Ys Origin

Ys Origin (イース・オリジン) is a Japanese Action RPG released in 2006 for Microsoft Windows by Nihon Falcom. It is the seventh game in the Ys series but as a prequel, it is the first in terms of chronology. It is the first game in the series not to revolve around the adventures of Adol Christin.

Story
Taking place 700 years before the events of "Ancient Ys Vanished" (Ys I & II), this game tells much of the back-story of Ys, Darm Tower, the Black Pearl, the twin goddesses and the six priests. The game revolves around three characters as they journey through Darm Tower: Yunica Tovah, Hugo Fact and Thor Fact. Each character has their own motives for climbing the tower and playing through with all three characters will reveal the entirety of the events taking place.

Gameplay and characters
The gameplay is very similar to the previous installment, The Oath in Felghana. The major difference is the inclusion of three different playable characters, each with their own story, style of combat and skills. The length of the game is slightly shorter than previous installments and is more linear, likely to bring more focus to the action and to accommodate playing the game with all three characters.


 * Yunica Tovah　（ユニカトバ） : A young knight-in-training, Yunica plays similarly to Adol from previous installments. Yunica uses an axe and sword for close range combat. The axe allows quicker and more subsequent attacks while the sword allows wider range and longer reach.


 * Hugo Fact (ユーゴファクト) : A genius magician, Hugo differs wildly from Yunica by using long ranged attacks by firing magical bullets through his staff and small satellites that follow him called The Eyes of Fact.


 * The Claw (鉤爪の男) or Thor Fact : A character shrouded in mystery, The Claw plays similar to Yunica in specializing in close ranged combat, but differs in that his movement and attacks are much faster, adding an incredible sense of speed to the game. Hugo's older brother.


 * Adol Christin : Series mainstay Adol appears in a guest role as a playable character in the Time Attack and Arena Mode bonus games. Players can opt to use Adol from either The Ark of Napishtim or The Oath in Felghana. Both versions play closely to their counterparts from the original games with mechanics slightly tweaked to bring them in-line with the other three main characters.

Releases

 * PC First Edition: This was the initial standard release of the game. It has since been discontinued due to Falcom dropping Windows XP support for their games.


 * PC Expansion Disc: An expansion disc was made available for the cost of shipping and handling (with emphasis on handling) to owners of the first edition (a serial number had to be provided to request the upgrade). The expansion disc adds two new difficulty levels, an arena mode where players battle dozens upon dozens of monsters in a single room, alternate versions of the three main characters with upgraded skills, the ability to play as Adol Christin (in Time Attack and Arena Mode only) and a few additional secrets.


 * PC Vista Version: This is the current standard release with all the expansion disc bonuses already included. Unlike the previous release, this version has support for Windows Vista, which the previous one lacked.