers: new enemy types that break combat monotony; unlocking new character skills and powers; ascending to higher floors with better music and environmental variety; beating seemingly unbeatable bosses provides euphoric satisfaction; choosing a character with cooler skills can hook players earlier
  - Conditions: choice of starting character affects early engagement (e.g., Hugo vs. others); using a controller vastly improves control experience; playing on Very Easy reduces early frustration; player's tolerance for repetition across three playthroughs; preference for linear single-setting dungeon crawlers; willingness to grind for permanent upgrades; achievement hunters face extreme tedium from required multiple playthroughs; newcomers to Ys may find the lack of overworld limiting
- Player Archetypes:
  - Newcomer Discoverer (buy)
    - Motivation: To experience an accessible entry into the Ys series
    - Playstyle: Plays on Normal or Easy, uses controller, focuses on story and combat without extensive grinding
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Veteran Completionist (buy)
    - Motivation: To fully experience narrative depth and mechanical variety by completing all character routes
    - Playstyle: Plays multiple playthroughs sequentially, explores each character's unique moveset, often on higher difficulties and with recommended play order
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: long-time fan
    - Reference games: Ys I & II; Ark; Oath in Felghana
  - Achievement Grinder (sale)
    - Motivation: To achieve 100% completion including all achievements and extra modes
    - Playstyle: Plans multiple playthroughs on various difficulties, grinds for levels and upgrades, uses guides for efficiency
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: achievement hunter
    - Reference games: Ys: Memories of Celceta
  - Challenge Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: To overcome difficult boss fights and complete the game on highest difficulty settings
    - Playstyle: Plays on Nightmare or Hard, grinds strategically to meet level requirements, uses precise combat mechanics
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Excellent, fair boss fights (weight 0.41): Boss fights are challenging, fair, and feature clear patterns and hitboxes, providing a strong sense of achievement. The encounters are numerous, varied, and well-designed throughout the game.
- Superb and memorable music (weight 0.3): The soundtrack is consistently praised as awesome, incredible, and phenomenal, with a memorable main motif. The music significantly enhances the overall experience.
- Beautiful graphics and art (weight 0.2): The game boasts beautiful and stunning graphics, especially in cutscenes and artwork. The visual quality is consistently praised for its aesthetic appeal.
- Engaging and emotional story (weight 0.2): The game features an engaging and captivating story that evokes strong emotions. The narrative is interesting and pulls players into the world.

Common complaints:
- Repetitive three playthroughs required (weight 0.49): The game forces players to complete three full playthroughs to see all story content and the true ending, but levels and enemies are nearly identical each time. This feels like outdated game design and leads to significant tedium.
- High difficulty and grind (weight 0.39): Higher difficulties require heavy grinding to progress, and bosses are extremely hard even on Normal mode. Nightmare difficulty and boss rushes demand extreme dedication, making the game feel unbalanced.
- No Chinese language support (weight 0.21): The game lacks official Chinese language support on Steam, despite adding other languages. A fan patch exists but breaks achievements and can be broken by updates.
- Cannot skip cutscenes (weight 0.21): Players cannot skip dialogue or cutscenes, which is especially frustrating when dying without a checkpoint forces them to rewatch long sequences. This is a common complaint across multiple reviews.
- Requires Cheat Engine to adjust values (weight 0.07): Many cheats don't work, forcing players to use external tools like Cheat Engine to modify game values, indicating poor design tolerances.
- No voice acting (weight 0.07): The game has no voiceovers or voice acting, making the story delivery feel lifeless and less immersive.
- Weak Yunica storyline (weight 0.07): Yunica's character has weak gameplay and a less compelling storyline compared to other characters, making her playthrough feel less rewarding.

Gameplay feedback:
- Multiple unique playable characters (weight 0.96): The game offers three playable characters with distinct combat styles, abilities, and story perspectives. Players can experience different gameplay mechanics and narrative angles with each character, enhancing replayability.
