A look back at the history of the "Ys" series and PC games! Ys VI Online - Napishthem's Box" to be released in Spring 2021

Manhattan People, which is running a promotion about "Ys 6 Online - Napishthem's Box" for release in Spring 2021, presented the history of "Ys" and PC games.

The following is the original text.
Along with "Final Fantasy" and "Dragon Quest," the "Ys" series is a legend in the video game world and is considered the milestone of the Action RPG (ARPG) era. Since the release of the first game in the series in 1987, 10 games have been made of this fantasy adventure featuring the adventurer Adol Christine. It is still a mega-hit series that is enthusiastically supported by people all over the world. At the end of last year, the series' first smartphone game adaptation of "Ys VI - Napishthem's Box," one of the most popular titles in the Ys series, was announced and created quite a stir. .

⇒ "Ys VI Online - Napishthem's Box", a smartphone online RPG to be released in spring 2021, visuals and logo revealed!

The word "game," including this title, covers a wide range of types, starting with "table games" and ending with "electronic games. When we hear the word "electronic game," many people may think of role-playing games, or RPGs. In this issue, titled "The History of the PC Game Market Looking Back with Masterpieces," we delve into the early days of PC games, a story that may be new to today's young people but nostalgic for those in their 40s and older.
(Writer: Yukinokaname)

History of Electronic Games, Conditions for Becoming a Hit

■The Beginning of Electronic Games
To begin with, games used to be table games, such as Shogi, Igo, Mahjong, and playing cards. Nowadays, mahjong games, Shogi, Igo, and playing cards, which can be played alone, have been converted into electronic games with various rules.
Even Nintendo, the developer of the Family Computer (hereafter referred to as "Famicom"), started out as a company that made Hanafuda, a table game. Since the development of the Famicom, it is now the leading developer of video game consoles. Sony, known for its PlayStation, is also a latecomer to the game console market. The fact that games have become so popular is essential to the existence of consumer game consoles, which made electronic games, which were only available in game arcades, popular for home use. The NES was launched in 1983, nearly 38 years ago. This section will take a look back at the gaming of the 80's.

From the arcade to the home
The dawn of the video game era was marked by invader games. The boom was so great that even office workers went to game arcades. Although there had been several game consoles on the market before then, they were not very popular. However, the advent of the NES changed all that.
At the time, games such as Mario Bros. on the Famicom (NES), which was the basis for the blockbuster Super Mario Bros. A wide variety of games were created, including Namco's Xebious, Mappy, and Galaxian. Gaming started with table games and then electronic action games. The dedicated game consoles were very good at this action game genre.

What about PC games back then?
However, the performance of PCs at that time was not suitable for action games. Adventure games, which are now out of fashion, became popular on PCs. Starting with Mystery House, many masterpieces such as Dezeniland, Tomato Princess in Salad Land, and Portopia Serial Murder Case were released. PCs, which have a larger memory capacity than dedicated game consoles, will excel at games that require a greater amount of game content. In this sense, RPGs were a perfect fit for the PC.

■Where did RPGs begin?
Today, RPGs are a part of electronic games, but back then, the only RPGs were board game-like games that originated in Dungeons & Dragons, which are now called table talk role-playing games. In essence, this was a game where a group of people who wanted to role-play would get together, one person would create a scenario and provide the scenario, and everyone would play together in a game of adventure.
The system did not use a computer, but rather a rule book, and the game was played according to the rules. However, this system could not be played by a single player. Therefore, with the advent of computers, it was inevitable that RPGs that could be played by one person would appear.

Finally, RPGs were introduced to the computer.
In 1984, an RPG-like game appeared in game arcades. Namco's Tower of Druaga. It was a unique game at the time because it was an action game in which players had to conquer a total of 60 floors, but it was also an RPG. At the time, people who did not yet have personal computers went to game arcades to play this game. Later, Tower of Druaga was released on the Famicom (NES).

The advent of RPGs that can be played at home
In 1986, Enix released Dragon Quest (hereinafter referred to as DQ), which is now one of the most popular RPGs in Japan. Final Fantasy (FF) was released by Square in 1987. The PC supported the dawn of RPGs until then, with Black Onyx (1984) and Wizardry (Japan) (1985) being representative of the early RPGs played in Japan.
(Incidentally, Wizardry was released in the U.S. for the apple II in 1981.)
Both were 3D dungeon-capturing fantasy RPGs in which the player created characters to conquer the dungeon, and the storyline was much weaker than it is today. Then came DQ and FF, which established the story-driven genre known as JRPG. These were the first full-fledged story-based RPGs in Japan.

(Photo by author)

Necessary Conditions for a Hit
These two games became hits and became part of a series that has continued to this day, partly because they were masterpieces, but also because they were released on the Famicom (NES), a very inexpensive platform (14,800 at the time). In other words, for a game to be a hit, not only was it a masterpiece, but the platform on which it was released was also important. At that time, PCs were still expensive, costing 200,000 to 300,000 yen for a complete set. A monitor had to be purchased as well, making the price even higher. The Famicom, on the other hand, only cost 15,000 yen to connect to a TV at home. This is a very reasonable price for widespread use.

