Ys IX: Monstrum Nox

 Switch
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 36 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 36
  3. Negative: 4 out of 36
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  1. Strider97
    Jul 10, 2021
    6
    Note the game itself is great. The problem lies in the horrible performance on Switch. Bad framerate, textures, and resolution. The game is very chunky in framerate. The resolution is very low even docked. Leading to a lot of shimmering effects. Very blurry textures. The combat is great. The music is great as always. I just cannot recommend playing this on Switch. Either get it on PS4 orNote the game itself is great. The problem lies in the horrible performance on Switch. Bad framerate, textures, and resolution. The game is very chunky in framerate. The resolution is very low even docked. Leading to a lot of shimmering effects. Very blurry textures. The combat is great. The music is great as always. I just cannot recommend playing this on Switch. Either get it on PS4 or wait for a patch if there is one.… Expand
  2. PMG-Writer
    Aug 7, 2021
    7
    NIS America managed to successfully implement another game-like title with the implementation of "YS IX: Monstrum Nox" on the Nintendo Switch. Thus, the storyline is a good 25 hours of fun and gets you into many tasks and exciting battles. At the same time, the game's story makes up for a lot. Thus, you will also find the New Game Plus mode in the new version and many secrets and forgottenNIS America managed to successfully implement another game-like title with the implementation of "YS IX: Monstrum Nox" on the Nintendo Switch. Thus, the storyline is a good 25 hours of fun and gets you into many tasks and exciting battles. At the same time, the game's story makes up for a lot. Thus, you will also find the New Game Plus mode in the new version and many secrets and forgotten items with it. Unfortunately, the technology can't keep up and looks outdated in places. If you still want to experience an interesting story and can overlook the technical deficits, you'll get a fun title for your Nintendo console with "YS IX: Monstrum Nox".… Expand
  3. arwat23
    Sep 6, 2021
    6
    The game is a solid "okay" game. The story is interesting and mostly engaging. The gameplay is great (although a little too easy compared to YS VIII). The rare voice acting is pretty good and nothing is too cringy (a problem in many JRPGs that are dubbed). But the biggest issues, especially on the Switch version, is the graphics and performance. This is not optimized for Switch, there's noThe game is a solid "okay" game. The story is interesting and mostly engaging. The gameplay is great (although a little too easy compared to YS VIII). The rare voice acting is pretty good and nothing is too cringy (a problem in many JRPGs that are dubbed). But the biggest issues, especially on the Switch version, is the graphics and performance. This is not optimized for Switch, there's no other way to describe the performance. This game looks like another port of a Vita game, except it's not and it runs worse than the previous game in the series. I'm honestly a little baffled how they made a game that looks like a GameCube or PS2 game run considerably worse than a Vita port that was already running pretty bad on Switch hardware. If the Switch can handle Xenoblade 2 (probably the most graphically impressive looking game on the Switch), it should be more than able to handle a game that looks like it was built for the Wii at best. I'm not ripping on the art style or last-gen graphics to be clear. I actually like the art style. I'm ripping on the optimization. I mean, even the PS4 version has some performance issues (you know, the console that is basically a generation ahead in terms of power compared to the Switch). If I wasn't a fan of the story and some of the characters, I doubt I would have been able to handle the maybe 5 FPS this game drops to during many of the battles.

    I know I'm being hard on the performance, but when the battles are suppose to be fast and engaging, seeing the game drop to the speed of a chess match is infuriating. It honestly feels like there was no optimization at all. The previous game (Ys VIII) was also poorly optimized, but at least it ran at a pretty stable 30 fps. That game was a playable and is one of my favorite JRPGs on the Switch. It just happened to play at a low resolution. It seems like the developers of this game wanted to prioritize visuals over performance (not sure why since the game visually looks kind of boring and monotone, especially compared to the previous entries).

    By no means is this a "bad" game in terms of story and gameplay. In fact, I'd argue this has a fantastic story and gameplay style that is unmatched in the RPG world. However, this is a badly optimized game and it dragged the experience down the drain to the point I have no reason to replay it. If I want to reply it, I'll borrow my friend's PS4 copy.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

95
#95 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. SECTOR.sk
    Jan 24, 2022
    80
    Ys IX will delight you if you expect dynamic gameplay, world exploration, a bunch of challenges and fast-paced battles.
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  2. RPG Fan
    Nov 17, 2021
    80
    Overall, I quite enjoyed my time with Ys IX. It is a generally fun and entertaining game, with action elements that are wonderfully honed. It is a shame that the graphics in the Switch port diminish the experience as much as they do, because otherwise the title fits rather nicely on a handheld system thanks to its polished control scheme and wealth of content. What could have easily been one of the best action RPGs on the Switch is held back by the visuals, though it is a testament to just how strong of a game Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is that I view it so fondly despite this port’s obvious flaws. I certainly hope that Adol the Red’s adventures will continue if they persist with Ys IX’s entertaining gameplay.
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  3. Starbit
    Oct 11, 2021
    60
    Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is the latest addition to the Ys series and at its core, this is a fine game that brings with it a marvelous combat system and good exploration mechanics. Unfortunately its poor performance on the Nintendo Switch, whether on a television screen or on the console's screen, makes the experience very frustrating, to say the least, and when situations with more than two enemies on the screen become extremely difficult to handle due to a loss of fluidity, it makes it a hard game to recommend.
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