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> Results: Ys: The Ark of Napishtim
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Ys: The Ark of Napishtim is a role-playing game of a type that's for the PS2 ﾖ in fact it is a scaled-down port of an average-quality PS2 game from 2005. The gameplay is a satisfying 3D action combat, with logical controls that are immediately comfortable. Your hero also has easily controlled combination attacks based on jumping or running then attacking, and as the game progresses he gets special swords that will unlock magical attacks. The game is very linear and single-minded and uses a ﾑsave point' system of glowing pillars that also serve to fully heal the character. There are some mini-games and other fun things you unlock as you play that help break up the gameplay. The load times are not too long in Ys: The Ark of Napishtim , but they occur almost incessantly. There are so many load screens the developers came up with creative ways of displaying the words ﾑNow Loading'. Also, the enemies you face are either too hard or too easy, so you will be running back and forth killing easy monsters to gain levels to get powerful enough to pass the hard monsters and make progress in the game. If you can tolerate the load times and like the combat system, Ys: The Ark of Napishtim will be an enjoyable experience. The game is not terrible ﾖ it is an average game made worse by system limitations and design decisions.
 
The majority of Ys: The Ark of Napishtim is cute and harmless. There are some occasional uses of language and also use of alcohol (which is why it got an E-10 from the ESRB), though apparently whatever made the PS2 game rated T was removed. These are very mild and are actually tamer than most Saturday morning cartoons.
The story is simple ﾖ the hero washes up on an unfamiliar shore, is healed and nurtured by a race that have tensions with his kind, and then he goes of on loads of missions and explorations while trying to repair relations between the races and destroy the source of evil along the way. But the game lacks purpose and coherent direction ﾖ it is linear but you will constantly be retracing your steps and wandering about looking for the one person you need to find. Some of that wandering helps to break up the necessary ﾑlevel grinding', but it also results in even more load screens, adding further to that particular annoyance. There are also occasionally monsters that can kill you with one hit but you cannot damage ﾖ it is the game's way of telling you that you shouldn't be there yet, but it is frustrating and not fun, and forces you to replay parts of the game for no good reason. Kids who have not played too many of these types of games will enjoy the nice graphics, fun combat, and simple pleasures the game has to offer. But kids used to load times for the GBA or DS will quickly become frustrated with the incessant loading in this game, as I discovered with my 8 and 9 year old sons. They had no problem dying repeatedly or even with the lack of purpose, but the lack of direction and omnipresent ﾑnow loading' screens killed their interest very quickly. This review edited by Andrew Bub Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Ys: The Ark of Napishtim |
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