Falcom
In the late nineties and early 2000s , Nintendo dominated the handheld gaming landscape with its Gameboy and DS computer hardware lines . Sony record the affray with the formidablePlayStation Portablein 2004 . The handheld received robust first - party and third - party support during its lifespan , and its power stand for it could handle games that Nintendo could n’t .
Amid that development craze , Sony ’s handhelds receive a smattering of games that were amazingly crucial spinoffs to tumid franchise . suppose playingFinalFantasy VII Remake , determine the black - haired Zack Fair , and not recognize who he is because you never play the original PlayStation Portable plot where he was the friend , Final Fantasy VII : Crisis Core . With the PSP long dead , go away so many games stuck on unsupported ironware , important pieces of dealership history have been lost to metre .
Falcom
gratefully , that ’s changing . In recent class , many Japanese developers have been port their old PSP games to modern platforms . That include a remaster ofCrisis Corethat bridged the gap betweenRemakeandFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth . This year , the PSP revival will continue with multiple embrasure , but a large one for RPG fans plain off 2025.Ys Memoire : The Oath in Felghanabrings a PSP remaking of a classic action mechanism - RPG back to modern consoles . It ’s not just a winnings for fans of Falcom ’s recess series ; it ’s a style to keep another chapter of a long - running storey from getting suffer .
The Ys impact
Ys Memoire : The Oath in Felghanafollows a young humanity name Adol Cristin who travel across the world in search of novel adventures . Apart from the first two game in the series , which are unmediated lengthiness of each other , the other Ys games are self - contained and scattered out of chronological ordering . For example , The Oath in Felghanais the third biz in the Ys series , but the sixth chronologically ( out of 11 so far ) . It sits betweenYs IV : Memories of CelcetaandYs V : Kefin , the Lost Kingdom of Sand .
While it ’s not too important to diddle the Ys games in chronological order , it ’s still helpful to acknowledge the timeline for other contingent . For lesson , Adol ’s ally , Dogi , accompanies him on most of his adventures . But he ’s not present inYs V. Why ? Well , the end ofThe Oath in Felghanaexplains that precise context . In fact , Ys Vis the only game in the series that has n’t get an prescribed localization so far . If it ever gets one , then that makesYs Memoire : The Oath in Felghanaeven more important as a remaster to all fan , both old and new .
Another one of Falcom ’s franchises , Trails , previously have from a timeline issue . The Crossbell Duology was constitutional to the serial publication canon , as characters from it appear in later entries , and new players were often confused as to who they were . Falcom finallyremastered the two games 11 years after the original PSP ’s dismission appointment . Now , Trails player do n’t have to escape any story context as they play subsequent incoming in the serial publication .
The Ys series is often credited for pioneer the activity - RPG writing style in Japan back in the 1980s . But how come it does n’t have the same amount of popularity as other franchises that debuted back then , like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest ? One of the many account is the franchise ’s split political program distribution , especially on console and handhelds .
modernistic mainline Final Fantasy games have always found their homes on PlayStation and Xbox cabinet , while Ys games jump all over the place . All of them are on PC , while some are on PSP , Vita , PS4 , PS5 , and Switch . The only Ys secret plan that the Xbox has is the prequel . For those who want to get into the Ys serial , you’ll need a chart , which can be intimidating for Modern fans .
By releasing remasters of sometime games onto more platforms , that increase the availableness of the serial and lessens the muddiness over which game are useable on which platform . The PSP digital storefront was shut down in 2021 , and only a few blue-ribbon digital PSP games are backward compatible on the Vita . So the simpleness of accession thatYs Memoire : The Oath in Felghanaprovides ca n’t be understate .
More than a new coat of paint
Along with provide redundant narrative context to an on-going series , the remasters of these PSP games are another chance toadd fresh gameplay feature , calibre - of - life sentence changes , and accessibility feature .
One of the reasons why I was excited forYs Memoire : The Oath in Felghanaand other PSP port likeCrisis CoreReunion was the inclusion body of prize on PlayStation . PSP games do n’t have Trophy funding , so that ’s why when I played the original , I was fine with just a unmarried playthrough . I saw the story to the end , and there was nothing left for me to experience . The Memoire version , however , adds difficulty - relate Trophies for me to unlock , promote me to do multiple playthroughs .
While the Trophy list is just the same as the PC achievement list on Steam , Memoirealso add a fresh “ Turbo Mode ” which dramatically belt along up the game so that I can blaze through donjon I ’ve already complete during my first playthrough , decreasing the meter need to make out subsequent run .
The PSP geological era was a time where larger developer could make belittled and more creative spinoff secret plan of their iconic console table franchise . But for smaller developers like Falcom , it was a home where they could cultivate an audience for their game that did n’t necessarily fit anywhere else . But in the advanced era , PSP games serve a dissimilar function as they ’re necessary to understand the lore of fabled franchises , thus facilitating their remasters .
With the release ofYs Memoire : The Oath in Felghana , I ’m hoping the other Ys game on PSP will get theMemoireTreatment as well . I ’d lie with to playYs Sevenwith Trophy support , and I certainly do n’t desire to shell out exorbitant eBay prices for a UMD ( universal sensitive disc ) ofYs VI : The Ark of Napishtim .
Ys Memoire : The Oath in Felghanalaunches on PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , and Nintendo Switch on January 7 .
