Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA

 Switch
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 322 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 268 out of 322
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 322
  3. Negative: 27 out of 322
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  1. vahn
    Jan 24, 2019
    5
    I had to return this game and get myself a copy of the ps4 version instead, making this the third game I returned for the switch (Bayonetta, Doom and this one) for the sole reason that it's practically a crappier version on almost every level.

    Let me say this: the game ITSELF is great, now that I'm playing on a ps4 version instead, and it's clearly one of the best action RPGs of the    I had to return this game and get myself a copy of the ps4 version instead, making this the third game I returned for the switch (Bayonetta, Doom and this one) for the sole reason that it's practically a crappier version on almost every level.

    Let me say this: the game ITSELF is great, now that I'm playing on a ps4 version instead, and it's clearly one of the best action RPGs of the last years. However, I cannot pass over the big flaws that the switch version has and forced me to essentially switch - HAHAHA - to the ps4 version instead.

    And why am I here reviewing this game instead of ps4 version? Because I'm tired of everyone saying that "Switch version of X is better because it's portable" when it's clearly the opposite and like a dumbass, I fell for it. But this will be the last time, for sure.

    First but not least, 50 euros for an (almost) 2-year-old game...stay classy switch games! I mean it's not like I can buy this game for 30 euros NEW for ps4 and pc!

    Secondly, the game is locked at 30 fps and let me say that the difference is abysmal: on the switch, the gameplay is a lot less fluid and it feels like I'm playing an old ps2 game. Sure it works, it's functional and it's working but this game is meant to be played in full speed and having 60 fps does help a lot more. Not being able to play at 60 is a huge letdown and as a result, your actions feel not as fluid or as fast, which is honestly weird considering that, from what I found, the game was firstly considered for the VITA which is even worse, meaning that this is a port of a port! Even the PC version is better!

    And third, I experienced quite the slowdowns when there's too much action going on - and believe me you WILL have a lot of enemies on screen at times - which drops the framerate even lower and that was the moment I said "F--k it, I'm getting the ps4 version" because this is unacceptable.

    I will ignore the fact that this game had translation issues since that's an already fixed problem.

    In conclusion, I love Ys 8 and I wanted to give it a good try on the switch but it's just not really good and not worth the price, especially when for less you can get a much better version.

    "BUT IT'S PORTABLE" Yeah, I know it's portable, but so is my portable computer and guess what? It's also on steam, which is also a pretty decent port from what I know.

    So here's the thing: would you rather buy a version who has smooth 60 fps combat, no slowdowns, a better price point but no portability or buy a version who has 30 fps combat, lots of slowdowns, a full retail price with the only positive remark being it's portable?

    Measure your cons and pros I say, which is why I gave it a 5: it's a fantastic game, no denying that, and it's extremely fun and enjoyable and I'm having a blast exploring, fighting, fishing, crafting, everything. But on the switch, this game is only HALF of what's on the ps4 and pc version, which is why I'm giving it a 5.
    But if you only care about portability - AND ONLY CARE ABOUT THAT ONE FEATURE THAT ALSO A PORTABLE COMPUTER CAN DO AND ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE - then add another 5 and enjoy yourself with yet another amazing action RPG in your collection.    … Expand
  2. Lexion
    Jul 3, 2018
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I must say that YS VIII got an incredible story and game play, but honestly i dislike the concept of there is only one place with human beings and each people blessed with talent to help Adol and his crew to solve their problem, they should make more places (villages, cities, etc). What makes this game great are the story and the gameplay, nothing else.… Expand
  3. Phuz
    Feb 8, 2022
    5
    I would have given a 4 but I think an amber rating is more fair than a red. I rarely ever score in the middle ground because I either really enjoy a game and rate it high, or have wasted my money and give a 0. I don't often get a game I like just enough to persevere with but not enough to call it a good game.

    So Ys 8 has a lot going for it. The soundtrack although not as good as some    I would have given a 4 but I think an amber rating is more fair than a red. I rarely ever score in the middle ground because I either really enjoy a game and rate it high, or have wasted my money and give a 0. I don't often get a game I like just enough to persevere with but not enough to call it a good game.

