Ys Origin

 Switch
Ys Origin Image
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 33 Ratings

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  • Summary: 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,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.… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Gaming Nexus
    Oct 16, 2020
    90
    Ys Origin is a fantastic game and definitely a good way to get into the series itself. The controls feel pretty fluid for the most part. You have several different difficulty options to choose from, so anyone from newcomers to experts can enjoy the game. The visuals still look pretty good today, and the soundtrack is nice to just sit back and listen to. If you're looking for a way to get into the series, Ys Origin is a great place to start.
  2. GameSkinny
    Oct 6, 2020
    90
    Ys Origin on Switch is one of the most focused, fluid, and exhilarating action RPGs around.
  3. 4P.de
    Oct 14, 2020
    86
    Quotation forthcoming.
  4. Gamer Escape
    Sep 29, 2020
    80
    What downsides it does have are either due to its age or just the fact that the designers prioritized a fun dungeon crawl over character building. That’s fine. The game you have here is a fine, crisp, energetic dungeon crawl that’s good to pick up and play and rewards you with bosses that are tough enough to matter but not so hard that you’ll want to throw the game in the garbage. So let’s hear it for Ys Origin. And if you’re in the mood for any of that? Give it a shot, why don’t you?
  5. Switch Player
    Nov 11, 2020
    80
    Ys Origin serves up undeniably fun hack-and-slash action, with just enough lore to keep newcomers and series veterans alike satisfied. Although there is a healthy challenge and tons of replay value, staying inside of the same tower can get dull.
  6. Eurogamer Italy
    Oct 15, 2020
    80
    While not particularly deep in combat system and level design, Ys Origin is still enjoyable today just like 14 years ago, thanks to reactive controls and an extreme fluidity of the experience, also on the narrative front.
  7. Screen Rant
    Sep 29, 2020
    60
    Ys Origin is fine on Nintendo Switch. It's a decent if curious choice for the Nintendo platform, although its simplistic nature means it should be fun to pick up to play on the go. With Ys IX coming to the rest of the world next year, this could be a good place to get an idea of what the series is about - although potential players should know about its limitations.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Steyraus
    Jan 1, 2021
    10
    This is a great game for hand held play. Great Ys game , not with Adol as the main character. New attacks feel like a twin stick shooter.
  2. Phuz
    Dec 30, 2020
    10
    Edit: So before I get on to Ys Origin, I came back to update this as a word for any of you that (like me) don't like Ys 8, or 9. Don't letEdit: So before I get on to Ys Origin, I came back to update this as a word for any of you that (like me) don't like Ys 8, or 9. Don't let them put you off this and other games on the old Ys engine. I got half way through 8 after several attempts and boredom quitting and 9 lasted even less. Anyone in to Zelda's such as Link to the Past, Minish Cap, Link Between World's etc will love Y's Origin.

    In short Ys 8 and 9 have a terrible amount of loading times and a dysfunctional map that brings you out of the load screen nowhere near where you entered it on the map, meaning re-entering the load screen you just came through. The dialogue and voice acting are abysmal, characters cheesy and annoying and the action can be very stop start. They're really quite generic JRPG's and it seems bizarre that SAO games get slammed for crap dialogue yet Ys 8 and 9 don't. The 3D game engine they switched to for 8 and 9 is just simply not as much of a joy to play. And there's other issues such as having to faff on trading at one shop to get items to upgrade at another. No respect for the players time.

    So Ys Origin. I can't believe how far down the list of best Switch games this comes. This is one of my favourite games ever and no nostalgia, I only played it in the last couple of years

    This is an action, adventure, puzzle RPG, with end to end dungeons, with great bosses at the end of them. It's challenging but fair, with multiple difficulty settings. If you're not a finger wizard, even normal is tricky at times.

    I generally hate menu's but the menu's in this are easy to navigate and two simple pages.

    Graphics - great, looks really nice. I prefer games with a lighter colour scheme but I like everything on this. I think the look is really fitting with other elements of the game.

    Sound - I really enjoyed the sound track, absolutely superb music, again it suits the game and keeps the vibe of the game flowing.

    Enemy variety - loads of bosses, with new types of baddies on each level.

    Boss battles - brilliant, can seem incredibly hard at first but once you do a few attempts and learn the attack patterns, they get easier until you win. Depending on difficulty setting, you may need to level up. Levelling up is fun and if too much levelling is required, then it is because you have chosen the wrong difficulty. If you do need to grind a level do it near your highest accessible area as it will bump up way quicker.

    Gameplay - Just loads of fun. 2.5D platforming, hack and slash, puzzles, story. A bit of everything but lots of mashing up baddies.

    Story - I don't care for game stories because they're usually rubbish, or have terrible voice acting. This is written dialogue and great stories. Different depending on who you play through as.

