Ys IX: Monstrum Nox

I have a soft spot for RPGs that strand their protagonist somewhere confined and force the world-building to do the heavy lifting, so Ys IX had me paying close attention from the first hour. Falcom takes their perpetually shipwrecked hero, throws him in jail for a change, and builds an entire action-RPG around the idea of a cursed city you cannot leave. It is a tighter, stranger premise than the series usually attempts, and it mostly pays off. The Monstrum system is the headline addition. As Adol recruits each of the six cursed Monstrums, the party gains new traversal Gifts that open up the city of Balduq piece by piece. Wall-running, gliding, ground-diving, teleportation, and a spectral vision mode that reveals hidden collectibles are all layered in gradually, so the city genuinely transforms from a cage into a vertical playground over the course of the story. The Grimwald Nox events, where the whole Monstrum squad defends against waves of Lemures in a shadow dimension to break the barriers blocking new districts, are the game's structural spine and work as a cleaner alternative to the tower-defense sections in Ys VIII. Combat itself keeps the Flash Guard parry and Flash Move time-slow mechanics from prior entries, adds a Boost mode that accelerates damage and movement before cashing out into a character-exclusive Extra Skill, and lets you swap instantly between all three active party members to exploit enemy weaknesses mid-combo. The moment-to-moment feel is fast, fluid, and genuinely fun, though players who set anything below Hard difficulty may coast through without breaking a sweat. Boss encounters are where the combat earns its keep. On the story side, Ys IX is the most narrative-heavy entry Falcom has produced. Each chapter focuses on a different Monstrum's backstory, and the city of Balduq itself has a layered political history involving the Romun Empire and a centuries-old saint myth that slowly converges with the supernatural mystery. The writing rewards players who talk to every NPC, since dialogue updates after every major story beat. Fans of the Trails series will recognize the approach. The payoff is a strong final act that recontextualizes much of what came before, though the opening chapters are slow and the mid-game pacing sags around fetch-the-Nox loops. Newcomers can technically start here, but the game leans heavily on callbacks to Ys VIII and prior entries in ways that land harder if you have the history. Visually, the game looks like a 2019 Japanese console title, which is exactly what it originally was. Balduq has genuine medieval charm and the Monstrum costume designs are stylish, but texture work and NPC density will not impress anyone coming from modern open-world RPGs. The PC port, unlike the troubled Ys VIII launch, shipped in a stable and configurable state, supporting high framerates and FOV adjustment from day one. Falcom's soundtrack is, as usual, outstanding, and the music during the Grimwald Nox encounters carries real weight. For RPG players who prioritize character arcs and mystery payoff over sprawling open worlds, Ys IX punches above its budget. The cast is tropey but likeable, the traversal makes exploration feel kinetic rather than obligatory, and the final act delivers. Just be ready for a slow first three hours and a handful of side quests that exist purely to top off your Nox gauge. Monika, Scout Team