    So Ys 8 has a lot going for it. The soundtrack although not as good as some other Ys games is still good. The combat is fun but again not as good as those on the previous engine but this game is heavily bogged down by certain elements. The characters whilst being likeable are rather uninteresting and some are very forced.

    The big failure is that this is an action rgp and the action is really stop start. You explore via a terrible map system and then when you get to your destination, you get called back to base. Sometimes this is automatic, sometimes it is fast travel but it always feels like an interuption. I don't like the fishing but I have no way of knowing if the treasure chests found fishing are needed, as in past Ys games chests hold items to advance in the game.

    The scenery whilst nice, I don't find to be as pleasant as SAO, Zestiria, Berseria, etc The whole base thing just feels like a waste of time. Collect ore, forge weapons etc. It is just another chore between the action. It feels like an action RPG that sidelined the action too often.

    Now when I play Ys 8 which I have been doing very slowly over a couple of years now, I often get a bit bored. When I played Ys Origin, I couldn't put it down. Even the grind was fun in Ys Origin and I hate grinding as a general rule.

    I am also playing Path in Felghana and Memories of Celceta at the moment and to me they are way more fun.

    I hope they develop a new engine, or do something more fun with the new engine because this 3D open world Ys does not work as well as the top down Ys games of recent past.    … Expand
  4. ket
    Sep 4, 2023
    6
    Ys 8 (VIII) is a fun game, well structured, a lot to do and plenty to explore with a solid enough story. On Switch though talking from a technical perspective out in the open (anything past the opening on the ship) it looks like total crap with shimmer all over the place, a result of either no TAA (Temporal Anti Aliasing) being used on Switch or mipmaps being removed from diffuse texturesYs 8 (VIII) is a fun game, well structured, a lot to do and plenty to explore with a solid enough story. On Switch though talking from a technical perspective out in the open (anything past the opening on the ship) it looks like total crap with shimmer all over the place, a result of either no TAA (Temporal Anti Aliasing) being used on Switch or mipmaps being removed from diffuse textures (likely to save space) which results in a harsh, grainy, uncomfortable viewing experience which ends up hurting your eyes (literally, I'm not talking figuratively). Even a minimal amount of TAA would dramatically cut down this shimmer and make for a vastly improved experience. Shadow quality also isn't great. Neither of these things should have been deemed acceptable when put together, bad shadow resolution you could live with if the overall image didn't have such absurd levels of noise and is easily enough to drag what should be a 9/10 down to a 6/10. The devs REALLY need to release a patch enabling a small amount of TAA even now because without SOMETHING being done to reduce the amount of noise it is truly horrendous. In terms of frame rate however I've not noticed anything drastic it has remained very consistent so there is at least that in favour for the Switch port.

    Until a patch is released (if ever) to drastically tone down or fix the image shimmer buy it on PS4 instead for £20 (or less) rather than blowing £35 (or more) on this Switch version because on anything larger than the tiny screen of the Switch the image shimmer will absolutely ruin your experience.

    An extremely disappointing port that didn't have to be this way.    … Expand
  5. titten
    Dec 2, 2019
    5
    This is a bad port of the PS4 game.
    - Choppy framerate, usually around mid 20's during combats
    - No HD rumble (Actually no rumble at all) - The resolution/aliasing is lacklustre. There's A LOT of shimmering and jaggies everywhere. General: - The world isn't seamless - areas must load everywhere which kind of lower the experience. Feels like a game from 20 years ago in this regard.    This is a bad port of the PS4 game.
    - Choppy framerate, usually around mid 20's during combats
    - No HD rumble (Actually no rumble at all)
    - The resolution/aliasing is lacklustre. There's A LOT of shimmering and jaggies everywhere.

    General:
    - The world isn't seamless - areas must load everywhere which kind of lower the experience. Feels like a game from 20 years ago in this regard.
    - The game world doesn't let you explore anything other than the "beaten path".

