Falcom Shares Concept Art For Next Ys Game, Partially Inspired By Soulslikes

Nihon Falcom’s longest-running series, Ys, celebrated its 35th anniversary yesterday, and fans of red-headed adventurer Adol are eagerly awaiting his next big journey — probably with a shipwreck or two in his wake.

And in this week’s issue of Famitsu, Falcom president Toshiro Kondo has shared some pretty gorgeous-looking key art from the next Ys title — presumably Ys X — which we’ve embedded at the top here. We can see Adol on the left here, but on the right, there’s a blonde-haired woman wielding an axe and shield. Is this an Ys Origin reference?

As well as this lovely art, Kondo has also shared a few tidbits from the next game. These details have been shared by reliable Japanese insider and reporter ryokutya2089, translated on Twitter by @Hansuke21, and reported on by Noisy Pixel.

ryokutya2089 states on his blog that:

– Adol looks like a young boy, around the age of Ys I & II.
– “A woman who looks to be the main heroine is shown. Uses a one-handed ax. Their arms are connected by an aura-shaped string/cord.”
– 1 versus 1 combat is a focus, with huge changes to the party member switching mechanic and weapon attributes. Personally, this seems akin to Ys VI, though it isn’t entirely certain yet.
– Souls-like inspirations are stated, but not overt.

@RyujiBlades has also translated the points from the Famitsu interview for Noisy Pixel, which goes into a little bit more detail and corroborates what ryokutya2089 has said. We’ve grabbed the details on the new Ys title exclusively, but Kondo does also confirm his favourite Ys character and the fact that Dark fact — the difficult boss from Ys I took him a very long time to beat

– Mentions an emphasis on providing new gameplay, as well as new scenarios, actions, and systems.
– The title will take place in Eresia, though the writer of the Famitsu article paints this as speculation.
– Kondo emphasizes that Ys X is not a full-on Souls-like, as there is simply inspiration taken from the genre
– Kondo recommends any Ys game for newcomers. Later games like Ys VIII and IX are explicitly stated and shouldn’t be intimidating because they’re standalone.
– Ys X’s story will not be centered around the Romun Empire
– The Party Member system where you change characters and weapon attributes (Slash, Pierce & Strike) at will has received major changes, though it hasn’t yet been elaborated how
– Kondo heavily implies a multiplatform release.
– Adol will be around 17 years old, his age during Ys 1 & 2

Changes to the party system — which has been in place since Ys Seven — alongside some Soulslike inspirations sounds like a bit of a change-up for the series, which has already seen several changes over the years. We’ll have to wait and see what else Kondo has to share about the upcoming game, and whether this is really, actually, the next numbered Ys game.

The last Ys game to launch was 2021’s Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, which came to the Switch last summer nearly two years after its Japanese release.

Kondo has recently gone on record stating that he wishes to bring more Ys and Trails titles to modern platforms, and this is something he reconfirmed during the Famitsu interview.

How do you feel about potential Soulslike elements being introduced into the Ys series? Let us know in the comments.