Nihon Falcom’s Ys: The Vanished Omens was originally released on a variety of Japanese home computers in 1987, and is the first entry in the long-running and still active, action-RPG series. The Sega Master System version served as the North American debut, and it came courtesy of Sega, in 1988. Although I’ve been interested in the games since discovering them many years ago, completing this version marked the first time I’ve actually played an entry, and I enjoyed the heck out of it! Narrative was light, and it proved to be a succinct and straightforward adventure, despite copious amounts of backtracking. Similarly, grinding was prevalent but it didn’t bog down the simplistic action-RPG combat. The combat was buoyed by light strategic elements and a series of fun boss fights. Now having firsthand experience with an entry, it’s easy to see why the series has stuck around.

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