Ys the oath in felghana review

Ys: The Oath in Felghana is an action RPG driven by fast-paced combat and paired with an intricate puzzle-filled world.

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How long to beat Oath in Felghana?
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Every time I’ve beaten an Ys game I’ve been a little more enraptured in the series. This one, for me, has all the charm and wonderful gameplay of Origins but in the mainline Ys format (it’s a remake of the 3rd game). I don’t normally put a lot of stock into the story but the ending for this one was uniquely moving and beautiful. One of several titles worth playing on Vita (even tho its a psp game) if you can swing it.

9

Ys: The Oath of Felghana is an amazing game. From start to almost finished I was invested in the characters stories and the gameplay equally. In the end the gameplay left a sour taste in my mouth because the final boss is downright awful. The story has many twists and turns and the characters are all well written. The overall lore is slightly expanded and this story holds a place in my heart. Definitely a 9/10 game.

The highlight of Adol Christin’s PSP adventures, Felghana offers the perfect blend of action, platforming and story to make it a true classic.

Developer Nihon Falcom Publisher

Nihon Falcom; XSEED

Franchise Ys Genre Action; Role-playing PSTV Yes PSN EU/NA

World-building & Story

On a trip to regular travelling companion Dogi’s hometown of Redmont, flame-haired adventurer and drama magnet Adol Christin quickly finds himself embroiled in events that have repercussions throughout the land of Felghana.

Oath in Felghana starts in quaint and charming fashion as Dogi reconnects with his childhood friend Elena and introduces his mother to Adol. Unfortunately, a routine excursion in the local mine quickly uncovers the tensions that have been brewing in the region since Dogi was last here. The pair find that monster attacks have increased in frequency, the inhabitants of Genos Island were wiped out by a mysterious plague and Elena’s brother Chester has been missing for more than six months.

Each of these plot threads leads into the overarching story of Oath in Felghana, which is very stereotypical but provides an interesting enough narrative thread to make exploring this land an outright joy. You’ll cross paths with numerous villains including the mysterious Dularn and power-hungry Lord Maguire, explore hidden ruins to find long-forgotten statues with immense power and eventually tackle a resurrection plot decades in the making. None of it surprised me, but it’s all compelling.

Characterisation has never been a high point for the Ys series and while Adol remains a mute protagonist with charming narration filling in the blanks, Dogi takes more of a central role here and Elena is an interesting damsel in distress alongside her duality with brother Chester. Felghana itself is also a compact but fascinating place to explore thanks to its developed lore, making for an overall package which is more than just the sum of its parts.

Presentation & Sound

While you can tell that it isn’t quite of the same generation graphically as some other PSP JRPG’s, Oath in Felghana has moments that stand out and overall, the presentation is more than good enough for the type of game it wants to be.

From its isometric perspective to the character models which aren’t in proportion and lack detail to the slightly blurry filter applied, everything about this Ys entry reminds me of turn-of-the-century JRPG’s and shares a lot of DNA with the Trails in the Sky games. I did love the character art which isn’t quite full anime and has this European charm to it, while the opening cutscene is of similar high quality. Sometimes it’s hard to make out what enemy models are supposed to be, but this rarely bothered me as combat flies by at a ridiculous pace.

It’s environments that are lacking here. Redmont is a cosy and quaint town to start in, but things like caverns and mines generally feature boring textures and nothing to really make them stand out. They’re all based on tropes such as fire or ice too, but at least Felghana makes the most of this with environmental hazards to avoid and there are moments of beauty like when you’re running across the rooftops of Valestein castle at sunset. I would highlight that boss battles are always an incredible spectacle that look better than anything else – they play with perspective in interesting ways too.

The narration here wraps up the presentation as if this is a chapter from a book, which I loved albeit nowhere near as much as the soundtrack. This is Falcom at their absolute best with clashing guitars, catchy rhythms and a level of quality that is almost unmatched among similar JRPG’s – I could listen to the tracks here on repeat forever. I also tip my hat to the team at XSEED who have hired great voice actors to deliver the character dialogue with care (the localization is also top-notch).