    Having played several first party Switch titles, it's easy to see how bad this port is in terms of performance. It would be more than possible to get this game running in a solid 50-60 FPS, which would help the fluidity of the combat a lot.    … Expand
  6. MisterMacys
    Feb 28, 2021
    7
    Framerate isn't great, combat can get repetitive, resource gathering was shoehorned in to pad out the game length. Music is forgettable, character art is simple but clean.
  7. MagicHadi
    Jul 12, 2019
    7
    Ys 8 is not the best game of its kind, but it certainly doesnt disappoint. The combat is pretty standard. You hack at monsters and occasionally unleash skills. Some monsters choreograph their attacks too much and some dont do it enough (a few bosses have almost none) so the difficulty feels a bit inconsistent when you can beat many stronger monsters undamaged but some weaker ones feelYs 8 is not the best game of its kind, but it certainly doesnt disappoint. The combat is pretty standard. You hack at monsters and occasionally unleash skills. Some monsters choreograph their attacks too much and some dont do it enough (a few bosses have almost none) so the difficulty feels a bit inconsistent when you can beat many stronger monsters undamaged but some weaker ones feel cheesy. Speaking of the bosses, some of them are unreasonably difficult. One story boss in particular was a struggle for me to beat even on the easiest difficulty (i was playing on the hardest before that point and had to go down just for this fight). He had 0 choreography before any attack and his attacks were fast, with most hitting large areas of effect around him constantly dealing insane amounts og damage. It may be that i needed to grind more, so if you dont like grinding or high difficulty then the combat may not be enjoyable.

    The music is serviceable, with some tracks standing out but nothing too good.

    The characters feel pretty flat. The main character is a self-insert, so he has exactly 0 personality, and the rest are just archetypes. The female characters are also all fairly scantily-clad (including one thats clearly a child) so that may turn you off. Voice acting is bad. Nothing else really to say here.

    The story is interesting. Its compelling enough that you want to find out how it ends but does get boring at some points. It also has some interesting twists and is not afraid to kill off (minor) characters.

    Besides all that, its very clear that the main focus of the game is exploration. If youre a fan of exploration-based games then this one absolutely does not disappoint. Theres plenty of lands to unlock, all giving different materials and monsters to fight. The exploration is also woven in with the narrative in a way that makes you want to progress the story to explore more. You need a certain amount of islanders with you to clear new areas for exploration, so youre motivated to find more, and when any of them die then youre set back in this goal, investing you (even superficially) into the characters.

    Overall I had a decent time playing the game and would recommend it to anyone who likes exploration and doesnt mind the typical drawbacks associated with anime games.    … Expand
  8. Alberto_Rahl
    Mar 4, 2020
    7
    Tiene muy buena historia y entretiene de principio a fin pero le falla las caídas en resolución en la switch y la falta de traducción al español.

    Espero que podamos ver más títulos de Ys para la switch (incluso si hay que jugarlos en inglés). Aunque me da la impresión de que no hizo mucho ruido y por eso nos hemos quedado sin Ys ix en esta plataforma.
  9. Denvers
    Nov 18, 2021
    7
    The story, plot, and characters of Ys VIII are all good, but the combat and length really ruin the game. It feels as if the game is dragging on forever. Long games aren't a bad thing, but when nothing new is introduced, it gets quite boring. Still, the game is memorable enough and isn't bad by any metric.

Awards & Rankings

68
#68 Best Switch Game of 2018
29
#29 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
44
#44 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Oct 29, 2018
    95
    Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA is just a joy, and I'm so thankful that I took a chance on it. [Issue #36 – November/December 2018, p. 87]
  2. Eurogamer Italy
    Sep 23, 2018
    70
    YS VIII for Nintendo Switch a lazy port from Sony’s consoles. Despite the use of dynamic resolution scaling (DRS) and halving the frame-rate to 30fps, both of these aspects suffer and fail to deliver in the heat of the action. Besides these technical issues, the experience is the same of the original release and this game offer a lot to old school RPG lovers.
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  3. Cubed3
    Jul 26, 2018
    90
    Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana does have some light, frustrating moments that await the pure completionists out there, but that comes with the territory. It is a fully realised artistic masterpiece, both visually and even more so in the audio department, and deserves a place in any serious Switch player's collection. To crown it all, everything is tightly packed into one cohesive package that, at retail, requires no additional download and even comes with some neat little bonuses.
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