- Engaging story and narrative (weight 0.81): The story is praised as engaging, with interwoven character scenarios and a true ending that ties together the multiple playthroughs. The narrative depth adds to the overall appeal.
- Action RPG with challenging combat (weight 0.75): Ys Origins is an action RPG featuring fast-paced hacking and slashing, boss fights with pattern-based mechanics, and a challenging difficulty across multiple modes. The combat requires skill, strategy, and learning enemy patterns.
- Replayability through story routes (weight 0.69): Each character offers a different storyline and perspective, encouraging multiple playthroughs to see all narrative angles. This enhances the game's replay value significantly.
- Different abilities per character (weight 0.54): Each playable character has unique skills and move sets, such as melee, ranged magic, and fast aggressive styles. This diversity adds depth to combat and strategy.
- Dungeon-crawler with light platforming (weight 0.44): The game is a dungeon-crawler set in a tower, incorporating light platforming elements. These mechanics break up the combat and add variety to exploration.
- Simple but strategic combat (weight 0.32): The combat system is straightforward with simple controls, yet it demands skill and tactical thinking. This balance makes the game accessible while still offering challenge for action RPG fans.
- Set in a single tower (weight 0.31): The entire game is set within the confines of Darm Tower, a large dungeon environment. This linear, single-location setting provides a focused dungeon-crawling experience with interconnected areas.
- Variety of difficulty modes (weight 0.23): Players can choose from multiple difficulty levels, including a very hard Nightmare mode. This caters to both casual players and those seeking extreme challenge.
- Classic Ys gameplay nostalgia (weight 0.21): The game retains the classic Ys action RPG formula, appealing to long-time fans of the series. The old-school mechanics and style invoke fond memories of earlier Ys games.

Performance notes:
- Steam Deck compatibility (weight 0.2): Multiple users report the game works well on Steam Deck, some with minor tweaks like adjusting resolution or using Proton GE. Performance ranges from smooth 90 FPS to requiring specific settings.
- Crashes and freezes (weight 0.18): Users report occasional crashes and freezes, with some fixed by the 4GB patch or specific version rollbacks. Notable bugs include freezes in specific chapters and on certain floors.
- Graphics and display bugs (weight 0.11): Some users encounter red-green graphical bugs and potential shadow issues in one location. 21:9 monitor support is missing in cutscenes.
- Controller configuration issues (weight 0.1): Controller deadzone settings require adjustment for optimal use, though button functionality works fine otherwise. Controls are customizable.

Recommendations:
- Great for Ys fans (weight 0.61): The game is highly recommended for fans of Ys and action RPGs, especially those who have played Ys I & II. It serves as both a good introduction and a continuation of the series.
- Highly recommended overall (weight 0.43): Many reviewers give the game a strong recommendation, often scoring it 9.5-10/10 and urging players to buy it. It is considered excellent value and a must-play.
- Worth full price (weight 0.2): The game is considered worth buying at full price, with many saying it is worth every penny. It is of high quality and offers good value.
- Great for action RPG fans (weight 0.14): Fans of action RPGs, JRPGs, and even Souls-like games will enjoy this title. It is recommended for players who like challenging combat and classic gameplay.
- Play on easy to avoid frustration (weight 0.08): Some suggest playing on very easy or easy difficulty to avoid frustration, as the game can be quite tough. This makes it more accessible.
- Recommend to everyone (weight 0.08): Some reviewers recommend this game to everyone, regardless of prior experience with the series. It has broad appeal.