    This whole game just gels so well, with all elements of it being fun. The graphics, sound, story, bosses everything is just balanced really nicely and all of the aspects compliment each other really well.

    I just can't understand the lack of attention this game gets. To sum it up, it is like a top down Zelda game on speed but without the overworld. Just a fantastic game and I mentioned the word fun a few times, it is something so many games lack and that is simple fun entertainment.

    I still come back to this game regularly and there are not many games I return to.

    I do think Origin out shines other similar entries such as, Napishtim, Celceta and Felghana, so if you enjoyed those but they don't quite make the grade, Origin is basically like a more refined version.

    Final note, other reviews have mentioned this as being a beat em up. It isn't, if you want a Final Fight, or Ninja Turtles game, this isn't it. It's and action/adventure RPG.    … Expand
  4. bak64
    Dec 23, 2020
    9
    A perfect introduction in the series! It's considered to be the best JRPG and as soon as you start the game you'll get to know why,A perfect introduction in the series! It's considered to be the best JRPG and as soon as you start the game you'll get to know why, straightforward and engaging story & characters, fluid controls designed for both easy-going or speerun gameplay, great atmospheric music at all times and non-stop action. It brings to mind a mix of of classic games such as Secret Of Mana, Zelda: A Link To The Past and even Metroid & Castlevania. Ys Origin is a great and very enjoyable game with high replayability, a must play for all rpg/action fans.… Expand
  5. tom974
    Jan 3, 2022
    8
    This game made me feel nostalgic about the Secret of Mana era. This is my first entry is the Ys series and that's quite a nice one. EverythingThis game made me feel nostalgic about the Secret of Mana era. This is my first entry is the Ys series and that's quite a nice one. Everything feels simple at first : old school 2D graphics, classical RPG musics and ARPG gameplay, a story of good and evil. But, the whole thing plays so smooth, good rythm, punchy fights, nicely put bosses, fairly balanced challenge, a story a bit deeper than anticipated, what do we need more ? For those like me who never played the franchise, this is a good entry point I think.
    It could've been a bit better in terms of replayability (can't say more without spoiling).    … Expand
  6. Zski
    Nov 13, 2021
    7
    This a fun little game. Its like a low carb version of an action RPG, where it takes away a lot of the complexity and the spectacle of a majorThis a fun little game. Its like a low carb version of an action RPG, where it takes away a lot of the complexity and the spectacle of a major release, but keeps all of the core elements in tact. This almost feels like a remastered version of an SNES era action RPG, which is not a bad thing. There isn’t much here besides the gameplay, which is pretty solid and entertaining enough to get me to play the game to end. The story is bland, the characters are not interesting, the levels are unimaginative, the graphics are alright, the music is okay, etc. You really have to be a fan of retro action RPG and hack and slash games to get into it. Not a bad game, fun little gem on the eshop.… Expand
  7. chosen0ne
    Sep 22, 2021
    7
    Great action gameplay with a cutesy art style. Be warned, the story is nauseatingly cheesy and so painfully anime that you'll want to quit.Great action gameplay with a cutesy art style. Be warned, the story is nauseatingly cheesy and so painfully anime that you'll want to quit. The bosses and the action keep you around, but good lord the story is bad.… Expand
  8. jandleslapper
    Apr 4, 2021
    5
    I would say this game is suited purely to jrpg fans. The dialogue is grating, and drawn out, while the plot is filled to the brim with tropes.I would say this game is suited purely to jrpg fans. The dialogue is grating, and drawn out, while the plot is filled to the brim with tropes. This is not why I picked up this game though, the real time combat was the real draw. Unfortunately there are very few tools at your desposal, you cannot dodge or guard, but you can jump, attack, and use magic; however there are few ways in which you can use these abilities. The first boss took me a number of attempts mainly because I was trying to find ways to make the combat enjoyable, then to get it over with as quickly as possible, then I relented and beat the boss the proper way, by slowly running around and occasionally hitting it, there was no skill or thought required just my willingness to sit there, bored, and occasionally press the attack button. Variety does pick up later in the game when you unlock more magic/abilities, but the game still requires nothing from the player than to slowly pick away at the enemies health while easily avoiding attacks (which require no dodging or timing). Outside boss battles the game is a shallow beatemup, again there is nothing required of the player other than to mash the attack button while running to avoid slow attacks, shortly after starting the game I stopped fighting minor enemies entirely, not good considering that is a large chunk of the game. The enviroment is severly lacking in variety, there is an enormous amount of repitition and recycled content, the only interesting aspect of the game is the bosses which are disappointing as well.… Expand

See all 12 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

39
#39 Best Switch Game of 2020