Ys IX: Monstrum Nox

 PC
Metascore
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No score yet - based on 3 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. The Mako Reactor
    Jul 6, 2021
    95
    Ys IX: Monstrum Nox on PC is easily the definitive way to experience one of Falcom’s most ambitious games and one of the best action RPGs you will play this year.
  2. CD-Action
    Sep 1, 2021
    85
    Due to outdated technology, low budget and a slight old school feel, Ys IX gives the impression that it got stuck in time a couple of years ago. It has a lot going for it though, including an interesting multi-layered story, enjoyable exploration of a pretty large city of Balduq, and fun combat that has you mowing down crowds of enemies in real time. What’s important, despite connections to the previous games of the series, you don’t need to be familiar with them in order to follow and appreciate Monstrum Nox. [09/2021, p.39]
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  3. PC Invasion
    Jul 6, 2021
    85
    A better version of a great game with lots to do and intrigue abound. Ys IX is another winner for the venerable series and it has a better port than the last go-around launched with.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 20
  3. Negative: 2 out of 20
  1. lord_batman
    Aug 25, 2021
    0
    This latest installment of Ys manages to lose its identity by removing a huge part of what made its predecessors fun. That is, exploration andThis latest installment of Ys manages to lose its identity by removing a huge part of what made its predecessors fun. That is, exploration and fast paced gameplay.

    The poor originality of the game becomes obvious very quickly while it reuses the same formulaic design for every single chapter of the game where you have to break into jail yet again while having a new character that joins your party. You are never really looking forward the next chapter nor are you ever wondering what is going to happen next making the long dialogue unappealing on its own.

    It doesn't take long to realize you are locked into small zones (Within the same city) that gradually expand as story progresses while you're basically forced to constantly do unrelated boring fetch quests to actually progress with the game.

    What made Ys fun is the fact it didn't drag forever to get into the action, story and exploration. Recent Falcom games seem to suffer from the same modern Legend of Heroes syndrome where instead of the main cast moving towards story progression, the story always magically comes to you as you do unrelated mundane quests. Maybe one day Falcom will learn that the world doesn't revolve entirely around the main protagonist.

    As an Ys fan myself, I can say with certainty that this is the worst title by far. It seems like Falcom lacked budget while porting their graphic engine to Unreal and decided to give us a half-assed game hoping to recoup the money it cost them. I'm very disappointed and I hope Falcom can do better in the future.    … Full Review »
  2. PewPewMcP
    Dec 1, 2021
    9
    Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is an amazing Ys game and an amazing modern day action JRPG. It is in my opinion the best Ys game that uses the currentYs IX: Monstrum Nox is an amazing Ys game and an amazing modern day action JRPG. It is in my opinion the best Ys game that uses the current party system, beating out even series darling Ys VIII in my books. It packs memorable characters, excellent traversal skills, exciting bosses and outstanding level designs to offer a modern day Ys game that still invokes the maze like, vertical level designs of old. It is a fun game and an excellent pickup in 2021.

    By giving each party member an entire chapter's worth of narrative focus in a very Persona-like manner where each member has a day identity and night identity, Ys IX creates a strong cast of memorable, likeable and well-written characters. These are people who live in the city of Balduq which you now visit, each sharing a lifetime's worth of goals, joys and tragedies that make the city lived in and their own characters fleshed out. The focus on Balduq and its inhabitants gives Ys IX and edge not only against Ys VIII's amazing deuteragonist Dana, but also against heavy hitters of the JRPG genre in general. You end the game not wanting to part with the city simply because of how attached you have become to its citizens, and it's all because of these amazing stories they have to tell. There is even a solid mystery plot that's told out in a well-paced manner, ending in a satisfying high point for the series.

    Meanwhile, each party member grants you amazing and powerful traversal abilities that recontextualize combat, movement and level design. You gain abilities like hookshot, gliding, wallrunning and blending into shadows that allow the level designers the ability to craft intricate three dimensional mazes, forcing you to consider all directions of movement when looking for nooks and crannies of treasures and pathways, while increasing the already frantic pace of combat as you zip and glide around the battlefield rapidly. Boss design also makes a noted improvement over Ys VIII as they incorporate these movement options in, making each boss feel like a puzzle to solve as much as they are a hack and slash affair. I want to take the time here to praise their implementation of the charge attack, something they had been struggling with even in Ys VIII. By attaching a wall-destroying property to it, they gave the charge attack relevance again and made it an interesting gameplay mechanic in ways Seven, Celceta and VIII were unable to.

    Ys IX also has a tower defense mode that people are of two minds about. Personally, I enjoyed how often these mandatory sections were mixed up. New elements were regularly added while the environment was mixed up, and an additional collect-a-thon mode was added which once again encouraged you to use your movement options in a very fun way.

    Ys IX is overall one of my favourite Ys games. Even if you have zero experience with this franchise I can recommend starting here. It is solid enough a game while presenting a plot that is fairly stand alone for newcomers to enjoy (despite all the callbacks to previous games). More importantly it brings meaningful gameplay elements like verticality and unique boss designs back into a series that was stagnating into a rudimentary rock-paper-scissors, parry-centric gameplay loop.    … Full Review »
  3. Ratingss
    Sep 29, 2021
    4
    "yawn what a snoozefest"- says a character in game
    Couldnt define this game better, its a departure from the adventure of the other older YS    "yawn what a snoozefest"- says a character in game
    Couldnt define this game better, its a departure from the adventure of the other older YS games and more of a generic fetch quest "rpg" game with too much useless babbling and doing the same wave defend mission over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over...    … Full Review »
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