Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim

Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim[lower-alpha 1] is an action role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom, and the sixth installment in the Ys video game series. It was first released in 2003 for Microsoft Windows. Not counting the remakes of Ys I & II, it was the first new Ys game released by Falcom in eight years. The name Napishtim is a reference to the character Utnapishtim from the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim
North American PlayStation 2 cover art
Developer(s)Nihon Falcom
Publisher(s)
Composer(s)
  • Hayato Sonoda
  • Wataru Ishibashi
SeriesYs
Platform(s)
Release Microsoft Windows
  • JP: September 27, 2003
  • WW: April 28, 2015
PlayStation 2
  • NA: February 22, 2005
  • JP: March 10, 2005
  • EU: September 16, 2005
Mobile
  • JP: March 22, 2005
PlayStation Portable
  • JP: January 19, 2006
  • NA: February 28, 2006
  • EU: September 29, 2006
  • AU: October 6, 2006
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

The game was ported to the PlayStation 2 in 2005 and to the PlayStation Portable in 2006 by Konami for worldwide release. It was the first English release of the series since Ys III: Wanderers from Ys. In 2015, an English localization of the Windows version was released by Xseed Games.

The game is used as a base for the upcoming free-to-play game Ys VI Online[lower-alpha 2] by Restar Games. It is planned for release on Android and iOS in Q2 2021 in Japan.

Gameplay

Ys VI expands on the mechanics introduced in Ys III and V in that players are given much more control over Adol including the ability to jump and control his attacks and various magics [1] Areas are presented in 3D graphics. Character, monster and minor bosses are presented using pre-rendered 3D sprites (except in the PS2 version, which uses 3D models). Larger bosses are presented using full 3D models.

Plot

The story begins after Adol's ship is attacked by a fleet of Romun ships. Forced to sail into an unknown area, they encounter a large storm. Adol is swept off the vessel while trying to rescue a fellow sailor and washed ashore by the vortex that surrounds the Canaan Islands. He is found, unconscious, by the nieces of the chieftain of the nearby Rehda village, Olha and Isha, who are the daughters of his brother that died when battling with fellow Redha against the Wandering Calamity. The girls take him to their village and lay him to rest in their Uncle Ord's house. Adol hears them talking about him and wakes up briefly, afterwards going back to sleep because of his exhaustion. His adventure then begins.

Releases

Windows

The initial release of the game was the "Limited Edition". After this sold out, Falcom released a standard edition of the game with some new features. Two new difficulties and a Time Attack mini-game where the player fights through all the game's bosses were added. However, there was never a patch or upgrade released to initial buyers, so players wanting these new features had to buy the game again. Years later, Falcom would similarly add features to Ys Origin; this time, however, initial buyers were offered an upgrade disc for the cost of shipping. The "PC Vista version" is the same as the Standard Edition, with support for Windows Vista.

The game was later released by Xseed Games worldwide via Steam on April 28, 2015.[2]

PlayStation 2

Konami made several additions and changes when porting the game to the PlayStation 2. The most notable were the inclusion of both English and Japanese voice acting to all characters (including NPCs) and several new optional areas referred to as "Alma's Trials." While the Japanese voice acting could be selected in the NTSC-U version, the PAL version had all Japanese voice acting removed.[3][4] Konami also added new FMV sequences, though the original animated sequences could still be selected through a code. Blood and gore effects were removed due to console games requiring a rating. Lastly, they changed the character and monster graphics from pre-rendered 3D sprites to fully polygonal 3D models. While this allowed for much better animation, it also changed Adol's appearance based on his equipment.

PlayStation Portable

The PlayStation Portable port does not include any of the changes of the PS2 port except for the removal of blood and gore effects. However, the European and North American versions came with a new set of bonuses including some extra fetch-quests that unlock a few mini-games and an image/media gallery. These were later included in a "Special Edition" re-release in Japan. However, the game is noted for having particularly long and frequent load times. Voice-acting was never included in this version.

Ys VI Online

On December 24, 2020 it was announced that Ys VI is planned to be released on Android and iOS in 2021.[5] A month later, on January 29, 2021, Restar Games has announced that the smartphone release will be titled Ys VI Online: The Ark of Napishtim, and that it is a free-to-play online game with in-app purchases. The game has opened the pre-registrations on the same day.[6]

Reception

The PlayStation 2 and PSP versions received "mixed or average reviews", while the PC version later received "generally favorable reviews", all according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[7][8][9] In Japan, Famitsu gave the PS2 version a score of one six, one seven, one six, and one five, for a total of 24 out of 40.[12]

References
  1. Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim (イース6 -ナピシュテムの匣-, Īsu Shikkusu -Napishutemu no Hako-)
  2. Japanese: イース6 オンライン, Hepburn: īsu 6 onrain
  1. Massey, Tom (February 9, 2014). "Inside Ys". Eurogamer. Gamer Network.
  2. Kyle MacGregor (April 17, 2015). "YS VI: The Ark of Napishtim arrives on PC April 28". Destructoid. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  3. fedaykin (May 12, 2011). "What's the best version of Ark of Napishtim?". XSeed Games Forum. Archived from the original on November 19, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  4. Massey, Tom (February 9, 2014). "Chronicles of Ys: A Series Retrospective". Eurogamer. Gamer Network.
  5. Romano, Sal (December 24, 2020). "Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim coming to iOS, Android in 2021 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  6. Romano, Sal (January 29, 2021). "Ys VI Online: The Ark of Napishtim for iOS, Android launches this spring in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  7. "Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  8. "Ys: The Ark of Napishtim for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  9. "Ys: The Ark of Napishtim for PSP Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  10. EGM staff (March 2005). "Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PS2)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (189): 126.
  11. Fahey, Rob (August 5, 2005). "Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PS2)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  12. "イースVI -ナピシュテムの匣- (PS2)". Famitsu. 848. March 18, 2005.
  13. "Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PS2)". Game Informer (143): 128. March 2005.
  14. "Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PSP)". Game Informer (156): 133. April 2006.
  15. Star Dingo (February 22, 2005). "Ys: The Ark of Napishtim Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on February 23, 2005. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  16. Hurh, JP (March 3, 2005). "Ys: The Ark of Napishtim Review (PS2)". Game Revolution. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  17. Massimilla, Bethany (February 22, 2005). "Ys: The Ark of Napishtim Review (PS2)". GameSpot. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  18. Massimilla, Bethany (March 2, 2006). "Ys: The Ark of Napishtim Review (PSP)". GameSpot. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  19. Nutt, Christian (February 22, 2005). "GameSpy: Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PS2)". GameSpy. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  20. Theobald, Phil (March 2, 2006). "GameSpy: Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PSP)". GameSpy. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  21. Hobbs, Ronnie (March 13, 2005). "YS: The Ark of Napishtim - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on March 17, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  22. Aceinet (March 13, 2006). "Ys: The Ark of Napishtim - PSP - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on March 21, 2008. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  23. Dunham, Jeremy (February 21, 2005). "Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PS2)". IGN. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  24. Dunham, Jeremy (March 6, 2006). "Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PSP)". IGN. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  25. Kohler, Chris (March 2005). "Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PS2)". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 101. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  26. "Ys: The Ark of Napishtim (PSP)". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 96. May 2006.
  27. Gardner, Omari (May 1, 2005). "'Ys: The Ark of Napishtim' (PS2)". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on May 3, 2005. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
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