Ys: Memories of Celceta, released in Japan as Ys: Foliage Ocean in Celceta (イース セルセタの樹海 Īsu Seruseta no Jukai) is an action role-playing game for the PlayStation Vita released in Japan on September 27, 2012. It was released in North America by XSEED Games on November 26, 2013 and released in Europe on February 21, 2014. The game was ported to Microsoft Windows and released in China on October 28, 2015. It is the third game to be considered Ys IV, after Ys IV: Mask of the Sun and Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys, but it is the first to be developed by Nihon Falcom, who developed the rest of the Ys series. Within the series canon, it supersedes previous versions of Ys IV. The game was patched for compatibility with the PlayStation TV in October 2015.
The game stars series hero Adol Christin, who begins the game with amnesia, as he explores the forests of Celceta.
Gameplay:
Gameplay is similar to other Ys titles; it is an action-RPG featuring real-time combat. In addition to a standard attack button, special moves called Skills can be utilized by pressing certain button combinations. Throughout most of the game, the main protagonist Adol is accompanied by Duren, but other party members also join at different times. Each member has a specific attack type classified into three types: Slash, Strike, and Pierce. Some enemies are weak against a certain type of attack and are resistant to the other two; other enemies have no particular weakness and thus any attack type is effective. A maximum of three characters can be used at a time, and can be switched on-the-fly. Each character has a powerful move called an EXTRA move that can only be used when the EXTRA meter is filled. Various accessories can be equipped giving various passive bonuses. The eight different statistics of weapons and armor can be customized by reinforcing with different minerals, plant and animal materials. Also, the game makes use of both the touchscreen and rear touch pad to provide useful features.
Plot:
The game takes place one year after the events of Ys II and about a year before the story of Ys: The Oath in Felghana, set in the land of Celceta, also known as the Great Forest of Celceta. The story begins when the series's protagonist, Adol Christin, arrives in the town of Casnan with amnesia, due to unknown reasons. Then, he meets an information dealer, Duren, who claims to have met him before. Not knowing about his true identity or objectives in Celceta, Duren provides him assistance in searching for his lost memories around Celceta and thus awakens the adventurer spirit within him.
Characters:
Adol Christin : The main protagonist of the series. He's a young man brimming with curiosity who constantly seeks the thrill of discovery and the wonders of new lands. Thanks to his amnesia, he arrives in Casnan with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. Adol uses a sword as his default weapon for combat. He is voiced in Japanese by Yuki Kaji and in English by Bryce Papenbrook.
Duren : An information dealer who claimed to have met Adol before. An extremely kind-hearted man although he did never admit it, he can't bring himself to walk away from someone in need. Duren uses gauntlets as his weapon for combat. He is voiced in Japanese by Hiroaki Hirata and in English by Kirk Thornton.
Karna : A cheerful, honest young girl who lives in the treetop village in Comodo. An extremely skilled huntress, she puts most of the hunters in the village to shame with her accuracy and skill. Her weapon of choice is the throwing knife. She is voiced in Japanese by Kaori Ishihara and in English by Cristina Valenzuela.
Ozma : A resident of the village of Selray and the sole remaining member of the tribe which cares for the sacred beasts known as Spardas. Despite his young age, he acts as a village's leader and has managed to uphold its peaceful ways for as long as he's been in charge. Ozma uses a spear as his default weapon. He is voiced in Japanese by Daisuke Namikawa and in English by Sean Chiplock.
Calilica : She's an energetic, curious young girl who is mature beyond her years in many regards. She harbors something of a complex about her age and youthful appearance, and is constantly seeking to be recognized as an adult by those around her. She looks up to Leeza as an older sister, and will hold back at nothing if she can be of assistance to her. During combat, she uses a mace-type weapon. She is voiced in Japanese by Yui Ogura and in English by Stephanie Sheh.