Soundtrack highlight – Seal of Time

Gameplay & Content

Mixing action and platforming in a way that I’ve seen few JRPG’s attempts and even fewer pull off, Oath in Felghana is a wholehearted triumph and I do have to say that I really miss this era of Falcom design as it is generally unmatched in the modern market.

This is a solo adventure, meaning Adol is the only character you will control. Combat here is very much in the hack ‘n’ slash variety as you mash cross to attack but you can jump out of the way with cross which will be needed at points to dodge when you see the warning signs for enemy attacks. You will have a special meter which can be unleashed to power up your attack and defence (as well as heal, which is very useful!) when full but the main nuance added to combat is through three magic spells which have varying uses.

See, as you quest you’ll unlock brackets which can be equipped (and changed with R) allowing you to chuck fireballs, unleash a wind-attack spin or an earth-powered charge (or powered-up versions of the above). Utilising these well is essential and both normal mobs and bosses will require you to weave these in to beat them. For example, a mob may be immune to all damage other than fire or have a shield you need to break with your charge, so you’ll need to be on your toes when fighting.

Speaking of this, boss design has long been a highlight of the Ys franchise and things are no different here with some of the most memorable encounters I’ve ever seen. You’ll battle a burrowing fire worm, three dive bombing succubi and an elemental-changing demon. One of my personal favourites is a wyvern who you have to dodge and smash your way towards and if it grabs you, a new scene ensues where you need to dodge pillars while falling down a pit. Everything here is incredible in both mechanics and spectacle.

It’s worth noting that the difficulty level in Oath in Felghana is on the higher side, but in a very good way. Every attack from enemies is visually shown before it comes and you’ll always have the tools in your kit to defeat them, but figuring it out can be half the battle. The boss design is very much built around learning their patterns then repeating and thankfully you’re given the option to restart them if you fail – meaning no boring backtracking from save points.

I mentioned earlier that Felghana seems just as much a platformer as it is an RPG and indeed exploring its dungeons requires copious reflex challenges as you bound from platform to platform. Even though it is a little hard to judge where you’re landing at times due to the perspective (a shadow helps), some of the design here is ingenious.

You’ll find that magic factors into this too as the whirlwind spin can be used to get extra distance across a jump which you’ll need at various points to progress, or you might need to use the charge to get more vertical height to scale a wall. I loved this and it does factor into boss design too – one slams the ground which launches platforms in the air and using the spin can get you closer to him to attack, while the charge gives invincibility frames that can be used to dodge floor hazards if you’re struggling. Everything here feels incredibly well thought out.

I particularly loved a platforming section dodging swinging pendulums, which gives way to an area of tight jumping on small landing zones that really tested my skill. Or later on there’s a level where you’re in a clock tower and have to jump from spinning cogs onto moving platforms and then backtrack on yourself to hit switches to get through the door. The set-piece design here is absolutely stunning.

Defeated enemies drop things like exp boosts as well as gold, which in turn can be spent on new weapons and items. There’s not a tonne of nuance here but an item called raval ore can be used to upgrade armour and the base town of Redmont has side quests that give various rewards. There aren’t a tonne of these though, as it only took around ten and a half hours to finish my first playthrough of Felghana.

I find this a massive strength as the game is just the right length to leave a strong impression without overstaying its welcome. You can begin again afterwards in new game plus and bring over levels and weapons etc, which is perfect as harder difficulties (nightmare and inferno) will offer a serious new challenge for anyone willing to take them on.

Conclusion

Among the best games Falcom have ever released (which in itself is a high bar to pass), Oath in Felghana is the apex of their platformer-RPG design. It features some intense boss battles, brilliant combat, intricate dungeons and a story that’s easy to digest. If you love the series on Vita, please make sure you don’t miss out on this backwards-compatible PSP gem.

How long to beat Oath in Felghana?

When focusing on the main objectives, Ys: The Oath in Felghana is about 11 Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 18 Hours to obtain 100% completion.

What is the plot of the oath in Felghana?

Essentially, The Oath in Felghana retells the story of Adol journey to Dogi's home village of Redmont, and his entangling with the darling Elena and her insidious brother Chester. While the basic plot is exactly the same, it's fleshed out much more to make it fit in better with the world of Ys.