- Play on higher difficulties (weight 0.08): For a challenging experience, some recommend playing on Normal or Hard difficulty. This provides a balanced yet tough gameplay.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.18): Players expressed strong frustration with the requirement to play through the game three times for the full story, along with unskippable cutscenes and outdated grinding mechanics. Technical issues such as broken controller defaults, crashes, and a lack of Chinese localization on Steam further amplified negative sentiment.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.15): Players consistently praised the fantastic music, fun and fluid combat, and the interesting story with distinct character perspectives. The gameplay was described as addictive and a pleasure to play, with good replayability and challenging boss fights contributing to the positive experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.12): Satisfaction arose from the sense of accomplishment after defeating challenging bosses and completing the game with all characters. Players appreciated the classic Ys gameplay, responsive combat, and the feeling of progression, with the true ending providing a rewarding conclusion.
- Excitement (weight 0.11): Excitement stemmed from fast-paced combat, intense boss fights, and fantastic music, with many players eager to replay routes and explore the series further. The discovery of multiple unique characters with distinct playstyles and hidden story elements added to the high energy.
- Disappointment (weight 0.06): Disappointment was driven by the lack of Chinese language support on Steam, repetitive environments, weak storylines for some characters, and boss fights that felt unfun. Comparisons to previous Ys titles like Oath in Felghana and issues with buggy achievements also contributed to letdown.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.04): Nostalgia was evoked by memories of playing the game years ago on older systems, such as the X68000 or pirated versions, and revisiting it now. The game's classic console feel and references to earlier Ys entries reminded players of their childhood and the end of an era.
- Appreciation (weight 0.03): Players appreciated the beautiful simplicity of the story, high replayability, and the game's suitability for newcomers. The music, art style, and engaging combat were highlighted as enhancing the overall experience, with Falcom's art and design receiving specific praise.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Admiration was expressed for the game being a masterpiece and the best in the Ys series, with tight combat and narrative design. The guitar-shredding soundtrack and precise mechanics were especially praised, with some considering it the pinnacle of top-down action games.
- Love (weight 0.02): Players expressed deep love for the game, citing the best soundtrack that is listened to daily and the overall great gameplay, story, and extra content. The game created a strong emotional attachment, with some unable to bear finishing it and others conducting repeat playthroughs.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance was caused by the long intro before first movement, poor mouse controls, and red text being hard to read. The need to return to base for weapon upgrades and the lack of dialogue skip also grated on players.
- Regret (weight 0.01): Regret was felt by a player who immediately regretted playing the game, while others regretted missing the series earlier or being unable to play through again to unlock the third character. These regrets stemmed from difficulty or missed opportunities.
- Pleasure (weight 0.01): Pleasure came from discovering the prequel and setting up a marathon of the series, enjoying the background music and story, and the inclusion of a Spanish dub. The overall Ys saga remained a pleasure to play for long-time fans.
- Curiosity (weight 0.01): Curiosity was sparked by an underrated franchise, with hopes other games are good, and a desire to see all endings. The plot and ending not yet experienced, along with post-game content revealing more story, kept players intrigued.
- Fun (weight 0.01): Fun was derived from playing with a controller, streamlined tower climbing, and even grinding being enjoyable. These elements provided a positive and engaging gameplay experience despite potential tedium.
- Pleasant surprise (weight 0.01): Players were pleasantly surprised by the game aging well and exceeding expectations for a first Ys experience. The game turned out to be more enjoyable than anticipated, defying initial skepticism.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arose from differing character perspectives in events and an unclear leveling system without stat upgrade displays. These design choices left some players uncertain about progression and narrative flow.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Enthusiasm was high, with players describing the game as peak and worth every penny, highlighting fine-tuned combat and pacing. The overall quality generated strong positive energy and recommendation.
- Anger (weight 0.01): Anger was directed at intentionally frustrating game design, lack of Chinese translation for a paid product, and annoying jump sequences with bad control design. These issues caused significant irritation.
- Happiness (weight 0.01): Happiness came from the beautiful story and gameplay, which became a cherished childhood memory. Players enjoyed the game thoroughly and felt a lasting positive emotional connection.
- Reluctance (weight 0.01): Reluctance was expressed about playing other routes and the lack of Portuguese translation. These factors reduced motivation to fully engage with the game's content.}