■Computers were not widespread at the time.
As you know, until Windows 95 was released, personal computers were still the preserve of enthusiasts, who had to go through PC88, MSX2, PC98, X68000, and then Windows.... Unlike today, PC games were not compatible with each other or with different operating systems, and it was common for PC games to be outnumbered by games released on dedicated game consoles, even if they were not inferior in terms of content, until the market was unified with the advent of Windows and became larger in scale. For example, DQ sold 1.5 million copies, while Xanadu, the biggest hit PC game at the time, sold 400,000. In the 1980s, when personal computers were not widely used, PC games, no matter how good they were, did not gain the fame of being masterpieces that represented the era.

■Numerous hidden masterpieces that can be mentioned only now that PCs have become widespread
The personal computer, the platform for such manias, is now commonplace. Here are some RPGs that were released on the good old PCs of the past. Wizardry, mentioned earlier, was ported to the NES, and I think it was well reproduced as a game. Black Onyx was also ported to the NES, and although it was rearranged a bit, the fun of the game itself was reproduced.
Among these games, I would like to introduce a few games that started out on the PC, which may be a bit geeky.

First is Xanadu, the second game in the Dragon Slayer series released by Nihon Falcom.
This is one of the games that created the origin of today's action RPGs: a 2D flat RPG with action elements, rather than the 3D dungeon RPGs that had come before. Although it certainly has a story, it is still a game that was enjoyed by players who wanted to make their characters stronger. The popularity of the game has continued, and a sequel, Scenario II, is also available. It is currently available on Windows.

Next is the trilogy of the Hydride series released by T&E Soft.
These are Hydride I-III. This game also has a high level of difficulty and is for enthusiasts. While Xanadu was mainly a dungeon crawler, this game is an all-round type, covering everything from fields to dungeons. Hydride III is a novel system that introduces the concept of weight. This game is also currently available on Windows.

Crystal Soft's Heart of Dreams series was also well received at the time, along with the above two games. Especially, Heart of Dreaming II was a masterpiece. As a game type, there is almost no action. It is a turn-based combat game like Dracula or FF. Especially, Dracula was influenced by Heart of Dreams. This game is also currently available on Windows. The above series was well known for the genius of its main programmer, and was a pioneer in bringing game creators to the forefront, with a dialogue between the three game creators published in a game magazine.

The "Ys" series, a masterpiece that evolved from the action RPGs of the past

© Nihon Falcom Corporation. All rights reserved

In this context, works that evolved the computer game RPGs that had been available up to that point are appearing on the market. The masterpieces that we particularly recommend this time are Ys I and Ys II, the first and second titles in the now legendary Ys series developed in 1987 and 1988 by Nihon Falcom, the same company that released the earlier Xanadu. The story of Ys I and Ys II is a must-see, as they were developed with more emphasis on the story than Xanadu. The visuals were also enhanced compared to the previous games. YsII's animation-like OP, which is commonplace nowadays, was also fresh. The game system was moderately action-packed, and while most RPGs at the time had a high level of difficulty, Ys II was an exquisite game with the catchphrase, "Now, RPGs have entered the age of gentleness. It was a game that was gentle but not easy. The game's development concept was to "let the player experience the joy of completing the game.
The music also attracted a lot of attention at the time, with the participation of Yuzo Ancient, a well-known game music composer. At the time, Nihon Falcom was a developer that focused on RPGs such as the Dragon Slayer series and Sorcerian, and the company had such a strong presence that it would be fair to say that there was no PC game player from that time who did not know of Nihon Falcom. They were a rare developer that continued to supply the market with high-quality RPGs, releasing the Legend of Heroes series and other titles in later years.
I played Ys I on the PC8801mkIISR and Ys II on the MSX2, and I highly recommend that you play them on platforms that are considered faithful ports to the original PC88 versions.

The Ys series, which I mentioned last today, is now also available for Windows and can be played on smartphones. The Ys series has also appeared up to 9, and even if you are playing from the middle of the series, we recommend that you take this opportunity to experience the epic story of the original Ys, Ys I and Ys II, which can be considered the back and forth between the two. We also recommend that you take this opportunity to experience the epic story of the original Ys series, Ys I and Ys II, as well as the other games by imagining what it was like for children back then.

Game Information
Ys6 Online - Napishthem's Box
Genre: RPG
Price: Basically free (some in-game items are charged)
Official website: http://ysvionline.restargames.jp
Official Twitter: ##

The Ys series is an action role-playing game in which adventurer Adol Christine unravels the mysteries of ancient civilizations around the world, released by Nihon Falcom, Inc. The series has been developed for more than 30 years and continues to be a mega-hit series that is enthusiastically supported by people around the world.

Ys6 is the official numbering title of the action RPG "Ys" series released by Nihon Falcom as a PC game in 2003. The story follows the adventures of Adol Christine, an adventurer, as she pursues the mystery of the "Winged Man" in the Canaan Islands. Based on the previous title "V," this is the first 3D title in the series to adopt a completely new system that summarizes the previous systems. The speedy and exhilarating battles were highly acclaimed by game users.