Frieda : An intelligent and slightly mysterious warrior from the village of Danan. Frieda fights using a halberd and is usually accompanied by her fairy-like partner, Nina. She has a pleasant disposition and projects an air of wisdom, but also comes across as deeply mysterious. She is voiced in Japanese by Yuko Kaida and in English by Wendee Lee.
Leeza : A polite, well-mannered young girl who lives in Highland and serves as an Apostle to Eldeel. She's a kind-hearted and considerate to those around her, but nonetheless has a strong sense of determination and duty and will occasionally act rashly to protect the people she holds dear. She is voiced in Japanese by Yuri Shiratori and in English by Wendee Lee.
Eldeel : Eldeel lives alone in a tower near the town of Highland. Assumed to be a god, he gives wisdom and knowledge to the chosen ones through the Rite of Summoning that is performed by Leeza herself. It is revealed that he was one of the gods that existed during the age of the ancient Kingdom of Celceta. He is voiced in Japanese by Hideyuki Tanaka and in English by Kyle Hebert.
Gruda : A soldier sent to Celceta to unify the Romun and Celcetan armies and offer support to Griselda. His true motivations and background are shrouded in mystery, even to Casnan's finest information dealers. He is voiced in Japanese by Takuma Terashima and in English by Sean Chiplock.
Antagonists:
Bami : A magician whom Adol encounters while exploring Celceta. She appears to be an ally to Gadis. She is voiced in Japanese by Yurika Hino.
Gadis : A man whom Adol encounters while exploring Celceta. Calling himself a "Beast Tamer", he's vulgar and aggressive, using the beasts he's tamed to do his bidding and slaughter all who stand in his way. He is voiced in Japanese by Tessho Genda and in English by Michael McConnohie.
Other characters:
Griselda : The current Governor General of Celceta. Dignified and kind, she quickly begins to win popularity among the people of Casnan by working to improve the public services of the region.
Leo : Formerly a renowned and decorated general in Romn, Leo is currently the Commander of the Celcetan Army. Though his reasons for being in Celceta are unknown, he dreams of one day returning to his homeland in a blaze of glory. As a result of his extremely proud personality, he loathes all who stand out more than him, leading him to quickly regard Adol as a rival and attempt to outdo him at every turn. He is voiced in Japanese by Osamu Saka and in English by Sean Chiplock.
Sancho & Panza : They are Leo's subordinates. Seemingly not very capable soldiers, but they do remain loyal despite all they're forced to put up with. Panza is voiced in English by Bryce Papenbrook.
Asad : The chief of Comodo village & Karna's father.
Remnos : Karna's younger brother. Interested in arts and literature. He had always been a gifted warrior, but had hidden his true potential to avoid hurting Karna. He is voiced in Japanese by Kenji Nojima and in English by Kyle Hebert.
Aaron : The mayor of Highland and Calilica's grandfather.
Vanjo : The village elder in Danan. Knowledgeable about the ancient history of Celceta.
Reception:
Ys: Memories of Celceta was well received by critics, earning aggregate scores of 84% at Game Rankings and 82/100 at Metacritic.
Destructoid's Wesley Ruscher scored the game 9.5/10. He praised the writing, music, and colorful graphics, and described the combat as a more "fast and frantic" version of what is found in the Zelda series, without becoming "overly complicated". Ruscher appreciated the "streamlined and efficient" gameplay, such as simplified crafting and quest systems, one-button special moves, and a fast-travel and waypoint mechanic that kept backtracking from becoming tedious.
Game Informer's Kimberley Wallace gave Memories of Celceta 8.50/10. She appreciated that combat required strategy and thoughtfulness, rather than mindless button-mashing, yielding different effects and rewards based on play style while remaining "easy to pick up". Wallace found that her decisions in the "easy-to-grasp" crafting system allowed her to "make battles play out quickly", while the party members' unique skills were well-utilized both in dungeons and during combat. However, she thought that the plot was "clichéd" and "uninteresting", and that the fast-travel system was too cumbersome until partway through the game.
Bradly Hale of Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 4.5/5, calling it "one of the Vita’s most prized RPGs, and realistically, one of its best titles."
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